oil pooling on oil filter

[grasshopper]

Hi all. Does anyone else have engine oil pooling on top of oil filter ? I am using a Fram filter. Does this have anything to do with it ? It happens all the time. I am tightening the oil filter aprox 1 turn after contact with rubber gasket to housing. Am I over tightening perhaps ?

[wetminkey]

I smear the new filter's rubber gasket with fresh oil and tighten to as tight as I can by hand. No more.
I do this with all of the vehicles you see in my signature, plus some. None leak. And you can remove the filter, when necessary, easily.
Oil filters should not be tightened any more than what you can manage BY HAND. And they'll seal at that torque.
Learned that when I worked at Sears Automotive in 1975. Fort Collins, CO. One of the many things I learned,...
Todd.

[rridge]

Any leak from the area above the oil filter will collect on the top of the oil filter. The seal on the oil pressure sender is good for about ten years.

[grasshopper]

Thanks for replies. I will hand tighten from now on !

[tonym]

I had the same issue and I replaced the oil pressure sending unit and seal and problem solved.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I'll add my note of concurrence that, as stated above, oil collecting on top of the filter is often coming from either the oil pressure sending unit or the oil sending unit that turns on the "low oil pressure" light on the dash. Or both units if your car has them. Sometimes it's the metal gasket but often it is the actual sending unit body that is leaking. Also, oil pressure sending units also start getting more and more inaccurate as they age. When in doubt, replace.

-Bryan

[grasshopper]

Can the sealing washer be taken off of these oil sending units and be replaced ? I cant seem to take my washers off ?

[18Fiatsandcounting]

If you could get the old washer off, you probably could replace it with a standard crush washer (if that's the right term), perhaps even a copper sealing washer. However, many times the leak from the sending unit is the unit itself, not the washer. I've even seen oil coming out from underneath of the male part of the spade lug electrical connector.

-Bryan

[tima01864]

Ever come to a conclusion?

[seabeelt]

Just ran into this on our new 71. Garage thought the filter seal was leaking and way way way overtightened the oil filter. Plus the fact that they just put in a new oil gauge sender in place of the idiot light ( so no light in the gauge) Had to replace the old LEAKING sender with a new correct light bulb sender and viola no more leak. Makes you scratch your head and go hmmmmmmm