Ok, so currently I am changing the oil filter on my car. Here's how I started:

1. Moved the car into the driveway, and let the engine warm up for a minute.
2. Drained the oil.
3. Took the oil filter off, and wham-o...about a half cup of oil or more came pouring out from where I just took the oil filter off of.

What happened? What did so much more oil come out of the oil filter? Should I have let the car sit for a while before I drained the oil? Can someone explain what happened?


[Modified by 2001 Integra GSR, 1:19 PM 11/3/2002]

 

seems normal to me. oil filter holds that much oil.

you should go drive around the block then change your oil.

1 mintue didn't get it warm enough.

 

the oil filter sits 90 degrees on its side so you are going to spill oil regardless

 

its normal. thats why have a shop towel handy for oil spills.

 

just a newbie question........I didnt know that you need to warm up your car to channge the oil???? what is the reason for this?

 

oil flows better when it is warm so you get all that contamination out easier.....if you change it when it's cold, all the dirt and grime will remain in your oil pan

 

that is just the oil sitting in the filter, no problem!

 

ohh ic , gotcha

 

i put in 5min oil cleaner, I took of my oil pan, put a new gasket, cleaned a big metal partical off my magnetic spark plug, put in cheap oil and filter, ran that for 10 mins, drained, then put in mobil 1, heh

 

hmm when I take off the filter I never really get that much pouring out. I do let it drain for a long time though.

(starts to wonder if my oil filter is even doing its job )

 

Just place a shop rag under the filter when your unscrewing it.

 

You're ok.

I usually drink a beer or two after I unscrew the drain plug...this gives the oil plenty of time to pour out. I'm even **** enough to lower the car, and jack the driver's side up to allow as much oil as possible to drain out.

Then when I replace the oil filter, less oil leaks out from there.

 

What I usually do is dissconnect the tube from the intake going to the valve cover then blow on it. That gets a HUGE amount of oil out from the system. Make sure your oil filter is on, as well as the oil cap and dip stick. Only thing that should be off is your oil pan drain bolt.

 

Not sure how many of you do this... I pour about a quarter to half of a quart of new oil to help push out the remaining dirty oil then close the drain plug.

 

Or you could just remove your oil cap, allow gravity to help, and not get your lips dirty.

 

No matter what there is still going to be a little bit of oil sitting in the filter waiting to spill all over you.

 

that's sounds like a good idea. I always have about 300mL of new oil left over from my oil change that never gets used and I end up just dumping old oil over it.

 

Get a cheapo magnetic drain plug..I wish i had my digi cam out when I changed mine, there was a rather large..around..1mm long, misshapped piece of thin metal stuck to my plug, lots or other film on it.

 

just did my first oil change recently. i cut down a plastic half gallon jug, where it would be about 1-3 inches high from the bottom. Then placed it right under where filter connects to the engine.

I had the car on 4 jack stands, maybe if i used 2, it would be easier to avoid spils as filter leans backwards, don't know if its a good idea

 

particulates tend to settle, when the oil has been moving around it will agitate the particulates that had settled, and before they get a chance to settle you will have drained your oil and gotten out all of those pesky particulates, until the next oil change! it is an ongoing process. you really don't need to let it warm up for that long. just long enough to get things stirred up. if you change your oil every 3k the oil won't have started to sludge enough to have to be really warm to drain efficiently. it is when you hit the 10-12k+ mark that you start to sludge the oil and the long oil drain process is probably the least of your worries at this point.

 

when i change my oil i let it drain, change the filter, then run about 2-3 quarts of (cheap stuff) oil through with the plug out. i wait for that to drain, change the crush washer and plug it. then i add my valvoline max life.
i change my oil about every 2.5k and the color has never been that much darker then when it was changed before. must be a good thing

 

If you change every 2 or 3 k then having dirty oil in the pan will be fine.... you got most of the **** out and then the new oil will dilute the bad stuff. I was kept thinking.... wouldn't it be more efficient to do more frequent change than to complicate the change process? ie, use 2.5k interval than 3k interval but waste 1/2 quart to flush the bad stuff out.

As of for me, I usually drain the oil out by remove both the plug and the cap, then when it is done i move the catch pan to right below the filter and take the filter out. oil came out and i wipe it clean with newspaper (sunday's?). I always put a **** load of paper around the whole front end of the garage so nothing gets to the floor.

Since it is such a messy job i change my oil every 10k with Mobil1.

 

NemesisGSR: u r wasting a lot of oil by changing it every 2.5k, even if u dont use synthetic. when the oil comes out its ok if its dark, that means that the dirt from ur engine is suspended in the oil. also there is no need to flush out the old oil with new.

i think a lot of people love their cars and r getting a little paranoid over keeping them in good conditions.

 

its normal.. the oil filter holds some oil.. and especially since you started up the car to warm it up.. its going to have some oil in there...

what I usually do is have the car at operating temp then drive it into the garage and raise it up on jack stands.... then I put a bunch of newspapers or cardboards from boxes under the car and then put the drain pan in place... then I undo the drain plug and let it drain into the drain pan... while its doing that.. I'll crawl back out from under the car and open the hood and unscrew the oil filler cap and take out the dip stick and wipe it w/ a clean rag....

after the oils oil (not even trickling anymore) I'll put back the drain plug (after wiping it and using a new crush washer) then I'll reach from the top (stand by the fender.. reach arm down by intake manifold) and unscrew the oil filter and drop it down on the drain pan.. if i miss the newspapers get it... and some oil will come out... I pour a little oil into the filter and move it around so the oil gets soaked into the filter... then screw in the new filter (I do it from the top also) making sure the old washer is off and the new washer is coated and on the filter... then tighten it by hand and then I'm done... take the car off jack stands.. and lower the jack back down.. then I fill the car back up w/ oil and put back the filler cap and dip stick then start it up and look for leaks... I usually let the car run while I'm putting away the tools and jack and jack stands.. then when I'm done I look again for leaks... if alls good then I close up my drain pan lid and drive the car to the local auto part store to recycle the oil...