Is it necessar to drain the engine oil to remove the filter?

Hello again

I've just done an oil and filter change (1.1L year 2002). Afterwards I went for a drive then left the car parked for an hour, and there's a few drops of fresh oil on the drive beneath the filter housing. So I guess that the filter cap O-ring is not fully sealing, although there's no obvious seepage down the side of the housing.

So the question is do I need to drain the oil before removing the filter and checking and or replacing the O-ring? I'd rather not drain the oil again if I don't have to!

Thank you.

justintime wrote:Hello again

I've just done an oil and filter change (1.1L year 2002). Afterwards I went for a drive then left the car parked for an hour, and there's a few drops of fresh oil on the drive beneath the filter housing. So I guess that the filter cap O-ring is not fully sealing, although there's no obvious seepage down the side of the housing.

So the question is do I need to drain the oil before removing the filter and checking and or replacing the O-ring? I'd rather not drain the oil again if I don't have to!

Thank you.

Hi justintime
It is not necessary to drain the engine oil from the sump to replace the filter.

The oil will settle in the sump, but a small quantity will remain in the filter whether you drain or don't.

Arfur Dent wrote:

justintime wrote:Hello again

I've just done an oil and filter change (1.1L year 2002). Afterwards I went for a drive then left the car parked for an hour, and there's a few drops of fresh oil on the drive beneath the filter housing. So I guess that the filter cap O-ring is not fully sealing, although there's no obvious seepage down the side of the housing.

So the question is do I need to drain the oil before removing the filter and checking and or replacing the O-ring? I'd rather not drain the oil again if I don't have to!

Thank you.

Hi justintime
It is not necessary to drain the engine oil from the sump to replace the filter.

The oil will settle in the sump, but a small quantity will remain in the filter whether you drain or don't.

Arfur, you answered so quick you made me dizzy!

Thank you very much for that superb answer. I'll get on to it in the next day or two and let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.

justintime wrote:Arfur, you answered so quick you made me dizzy!

Thank you very much for that superb answer. I'll get on to it in the next day or two and let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.

Yes, please let us know how you get on, thanks

Just a quick update. I renewed the O-ring but it made no difference, so I tried further tightening the cap to about 26nm which caused a tiny split in the plastic! Bought a new cap (complete with O-ring) but it still drips a small amount after getting up to temperature, maybe 3 or 4 drops on the drive overnight. The drops seem to be coming from the electrical insulation material below the filter housing, but there's no apparent leak from sensor's oil seal above. As it's not a serious leak I've decided to leave it as is, and top up the oil when needed.

justintime wrote:Just a quick update

Thank you for the update.

If you get a chance in the future (maybe the next oil change), can you clean up the area, run the engine and then take a few photos (if the leak is still present). It may be easier to see the source of the leak from a picture?

C3CAR wrote:

justintime wrote:Just a quick update

Thank you for the update.

If you get a chance in the future (maybe the next oil change), can you clean up the area, run the engine and then take a few photos (if the leak is still present). It may be easier to see the source of the leak from a picture?

Hi C3CAR

Thanks for your helpful suggestion. I'll certainly put up some pictures next time round. I'm hoping that as the oil gets dirty during use the leak will magically cease. Time will tell!

It's great to have your input, and thanks again.

Arfur Dent wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2017 6:54 pm It is not necessary to drain the engine oil from the sump to replace the filter.

The oil will settle in the sump, but a small quantity will remain in the filter whether you drain or don't.

Does that mean I can figure out the correct filter type I need to order by physically checking it out?
How much approx will be left in the filter?
About the housing size, or less?