Is Your Oil Filter Full of Oil?

When you change your oil and go to unscrew the filter, does a bit of oil leak out?

My reason for asking: I used to get a filter full of oil spilling out every time I changed my oil. But then I did head gasket replacement and changed the oil pump (new part #). Ever since the HG replacement, only a drop or two of oil leaks out when I unscrew the filter.

 

no anti drain back valve in oil filter

 

I always use mobile 1 filters. Before and after the hg replacement.

 

Not sure if this is the case but Mobil1 filters have changed design (maybe manufacturer) also. The new design filters have an A at the end of the p/n. Not sure if either the new filters have the anti-drain back feature. I'm pretty sure I remember that the older ones do but I don't need it for my application. I don't see why they would remove that feature.

There's videos on YT showing them cut open that should show if they do. I've never used the new Mobil1 filters & I recently stopped using Mobil1 filters which I always have in the past.

 

I checked around YouTube, found a video before mobil1 changed, and found another one after they added the -A and the green label. Both had the anti-drain back valve.

 

Yes, mine is full of oil. I use a filter with the anti drain back valve. I won't tell you what brand I use because it will turn into a Fram bashing thread, but I use the expensive version of their filter.

 

Mine drips a little every time. Maybe 1/4 cup at the most. I loosen it and then grab a plastic bag, unscrew it the rest of the way in that. No mess no fuss.

Edit: I use oem Toyota filters fwiw

 

I always use OEM filters, about $50 per case of ten, pretty cheap, but... other possibilities...


Check your oil pressure. Possible you could have missed something simple when you did head gasket replacement. Oil pressure on cold start should be about 40, once it settles to running temp about 10.

With engine running, look in the oil fill tube, should be constant spray of oil, if it's a dribble of oil, oil pressure problem.

With engine running and oil pressure gauge hooked up, jack up the front of the truck. If oil pressure drops off, most likely o-ring on oil pump where timing cover meets upper oil pan.

Look for metal glitter in oil, another good sign of oil pressure issue.

Only reason I bring all this up is no matter what brand of filter you use, there should be a good bit of oil in the filter when you remove it and when doing HG replacement something as simple as forgetting an o-ring or just tad too much FIPG in the wrong spot can cause oil flow issues.

 

Punch a hole in the filter after you remove it to see if it is full of oil. If not you have something me homework to do to figure out what's wrong.

 

I have used Mobil 1 filters M-102 and M-102A. I always have oil in the filter when I change it with both variants. So I don't think it's the filter at fault.

 

There was also a fram bashing thread on the Jeep wrangler forum I am on but one of the WF member toured the fram facility and apparently their design and quality has changed. I have never run into issues with fram products but here's the thread that makes for some interesting reading.
https://www.wranglerforum.com/f282/...s-r-and-d-facility-in-dayton-ohio-111282.html

 

Could just be the anti-drainback valve doing its job. Insert a thin screwdriver through the filter inlet holes and push up on the rubber flap (red piece according to M1 photos online). Oil should come out. With OEM filters, the old filter upon removal is often noticeably heavier than the new filter, because of the oil inside.

 

It's all preference...

I'm old and I used Fram Oil Filters for Decades (we are talking 40 years ) and never had any issues whatsoever. None.

 

I get a decent amount, not sure exactly how much but enough to fill the 2' hose I run from the filter base down to my catch pan. I use OEM filters, Mobil1 5W30. It would concern me after doing HG and oil pump, like maybe I put in a wrong or defective (like a punched hole was missed) gasket or flipped, thus blocking a oil passage. You'd think the pressure light would be on but I dunno.

 

On 2nd gens I crack the oil filter loose to the point where it doesn't leak, then perform the oil change. If waited long enough it drains back into the sump and the filter will be empty when removed.

 

Your oil light would be on if you had low oil pressure, or weren't getting oil through the filter. You're fine.

 

Thanks for the replys guys!

What jboudreaux1965 is getting at is basically what I fear and was wondering if any of you might suspect the same. I was pretty darn meticulous when doing the timing chain cover, was mindful of oil ports and O-rings. That said, I’m still human and not a master mechanic, so there’s certainly a possibility I made a mistake or smeared sealant around while I was fighting the oil pump when reinstalling the cover. I should mention that I did not remove the upper oil pan, so it’s possible the oil pick up o-ring got slightly displaced or maybe some sealant got on it and is preventing a good seal.

I just turned on my engine and looked through the oil fill tube. I would not call it a dribble, seemed like pretty decent gobs of oil down there. I attempted to take my oil filter off and put the screwdriver to the rubber back drain flapper, which I should mention I didn’t even realize was there until this thread! But... try not to laugh, I changed my oil about 300 miles ago and I think I tightened the filter on a bit too tight, I couldn’t get it to budge! I’ll try again in a few beers.

Checking oil pressure sounds smart, I’ll pick up an oil pressure gauge. I take it the guage plugs into the sensor hole closest to the oil filter? My oil light turns off after about 1.5 seconds of starting the engine. No metal glitter in oil. Filters do seem lighter than I’m used to you when I go to change it, like it’s not chock full, but that might just be in my head. I guess I just figure if you’ve got a good seal in your oil system, there should still be oil above the center nipple that geos into the filter that will spill out when you unscrew the filter. I used to catch about a quarter to half cup of oil in a water bottle that I would cut the top off of under the little catch tube thingy every time i changed the oil. Now hardly a drop comes out. I am 26k miles since the hg change.

 

Yes, the oil pressure gauge screws in where the sensor is. I'd pull at least the lower oil pan and clean it out and make sure the pickup screen is clean, if you didn't pull the oil pan when you did the HG's, chances are some of the FIPG you scraped off fell into the oil pan.

 

Dude you're fine, if you had a oil pressure problem you would have seen a light.

It's been 26k with no problems, don't take anything apart.

 

Most screw thread designs require more torque to loosen than to tighten. Plus, when the engine shuts off and the oil cools, there is a bit of vacuum on the filter. I always install my filters by hand. On removal I always had to use a wrench. End of the day, you don't want the filter coming loose. I should add that oil filters are mass-produced items that you are getting for $5 apiece, so expect variations. One filter's flapper may hold more oil on shutdown than the next filter, even if they are the same P/N.