Third Times The Charm ???
We’ll See.
After fortifying myself with a lot of coffee, I was outside a little before 1pm to jump into replacing our rig’s oil filter.
First up, I put the filter’s rubber gasket in a bowl of oil to marinate while I was prepping the rest of the stuff.
I gathered everything into the bucket so I could pull it all under the rig at one time. I had my flashlight, filter, long tie wraps, EMT scissor to cut the tie wraps, shop rags, and brass brushes, etc.
The filter wrench, ratchet, and extensions were still underneath the rig from the filter removal.
Under the rig, I tied the electrical cables back and got out my brass brushes and scrubbed down the inside of the filter mount, since that was possibly causing my leaking problem.
However after I wiped it down with an oil-soaked rag when I was done, I still had this residue that you see on the right side of this close-up. This outer ring is where the filter gasket seals.
It’s not just a discoloration, but I could actually feel it on the surface THROUGH the rag. I scrubbed and scrubbed it, but the brass brush wouldn’t touch it. I had a set of steel brushes but I was loathe to start scrubbing with a steel one, afraid I would scratch the surface, making things worse. So I’ll keep it in mind in case I still have problems.
I don’t know if this had any thing to do with my original problem, but I guess I’ll know soon.
I then did a test install of the filter while it was still empty of oil, to make it a little easier to handle. And with the cables out of the way, the filter spun right on with no problems. I tightened it up until it was snug to see how far it would travel, and then took it back off. Then it was back outside to prep the filter. I filled it with about 3/4 gallon of oil, reinstalled the marinated gasket, and then it was back under the rig.
Turns out the biggest problem was lifting the now MUCH heavier filter out of the bucket while holding it at arms length. But once I got it overhead, it was no trouble. I got it hand-tightened down and then used the filter wrench to snug it down 3/4 of a turn. I said yesterday that it was 1/4 turn, but I mis-typed.
Pulling everything out from underneath the rig with me, I topped off the oil in the engine and then went inside and crank it up. And after 5 months, it cranked over and started right up. Then after the the oil pressure was up to snuff, I waited a minute or so and then bumped it up to high idle, which is about 1000 rpm, and let it run for 30 minutes before I shut it down.
And, after I checked for leaks, and found none, I was done for the day. Now it’s on to our full test drive next weekend.
Crossing my fingers. Third time, or filter’s the charm, right?
Tomorrow evening we’ve got our Puddles Pity Party concert at the Stafford Center,
preceded by dinner at the Floyd’s Cajun Seafood up in Sugarland.
Since it may be late before we get home, there may or may not be much of a blog tomorrow.
We’ll see.
Thought for the Day:
In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
