Prompt oil change help!

[cool blues]

I'm no stranger to changing oil but I'm having a time with this one. I was putting the oil filter cover back on and the lowest bolt snapped off. I tried to close it up with just the two lateral bolts fastened and a steady stream of oil comes out at all time it's on. I've tried everything I can to fix it and I'm just plain out of ideas. Shouldn't it be sealed tightly enough with just the two bolts on? The oil doesn't just come out of the bottom of the cover, where the half-bolt is, it comes out of the sides of the cover too, it seems.

Going to a shop is a serious last resort for many reasons.

Also, is the oil filter only held in place with the spring on the cover or with the cover off, should it seat itself? This may or may not be part of the problem.

[TragicImage]

you need all three bolts.


no way around it.


The spring provides pressure pressure to keep the filter seated, its required.

[My Name Is Dave]

Bad news- you need that bolt.

Good news- it has happened to like half the people on this site, so there's tons of info on it. for example, here are some search results: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?action=search2

[brett]

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=24331.0

There's my thread about the same problem. The long and the short of it is that you need to replace it, but being the lower bolt it should be fairly simple. Any dealership should have the stud bolts, and they are cheap. Vice grips work fairly well for getting the old bolt out, but be warned not to use them on the new bolt - they will seriously rip up the threads. Pablo's site also has some good tips for getting the bolt out:

http://pantablo500.tripod.com/

[sledge]

Ask yourself a question. Why fit 4 studs when 3 will do? Answer: Because if we fit 4 it will cost more to manufacture! The stud will have snapped as a result of overtightening and in one of the two places where the threaded section ends or the nut reaches its limit of travel and the shank begins, always the weak points with studs. If you are lucky it will have gone at the cover end in which case mole grips are the best option. Get a good tight grip close as poss` to the casing and work them slightly clock/anti-clock until you will feel the stud become free. If it has snapped flush with the casing its not bad news. This is one of the few cases where an Eze-out will probably remove the stud on account of the fact  the stud hasnt snapped as a result of corrosion or being `dogged`  into a blind hole until it shears. The links in previous postings explain it all in detail.