Oil Filter Question (just one...)

Post by **MoggyTech** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:34 am

jackkelleher wrote:Will any old washers that are the right size do the trick for 3 and 4?

I can't even figure out why the washers are even required! In fact I don't think my oil filter assembly has them, just the bolt, spring and the shaped plate. It doesn't leak, and the oil pressure is fine.

So..... I suspect the top washer will be a fibre type, and the bottom one plain steel. Maybe anti rattle or something. Those BMC bods had some wierd ideas

Post by **bmcecosse** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:07 am

Item 3 is the 'seating washer' and is designed to create a seal between the bolt and the hole in the 'dimpled' plate - if there is a gap here then obviously a portion of the oil can just squirt out through the gap without passing through the folds of the filter. When hot - the oil is thinner than water - so ideally that seal should be there, and the steel washer behind is to give it support and protection from the spring. Obviously though the main thing is to have the plate and spring - without it there is no filtering whatsoever. The spring is there of course to allow oil to flow through when cold and sticky - and too thick to go through the filter, and to allow flow should the filter ever become blocked!

Post by **Orkney** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:21 am

Perfect sense what BMC says, and assume then that 3 is a rubber ring washer - the metal one holds it in compression making the seal.

I'm going to have to improvise the washers Jack, reckon have an appropriate sized rubber one in a box of various garden hosepipe connectors.

Anyone know the diam of the main central bolt? Darned if i'm going to take it off just to measure it

I'd be having a look at yours next time you do a service MT, although not obvious your sure going to be putting a lot of additional wear on various engine components.
Piston rings spring to mind which is no good thing over time.

Post by **bmcecosse** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:27 am

Think it will be 3/8" Kevin, but not sure. As long as the plate is there I wouldn't worry too much - I doubt your oil gets hot and thin very often! I got a whole selection of v handy rubber washers/O rings/fibre washers etc in Poundland. Probably not got one of them in Orkney just yet!

Post by **MoggyTech** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:31 pm

Item 3 is the 'seating washer' and is designed to create a seal between the bolt and the hole in the 'dimpled' plate

Makes sense does that. Time to sift through my o ring collection at the next oil change.

Post by **Orkney** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:49 pm

Makes you wonder how many people are driving about without the bits there

No poundland here alas - theres a sort of small pound shop the size of a single garage but never been in it, thats one more thing on the list for the annual shopping trip to Inverness I reckon

Post by **MoggyTech** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:51 pm

Orkney wrote:Makes you wonder how many people are driving about without the bits there

No poundland here alas - theres a sort of small pound shop the size of a single garage but never been in it, thats one more thing on the list for the annual shopping trip to Inverness I reckon

Most of those washers probably scooted across a garage the first time the filter bowl was removed. They end up as Cumfy Bits, as in 'Where did they come from'. It certainly caught me out first time I removed the darned thing. You know it's one of the Haynes moments.."Retain small spring and washer" Meaning, "What the heck was that, it nearly had my eye out"

Post by **bmcecosse** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:54 pm

As before - early examples (and TR7s) had a little clip to retain all the bits on the bolt shaft!

Post by **eastona** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 10:20 pm

thanks for the diagrams, I put mine right today, so hopefully the oil's being filtered now.

Andrew

Post by **jackkelleher** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:10 pm

Well, some things have to go...

Despite my environmental concerns I had to replace the oil system with a screw-in. When I put the body back onto the holder, it deformed spectacularly as I tightened it up, so I need a new filter body and I couldn't find one on the regular spares sites, much better value for money and more convenient to get the screw conversion! So I did. Basically I'm just tired of not being able to start my car...

Hopefully soon it will start! As soon as the parts arrive that is.

Post by **Orkney** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:22 pm

When I put the body back onto the holder, it deformed spectacularly as I tightened it

did you get he governator to cross thread it on ??? you broke an original outer casing or a screw on cartridge?

Post by **jackkelleher** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 2:42 am

Well, basically when I removed the filter body first time round I found that it was slightly out of round at the top. I tried to straighten things out, but I suppose I must have left an edge in conflict- when I tightened it up, the lip of the body bowed outwards at one point, huge dent in the side. It has all kinds of scratches and dents anyway, so I suspect it was never going to be in great shape...
That's a long-winded way of saying yes, I deformed the original filter bowl. I'm now about to fit a cartridge system- less stress!