$5000 "O" Ring

[Lucky_Lou]

I know the famous $2000 "O"  Ring on our beloved Airheads but i have just had a close encounter of the expensive kind.
I had my van serviced 4 weeks ago and as i was returning home the oil light started flickering then stayed on, only 1/4 mile from home so i thought it would be ok to get back (stupid is....). I stopped checked the oil .... nothing on the stick ?? put 5 litres in and still nothing on the stick ?? so i though i would start the engine to see what was going on (stupid is....) oil was pi**ing out from under the engine.... call recovery and back to the garage.
I turns out the Ford in their wisdom have dispensed with metal cartridge oil filters on the post 07 engines and fitted paper filters in a plastic housing.....
The filter housing had split, i dont know if they had over tightened it when it was serviced or as it is located at the front of the engine it is possible to have been struck by something, any way it turns out i was lucky no major damage to the engine  just a bill for £150 on top of the £400 i spent  a few weeks back and a clean up job on the drive, it could have been alot worse, next if the oil light comes on...............stop.
Lou

[Barry]

Bad luck Lou.

With a genius piece of design like that you can put money on the fact that you won't be the first or the last with that problem. Sounds like something just waiting for a ham fisted (couldn't care less) mechanic to overstress it.

[Bob_Roller]

BMW does the same thing on their 4 wheelers .

My Z3 has a plastic filter housing, the wrenching area on the top of the filter bowl is a 36 mm hex, I have a socket, but it's a half inch drive.

I wonder how many get over tightened .

A question for people in the 'metric' world, the ratchet sizes in the US, are 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch drive, how are they referred to in the metric world, still a fractional inch size, or metric equivalency ?

[Barry]

As far as I know there is no such thing as a metric ratchet drive.

I think Imperial standards won that one.

[Lucky_Lou]

As far as I know there is no such thing as a metric ratchet drive.

I think Imperial standards won that one.

Yes it was agreed when we joined the Eu.... metric ones may be availiable soon.
Must admit we only have Imperial ones here but i have never tried to buy one in Euro Disney land
Lou

[Burt]

Down in Aus we have been "metricified" for many years.  I originally trained on imperial but use both.  When in my favourite tool shop recently I purchased a 1/2" to 3/4" adaptor.  I have never known extension bars, socket sizes by any other designation.  Even extension bar lengths are in imperial sizes.  

Both metric and imperial tools are readily available here.  

Burt.  

[Motu]

The only tool company to make something different is Facom with the super 3/8 drive, a 3/8 drive with the power of a 1/2''.



http://www.ultimategarage.com/Facom/cdx-2d.jpg

[Barry]

Quality sockets last a lifetime. Cars in the UK went metric in the mid 70's so I've had a big 1/2" drive metric set for over 35 years and there's no chance I'll ever be replacing them.

The other problem working on cars is the special fasteners. You can't get by without a set of Torx bits.

[Motu]

It's pretty hard to damage those cartridge oil filters on removal and installation, and given the way modern plastic  goes brittle and breaks, they seem to be good quality - my Mercedes is 19 years old and the plastic filter housing is still good.  But off the vehicle could be a different story, drop it on the ground and it might crack.

[Barry]

I didn't know they had been around that long. My 24 year old Merc has a metal spin on filter. I'm curious about these plastic filter housings, they surely must have a seal of some sort, maybe a large O ring. If that's the case they shouldn't need tightening any more than a spin on filters does.

Mind you the fact that spin on filters seal fine hand tight never stopped 99.9% of them being overtightened. At least with a spin on if the strap wrench can't get a grip you can always get some leverage by bashing a big screwdriver straight through it.

[Lucky_Lou]

I'm curious about these plastic filter housings, they surely must have a seal of some sort, maybe a large O ring. If that's the case they shouldn't need tightening any more than a spin on filters does.

It has a large "O" ring about 5mm thick which sits in a groove just below the thread.More worrying the oil pump casing appears to be plastic as well.

Lou

[Dizerens5]

Funny how the names of tools have changed over the years. Anyone now know about a footprint wrench, or a die-stock, or a dead-beat meter, or a box spanner? All those are famliar to me but the names just get a blank look in today's tool store.

[Barry]

So only the the filter cap is plastic. I guess it doesn't need much torque to seal against the O ring.

Anyone now know about a footprint wrench

I have a genuine footprint pipe wrench that must be as old as me and I know what all the others are but I'm intrigued by the "dead-beat meter"

[Lucky_Lou]

So only the the filter cap is plastic. I guess it doesn't need much torque to seal against the O ring.

Anyone now know about a footprint wrench

I have a genuine footprint pipe wrench that must be as old as me and I know what all the others are but I'm intrigued by the "dead-beat meter"

Footprint was a big brand in its day had the market until Stilson wrench became the must have tool, a dead beat meter is a Hammer ?....... just a guess never heard it beafore.
Lou

[Dizerens5]

Electric test meter pointers used to wobble about all over the place, around 1950s I think new ones came with steady pointers, they were then called dead-beat meters. I think they are now called damped coil meters. Usually people now use digital ones anyway.