Oil Filter Cannister...

so I did an oil change, but I think I did something wrong here...got the oil filter back in, but now I have oil coming out from around the lid of the cannister....how tight do I have to tighten the lid...will it stop on its own when it is tight enough or do I have to pretty much guess on it?

 

there should be a gasket there.

sometimes the old one sticks and you end up with the top higher than it should be.

 

the only gasket I have is the one that came with the new filter...I might not have it installed correctly, does it go above the filter or around the filter towards the top?

 

Okay, thank you! It appears that the "new filter" that I have is too old...at least the gasket is, lifted the lid and reseated the gasket, but its now got a tear in it, but it appears to be holding for now....will have to get a new one.

 

You might try an o-ring in there instead of the gasket. In the past I always had difficulty getting the new gaskets to seal because they were always folded in half or distorted when they came out of the filter box. I switched over when I still had my F-head and it worked good for me.

 

nick, what size o-ring did you use? should I just measure the ID of the canister and go with that?

 

I'm sorry I don't remember the dimensions, that was 20 years ago. I'd measure the diameter of the lip of the canister and find one to fit that, or find an extra fat one to fit snug in the top so it doesn't come off. I found a square cut o-ring that fit in the recess in the top where the gasket was supposed to go that was just snug. The flat would seal real nice against the cannister. I think I got it at an industrial supply house but again, that was 20 years agoR)

 

cool....I will take the lid into the local hardware store and see what I can come up with then!

 

If you don't have any luck finding an o-ring or gasket, how about cleaning the area where the gasket goes and lay in a bead of silicon gasket sealer to make your own gasket - 1/8" thick. Be sure to let it set good before installing. Haven't tried it myself - just a thought.

 

You could also try a piece of small vacuum hose (rubber) and cut to fit and RTV the end.