VW T5 Too much oil

[reb78]

The oil light came on on my sisters car so my mum put a litre of engine oil in the power steering reservoir... odd.

 

[fixedfixer]

One oil change I took filter off and screwed new one one. Drain plug in, new oil in. Fire her up - oil everywhere

First thought it was a faulty filter, but no. The seal from the old filter was still ‘half’ on. The new filter hadn’t sealed.

Always check old seal is still attached to old filter now. In mitigation, you can’t actually see the filter it all changed by blind feel at a stupid contortionist angle. Good design NOT.

 

[premmington]

We have had a VW in the workshop where the dash was asking for Adblue.

Woman went to a lorry adblue pump and filled the diesel tank up with it - brimming.

Started it up and drove a 19plate motor to destruction.

Bent conrods.

 

[james butler]

One oil change I took filter off and screwed new one one. Drain plug in, new oil in. Fire her up - oil everywhere

First thought it was a faulty filter, but no. The seal from the old filter was still ‘half’ on. The new filter hadn’t sealed.

Always check old seal is still attached to old filter now. In mitigation, you can’t actually see the filter it all changed by blind feel at a stupid contortionist angle. Good design NOT.

ive done that

 

[not done it yet]

I'm sure it'll be fine, just need to clear the oil out of the air intake/intercooler and exhaust

the fact that it stopped on the key means it wasn't really running away... probably just a bit of oil into the intake through the engine breather pipe?

Yep. I’ve seen compression ignition engines (diesels) run away, but never a spark ignition engine (petrol) - except when the governor rod used to fall off on the old fordson standard. Engine breathing was usually the limiting factor with those - I (as an under 10 year-old) used to wander round and pop the rod back where it should be.

 

[Ton-up]

And why do manufacturers make an oil filters that are hard to get to and always over something like pipes, an engine mount, etc that holds the oil when you unscew or release it?

 

[not done it yet]

I remember reading a comment in Practical Classics..... "Show me someone who has never filled an engine before refitting the drain plug and I'll show you someone has never done an oil change"

Here’s one. Not in 64 years of doing it - yet. Actually not many drain plugs are removed during oil changes these days. (edit - a long way behind barking matt on the drain plug)

 

[dobbslc]

And why do manufacturers make an oil filters that are hard to get to and always over something like pipes, an engine mount, etc that holds the oil when you unscew or release it?

The 1.9 diesel Zafira is a good one! Plastic filter housing that needs a special shallow socket to get at, it's at an angle up behind the engine right above the exhaust flexy
Idiot's.
If you spill some oil the flexy absorbs it and the car smokes on start up

 

[James1979]

And why do manufacturers make an oil filters that are hard to get to and always over something like pipes, an engine mount, etc that holds the oil when you unscew or release it?

I do not miss my navara for that reason.

Stupid plastic cap thing on top of the engine. When you wind it off to remove the filter it glugs oil everywhere.

I hate making a mess during an oil change as there’s no need for it. It annoys me when the design is such that it goes everywhere

 

[premmington]

I do not miss my navara for that reason.

Stupid plastic cap thing on top of the engine. When you wind it off to remove the filter it glugs oil everywhere.

I hate making a mess during an oil change as there’s no need for it. It annoys me when the design is such that it goes everywhere

This nothing to changing a diesel filter on a certain type of Honda - this is subframe down and driveshaft out. Unreal I know - getting near "fitlers for life".

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On a completely different subject - been reading a report about DPF regen - passive regeneration. Looks like most high spec cars will not go into regen without having a certain level of diesel in the fuel tank. Those drving about on empty most of the while may even be stopping the DPF going into regen.

When forcing a regen in the workshop - most scan tools ask for a fuel level above a quarter of tank full and coolant temp above 90 degrees C.

 

[dobbslc]

@James1979
The Toyota 1kzte engine is great in that respect. The filter sits at the right side of the cylinder head as you look at it and has a little drip tray under it to catch any oil. Brilliant and simple. Another example is the air box mounting that has captive nuts where they're needed bit not where you don't.
I can also replace my headlight bulbs without taking the front end of the truck off!

 

[Domdom]

Back in the early 80’s my dear old Dad was fleet manager for Trusthouse Forte. This was before leasing became popular so cars were bought, run, serviced and sold by internal fleet managers.

Anyway, one of the area managers for Little Chef, a nice lady by all accounts, had a Vauxhall Cavalier as her company car. It was dragged in with a seized engine at 6 months old due to having been run out of oil. The engine was replaced and this lady was told she had to keep the oil topped up in future.

Fast forward 9 days and it’s back in the garage for a non running engine. The cause? She had diligently filled up the oil as instructed………right to the top of the rocker box. The garage drained over 4 gallons from it before replacing the engine a second time due to hydraulic damage.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

you can’t actually see the filter it all changed by blind feel at a stupid contortionist angle. Good design NOT.

On my E60 (and afaik most BMW engines) the filter housing is right at hand when you open the bonnet, simplicity itself to change.

 

[bricol]

My Dodge has a little plastic pan under the engine, remove it to get to the filter hanging there - it's got numbers on it for the order to undo the four fasteners on it so it stays up on it's own. It's even got the tightening torque required moulded into it.

Sometimes it seems a designer has held a tool once or twice.

But if you'v even had to change the cam belt on a Lancia integrale, or the water pump, you soon realise the requirement to stuff a turbo 2ltr engine into an engine bay for more power overcame any ideas of service access . . . to the point that that to adjust the headlight aim, you need to remove the battery . .. which does seem to make the lights go out just when you want them on . . .

 

[Domdom]

. . . to the point that that to adjust the headlight aim, you need to remove the battery . .. which does seem to make the lights go out just when you want them on . . .

try changing the near side headlight bulb on a Peugeot 308. Front bumper off, which means both arch liners, both front wheels etc. The bloke who designed that needs shooting.

 

[James1979]

My Dodge has a little plastic pan under the engine, remove it to get to the filter hanging there - it's got numbers on it for the order to undo the four fasteners on it so it stays up on it's own. It's even got the tightening torque required moulded into it.

Designed for muricans by the sounds of it……

 

[dobbslc]

While we're on about 'oil incidents' I'll fess up about my almost new Combo van last week, I could smell a slight burning but thought it was me overloading the almost useless 12v power sockets trying to charge 2 phones a thermal imaging camera and a tablet all at once
More on that later in the things that bug me thread....
The next day I smelt it again but nothing was on charge so I pulled over and opened the bonnet.
Oops the dipstick had popped out and there is blown oil everywhere!
Was it something to do with me topping up the oil the day before and not putting it back in properly?
Probably
Hot jet wash tomorrow on the way into work me thinks

 

[Robotstar5]

Try doing the oil filter on a diesel Suzuki Vitara, Suzuki decided to fit a Renault FQ9? engine which is normally transverse so when they shoehorned it in north-south the oil filter becomes almost impossible to change as you mostly have to work by feel down the side of the engine.
I usually do a bit of research when looking for a car and seeing the problems went for a petrol engined model

 

[jenki]

This nothing to changing a diesel filter on a certain type of Honda - this is subframe down and driveshaft out. Unreal I know - getting near "fitlers for life".

Not a CRV by any chance? Awful design. Oil filter is easy nothing like an Avensis I had once, you could barely see the oil filter let alone get a filter removal tool on it.

 

[finyuk2005]

I'm sure it'll be fine, just need to clear the oil out of the air intake/intercooler and exhaust

the fact that it stopped on the key means it wasn't really running away... probably just a bit of oil into the intake through the engine breather pipe?

Id say the reason it stopped on the key is because vw's usualy have a butterfly valve on the intake that shuts when you turn the key off