Oil change nightmare

[sonic2wb]

OK i know this is going to sound crazy maybe i am crazy.

so i get up bright and early and cook breakfast for me and my woman and then go out to do my oil change.

got under it, removed oil drain plug( was super tight) oil coming wasnt real bad, cleanest oil ive ever seen come out of a car. let it drain and drip for a bit clean plug off and reinstalled.

pulled the oil filter (super tight again) Who designed that oil filter placement its a good idea but there should have been a clear path for the oil to drain NOT on top of the mount lol. installed new filter and filled up the car.

took it for a drive around the block and came back. parked in the driveway and started to clean up poured used oil into gal jug wiped off tools etc....

put my tools up and noticed oil spots under the car _______________ <-- insert foul words here

first i thought ok its just where i pulled the oil filter and oil leaked. so i waited for a bit longer and noticed it was still driping. so i desided to pull it back in the garage and get back under it and check the plug maybe i didnt get it tight enough. put the rachet back on it and it turns about 1/4 a turn. ok so i wipe off around the plug and pan. im laying there under the car and it DRIPS in front of me. _________ <-- insert foul words here

So I start watching it for like 20mins. its seems to be driping from the backside (between firewall and engine) the plug is dry and pan is dry and it wasnt leaking before i changed it!!!!!!!!

So my dads like maybe its oil from the filter change just running on the engine block and driping back there? so i grab the preasure washer and hose down the engine compartment.

so its been out in the driveway for about 30mins or so. we will see if theres any spots.

Any ideas what could be going on? it wasnt leaking when i started so i dunno

[robcam13]

rear valve cover gasket maybe. very common for these cars

[The Digital MagE]

this car is NASTY when you change the oil!

the filter drains onto the "shelf" below it when it is removed. if you don't sop up the oil with a rag/paper towels before you replace the filter, you get the symptoms you are seeing. every time i change the oil i sop that pool of oil under the filter up then drive it to the car wash, where i spray the rest of the mess the filter makes down with high-pressure soap.

if it wasn't leaking before it isn't leaking now - just dripping the mess off the engine where the wind blew it.

[sonic2wb]

yea i think you are right its just the crap from the filter <-- whoever changed the oil before me used a firestone filter dang think looked cheap as crap.


On a side note from my other post. I ended up getting the valvoline high mileiage synthetic blend 10w-40 and a new fram filter ive never seen it before its a HM filter that has a time released gel in the filter that the filtered oil flows over to add in the additve. look pretty good so i got it,

heres the link to it and the part number is HM3614

http://www.fram.com/products/oil_fil...age_oil_filter

[Jigg007]

Just putting this out there, but the avalon calls for 5W-30, not 10W-40, unless you got bad leaks or a really loud mechanics!

But look at me talk when i use 10W-30

[jbfrench]

Sometimes it takes some time for the oil plug to "sit right" in the pan. My oil dripped for about an hour when I changed it then it stopped. It's never dripped since.

As for filters, you bought the exact same one I have. 2700 miles later, not a single problem with the oil. The flex pipe, stuts, coil springs and traction control are a different story but the oil filter is still cleaning oil. My entire family uses Fram, from my brother-in-law's Sierra 2500 to my dad's Vue to my Toyota and my brother's Jeep, all Fram. I've dabbled in Purolator too, I would have stuck with it but during one oil change I forgot to buy Purolator and got a Fram.

[sonic2wb]

Originally Posted by Jigg007

Just putting this out there, but the avalon calls for 5W-30, not 10W-40, unless you got bad leaks or a really loud mechanics!

But look at me talk when i use 10W-30

the haynes book says for my temp range 10-40 is better remember i live in hell ( aka south Fl) lol

[The Digital MagE]

as engines age i up the viscosity. i certainly would have no problem with 10-40, or even 15w-40, in an engine with over 100k on it.

[sonic2wb]

Ok going to see this morning if anything has leaked getting ready for church lets see if it need to be blessed this morning by our priest. LOL

[fourwheeler]

I noticed you changed to synthetic oil. Synthetic is known to lead past seals where conventional oil doesn't leak. Perhaps that is the reason your car is leaking. You could buy some UV dye, drive it for a few minutes and use a black light to see where the leak is coming from.

Personally I chose to use semi-synthetic oil as I didn't want to change every oil seal in my already high mileage vehicle. Works great for me.

Best of luck to you.

[pmesfun]

Changing the filter can get messy. When I do an oil change, I put a bunch of newspapers under it and on the ground to catch the oil.

[sonic2wb]

Well got ready to leave for church this morning i said a little prayer as i put the car in reverse and backed up..........


(the sound of angels singing) NO oil YAY so yea it was just old oil from that insanely designed system toyota came up with lol.

on a side note my A/c is still giving me greif anyone know if u can replace or bypass that lockup sensor on the clutch. heres whats going on.

When the A/C works its cold as it can get works great..

newest issue is that if u sit at a redlight to long it will kick off and not come back on till ur going down the road.

sometimes it jsut wont engage the clutch and light will blink.
new issue, rain! if the clutch get s wet ( splash guard is missing? replacement?) it will kick off and refuse to work untill it drys.

[American Pie]

Yeah, that motor mount under the filter seems like it was DESIGNED to trap the oil. I haven't looked closely, but I think there must be some other crevices where oil collects, too. Last Friday I did an oil change (just switched over to Mobil 1 10W-30) and early the next morning we drove down to San Diego, a 3-hour ride. Every time I slowed down for traffic I could smell burning oil and then I remembered that I'd forgotten to completely mop up all that spilled oil. Just a few drops on a hot exhaust pipe every once in awhile can really stink.

[97ToyCar]

Fram=Orange can of death...bad...some goofy pac of gel inside filter...really bad...not something I'd want in my engine...

Toyota filter=...good...

[jbfrench]

Only one Fram filter has "gel" in it. The gel isn't bad for your engine. The packet does decrease oil flow in your engine, but if you're buying a "High Mileage" filter for your engine you're wasting your money.