My '99 dumped half a gallon of oil this afternoon...

...and as you can imagine, I nearly crapped myself. This was the first startup after an oil change, so while I was trying to contain an impressive oil slick (my shop vac was heroic), I racked my brains on what I could have screwed up. It was obvious the oil was coming from the filter area, so I removed the filter again...and found that when I removed the old filter, the gasket detached and stayed stuck to my LN adapter. I overlooked this, installed the new filter, snugged it up as usual, and it looked just fine - but there was a gasket sandwich I didn't know about. When I started it up to check for leaks, pressure didn't rise above 2 bar, so I immediately shut it down. In the 5+ seconds the car was running, it purged a couple of quarts. Pressurized oil sprayed all over the garage floor, the driver-side manifold, and everything else under the car in the immediate area. Total time to change my oil: 15 minutes. Total time to contain the oil spill, clean up the underside of the car, and degrease and wash the garage floor: 2.5 hours. Lesson 1: Check my spin-on adapter for stuck gaskets between filters. Lesson 2: Always keep an extra jug of oil on-hand. Glad I had one. Bonus: AutoZone had just put Purple Power degreaser on sale this afternoon - incorrectly - and my bottle rang up for one cent, which the guy insisted on honoring. So, at least that was cool.

Probably greatly relived to found it was just a boo-boo on your part and not the queen mother of 996 problems. Think I'll stick with the OEM filter setup.

Heh. I may be unclenched by tomorrow morning.

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I can't blame the LN adapter - 100% credit for this fail is mine.

Not many would admit to this happening. +1 to you. Personally I think my sphincter would have crawled up into my throat.

Whenever I change a spin-on filter I "Kiss" the new one with the old one's oily seal. That gets oil on the new dry seal and is a visual that the seal is there and not stuck on the engine.

Good job figuring it out so quickly. No harm, no foul. My dad always told me to use the old oil on the new gasket before seating. If you use clean fresh oil the gasket will seal and stick. Don't know if this is a fairy tail or not.

You could change your screen name to BP!

I always run a coat of oil on the new gasket as well. I've never seen one separate from a filter before - but the previous filter was also when I installed the spin-on adapter, so perhaps it just mated really firmly to the spin on adapter. Whatever the reason for the adherence, I won't be making the mistake of not verifying the adapter is clean before installing the new filter...

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I'll be adopting this technique...

Thanks for the report, one more thing to check!

Hmmm Takes a big man to admit to a mistake. Well done. I will pay closer attention when I change my oil too. So thanks. I note that my adapter spins with the filter on removal, so I'll have to watch the assembly more closely going forward.

I was ready to see the adapter come off with the filter based on posts I've read. Mine is obviously VERY grippy. I'm not overjoyed to post up about doing something dumb, but I thought it might be useful to point out that seemingly catastrophic symptoms can sometimes just be something stupid. One of my favorite "Demotivators:"

LOL There are two kinds of car guys: Those who make mistakes and deny them, and those who make mistakes and have the sack to admit it and learn from it. **** happens-

Thanks for the info 5CHN3LL. I will be aware during my next filter change.

My dad had to rebuild an engine due to a double gasket my brother accidentally missed. Ever since that day, I triple check the block like I check a gun breech for a round.

Been there, done that, 30+ years ago on a 924. Never make that mistake again. I ALWAYS clean the mating surfaces of old oil and check gaskets ever since. Mine was less spectacular though...

Time to fly KK in to detail your engine if you truly want a clean engine.

Well, at least I'm not the only guy on the planet to have committed this particular maintenance gaffe. Misery (and stupidity) loves company. I was thinking to myself (as I was standing in degreaser squeegeeing oil off the floor) how much it would have sucked if that hadn't blown out until I was a block away from home... could have cost me more than a jug of oil.

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Niiiiiice... I was thinking about a KK-style plate, but instead of UNFAIR, I was considering INEPT. Heh.

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I do the same.

I had the same problem on a Honda 750 Interceptor. During a post-change test ride around the block, the second gasket let loose and pumped two quarts of oil overboard in moments. In front of the rear tire. Much slipping and sliding ensued, although I got it stopped upright. It was embarrassing to push it back to the garage. And I took a push broom, oil dry, and cleansers to clean the street afterwards. It is the sort of mistake you only make once.

Did this once in my old '78 Ford Econoline. Luckily, the old gasket prevented me from attaching the filter at all. But, I messed with it for over an hour before I figured out the problem. I still double check the old gasket and mating surface to this day.

I had my own Exxon Valdez moment in my garage that will make you feel SOOOO much better about yourself, schnell. First oil change, knew about the rings/gasket, plug--I had it wired. I WAS going to use a big wash tub to collect the oil. But, I saw a super-duper oil catch pan at Autozone so I was going to be smarter than the oil. Well, I failed to consider than the oil might come out as more than a trickle when the plug was pulled. There was this itty-bitty (or so it proved to be when the gusher began) drain hole in the top of the pan. Neat and tidy. Man, that oil came rushing out and spattering (more like a riccochet!) off the top of the pan with maybe--maybe ten percent actually going into the pan. The rest ended up on the garage floor. I grabbed the Tidy Cat from upstairs and tried to soak up as much as I could. It actually did a decent job. (At least the garage smelled nice... ) I feel your pain. TC

Literally five minutes after purchasing my car and driving it away from the seller, my oil pressure dropped to zero and I got the dreaded "oil pressure failure..." message. Talk about clenching. I had no idea about the issues with the oil pressure sender on these cars. The engine still sounded perfect and the temp was fine so I had a feeling the oil pressure was not really at zero. And sure enough in a minute or two things went back to normal. But man talk about nearly having a heart attack. I can totally sympathize with how you must have felt.

A few weeks ago I change my 996's oil and bought one of those cheap 11 quart throw away aluminum turkey basting pans to catch the oil. Turns out that it held more like 9 quarts (mislabelled) . What a mess.

I made this same mistake with my old Ford Escort. I remember feeling the the new filter felt a little different than I had expected when tightening... a good example of how one should follow up on these little "feelings" and not ignore them (as I did). Luckily it was caught fast, but I still made a huge mess... Sure taught me to always confirm the old gasket is recovered!

I spent part of the day yesterday refurbishing my shop vac. That thing has saved my bacon so many times...I just couldn't let it die after its heroic job sucking up all of the spilled oil last week.