What's up fellas. Let me start by saying I'm no wrenching professional, but I'm no wrenching newbie either. I've installed lifts on Jeeps, nitrous systems on LSx Camaros and GTOs, have done all of my own service and maintenance, etc.

So... I change my own oil in the G as well. I have only done it once, and it was approximately 3,500miles ago, so I was about to lift her up and change it again. Lately, I had been getting a little bit more valvetrain noise than normal, and had read about oil consumption issues others have had. So I go and check my oil. Dipstick is CLEAN.

I add 1qt. - CLEAN
I add another qt. - LOW
I add 1/2 of another qt. - normal.

<-- so I'm freakin' out.

I lift the car up and start poking around to see something odd: oil was leaking out of the Purolator filter at the seal. I wonder if it's loose, so I try turning it - it's PLENTY tight, and takes about as much "normal" torque to unscrew it as my old SS, GTO, Jeeps, etc. so I'm wondering what in the world could have happened (as I've never had any issue like this before).

I did notice that the filter seal was compressed so that only about 1/2mm was showing until you started to hit the metal rim of the filter. I looked at my new Fram, and it has approximatly 2.5mm of seal height before you get to the metal rim. I know you're supposed to tighten the filter to about 15 ft-lbs or so. I didn't screw the Fram on quite so tight, and will definitely be monitoring any leak out of it for the next few weeks for sure.

Anybody ever experience anything like this? Can you get a seal failure and oil leak from the filter being too tight? How could it have been too loose if it permanently compressed the seal that much? It was hand tight, and I removed the filter with one hand as well. Any guesses are welcome.

 

do you have a huge pool of oil where you normally park your car? Sounds like you lost ~2.5 quarts, which would easily show up in your garage if the filter was indeed the source of the leak

 

Make sure you didn't install the new filter on top of an old gasket ring! I'd stick with OEM or NAPA ultragold filters.

 

no pool of oil... the g spends a LOT of time on the road.

just to make sure... there isn't supposed to be anything betwen the flat plate on the block and the filter itself, right?

 

gasket ring gets kinked and doesn't sit properly sometimes when it gets tightened. It may seem like it's sitting properly but the gasket can bulge out on those place where it's not so easy to get a visual inspection. Usually rubbing some oil around the ring can help it sit properly.

Yes this has happened to me before cause i've over tightened it using a wrench. If you used a torque wrench, make sure your torque wrench is capable of doing 15lbs. Usually those torque wrenches that clicks has a minimum of 50 or so lbs. I've been hand tightening the filter which is good enough.

 

Yep, always run a bead of oil around the gasket as well... and hand tighten...

These things are why I'm so confused!!!