Oil filter housing gasket

Saint · Nov 30, 2013

Car is 94 3.8L

Changed the Oil Filter Housing gasket today due to a small leak from the gasket... The oil filter housing is not cracked.

After putting a new oil filter and filling the car with oil I now have no oil pressure????

Did removing the oil filter housing cause the system to loose prime????

kb1982 · Nov 30, 2013

If you believe the car has just lost prime, an easy way to reprime it is to loosen the oil filter and crank the starter. Be sure to disable the engine from starting. I have a 2009 zx10R motorcycle that loses prime every time i change the oil and filter. Be sure to watch the oil pressure while cranking to see if it reprimes.

Saint · Nov 30, 2013

kb1982 said:
If you believe the car has just lost prime, an easy way to reprime it is to loosen the oil filter and crank the starter. Be sure to disable the engine from starting. I have a 2009 zx10R motorcycle that loses prime every time i change the oil and filter. Be sure to watch the oil pressure while cranking to see if it reprimes.

Just tried it ...loosened the filter a bunch....cranked it while holding the gas so it didn't try to start....system did not reprime. oil pressure gauge stayed 0

kb1982 · Nov 30, 2013

I take it oil didnt blow out of the filter either

Saint · Nov 30, 2013

kb1982 said:
I take it oil didnt blow out of the filter either

nope

Just realizing what I took off was the oil pump itself?

kb1982 · Nov 30, 2013

old trick to get the pump to prime is to pack those gears with petroleum jelly

Saint · Nov 30, 2013

kb1982 said:
old trick to get the pump to prime is to pack those gears with petroleum jelly

I will try that...I didn't do anything to those gears at all except for realign them to put the pump back on.

Saint · Nov 30, 2013

????? When I pulled my pump I did not see a little spring along with the other little piece above the spring in the pic below??? Nor did I see any small round battery looking thing

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...-pump-melling_15680065-p?searchTerm=oil+pump#

$(KGrHqZ,!nwFHgskci6vBR-ZNW,UFg~~60_35.JPG

kb1982 · Nov 30, 2013

Well when you took it out, all the oil in it prolly drained out, causing it to lose prime. The auto stores also have priming tools that hook to drills, but Ive always used the starter. It only takes once to remember to pack the pump with jelly or molly paste on engines with oil pumps inside the pan.

kb1982 · Nov 30, 2013

Its also real important you reassembled the oil pressure relief valve correctly too

Saint · Nov 30, 2013

kb1982 said:
Well when you took it out, all the oil in it prolly drained out, causing it to lose prime. The auto stores also have priming tools that hook to drills, but Ive always used the starter. It only takes once to remember to pack the pump with jelly or molly paste on engines with oil pumps inside the pan.

I'm going to pour oil back in there and pack it with jelly

Saint · Nov 30, 2013

kb1982 said:
Its also real important you reassembled the oil pressure relief valve correctly too

Is that what the spring was in the pic? I did not see one of those...unless it fell out and disappeared while I was removing the pump.

kb1982 · Nov 30, 2013

Yep thats what it is. If you didnt see it then, you didnt take it out. If you look at the pump it has a plug on it where the filter screws on. It will reside in there. But if u didnt take that apart, i wouldnt worry about it. Just pack the pump good and and retry turning the engine over with the starter without letting it start. Does your car have the stock oil pressure guage or a mechanical one. If it is stock, does it usually register while cranking? If not, tighten down the filter and crank it a few times, then losen either the filter or oil sending unit that it will leak a little letting you know you have pressure.

kb1982 · Nov 30, 2013

Btw, priming this way takes more than just a 3 second blip of the starter, and may require a few attempts

Saint · Nov 30, 2013

kb1982 said:
Yep thats what it is. If you didnt see it then, you didnt take it out. If you look at the pump it has a plug on it where the filter screws on. It will reside in there. But if u didnt take that apart, i wouldnt worry about it. Just pack the pump good and and retry turning the engine over with the starter without letting it start. Does your car have the stock oil pressure guage or a mechanical one. If it is stock, does it usually register while cranking? If not, tighten down the filter and crank it a few times, then losen either the filter or oil sending unit that it will leak a little letting you know you have pressure.

Cool I was getting scared about the little spring. I have stock oil pressure gauge. Car does not register oil pressure while cranking going to pack oil pump with grease now ....after a beer

Saint · Dec 1, 2013

Problem fixed.
I'll be honest.

I had no clue I had taken off the oil pump. I thought it was just a housing for the oil filter so I was just dumping all the oil out when I took the pump off to replace the gasket. I even sprayed it out with brake clean an put it back on with it dry as a bone.

I took off the pump and poured oil in it, then I packed it with vaseline to hold the oil in which worked well. I bolted the pump back on and dry cranked the engine for 10 seconds and started it up.....oil pressure on the first try.

Thanks KB!

Lesson learned: Always pack your pump with sex jelly.

Here's a visual

RichV · Dec 1, 2013

Wow, learn something new every day. Good tip kb! Never knew the 6 has an external oil pump.

Why petroleum jelly? Can it cause damage if it stays in the oil under freezing temps?