My snake bit me (Double oil filter gasket)

tpatodd · #1 (**permalink**) 04-03-2022, 05:23 AM

Hi all-

Exposing myself here in a moment of embarrassment but need some guidance.

Changed my oil yesterday and did not notice the old oil filter gasket stuck. Fired up the engine..... ~4.5 qts out in about 7 seconds. Good times.

Other than the massive cleanup on the floor. Anything under the hood I should be concerned with?

Oil got on pretty much everything on the front of the motor: belts, hoses etc.

Oil shot through the front rims so I am assuming on the back of the brake rotors, etc. I have not pushed the brake pedal so hoping it did not get on the pads. Might have.

What would the pro's do in this situation for clean up and pre-firing her back up. (yes, I have resolved the oil filter issue and filler her back up with oil).

Thanks 1,000,000

spdbrake · #2 (**permalink**) 04-03-2022, 05:42 AM

Got the same surprise when I changed my Dad's Bonneville oil when I was 16.

Just a can of Gunk engine degreaser and a hose down. I'd jack the front to get to the pesky areas. Gunk is safe on brake pads. Nothing crazy like using a high pressure washer, etc....is needed unless you want more more stuff to fix.

tpatodd · #3 (**permalink**) 04-03-2022, 08:19 AM

Thank you sir! I was out there working and my neighbor stopped by. He said the same thing happened to him and gave me his can of gunk. Engine is all clean and dry now. Luckily I have an extra garage so I moved the BDR over their so I can work on the floor. What a mess-- lesson learned.

cycleguy55 · #4 (**permalink**) 04-03-2022, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tpatodd

Hi all-

Exposing myself here in a moment of embarrassment but need some guidance.

Changed my oil yesterday and did not notice the old oil filter gasket stuck. Fired up the engine..... ~4.5 qts out in about 7 seconds. Good times.

Other than the massive cleanup on the floor. Anything under the hood I should be concerned with?

Oil got on pretty much everything on the front of the motor: belts, hoses etc.

Oil shot through the front rims so I am assuming on the back of the brake rotors, etc. I have not pushed the brake pedal so hoping it did not get on the pads. Might have.

What would the pro's do in this situation for clean up and pre-firing her back up. (yes, I have resolved the oil filter issue and filler her back up with oil).

Thanks 1,000,000

That almost happened to me. I was wondering what was different about installing the replacement filter when I realized the double gasket issue. Glad I found it before I experienced what you did!

KarlzEE Bebout · #5 (**permalink**) 04-06-2022, 11:53 AM

Funny how having to clean up a mess will burn something into your memory. Early '60s Chevy canister filter with the O'ring that fit up into the block where the canister went. A 1/2" piece of the old o-ring broke off and stayed in the groove.

Made me a believer in triple checking that any old filter gasket is removed.

HealeyRick · #6 (**permalink**) 04-06-2022, 02:18 PM

You got off lucky with just a clean-up. Bugeye Sprite has a canister oil filter. The canister fits into a housing with a separate O-ring. With bad lighting, I thought I had removed the prior o-ring and replaced it with a new one. Tightened the canister down and had great oil-pressure for about 80 miles until the second oil ring let go while I was doing 70 mph in the left lane. By the time I got it over three lanes of traffic to the breakdown lane ,,, new engine time. Hard lesson learned.

cycleguy55 · #7 (**permalink**) 04-06-2022, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HealeyRick

You got off lucky with just a clean-up. Bugeye Sprite has a canister oil filter. The canister fits into a housing with a separate O-ring. With bad lighting, I thought I had removed the prior o-ring and replaced it with a new one. Tightened the canister down and had great oil-pressure for about 80 miles until the second oil ring let go while I was doing 70 mph in the left lane. By the time I got it over three lanes of traffic to the breakdown lane ,,, new engine time. Hard lesson learned.

Ouch!

FredG · #8 (**permalink**) 04-06-2022, 08:29 PM

I did it 4 years ago. What a mess. Keep a bag of cat litter on hand. Make sure you clean the oil out of any electrical connection especially alternator and ignition connections from the coil and distributor magnetic pickup. Oil is a bad conductor.

Fred

R&B back · #9 (**permalink**) 04-08-2022, 10:03 AM

This is not really helping you answer your question, but about 25 years ago after my first engine rebuild, I took the 428FE on the first real trip a few miles from home. And when I finally gassed it, the rear seal oil seal popped out. Lucky, the hydraulic lifters quit and stopped the engine before any real damage occurred. Maybe an advantage of hydraulic lifters? I had to pull the engine anyway, so I was able to clean up with an empty engine bay. Over the next few weeks, I did feel guilty driving over the oil streak left behind on the road. However, it did not look as bad as I thought it might after losing 5 quarts of oil.