I have now installed the third new oil filter housing and the O-ring still breaks when re-installing the filter housing. I've talked with techs at Mini and other folks and nothing seems to work. Today the O-ring broke three times before getting it right. The amount of effort required to spin the housing on is almost beyond what is possible by hand.

I've changed the oil with a hot engine, with a cold engine, with a hot engine and a cold housing, with a cold engine and a hot housing. The thing leaks at least once every time I change the oil, despite cleaning the housing and oiling up the O-ring. "go slow" was one suggestion...doesn't work either.

A horrible design! Anyone else have this problem?

 

It sounds to me that you cross-threaded the housing and might of busted the starter thread on the block housing itself. I did that one night cuase I didnt have the filter on straight enough when I applied pressure. Lucky for me....the thread only broke in half lengthwise. I pulled the piece out (luckily)....and have been really carefull ever since. The filter will be really resistant but you HAVE TO MAKE SURE you apply even-straight pressure. If not...you will end up with a hard to start housing and busted o-rings. Sounds familiar............

 

Yes, I've busted many O-rings. Yes, I think it's a pretty bad design.

 

These are very course threads, pretty hard to cross up...the mini tech told me to twist the housing backward until I felt the threads sort of notch in, then screw on. This doesn't work either since the O-ring will not allow the threads to bite.

None of the housings showed any signs of abnormal wear 2.6 million miles of driving thus far in my lifetime and I've never experienced a filter arrangement as poorly designed as this one.

 

So far only the '05s checking in on this one. No problems on my '02 (so far).

 

The first oil change I did I sanded down the threads of the canister to clean up the casting (not my idea it came from someone else's How-To Guide on NAM).

It made a big difference in getting the canister back on smoothly.

I'm assuming that you are using some oil on the O ring prior to re-installing the filter right? As well as pushing the new filter on without the canister to pre-enlarge the hole so that you aren't trying to align the filter, find the threads and maintain a uniform pressure all at once while threading.

Is it possible that you have something stuck on the engine block side of the threads? If you haven't already, take a mirror and inspect it. Try screwing the filter housing on without a filter in it and see if it goes on smoothly without catching the o-ring.

It is an awkward setup. Mine is pretty easy, but I helped out a fellow NAMer a few months ago and his was a PITA, so maybe I just lucked out.

 

Next time, clean the threads on the cap and the cannister with a paper towell, put some oil on the threads, do not install the filter and do not install the o-ring. Just screw the cap on and see how easily it goes on, feel for notchiness or hard spots... hopefully it will just screw right on down. It you get this far with no problems, then go back and slime up the o-ring with some grease, not oil, preferrably silicone grease. Put some grease on the first part of the cap threads. Pre-mash your filter in like other posts suggest. Also, take a small amt of grease and smear it on the top couple of inches of the inside of the cannister where the 0-ring will slide.

Now set the cap in place and like said before, turn it backwards until you feel it sort of click. Now you are at the start of where the two threads will interconnect. Turn it and push it down gently with your hands only. Keep turning until you can't turn it any more with your bare hands. Then take it home with your wrench and your done. If you do this, I don't see any way you can damage the 0-ring. Be careful when you install the o-ring in on the cap, that you don't let it get cut on the threads.

Good luck,

YD

 

I've done this too... Though the techs at my dealer have done it themselves. In fact, they said its a problem lately.

 

My first response is, no one should ever have to follow that kind of procedure to change an oil filter...2.6 million miles of driving and I've change all but a few filters. On the other hand, it's great advise given the circumstances.

The housing will screw on sans O-ring and filter without trouble. But, I always install the filter into the housing first...problem?

 

You have what you have, sorry. I was just trying to help you install a filter that is not the standard spin on tin can. If this technique doesn't work for you, ... again sorry.

I'll make a deal with you. You come to my house and take care of my 'other' problems, and I'll change our oil and filter, my nickel, hehe. Good luck man, you can do it, I'm sure.

YD

 

I find that the new 0-rings are a bit large for the app, and I Guess they assume shrinkage over time....

I tore almost a whole thread off the filter housing the first time I put it on. But all the tricks have helped out a lot.

It just sucks, there's no reason a design has to be this screwed up. But now there's a lot less material and waste for each oil change (just a lot more busted o-rings!) Too bad it wasn't done right so we'd get the benefit of less waste with an easy to use housing...

Matt

 

I've had good luck with putting the filter in the cannister first, making sure it's mashed down all the way. A little lube on the o-ring, and then I use the "spin backwards till the threads drop" technique. Work well for me.
Jim

 

it's a good idea but a bad design. It could have been made such that it wouldn't pulll the o-ring into the bore intil more thread is engaged. They also could have made the o-ring a bit thicker, with less "oversize". And they could have put index marks onto the case so you would have a pointer to tell you when to push and engage....

Oh well. Maybe next model!

Matt

 

As suggested earlier have a look inside the housing to make sure all is healthy with the threads. This is a MCS oil filter housing.


It is a combination of that button in the upper right and the undersized paper aperture on the stock filter that make screwing on the cover so difficult. If using the stock oil filter press it over the shaft inside the housing before screwing it on opening it to size then make sure the filter in centered within the housing cover. Smear fresh oil on the new O-ring before rolling it down into the groove. Here is a how-to for revue of the process.
http://www.lonestarminiclub.com/foru...read.php?t=411

I find the NAPA Gold filter is very easy to install because it has a rubber ring that deforms to fit the center shaft rather than the “distort to fit” paper of the stock filter.

 

I absolutely appreciate your help YD, sorry if my fristration came out in my reply. Trust me, I'll be using your advise next time around - one month.

 

No problem at all. I have been fighting mechanical problems of all sorts that don't make sense for over 40 years. How many times have I said, and I'm sure you to, "Why the hell did engineers who designed this thing do it this way". "I wish they had to try to change this part or whatever".

I'm a big beliver that a successful o-ring installation like this involves a lot of slimey goo, the slimier the better. You don't want that 0-ring to drag, or twist, or roll or anything but just slide along. The slickest stuff I can remember is a mixture of motor oil and STP.

You may not be old enough to remember Andy Granatelli yutzing his STP stuff on TV a long time ago. One of his commercials showed taking a large flat blade screwdriver and dipping the blade end into some motor oil. He then held the screwdriver by the blade end where it tapers.... no problem. Then he dipped the motor oil wetted end into some STP and tried to hold the blade again and couldn't do it..... well my brother and I just had to duplicate that trick.....short story version.. "It works".

My uncle who was a mechanic on generator shafts in the Panama Canal working on gen shafts that were 24 inches in dia, said when installing new bearings, they had to turn the shaft by manual labor for some reason. The only way they could turn it was to coat the bearings with a mixture of oil and STP.... anyway, I thought it was a cool story.

Perhaps taking about one tablespoon of each and mixing them in a jar lid and then sliming up the o-ring and housing with this mixture would work mucho mo-better. I'm due for an oil change this week. I'll try it and see if it works better than my silicone grease.

YD

 

that it's a learned technique. When I first started, I fought with the cover every time. Now, I really compress a stock filter in it, and with some motor oil on the o-ring, I found that I can get it every time now. But it took a while.... I'm a slow learner...

Matt

 

I do a lot of oil changes on MINIs and they all vary in ease of o-ring installation. I can only get mine on half the time without breaking the o-ring if I use a new one. I now save the good used o-rings from the oil changes I do on other cars and use them on mine. These have not started to flatten and I never break them or have leaks when I use them. I do a lot of 5K mile oil changes for my customers and I know I will have a problem with the o-ring if the old one is flat.

Steve

 

...Steve, driving to Lime Rock again this year?

 

Unfortunately, no. Someone has to stay in the shop to work on the MINIs that have come to depend on us. My MINI has 69,000 miles on it in 19 months, also. The miles seem to keep going up even when I'm not driving. A few days at AMVIV is all I can do. Brad will be at the Dragon, though. Keep up the good work with your track/testing. I always look forward to your posts.

Steve

 

I was a horrible host...never offered you guys dinner while here. But my wife, if you remember, was waiting for me to take her out

 

Well, if I had a wife, she would come first too.

Steve