Oil troubles

[zadir]

This morning I walked outside and noticed a pool of oil under my car, I checked it, it was a little less than quart short.When I began to investigate I found the Oil filter loose. I took off the old filter and noticed that the whole assemly was loose and shook when you touched it, I screwed the part that the filter screws onto hand tight, and then tightened a new filter on good and tight.. What happened? Do I need to fix something else or will it be alright for awhile?

 

[BUCK]

Your water cooler is compressing & then the filter gets loose - Thank the Good Lord you saw it on the drive & it didn't blow the filter & all your oil out on the Interstate which is par for the course. You need to can that water cooler immediately.

Read this thread:

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=87160

& buy that part.

Then check this story out from:

http://www.vfaq.com/FAQlocator-index.html

My original oil cooler had come loose on the road and dumped all the oil. I quickly shut the car off with no damage and had it towed home. I discovered that the oil cooler had come loose, so I put it back together, extra tight, because I didn't want that thing coming loose again on the road. From that moment on, I had oil in my coolant. I can't remember how I figured this out, but somehow I determined it was the oil cooler that failed, so I bought another one. When I purchased my second unit, I torqued it down also, and it mixed oil and water just like my first unit. I got Mitsubishi to replace it for free as a defective part even though I most likely broke it myself. After I had broken two of them, I decided it was time to cut it open and inspect it closely. It was at this point that I discovered the design flaw that would allow over torquing it to crush it's
insides.

Good Luck.

 

[leet]

The oil filter mount coming loose, is a typical problem. Be sure to check it often as part of your preventive maintenence plan. As the guy above me said, do not put a lot of pressure when tightening the Oil filter, it does not need it. Use enough pressure to get a good seal.

 

[zadir]

If I keep a close eye on it do you think it will last me a couple weeks until I get paid? It would blow to lose my engine, with all the money I recently dumped into the car.

 

[leet]

Did it break, or just come loose? If it is just loose, tighten it up and go on your merry way.

 

[zadir]

thanks

 

[BUCK]

IMO the prudent thing to do would be to pull the Oil Filter - remove & plug the 2 small water lines that feed the cooler & then somehow leak test the little radiator to make sure it isn't leaking - because if it is you have water in oil - oil in water - whatever (read the story in the VFAQ!

Check your oil & water for contamination.

I have noted that Mitsu Filters have a "T" cross section with the downward leg pointing toward the sealing surface on the Water cooler - MOST every other Filter I've seen has a flat gasket.

ALSO - Mitsu Oil Filter gaskets are secured by little tangs on the inside lip of the seal - MOST every other filter you can pull the flat Quad Ring Type gasket right out with your fingers.

SEVERAL guys have threads about a blast of oil from a filter which has "spit' a portion of it's filter out - I personally had this happen twice - that's when I canned the water cooler. The cooler compressed & out comes the gasket.

Anyone who wants to keep the water cooler & has trouble with the 24 MM bolt coming loose could Loctite the bolt to the housing - BUT - when the water cooler crushes they are screwed because you can't tighten it up to compensate for the crush...

BASICALLY - The Water Cooler is DEFINITELY a piece of crap Aluminum Waffle/Time BOMB waiting to take your engine out.

I personally took my 91 Housing - cut the threaded portion off the 24 MM bolt & loctited it into the Oil Filter Housing & screw my filter direct to the housing - then I mounted an air to oil cooler from the spare plugs - I DON"T have a Low Temp Oil Cooler Cut off valve in my Housing like the dude Housing that Turbotrix has - (just a 90 Oil filter Housing you can get from Mitsu for more $$).