Oil Change Surprise

So the planets aligned! My wife’s Camry and my truck both needed oil changes and since Costco has a deal on 6qts of mobile one 0w-20 for 28 bucks and Im all out of those free oil changes, I set my sights on taking care of business by changing the oil on my vehicles. Finished my wife’s Camry in about 30mins and figured I’d move to my truck and knock it out in 20 mins because I don’t have to use a jack. I get down there pull off the skid and guess what was on my oil filter canister?

Silicone! Took some pictures and called up the service manager of the dealership that did my last free maintenance. He said he would get back to me tomorrow on what they’re going to do. I told him I’m fine with them giving me the replacement oil filter canister and doing the install myself. I think they over torqued it on the plug and cracked it.

I guess we’ll find out tomorrow on what they’re going to do.

 

Nice. They way overtorque those things at the dealer. Dealer did the first change in the wife’s rav 4. I did the second. I actually broke the housing trying to remove it it was on so tight (wrench slipped which broke it, but it was way too damn tight.) I think the replacement was $25. So either way no big deal.

 

Wow! Thanks for helping me make the decision of whether or not to have the dealer do the "Toyota Care" service. I was struggling with that.

 

Ya, the canister itself says 18 ft lbs or 25 nm? (I don’t speak Japanese measurements) to torque it to but who knows if the use a torque wrench or not. But ya I’m debating on see if I can pay the difference and get the aluminum canister, (the Lexus part)

 

Did you find a crack in it? Doesnt look like it leaked at all. Good to know silicone will fix a cracked housing!

 

Honestly, it doesn't look like it was glued to stop a leak. But rather to prevent a leak scenario.

If there was a leak, then the pressurized oil would of pushed the silicone glue at first start. Remember silicone glue has a fairly long dry time, much longer than it takes to change oil.

I'm guessing the glue is there to keep the metal plug from backing off and causing a leak.

 

So my background is commercial plumbing (hospitals, and government agency) and it’s been a rule of thumb that if you see silicone in an area that an o-ring is supposed to be creating the seal, someone did it wrong/ cracked the item and is trying to cover their tracks. So my standard operating procedure has been take a picture and address it with the person that dealt with it last or installed it, and give them the opportunity to make things right. It may not be cracked or he simply lost the o-ring for the drain plug. Either case I don’t want to mess with it and investigate further and possibly have the truck out of commission. Like let’s say it is cracked, well now the oils drained and the filter wont hold a seal and I’m left without a truck for work. Bottom line, it’s not supposed to be siliconed so there’s an issue behind it. I would rather deal with the issue with the proper part on hand. Im just erring on the side of caution cause after getting screwed so many times on things like this, it gets uncomfortable to sit down cause your butt doesn’t feel the same no more lol

 

I hope that’s the case, but I would think blue thread locker would be a better option than a fat glob of silicone

 

It was put there to keep the plug from backing out...no biggie

 

done many a Toyota oil change.. they all have this or an aluminum variation of it.. need a $45-60 tool to take it off.. but first you need to pull the drain plug.. (the round object with a 3/8" square). typically when theyre new the filter housing has a spring inside which holds against the oil pressure. and you insert a plastic tool (comes with new filter media & new o-rings(2)) that presses up on a spring loaded plunger to release the oil in the filter housing.. you can attach a hose to the plastic tool (it has a barb), or just let it drain into the pan.. sometimes that small aluminum plug is stuck to the housing either overtorqued, or just tight.. sometimes.. theres some oil behind it.. sometimes not... the housing itself i never had issue with but the plunger would leak sometimes.. and yours maybe one of those.. and this tech wanted to ensure it wouldnt leak.. not my route (I would have oiled the o-ring (or used a thin lube), and torqued to spec after putting on the housing. maybe this tech had issues with the cap unscrewing? seen a few of them missing before.. he may have put it on there to keep the cap from spinning off because that looks like its on the surface not squished out the cap...

 

Yup. Mine was crazy over torqued. It took me 20 minutes to get mine off the truck. Luckily I had already planned on replacing it with the aluminum housing.

I had to swap the drain plug to the new housing and it was on there WAY beyond the torque spec. I’m amazed it wasn’t broken.

 

True, locktight would probably do the trick, but locktight could have issues sticking on a oiled surface. The outside of the housing doesn't have this issue though.

I would check with the dealer about this being a possibility. My guess is they will offer you a new housing and call it a day.

 

Cartridge filters suck

 

i think that silicon got there by accident ! just break open the drain plug and it will be obvious. Once you open it you should just get a few drops of oil, The filter housing is spring loaded and you have to screw in the plastic tool that come with the filter to drain the filter housing before you open it or you will make a mess. Cartridge filters come with 2 new "o" ring and the plastic tool.

 

My wife has a 2008 Highlander that has always had the cartridge oil filter. I essentially do it by hand and it is never leaked. I can't seem to get a torque wrench in the right spot and the small drain plug seems to be seized to the body... I guess I'll figure it out on my 2018 as soon as I have to start changing my own oil.

I suppose it's a good time to buy the aluminum housing rather than the plastic, or is the plastic just as good?

You sure that's not Vaseline?

 

I would have them do the service but right after you get your truck take a look at the job they did before you take off for home. Take a flash light check underneath to make sure all is good. I do all the time.

 

It's only 18ft/lbs of torque. That's not much more than hand tight anyway.

 

I dont think its covering up a crack, it could be one of two reasons. The first already mentioned, which is to keep the plug from backing out. The second, and something I would do, is sort of like the techs mark. Its something a tech does so that if you did change your own oil and later come back with an issue, say you crack the housing yourself, but try to blame it on the dealer, the tech can say, "Lets take a look at it." Oh wait, my seal has been broken, which means you or someone other than me tampered with this. Sorry.
I put inconspicuous marks on random bolts, oil filters, fuel lines, etc., just for this purpose.

 

And everyone wonders why I bought a Baxter Performance spin on adapter.

 

^This

Even Walmart is doing it on oil changes here in SE Tennessee.

Stumped me for about thirty seconds the first time I saw it.