Leaking oil from oil filter

[milspecmark]

I have had a consistent issue with leaking oil from my filter on my 2013 RAM Sport. Almost every oil change, about half way through between when I have to get it changed again, the oil filter starts leaking. I usually take it to the dealer and they just tighten it. (At least I think that's what they do). This last time I took it in and they told me that the oil filter they have been using is too small and they replaced it with a larger oil filter. They told me I need to ask for it each time I come in for an oil change. Has anyone else had any experience with this?

 

[autos221]

Had similar issue, check if its the tranny cooler lines leaking and running down the block to the filter

 

[milspecmark]

It is definitely oil leaking from my filter.

 

[huntergreen]

I have heard of this. When I change my oil, I hand tighten like we normally do, then give it a quarter turn with the filter wrench. So far I have never had a filter leak.

 

[Ramnewbie]

Was the 13 hemi originally fitted with the larger filter and now they're substituting the smaller filter for everything?

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[Ramnewbie]

Is gasket thickness standard across the board for all filters or does it vary? I'm thinking thread size and gasket diameter might not be the only things that need to be checked out when mixing and matching filters.

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[17CrewCab1500]

Sounds like you just need to tighten the filter more at the time it's being replaced.

 

[VA10]

I have 2014 5.7 Outdoorsman. I have the exact same issue. After a fresh oil change by the dealer the filter will start to seep oil at 3k miles on 5k mile oil change interval. This has been a consistent trend with my truck for the last 3 oil changes.

1st time. it happened I took to the dealer. Originally I did not think it was a leaking oil filter because of where I was finding the oil. The dealer tech confirmed the filter was just simply loose.

2nd time. it happened 3.5k miles after an oil change. left it as is. had the oil changed 3k miles later. the drip never got any worse. the truck needed to be parked a while in order to see drop stains on the ground.

3rd time. started to see evidence of seepage almost exactly at 3.5k miles. I hand tightened the filter myself. The filter turned approx 2/8ths before I could not turn it anymore. The leak seemed to have gone away. after about 2k more miles I started to see small oil stains where ever I parked for 2hr+. I could not tell if this was from the filter since the filter canister seemed cleaned with no evidence of oil oozing out. OR the oil that leaked onto the cross members/control arm/ cv boot....etc was slowly dripping off.....So i went ahead and changed the oil myself and used the larger filter size (MO-899)

The dealer service manger told me the leaky filter is a common characteristic they see with some 5.7 Hemis prior 2015 with Rams. She also said typically the leak starts to happen around 5k miles - "which is around the time you should be getting the oil changed anyways".......some people like to run synthetic oils on 10k intervals soooo I would assume now if you intend to run 10k mile oil changes you need to check the filter is tight every 3.5 miles haha.

My observation

The filter I just took off my truck was the smaller of the two filters. I noticed one specific spot on the filter seal/o ring where the rubber surface area seemed raised/bunched up (slightly more than the rest of the filter). Is it possible these filters that are leaking are not being primed with enough oil to properly make slippery contact with the engine and creating a tight seal? It seemed as if there was not enough lubrication to get the filter to go on tight - so instead adding more oil to the seal someone just turned the dry seal as tight as possible could - causing the seal to bunch in one spot???

 

[Burla]

Kinda simple if you look at it, it is simply a butt plate, so it can't leak if the gasket is correctly backed up to it. Maybe the oil pressure which isn't that much is backing the filter off the threads. I would use a zinc anti seize on filter threads, because what will undoubtedly happen is you will continue to over tighten, thus creating a larger issue. I would make sure butt plate is clean, put anti seize on thread, and hand tighten as much as you can. If it leaks after that, you can always use a filter relocate kit and end your problem as well. Use the right atf to seal that permanent.

 

[Riccochet]

Was the 13 hemi originally fitted with the larger filter and now they're substituting the smaller filter for everything?

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Yes. The '13 can use either filter as they did not have the oil cooler. Some earlier '13s had the larger filter, while later '13s had the smaller filter. Thread and gasket dimensions are identical between the smaller and larger filter. So, the excuse of it being the "wrong filter size" is ********. Sounds like the greenhorn $10/hr lube tech just didn't tighten the filter down enough.

I had a '13, by the way. And I used both large and small filters with no issues.

 

[14RAM1500BG]

My filter was kinda loose when i changed my oil recently. I tightened it a little more this time. I will see what happens at my next oil change. If it is loose again then something must be causing them to loosen up. I never had a issue with not tightening my oil filter enough before.

 

[alpinegreenneon]

If you are using an end cap wrench to remove the oil filter, you can use that same end cap wrench to install the filter. The FSM says one full turn after the rubber gasket make contact with the sealing surface. That's fairly hard to do by hand. If you want to use a torque wrench with the end cap wrench, you can easily go to 15 ft lbs and then there is no way it will leak.
I do that with my Neons and that is the spec on the Neon FSM. The RAM FSM does not give a torque spec for the oil filter. The torque spec for my Dart for the oil filter is 10 ft lbs in that FSM, but I go to 15 ft lbs because my torque wrench doesn't go that low. No problems removing any filter that I use a torque wrench on.
The first oil filter change I did on my '03 Dakota when it was new, the filter was so tight from the factory that I crushed it trying to remove it. Ended up pounding a long screwdriver in the can for leverage and it finally loosened. If the factory gets it that tight, you shouldn't be afraid to go to 15 ft lbs.

 

[magician]

My 15 has a similar issue and the dealer told me that they are having issues with one of the two filters the 5.7 can use. They thought they had taken the bad ones out of stock but evidently one slipped thru in my case. No problem since though.

 

[swexlin]

Bumping this to the top. I think I have this same issue on my '16. In March of last year, with about 14,000 miles on the truck, I noticed spotting on the driveway, and oil dripping off the steering box. Since I'm under warranty, and was due for a change anyway, I took it in, and they told me, yes, loose filter. Fast forward to now. I had the oil changed in April, and about 4000 miles now on this change, and guess what - the same leak and drip is back. Can't get my hand up in there. Since I'm still under warranty, I want this documented I the record.

I'm due for the cruise recall anyway, so I'm taking it in on Thursday so they can check it out. I suspect they will tell me loose filter. What's with these filters? It's just a "thing"" with the 5.7, like the leaky oil cooler lines are a thing on my Viper (and all Vipers for the last 20 years!).

I'll post results when I get them.

 

[NCRaineman]

Last week I had my oil changed by a reputable shop I've been using for years. No leaks at the time of service but last weekend I noticed drips in the parking lot at work. Got up under it and, sure enough, filter was a tad loose. Tightened it about a quarter turn and wiped everything down underneath, have not noticed any dripping since then, but keeping an eye on it anyways. I guess these engines like the filters extra snug.

 

[hotrod45]

Last week I had my oil changed by a reputable shop I've been using for years. No leaks at the time of service but last weekend I noticed drips in the parking lot at work. Got up under it and, sure enough, filter was a tad loose. Tightened it about a quarter turn and wiped everything down underneath, have not noticed any dripping since then, but keeping an eye on it anyways. I guess these engines like the filters extra snug.

My guess is that the error was not lubricating the gasket before installation. That would result in it being snug enough at the beginning, but then leaking. The "snug enough" was because the dry gasket was producing the expected friction before the threads had been turned enough.

 

[Wild one]

Check the threaded bushing that the filter screws onto.Thought I read somewhere that there could be an issue with the threaded bushing being loose or to short ,might be worth taking a look at to,along with the filter itself.

 

[Ramnewbie]

I think it's the filters themselves. If you try a variety of filters some are very sloppy when threading them on, some seem like they are a perfect match. I've never had any troubles with the Fram Ultra, M1 , or Amsoil filters.

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[hotrod45]

Check the threaded bushing that the filter screws onto.Thought I read somewhere that there could be an issue with the threaded bushing being loose or to short ,might be worth taking a look at to,along with the filter itself.

If the mounting adapter were too short, that would be a recall issue. A loosened adapter would simply screw back in, once the filter bottomed on it.

 

[huntergreen]

Filters need to be put on a bit tighter than normal. They do tend to back off if put on normal with the normal tightness. No idea why.