Changing oil filter mess

I have an 03 Venture WB edition. I have changed the oil twice myself and both times the filter has spilled oil everywhere when I have loosen it up to remove it. Initially, I have already drained the oil from the pan and opened the filler cap and let it sit and dripped for several minutes. However, upon twisting the filter to remove it, the trapped oil in the filter gets spilled on everything including running down my arms as I tried to spin it off the bolt threads. I have changed my oil on numerous cars and I have never had this happen before on any orientation of the filter. I must be doing something wrong. Any suggestions?

I've had similar difficulties with my 03 Montana. I think it has to do with the angle. Actually, I think this is a good thing - you want to retain oil in the filter so you get less pressurization delay on startup.....but it does make a mess, doesn't it!

I've had some success with a small bucket/container that I sort of collapse and squeeze in the gap. I first unloosen it so I can turn it by hand, stick the container in, and then reach around and spin it off. I still make a mess, so I'm stilll trying to find a better way.....if you find something better, please let me know! Glen

Glen, Thanks for your thoughts and possible work around to minimize the mess. I will also keep trying to find a better way and let you know if I do find anything else. Thanks again, Steve

Some people punch a hole in the end of the oil filter to let it drain before it is taken off.

I'm always amazed at how hard automaker make it to remove a very simple filter. Our van's aren't horrible, but it usually leaves a decent amount of oil running down the block.

My wife owned a 98 Saturn SL2 that was similar to our van except on the back. The designers there actually had a moment of clarity and put a small channel under the front of the filter. If you slowly unscrewed the filter and let it drain for a few minutes, all the oil would run down the channel into whatever you were collecting it in. It took a minute or two longer, but was a whole lot cleaner.

My 90/92 Talons also had a filter seperate, easily accessable, and had nothing around it for oil to run down. You just unscrewed it and it would just run out and straight down.

Compare those two well designed vheicles to my 97 Cavalier. It takes a triple jointed arm almost to remove it. They placed the filter immediately above the mesh covered flex section of the exhaust pipe, guaranteeing that you WILL throughly soak it any time you remove the filter. Of course it will obviously smoke for some time unless you cover the pipe with some foil or something. Just an absolute horrible design.

I'm always amazed at how hard automaker make it to remove a very simple filter. Our van's aren't horrible, but it usually leaves a decent amount of oil running down the block.

My wife owned a 98 Saturn SL2 that was similar to our van except on the back. The designers there actually had a moment of clarity and put a small channel under the front of the filter. If you slowly unscrewed the filter and let it drain for a few minutes, all the oil would run down the channel into whatever you were collecting it in. It took a minute or two longer, but was a whole lot cleaner.

My 90/92 Talons also had a filter seperate, easily accessable, and had nothing around it for oil to run down. You just unscrewed it and it would just run out and straight down.

Compare those two well designed vheicles to my 97 Cavalier. It takes a triple jointed arm almost to remove it. They placed the filter immediately above the mesh covered flex section of the exhaust pipe, guaranteeing that you WILL throughly soak it any time you remove the filter. Of course it will obviously smoke for some time unless you cover the pipe with some foil or something. Just an absolute horrible design.

Very well said.

The engineer's only concern, is to make sure the hood can be shut... The rest, he doesn't care. :swear: :chair:

Yves.

Concur completely. I also have a 2000 S-10 which I changed to oil minutes prior to attacking the Venture. The S-10 had a small funnel and channel that ran aft right into the drain plug area. This simple device allowed the oil to run down the funnel right into the pan right under the drain plug as some as you loosen the filter that was mounted in a hortizontal position. Worked great. Moved to the next Chevy product and had hard time loosen the fliter due to location and the then spilling an excessive amount of oil on the frame (after waiting 20 minutes to drain out) which then collects junk for a long time after trying to wipe clean. Thanks, Steve

The engineers don't seem to care about something like location of oil filters, and ease of changing them. Most people nowadays don't change their own oil, they take it to a shop where it is put on a lift. The mechanic then has an easier time with the vehicle up in the air, and any specialized tools needed to access the filter. I've always liked the older Chevys and the V8s better because the oil filter hangs down and is much easier to get to. My '94 C1500 is also like this. I can change the oil in my truck in about a quarter of the amount of time it takes to do my Venture.

In defense of engineers (I happen to be one!), many times the engine design is laid out well before the applications are determined. For example, the 3.4L engine in the GM minivans is an evolution of an older engine, and you can't easily move primary features like the oil filter location/orientation. Major machining modifications are expensive because all the tooling is likely high volume, dedicated lines.

On the other hand, new engines that were designed for a specific vehicle (like the Saturn) could be designed in conjunction with the underhood team and so you see some slick integration ideas.....but yeah, I still get irritated with the engineers when I work on my cars as well......Glen

As an engineer too, although not an automotive one, I agree with Glen. I also want to add that engineers do not make as many design decisions as the general public thinks. There decisions are based on cost and reusing existing designs as much as possible. Often a designer is mandated to use a component they would prefer not to use.

If the entire design was left up to an engineer it would be very easy to do maintenance however all components would be selected to last 30 years but unfortuanltey none of us would be able to afford to buy them.

I'm with shooter_va...next time I do it, I'll pop a hole in the filter & let it drain off 1st. Another thing I usually do when changing my oil & filter is to prefill the filter with oil before installing. An oldtime engine builder taught me that trick when I was a kid. It worked well with my old small block Chevys, but the filter was more easily accessible, plus it wasn't on an angle. Does anyone else ever do this?

Yes, I do pre-fill the oil filters, but the fun part is guessing how much you can pour in, but not let it pour out at the angle you have to spin it on the engine with!

On our big diesels, we recommend filling the oil filters completely full, but they are perfectly vertical so it is easy to do this and not spill any oil.

Anything to reduce system pressurization time is a good thing as far as I'm concerned....glen

Yes, I do pre-fill the oil filters, but the fun part is guessing how much you can pour in, but not let it pour out at the angle you have to spin it on the engine with!



:iagree: It was so much easier to do this on the older Chevy small blocks! I still prefill the oil filter on my 4.3L '94 C1500 where the oil filter still hangs down vertically. Too bad they could'nt have designed the 3.4L to have the filter hang down also.

:iagree: It was so much easier to do this on the older Chevy small blocks! I still prefill the oil filter on my 4.3L '94 C1500 where the oil filter still hangs down vertically. Too bad they could'nt have designed the 3.4L to have the filter hang down also.

Worst I've seen is a 03 sunbird 4 cylinder; when you loosened the filter (which mounted horizontally to the ground), oil spilled all over. To make matters worse, the 4 cylinder exhaust has a steel braided flex hose....guess where? Yep, right under the filter.

Oil runs out the filter, hits the braided hose / exhaust, and stays there until it burns away, about 20 miles.

Freakin' brilliant, huh?

Worst I've seen is a 03 sunbird 4 cylinder; when you loosened the filter (which mounted horizontally to the ground), oil spilled all over. To make matters worse, the 4 cylinder exhaust has a steel braided flex hose....guess where? Yep, right under the filter.

Oil runs out the filter, hits the braided hose / exhaust, and stays there until it burns away, about 20 miles.

Freakin' brilliant, huh?Easy workaround to the flex pipe issue is to place a piece of plastic wrap or foil over it. Oil just runs down that instead of running into the flex sections.

Engineer's! So I bought a new Saturn and find the oil filter has reverted to a element inserted into a can. No way to change this cleanily and last time I saw this design was on a early 50's auto - So what gives. Why revert to somthing everyone was glad to say good riddance to years ago?

Deny

Engineer's! So I bought a new Saturn and find the oil filter has reverted to a element inserted into a can. No way to change this cleanily and last time I saw this design was on a early 50's auto - So what gives. Why revert to somthing everyone was glad to say good riddance to years ago?

Deny

As an engineer, my guess is that this might be a way to reduce environmental waste or something. You could then drain more oil out and in theory it is a little cheaper. So, your company looks good to the tree huggers, and you save a few pennies.

As far as the mess, I'm betting GM has stats on how many people actually change their own oil any more, and not very many do it any more. Why worry about a mess when your main "customers" are Jiffy Lube techs and they have service pits.

However, I'd bet this "new idea" will be gone soon - too much of a risk to Saturn since an owner could forget to put the cartridge in and then you have no filtration.

Just my guess.....glen

I just got my Venture and have not tried to change my own oil yet but I am sure I will. Am reading the messy filter posts with interest so as to be ready when the time comes. What if you slipped a plastic sandwich bag over the filter after loosening it so that the top of the bag extended up over the mount? Would a plastic bag possibly catch the oil that would ordinarily run out and help prevent a mess?

Thanks, Greg

I just got my Venture and have not tried to change my own oil yet but I am sure I will. Am reading the messy filter posts with interest so as to be ready when the time comes. What if you slipped a plastic sandwich bag over the filter after loosening it so that the top of the bag extended up over the mount? Would a plastic bag possibly catch the oil that would ordinarily run out and help prevent a mess?

Thanks, Greg
You won't have the space to slip a plastic bag. Put old newspaper or cloth underneath and wipe out the mess is all you can do.

an old cookie sheet, filled with kitty litter - catches and contains any spills i might have

an old cookie sheet, filled with kitty litter - catches and contains any spills i might haveHmm. Every now and then you hear a simple idea like this. It almost makes you feel stupid for not thinking of it yourself. Well...in your case you don't feel stupid because you did think of that. I'll have to remember this next time. I just hope my wife doesn't mind losing the cookie sheet. :)

Hmm. Every now and then you hear a simple idea like this. It almost makes you feel stupid for not thinking of it yourself. Well...in your case you don't feel stupid because you did think of that. I'll have to remember this next time. I just hope my wife doesn't mind losing the cookie sheet. :)
Keep your wife happy and go to the dollar store and get those disposable aluminum pans for cooking ziti, or lasagna,etc. They are a little deeper than the cookie sheet, and while you're there you can also pick up the bag of kitty litter if you need it. :)

I have always draped a ton of paper towel sheets all over the engine just below the filter. Where ever I can jam one in and it stays there, it gets one. It's not perfect, but it soaks up the majority of it. I'm going to try the "poking a hole in it" method next time.

When removing filter not much you can do to avoid getting oil on your hands but get one of the round drain pans and put under the filter to catch the drip oil and a few rags are always a must. http://www.autobarn.net/gascans.html They sell them at WalMart. Change the filter then use to pan to catch the oil when you remove the plug. The pans are low enough to go under without jacking up the vehicle.

I decided to get a long life oil and filter, I still make just as big a mess, but it only happens once per year now.

It is still a drag (boring) to change oil. I find myself wanting to go longer intervals, but maybe I should do some more sampling.

"It is still a drag (boring) to change oil. I find myself wanting to go longer intervals, but maybe I should do some more sampling."
I wouldn't go longer than six months because the acids and other unwanted chemicals build up in oil. If you ever saw a list of how many noxious, corrosive chemicals are found in used engine oil you would be amazed.

Some oils are deisgned to go extended lengths. Depending on the condition of the oil and your driving habits, you may be able to go that long, or you may need to change more frequently.

If you do what to go extended intervals, you owe your engine a checkup to see what your oil condition is on a regular basis. See here (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/gas_engines.html).