Crusty1 Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 On a way to a pizza party with the family in my recently acquired 01 LS 430. I had just changed the oil and tranny fluid. About 3 miles from home I see this red light on the dash saying: low oil!! WTF? I think this has got to be something screwy? I"ve been changing my own oil for 30 years, never had a problem. I pull over and sure enough I've got oil splatter on the top of the engine cover. Fill cap is on? Dip stick is in? Couldn't be the drain plug, would have seen oil light when I fired her? Ummm? Must be coming from the oil filter. It's 6:45PM and it's snowning and we're in the sticks...where we live. I luck out and see a neighbor who I really don't know but recognize the truck and flag him down. He gives us a ride home and we grab the SUV and head back to the car. Sure enough, oil is blowing past the seal on the oil filter and on the way back home I can see an oil slick 3 miles long!!! I always change my oil because I don't trust "iffylube" and that's who did the last oil change before I bought it. I'm always joking they're idiots. We'll I guess I'm the idiot now...sort of! When I got home I checked the old penz filter I pulled off and sure enough...no oil seal. Pull the new oil filter off and sure enough I get 2 oil seal rings: 1 on the new filter, 1 stuck to the underside of the surface of the filter seat. After all these years of changing my own oil and always "oiling the rubber seal" before intall just like the instructions say, I now wonder if this isn't one of the reasons to do this: I always thought it was to allow better torque with the hand tightening method. I wonder now if pre-oiling the seal doesn't keep it from sticking to the filter seat...which I found out the hard way!!! Probably pretty ovious to the old and wise pros on this forum but this was news to me. And now more than ever, I don't think I'll be trusting my newly acquired LEX to the minimum wage grease monkeys at super "iffy lube." Yeah, I should have realized the oil seal wasn't on the old filter but I wonder if this wasn't a case attributable to "not oiling the rubber seal prior to install." Hope I've got it right now...but is there something else I missed when putting on the filter? Is there some special type of LEX oil seal or gasket I'm supposed to use? Let me know before I torch this very nice LEX! Thanks. Dennis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFeldes Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I was told to always get my filters from Lexus. Cannot remember why but someone will. Was yours from Lexus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VMF Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 i also get OEM filters only. they are dirt cheap at irontoad.com i just buy em in bulk and keep em home:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty1 Posted March 27, 2008 Author Share Posted March 27, 2008 I was told to always get my filters from Lexus. Cannot remember why but someone will. Was yours from Lexus? i also get OEM filters only.they are dirt cheap at irontoad.com i just buy em in bulk and keep em home:) NO. Not oem. Was just a Fram TG. Actually, fairly highly rated filter. But the problem was trying to run 2 oil rings: that space between that much rubber is just going to flex under this kind of oil pressure...as I know from first hand experience!!! I'll pick up a batch of OEM soon. I also like the Amsoil filters. Expensive but very highly rated...at the top of the heap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwest Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I was told to always get my filters from Lexus. Cannot remember why but someone will. Was yours from Lexus? i also get OEM filters only.they are dirt cheap at irontoad.com i just buy em in bulk and keep em home:) NO. Not oem. Was just a Fram TG. Actually, fairly highly rated filter. But the problem was trying to run 2 oil rings: that space between that much rubber is just going to flex under this kind of oil pressure...as I know from first hand experience!!! I'll pick up a batch of OEM soon. I also like the Amsoil filters. Expensive but very highly rated...at the top of the heap. As part of the oil/filter change I always use a shop rag to wipe down/clean the filter's mating surface on the engine. A real PITB with the FWD sideways V6 in the RX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pondfisher Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 The problem with Lexus is that you have to re install the bottom engine cover before taking it off the ramps. My son did the same thing on his Dodge P/U by !Removed! the new filter onto the old gasket that didn't come free. Best advice is to take your time and look under the car for leaks when you are done. I don't trust anyone else to change my oil. One of those things that I grew up doing myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty1 Posted March 28, 2008 Author Share Posted March 28, 2008 The problem with Lexus is that you have to re install the bottom engine cover before taking it off the ramps. My son did the same thing on his Dodge P/U by !Removed! the new filter onto the old gasket that didn't come free. Best advice is to take your time and look under the car for leaks when you are done. I don't trust anyone else to change my oil. One of those things that I grew up doing myself. So true! I just took off the 2 screws to reveal the "filter" opening. I guess after 30 years of changing my own oil with 100% accuracy I've gotten a little cocky!! With 5 cars and 7 bikes I do a lot of oil changing around here!!! I'll be sure to be more observant from here on out.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gurmin Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Interesting! I changed oil in local shop ( know guys for the last 5 years). 5 miles after check engine light comes on. Is it possible to be due to non OEM filter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90LS400Lexus Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Dennis- I bet that was scary.. I would have been terrified that I would have damaged the engine- because I am paranoid! Thank God for "oil warning lights" right? I used to have a 1972 Buick Electra.... a tank really, but it was a beautiful, well cared for, one owner car. I had owned it for a while. One day I was driving in town and the oil warning light illuminated. :o . I did not notice any strange engine noise, but nevertheless, I pulled into the nearest stop (post office) and shut the engine off instantly. I checked the oil and as always, it was full. I called home and asked my father what I should do (I was still a kid at this time and really did not know that much about cars) and he said if the engine was quiet as usual, then I obviously had oil pressure (and said it was probably a faulty snesor) and to drive on home, but slowly and listen carefully to the engine. I replaced the oil pressure/level sensor and sure enough that was the problem. It was a relief for sure! Good to hear you caught it and no engine damage occured... how did you get it back home? Hopefully you became more acquainted with your neighbors.... we too have alot of neighbors that I will speak to in passing, but really do not know, but around here that may be a good thing! lol :D J/K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLexus94 Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Speaking of a horror story, I changed my daughters oil and filter on her 2 year old Subaru 10 years ago, and 2 days later, the filter fell off, blowing the engine. I crawled under, found no filter, attached a new filter, and filled it with oil. Of course, it was futile. So I had it towed to the dealer, and demanded they fix the engine, since it had 28,000 miles, and the warranty was 3/36. After 3 days of whining, they agreed to install a new engine. Took 2 weeks. Funny, they did demand $25 for the oil and filter change. No problem. My point is that I'm sure the double gasket problem caused it to fall off. Fram filters. Now I always check closely upon removal of the old filter. Plus check the garage floor for leaks. Oh, I also tend to overtighten the filter now, so I bought one of those $40 filter ratchet wrenches, not the squeezy type.. Saved me one time when the filter refused to be removed from my MX-5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttyR2 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I trust NAPA Gold filters. They work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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