I just did an oil change yesterday on a 2010 Corolla, I made sure to tighten everything to specification, but the oil filter seems to be slowly leaking, I replaced the o-ring on the inside and made sure to lube it up a little, the oil cap says 5w-20 or 0w-20 works, so I used 0w-20, the oil change before this used 5w-20, would using the 0w-20 be able to cause this any way? I can’t think of any other reason why it would just now start leaking after the oil change, any help is very much appreciated!
The housing could be cracked or pinched o ring.
Wolf said:
The housing could be cracked or pinched o ring.
If it is cracked would you recommend another plastic housing or get a metal/aluminum housing?
Wolf said:
The housing could be cracked or pinched o ring.
If it is cracked would you recommend another plastic housing or get a metal/aluminum housing?
Plastic. Get one from Toyota themselves. With your oiling system, you don’t want to mess around.
Wolf said:
The housing could be cracked or pinched o ring.
If it is cracked would you recommend another plastic housing or get a metal/aluminum housing?
Make sure to use the OEM cap that is spec’d for your vehicle. It doesn’t matter if it is plastic or metal, either one can be overtightened and damaged. They have a bypass function and stem lengths for the filter that can vary based on manufacturer and vehicle.
I bet it’s in the wrong groove. Did you use an OEM filter? One time I was given a “ProAce” or some other bad brand and the o-ring was so poorly made I couldn’t trust it. Use 0w-20; it won’t matter for leaking.
@Valentine
It was a Carquest Premium, thought they had decent products. I could be wrong though.
Vivian said:
@Valentine
It was a Carquest Premium, thought they had decent products. I could be wrong though.
Stick to Toyota filters if you can help it. They sell them at Walmart.
Vivian said:
@Valentine
It was a Carquest Premium, thought they had decent products. I could be wrong though.
Carquest is a cheap brand. The OEM filter costs about $5 if you go to the dealership parts department and $7 at Walmart. Unfortunately, you’ll have to drain the oil to find the source of the leak. If the filter cap is cracked, replace it with the same one from Toyota. There’s a bypass valve built into the cap, and aftermarket caps might not be correct for your engine. I can’t tell for sure, but it looks like your cap is different than mine. Mine has a metal drain plug in the middle that can also leak. If you have it, check that gasket too.
It may not be leaking. Hit it with a generous amount of brake clean. Run the engine for 30 seconds, then shut it off. Leave overnight and check it again in the morning.
Make sure the o-ring is not damaged and in the correct groove. It could also just be cracked somewhere.
Are you sure it’s actually leaking? Did you clean it with brake clean and confirm it’s still wet? Was it dipping on the ground or just that one drop? I’ve seen these filters form a drop after tightening as residual oil is pushed off the o-ring. If you clean it well and run the engine, another drop might form. You may need to take it back off to recheck/replace.
The oil won’t make a difference. We’ve seen it once or twice at our dealership that the o-ring gets pinched during installation, causing a drip like yours. I’d recommend changing the filter and o-ring again just to be safe. If that fails, the plastic housing is likely cracked.
@CarLoverDave1
If it is the housing cracked, would you recommend getting another plastic cap or changing to a metal/aluminum one? Saw both online.
Vivian said:
@CarLoverDave1
If it is the housing cracked, would you recommend getting another plastic cap or changing to a metal/aluminum one? Saw both online.
Plastic is fine, just make sure not to overtighten it and use the proper tool to remove it. Get a genuine Toyota one—the rest are junk. If you’re wondering where it’s coming from, clean it off really well with brake cleaner, let it dry, then spray some aerosol foot powder around the mating surface. Start the car and let it run. You should see the powder absorbing the oil right at the source of the leak.
Oil weight wouldn’t cause that. Check for hairline cracks on the housing and make sure the o-ring isn’t pinched and was installed in the right groove. Many of those housings have grooves near the correct one, but they’re not the right groove.
Get an OEM plastic housing.
Did you oil the o-ring before tightening it up? If you don’t lube it, chances are it will tear on install.
Happened to me. I lived with it for three changes before changing the junk plastic housing for a billet aluminum one, which fixed the leak. Edit: this was on my 2014 RAV4. I’ve used Pennzoil Platinum (switched to the high mileage variant at some point) full synthetic 0w-20. I’ve put on about 20,000 miles since then and four oil changes. The aluminum one is still holding up well with no leaks. Got it off Amazon. Everyone saying ‘get an OEM plastic one’ is just going by the book. It’s probably the recommended way, but the trick with aluminum ones is to oil the entire threads like you do with the o-ring. Otherwise, they can be a bit difficult to remove since they go into an aluminum block.