Les Pettitt Posted September 21, 2015 Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 Hi All, I have recently developed an annoying oil leak which appears to come from the spin on filter. I fitted a new K&N filter with a wipe of oil around the seal and then tightened by hand plus three quarters of a turn (as per instructions on the filter). But I still get a leak.. It always seems to be in the same place at the rear of the filter ie above the clutch slave cylinder. My spin on adaptor is 14 years old and one of the early types without the spring loaded centre section of the later ones. Has anyone else come across this and, if so, how did you fix it? Are the later adaptors better? I think it was oil tight for around 12 years so I am baffled as to why it should start to leak now. I replaced the large seal that goes between the adaptor and the block just in case the oil was seeping from there but it made no difference. Grateful for your thoughts Regards Les Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerrytr5 Posted September 21, 2015 Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 Hi Les, is the leak from the filter to adaptor, or adaptor to block? If adaptor to block you can try two seals one on top of the other, or squeeze in some RTV, replace the seal and adaptor just finger tight and leave 24 hours. When the RTV has gone off tighten up just enough to seal. The later sprung adaptors apparently take account of the rather variable depth of the oil seal groove which was not an issue with the standard oil filter 'can'. Jerry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Les Pettitt Posted September 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 Hi Jerry, It is difficult to be sure but I think the leak is between the filter and the adaptor. Oil seems to seep down rear side of the filter from around where it meets the adaptor. The only seal I haven't replaced is the approx 2 inch 'o' ring in the centre of the adaptor. I bought a seal kit from Moss but that only contained the seals for the new type sprung adaptor. Moss could no longer supply the 'o' ring. What symptoms would a leak past the internal 'o' ring show? The odd thing is that I asked my son to tighten up the first K&N I bought and he wound it up far too tight, but it still leaked. I then bought a new K&N and stuck to their instructions and it still leaks. I could, of course, be looking in the wrong place for the origin of the leak but its hard to see much down there. Regards Les Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cubehopper Posted September 21, 2015 Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 Hi Les , treat yourself to a telecopic inspection mirror with led lights,great for tracing hard to reach leaks and also for finding lost nuts/washers etc. regards Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerrytr5 Posted September 22, 2015 Report Share Posted September 22, 2015 If the leak is between the filter and adaptor, check the screw fitting. I have seen fittings where the end of the thread is reached before the oil seal is fully seated and may work with one brand of filter but not another due to the 'dish' inside the filter. This sort of thing: http://teaguecustommarine.com/em0011/ss-oil-filter-adapters.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peejay4A Posted September 22, 2015 Report Share Posted September 22, 2015 I would be inclined to swap the adaptor for the later version with the sprung centre part. It's very tempting to nip down the big bolt just a little bit more which can result in the boss breaking away from the block. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Les Pettitt Posted September 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2015 Hi Dave, A telescopic inspection mirror would be a good idea for me. As I get older I find it more difficult to focus at short distances so laying under the car looking for a leak would be a waste of time. Hi Jerry, An interesting observation. Screwing the K&N on by hand it certainly seemes to get stiff quite quickly so could be reaching the end of the thread. I'll take the whole lot off and watch closely as I screw on the filter on the bench. Hi Pete Yes, that is my fall back option if nothing else works. I am getting fed up wiping oil off the filter after each run. I am using a torque wrench on the main bolt so won't go beyond 15 ft lbs. Breaking the boss away from the block would be a disaster. Thanks for all your thoughts Regards Les. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Les Pettitt Posted September 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 Hi All, Took the adaptor off and then tried to fit a filter. The problem was soon obvious. As I tightened the filter to hand tight there was still a 15 thou gap between the seal and the adaptor body on the side nearest the block. I tried again with another filter and exactly the same result. The threaded tube that hangs down from the adaptor onto which you screw the filter is not set square into the adaptor body. No wonder it leaked. I will now order a new adaptor and check it carefully on the bench before fitting. Regards Les Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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