I changed my oil a few weeks back and havent driven the car much since then. I finally had some free time and took it for a drive after checking out my AAR. After I pulled into the driveway, I looked down the driveway and there was a lot of oil drips on the way up (well, more than usual). So with the car still running, I looked under the car to see oil heavily dripping off the oil filter. I quickly turned off the car and the oil stopped. I figured I did something wrong when I changed the oil, so tonight I changed it again. I double checked the oil filter was correct (Purolator L14670) and everything went fine. I started the car and after warming up for about 1 minute, the oil starting coming out again.

I'm sort of lost at what is going on. I made sure there was a tight seal on the oil filter and that the old gasket wasnt stuck on, nothing was keeping the filter from sealing, etc. I took a bunch of pictures, both before the filter was put on, and after it was leaking just in case I missed something. Since I only had a limited work area, I couldnt see above the filter while its in and i couldnt see exactly where the oil was coming from, but i assume it was out the top of the filter.

Any thoughts? The car leaked oil before but only a drip every once in a while, and not out of the oil filter.

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buy another filter, maybe a different brand. Or somehow pressure test the filter forcing air into the full filter. If you have a spare oil filter console.

I don't know if this will fit your situation but (and I don't know why) if I put in

a Fram oil filter it would leak just like that, something with the design. Other filters

sealed just fine, I have not tried purolator.

I never had a problem with fram on two different engines, but

well the oil filter i took out was a fram and it didnt have any problem, so i'll go get one of those tomorrow and see if that is any better.

this might be a dumb question, but is it possible to change the oil filter with draining the oil?

I think you mean without draining the oil. Yes you can. You already removed the filter, just put in a new one

If you did mean "with draining the oil" well
"I changed my oil a few weeks back and hav...."
ansered your own question there.

Any chance the oil filter got cross threaded and was not sealing properly?

ya, i meant "without" draining the oil...and i took the picture with the filter off before i filled the car with oil...

but i assume the answer is still yes:)

edit: possibly Greg, but the new filter screwed on smoothly and I didnt notice any crossthreading, but i'll check that out tomorrow, thanks for the suggestion

shure the filter could be cross threaded, but it would feel like crap going on and off. I one time had the o ring come off an old filter and stick to the block (nissan) 2 gaskets dosent seal. This is not your problem, but your seal may be crap. put the old one on and see if it leaks the same. Is the oil on top of the filter hosing? Could be cooler seals, and a coinsidence.

The answer is still yes, you can change either one independently of the other.

i only had ramps to put the car on and since i've been packing on some extra lb's for winter (ie the last 3 years), i dont have much room to manuever around, but I didnt see any oil above the filter housing.

i wasnt aware the oil cooler had seals...is that something that can be replaced with the motor in the car? i've got a list of things to do when i remove the engine soon, that might have to go on the list

I havn't tried a Fram sence the early 90's, you only let the dog bite you a few

times and then you keep your hands to yourself.

Yes you can change the seals with the engine in the car but it is not fun. Check

the filter first.

what do you recommend Paul?

I believe it can. You have to remove the front of the cooling thingy (try and follow me. I know its getting technical) and I believe you can access the cooler. Major PITA. Way easier with the engine out.

As far as seeing the oil leak, its easier to feel it. Just put your clean hand on the top of the filter housint and feel for "clean" oil. Ie not 30 year old crap, but something new. If there is tons of crap up there, wipe it wath some paper towels and try again after a quick idle. Id even leave it on the ramps. Just be safe and hold the brake, and dont get burnt later. and whear glasses, and dont run with scissors

Im in a silly mood tonight

that would be a damn coincidence if it were the cooler seal since i never touched it and it was fine up until when i changed the filter, and i know i didnt bump/hit the cooler.

thanks everyone, hopefully its just the filter

well i couldnt wait until morning, so i went out and ran the car for a couple minutes, then quickly removed the filter to see if it was the oil cooler and while there was old caked on oil/grime on the cooler and around the top of the filter housing, there was no new oil anywhere but on the oil filter which leads me to think the seal just wasnt up to snuff...i'll be getting a new one (couple actually) tomorrow and report the findings.

thanks everyone!

I am running the K&N now, I am happy.

Use Mann or Mahle filters as they are built to better standards than Fram etc...

I will NOTuse anything else.

Fram's suck.....take a look at what's recommended for Porsche and what THEY think they also fit. The cross references will boggle the mind.

Mahle and Mann is the only filters I use on ALL my Porsche rides.....The only exception is a Purolator remote setup on my Type I motor. The base was made by Purolator...or at least it has it's name on it.

Just about every oil filter on the market is built to better standards than a FRAM.

thank guys...mann or mahle it is!

You can get either Mann or Mahle filters (they have both) at Bugformance

thanks EG, i just got off the phone with them. i try to get whatever i need from them, really nice guys and very patient with some of my obscure question:)

heading down in a few...then to meet the guy with my tail->side shift conversion parts!

Might wanna check the oil pressure switch, immediately aft of the distributor, and above the cooler and filter. Common failure.

In addition, I concur on the choice of filters. If Fram filters are built to a standard, it's a ridiculuous one. They might be junk if they can only get the quality up!

The Cap'n

well that didnt work

got the new mahle filter and the same thing...after a few minutes, oil starts to heavily drip off the filter. i took it off and felt above the filter housing and didnt find much new oil, maybe a drip or so.

I'll check the oil pressure switch when i get a chance, it's a PITA to get around under the car with only ramps, no ROOM!

damnit, and I had a lift at my dad's friends house lined up for replacing the pushrod tubes tomorrow, guess it'll have to wait.

The good news is, now that you've wasted all that time, the OP switch is on the top! The Cap'n

after pouring concrete with a friend all day, i didnt get a chance to check out the oil pressure switch...good news is that the friend i was helping is a 914 guy also and he's coming over tomorrow am to help me figure this out.

I'm wondering, Cap, what I would be looking for with the oil pressure switch? is it sort of like the fuel pressure regulator but for the oil?

I'm convinced it has at least something to do with the filter housing since, with a new filter, it leaked no oil for a while, the starts flowing out the top. The housing isnt cracked (that i can see, and i looked carefully), it isnt crossthreaded, no old gasket pieces stuck on....I just dont get it:/

I cant believe nobody suggested that the oil pressure switch broke?

I leaked two quarts per 30 mile drive per day

um, the Cap has mentioned it twice...thats what I'm looking into right now:)

if the switch was broken, would it cause oil to come out of the top of the oil filter?

well on mine, it flowed off of the little mount onto the top of the filter console, and pooled up on the top of the filter and ran down the sides.

two quarts.

Not "out of" the top, but above it, and dripping down...

Its on top of the engine behind the dizzy and yes it can leak down over the

top of the oil filter. Its a small bugger say eprox one inch square, octagnal made

of metal except for a plastic insert on top, thats where it usually leaks.

well that definatly sounds like it could be it...i relly hope it is, i'm praying its not the cooler seals so anything else i can check before that is great

i just want to make sure this is the oil pressure switch, towards the middle right, with the single red/green wire going to it, right?

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yep, that be the one.

to test leakage, i sprayed carb cleaner all around it to get it real oil-free
and then turned the car on.

I saw oil trickling out from all around the sensor and then i saw drips from the filter

side note...what is this piece, the metal bar wedged below the distributor, I can't move it but is it supposed to be there???

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it looks to be the distributor hold down clamp, you need that one.

Arrowed item in the last picture looks like the clamp on the distributor hold down. Loosen this to turn the distributor and set the timing. 10mm wrench. Around the other side is the nut that holds the clamp to the case, 13mm wrench.

well apperently 4 eyes are better than 2....problem fixed. One of the bolts that hold the oil cooler on had just about worked its way out. Tightened it up, new spark plugs and wires and the car is running better than ever with just the normal pushrod oil leaks, which will get fixed next weekend... i cant believe i didnt see that bolt out before, but i'm just happy it wasnt something more serious.

thanks for the help everyone!!

I can't believe that no one here noticed it!!

thats the one...i didnt even notice it until you pointed it out... i drove it around for 30 minutes and there are now no noticiable leaks:)

now i just have to adjust the throttle cable. its been idling at 1800 and its not the idle screw.

Hey I'm glad I wan not right, however I was not for from it either. Ask where I have seen that style of leak before.

Frikin seals

ya, sort of hard for the seals to do their job when bolts arnt doing theirs.

i'll be building an engine over the next few months and just want the one in the car to last until then. hopefully it will now...as long as these harsh NorCal winters dont don a number on it:)

from here it looks like a blob of grease on a bigger blob of grease, wonder why

I missed it.

from my work monitor i saw a blob of nothingness
but at home i have a LCD and i saw the screw....

spooooky

amazing thing is that i had a smaller oil leak before all of this, which i assumed was either the valve covers or pushrod tubes (one is bent) but since i tightened that bolt, it seems to be gone...maybe now burning oil smoke wont seep in through the air vents

Your oil cooler seals could have failed, which the oil would pour over the top of your oil filter.

EDIT: I guess I should have read the whole thread, DOH!