Dumbass of the Day Award, I earned it.

[Gangly]

I was changing the oil yesterday and as I was threading the new oil filter onto the engine I thought "Hrmmm, this feels kinda funny, but OK".  I tightened it according to my usual procedure of 3/4-1 full turn after gasket contact with the engine block and proceeded about the business of filling the truck up with the required volume of oil.  After completing the oil fill process, I reached into the truck while standing next to it, put one hand on the brake and used the other hand on the push button start.  It started up and ran just fine for about 2 seconds, then I hear what sounds like a water hydrant spraying and feel oil shooting all over my lower legs and feet.  I quickly shut it down but the driveway beneath my truck, my legs, and the bottom of my truck are COVERED in oil.  I remove the filter only to find that the rubber seal from the old filter never came off the engine block, and I basically installed an oil filter with two rubber seals.  Obviously the "double seal" method didn't work out and I'm a dumbass for not checking to make sure the old rubber seal came off with the old filter.  So word to the wise, make sure y'all check to see that the oil filter seals come off with the filters, don't be an idiot like me.

 

I couldn't count how many oil change services I have completed at the house and I still made this stupid and silly mistake.  I'll quietly collect my Dumbass of the Day award and go sit in the corner now.

 

PS.  in the image of the truck only, you can see the one dry spot on the concrete next to the driver's door, that's where my feet were when I turned on the truck, lol.

 

 

[jaxcam02]

It happens to the best of us. I tried teaching my younger brother how to change his oil a few years ago. I gave him the filter to screw on and he said it was tight. We turned on the engine and about 3 quarts of oil came out. Apparently, I didn't give him instructions to make sure not to cross thread the filter. Thankfully it was just the first two threads and no actual damage occurred. 

[CamGTP]

Good thing your driveway is concrete and not asphalt, should make clean up a little better lol.

[kodiakdenali]

I've been doing the basic maintenance on all my vehicles for years. Only once have I ever had the seal stick to the block and not come off with the filter, but it does happen. Must check every time!

look on the bright side, you'll probably never do that again

[reeseb]

Double seal works great with toilets but not with engine oil filters. I replaced a toilet in the master bath and didn't use a double seal. One flush of the toilet resulted in a big stain in the kitchen ceiling directly below the master bathroom toilet! 

[diyer2]

Count me in. Did it once years ago. Always check as mentioned. I look at the filter to see if the seal is attached. Then check mounting surface. Double check IMO.

 

[Gangly]

1 hour ago, kodiakdenali said:

I've been doing the basic maintenance on all my vehicles for years. Only once have I ever had the seal stick to the block and not come off with the filter, but it does happen. Must check every time!

look on the bright side, you'll probably never do that again

I would hope it wont ever happen again, but knowing me........

[Silverado4x4]

One other thing to check is the rubber '0' ring washer on the oil pan drain plug, I had mine come off and didn't know it till I was dumping the old oil out and found it laying in the oil drain pan, now that was fun to put it back had to pull the plug and put my thumb over the hole so the new oil wouldn't drain out till I got the plug back in, lost about 1/2 quart in the process.

[BIGDOGx]

Yikes, thanks for the reassurance in why i just have a mechanic do all this stuff now for me, well worth the labor fees imo.

[Gangly]

2 hours ago, Silverado4x4 said:

One other thing to check is the rubber '0' ring washer on the oil pan drain plug, I had mine come off and didn't know it till I was dumping the old oil out and found it laying in the oil drain pan, now that was fun to put it back had to pull the plug and put my thumb over the hole so the new oil wouldn't drain out till I got the plug back in, lost about 1/2 quart in the process.

I put a Fumoto drain plug valve(highly recommended for anybody who does their own changes) on it shortly after purchasing so I never have to mess with a drain plug.  Burned fingers, smelly hands, and complaints about driveway stains got old.

[richard wysong]

can't say I've ever done that but seen it more than once working at the corner garages. I guess I learned from others mistakes

[smit303]

I did this on a 66 Impala. It had the old filter inside the cannister style. So easy to just drop it and reinstall. So easy to not check if that old gasket got pulled. So sad to see all that fresh oil spew all over hell. Never did it again. Live and learn.

[richard wysong]

I have left the drain plug off,left the filter off and forgot to put the oil in working at busy garages in my younger days so over looking the stuck gasket isn't so bad

[John813]

Yea, I had that happen before on the first oil change due to the Ford plant impacting the filter on the engine(jk but maybe not) 

 

Ever since then I double check the old filter to make sure it's still attached. 

[txab]

15 hours ago, smit303 said:

I did this on a 66 Impala. It had the old filter inside the cannister style. So easy to just drop it and reinstall. So easy to not check if that old gasket got pulled. So sad to see all that fresh oil spew all over hell. Never did it again. Live and learn.

I had a 64 Impala. I got tired of the canister filter. Was a pain to track it down sometimes. I converted to the spin-on filter