Oil Filter mount R & R advice?

[guinnessbrewer]

Hey all,I have had my oil filter head leaking for awhile all over the side of the block, so it is time to pull it off and replace the gaskets. I looked in the FSM for some guidance on what to do, but no luck. Is there anything special I need to be aware of besides draining the coolant? I bought 2 paper gaskets from cummins (the parts guy advised me that is all I should need). I figure the proper torque on the bolts should be 18ftlbs based on the size of the fasteners.Thanks,Chris

[Mopar1973Man]

Not that I'm aware of its just a bolt on item. The only thing I think you might look into is the oil lines that pass into and out of the cooler is ther O-rings on them? If so you might consider getting those too. But since I've never pulled a oil cooler I'm not sure... So I'll be learn from you as well.

[guinnessbrewer]

I asked the parts guy if there were any o-rings on the breakdown and he said there were not... I guess it will be "exploratory surgery" for the ol' truck:truck:

[dripley]

i am curious as to why you must drain the coolant before messing with the oil filter cannister.

[guinnessbrewer]

From what I understand the oil filter mount bolted to the side of the block doubles as a heat exchanger. If I am incorrect in this, someone speak up! You will save me alot of extra work! GB

i am curious as to why you must drain the coolant before messing with the oil filter cannister.

[Mopar1973Man]

Yes the oil filter mount has a oil cooler on the back side that acts as a oil cooler bathed in engine coolant. So yes you must drain the coolant...

[copperdodge]

Sorry to bring this back around.... is this true on Common Rail engines? I suspect that I have damaged my filter base. I removed my old filter and screwed on a new filter pretty tight, even though it would still spin a little bit. When I fired it up, it was leaking oil a little bit. When I went to take the filter off the base, the threads kept getting tighter & tighter. I finally gorilla'd the filter off the base. I swapped to a new filter.When I spun it on, it got really tight before the gasket ever contacted the filter base. I thought it might have been just my eyes & the poor angle, but when I fired up the truck, it shot about 2 gallons of oil onto the driveway before I could even shut it down.Can I unscrew the threaded post from the base, or do I have to buy a whole new base?Somebody help soon... this is my daily driver.Thanks.

[Mopar1973Man]

That threaded stub should be replaceable... Someone else would have to comfirm it though...

[copperdodge]

That would make my whole day.... after I cleaned up the lake of oil from the shop floor, I tried to tighten the filter (oil'd up of course). No go. Used a lot of brake cleaner to get things back to clean-ish. Managed to get some grip and MUSCLED the filter tighter & tighter until it finally started to spin free. I feared that i had stripped the threads entirely, but I noticed that while it was spinning freely, it was actually threading right in. So, I managed to get the gasket to contact the filter base and gave it another 1/4 turn (as I've read elsewhere). Fired the truck up, no leaks. I have a feeling that this was the last time I'll be able to get the filter on/off without having to replace something. At least it's driveable, but I am not comfortable with the situation as it sits right now...Anyone want to chime in & confirm if the threaded post will unscrew from the filter base?

[Mopar1973Man]

Usually printed on the outside of the fleetguard can is 3/4 of a turn after contact is made... :wink:But in your spot I would be leery of the filter nipple...

[dripley]

Keep a good eye on it. If something in there fails it could be quick and catastrophic. if the nipple lets go it could dump your oil in a matter of seconds.

[JAG1]

Similar situation happened to me once.... I had the old oil filter gasket stuck to the oil filter base trying to screw on 2 gaskets with one new filter. It doesn't work to well... I lost about 5 quarts of oil on the driveway. I found out that I must check this on every filter change as the old rubber gasket is almost always staying on under there. Man what a pain if you forget to check that and start it up.

[copperdodge]

Page 67 (their label says page 55) of this PDF is making it look pretty promising that the nipple unscrews from the "lube oil cooler" assembly. Guess I better get with the terminology here.... http://www.gessford.com/images/5.9 Cummins Manual-AERA Diesel parts.pdf

[copperdodge]

Went to dealer today & purchased nipple separately from the rest of the Lube Oil Cooler assembly. $31. You know that once I get this thing open & check it out, it'll be a $1.25 part from the plumbing aisle at Ace Hardware.But, I'd rather have the part on hand when I go to remove the oil filter this time, since this is my DD and it has to be up & running ASAP.Results to follow. Never thought I'd have enough information or knowledge to share on a site like this (with so many knowledgeable folks). Maybe I can contribute afterall...

[Mopar1973Man]

Results to follow. Never thought I'd have enough information or knowledge to share on a site like this (with so many knowledgeable folks). Maybe I can contribute afterall...

You'll be fine... Yes you'll contribute something to the site as soon as you complete your project... Might be a good idea to post up the part numbers so other might find this post later when searching for answers.