Oil Filter Cap Leak

So I've read quite a few of these leaky oil filter cap threads -- well, I've got the same problem. Just did my first oil change on it myself. Cap was on so tight, I almost couldn't get it off -- you know some jiffy lube joint probably just cranked it down. Well, it's a very slow leak, like one drop after I drove it for about half and hour. Initially I had it tightened a bit too far myself before I saw the very well done oil change tutorial here and learned about the indicator flange. Only for a few days and not driven, so I went under there and unscrewed it until they were aligned. Didn't double O-ring it, so I'm wondering if it's messed up or cracked since it was way overtightened and I need to buy a new one.

Any tips or suggestions?

 

Try removing the o-ring and flipping it over so it's sealing on a the new surface, or find a new o-ring and replace it.

 

Thanks, I'll try that -- Update: so the leak stops when I turn the car off. Went out this morning and no leak underneath. However, when I started it up and let it idle for a while, it started leaking.

 

Definitely sounds like the main o-ring has been compromised. I would replace it and do a good visual inspection of the engine part of the o-ring bearing surface to ensure it hasn’t been scratched.

 

thank you -- so when you say the engine part, you mean the metal housing that the plastic oil filter cap screws into, correct? Man I hope it's not something that serious. I do remember that when I learned that the metal indicator flange has to be lined up and I went to unscrew it into the correct position, there was a loud squeaking from the O-ring

 

Yes, that’s what I meant. The O-ring is a really tight fit when removing or installing the filter housing. I always lubricate the O-ring before installing.

Good luck

 

What is this indicator tab? I just tighten down the filter housing like normal, not too tight.

Double check the o-ring on the filter housing drain at the plastic housing. If you put it in dry, it could get twisted out of place. The oil wont be drained out if you remove the drain thingy out.

The metal barrel portion attached to the engine: for it to cause a leak, it would have to be damaged near the top of the barrel where the oring finally seats. Check that last.

my bet is the drain o-oring on the bottom, or the housing itself is cracked.

 

thanks -- that metal pointer on the plastic cap that's supposed to line up with that metal tang on the engine housing -- pretty sure the leak is at the top where it seals to the motor -- wondering if I should tighten it past the indicator just to get it extra snug, even though you're not supposed to do that

 

If the gasket was damaged by being over tightened, and now leaks, it doesn’t make sense to me that over tightening even more is a good idea.

 

This was the first oil and filter change I've done personally on this new to me vehicle. The filter was waaaay over-torqued and difficult to remove. I replaced the filter, oiled the gaskets and tightened it down, initially a little too tight, then backed it off to the correct position indicated by the metal indicator. I'm going to pull it today and inspect everything to see if it's ok -- hoping that there's nothing major going on

 

it's one of the orings, if not I would think you would have a bigger mess when pressurized.

 

I just want to say thanks everyone for the replies and advice -- helping my OCD brain stay sane trying to convince myself I didn't mess something up on my new runner.

 

Drop the filter and change the O ring. Keep an eye on it. Make sure you have a good socket for the housing.

 

Forget about that metal tang, rip it off.
If you’re going to be a DIY wrencher get yourself a good torque wrench.
The oil filter cap is imprinted with the correct torque value: 25 N-m, (i.e., 18 ft-lb).
And the filter drain is 9 ft-lb.

 

I’m confused by this too. As noted in another thread, I recently installed a new OEM housing after having broken the original one and learning that my shop replaced it with the amazingly craptastic Dorman aftermarket version.

I saw this metal tab attached to the new housing (the original housing didn’t have one, perhaps broken off by a tech in a prior oil change) and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out where it should line up. I did see a metal protuberance on the fitting attached to the block, but if I lined up with that I think the housing would be pretty darn loose.

 

I found a pretty good step-by-step oil change tutorial on this other forum here that talks about the flange/tang indicator:

 

The barrel o-ring is not sensitive to how tight or loose the housing is (because it seals on the side of the barrel, unlike old-school can filters). You only need the filter housing tight enough so it doesnt back out, not to ensure a good seal.

It’s possible you have a hairline crack in the housing that’s not visible. But checking/replacing the housing , or checking the barrel seating area should be last because you’ll be draining oil. First check the drain plug gasket on the bottom of the housing. It has a check valve, so you wont lose all your oil by checking it.

 

Thanks that helped. I went waaaay past that metal tab when I installed my housing

 

I too would consider the poss of a hairline crack. Also, you lose only about a half quart of oil if you decide to remove the whole housing. At least that was my experience with my truck up on ramps. I drained from the drain valve then unscrewed the housing to replace it. I didn’t measure the amount of oil I lost during that process, but it looked like half a quart and that’s what I put back in the engine to get back to the top mark on the oil dipstick.

 

As @ElectroBoy said, don't worry about the alignment tabs. Mine goes past those with the proper torque.

Also, the plastic filter housing has a propensity to crack around the tabs you use to tighten the unit down. Mine ended up cracking and I replaced it with a metal housing. Many of us have replaced our plastic housing with a metal (Lexus) housing.

 

Just remember to swap over the stand tube from the OEM housing! It’s longer than the tube that comes with the metal version used for Lexus and some other Toyota models. It seems the longer tube is necessary to prevent the dirty oil from bypassing the filter when it circulates in that housing.

 

I like the idea of a metal housing, but I've heard that they get stuck pretty bad

 

It's a non issue. The plastic works just fine and you have the plate for protection.

 

I'm not bashing the plastic OEM housing, it seems like a perfectly reasonable choice by Toyota. But there's no doubt they're more liable to break if the person doing the oil change isn't careful. It happened to me. It's happened to others. So it's not crazy for owners to want to switch to the Toyota branded metal version that has been proven on several other Toyota vehicles.

 

update: dropped the filter, changed the big O-ring, cleaned, inspected - didn't see any visible cracks, but part of the thread at the very top seemed a little rough but nothing noticeably out of whack. Reinstalled with a torque wrench set to 18 fps and the metal indicator was about 1/2 to 3/4" past the metal tang. Drove it, so far no leaking - fingers crossed. Now if I could just consistently read the oil dipstick -- thanks for the info, it's much appreciated

 

Pull the dip stick out for 5 min.

Re-insert dip stick then pull out

Take your reading.

 

Reading that dipstick is near impossible lol. Looks different almost every time you pull it. Best results come from measuring when the engine is dead cold and all the oil has had time to settle into the plan — and to slide off that dipstick. So pull it when cold, wipe it off, reinsert, then measure. That’s the only way I’ve gotten consistent results in this vehicle.

 

Well you said it, user error. No need to crank down on it. I change my own oil so I watch what I do.