Oil Change - now leaking with pics - concern?

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Lumadar

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Hey guys, got my oil changed yesterday (2012 6.2) and today I noticed 2 oil spots of decent size under the truck. Upon inspection I see a trail of oil that either seems to originate from the filter itself, or the line directly below it.

Is this cause for concern, or a result of over filling or something of that sort? They did use a pressurized line to pump the oil in and I thought I heard the guy make a sound indicating he may have over filled it or spilled.

I am leaving for a 1,300~ road trip in the morning and need to know if I should get this checked first or not.
 

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Prybar

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I would run it back by the shop to make sure, but, it is probably just a sloppy job of not cleaning up after they took the filter off. Oil naturally spills down onto those cooler lines and into that plastic drip channel when you take the filter off. I always clean it all up with rags and brake cleaner when I'm done but most ****** lube places probably wouldn't. I'd have it checked to make sure the filter is snug and the gasket is good before your trip just for piece of mind.
 

BlueScapegoat

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Make sure the filter is hand tight before you drive and check the oil level at your first gas stop. Like Prybar said, sloppy oil change job. Not much to go wrong to only cause a couple drops.
 

Ruger

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Because the oil filter in the 6.2L engine is mounted horizontally on the engine, it takes a couple of simple tricks to remove the filter in a way that doesn't make a mess. Professional mechanics may know those tricks and employ them on their own vehicles, but work for pay in the shop is all about throughput and the extra steps aren't used in that environment. So, the consumer pays good money and comes home with something new to worry about.

All you really need to do is get under your truck (it's not hard - you don't need a jack or a creeper) and wipe down the area around and under the oil filter with a paper cloth or rag with some solvent or Simple Green on it. This is the equivalent of wiping a toddler's chin for him at feeding time - easy to do, and good results are immediately realized.

Now if you want to prevent this from ever happening again, you might consider changing your own oil. The tricks I alluded to are:
- Drain the crankcase. Be advised that the standard 6 quart drain pan will be too small for an engine with 7 quarts of motor oil. Get a big drain pan or clean up a big mess. Replace the drain plug finger tight.
- While the crankcase is draining, pull the front skid plate. (It's 6 bolts - not a challenge.) This will enable you to do a very clean oil change with no busted knuckles.
- Go to the kitchen, get a piece of aluminum foil, and make a tray for the oil to flow down when you pull the filter. Put your aluminum foil tray under the filter and push it into shape inside the plastic factory oil drain tray. This little trick makes for a nearly antiseptic oil change.
- Crack the seal on the filter and let it and the gallery above it drain, then carefully remove the filter and let the engine drain some more.
- After the filter mount finishes dripping (it doesn't take long), wipe the surfaces clean in preparation for the installation of the new filter.
- Prime the new filter about half-full with new oil. This little trick minimizes the amount of time the engine will run without oil pressure when you first start it up after the oil change. Roll the filter around so that the filter element gets saturated with oil. Don't FILL the filter because it's mounted horizontally and some new oil will uselessly spill out if it's too full. Be sure to wipe some new oil on the filter gasket and on the filter's mounting threads - just a little to wet the gasket and the threads.
- Screw the filter onto the filter mount. Take note of when the gasket just touches down on the filter mount, and turn the filter another 3/4 turn after that to seat it. More is not necessary, may cause the filter gasket to bind and leak, and will only make it more difficult to remove the filter at the next oil change.
- Slide your big oil drain pan back under the oil drain plug, and pull the plug again. (This is why you only needed it finger tight.) Low and behold, another 4 to 6 ounces of dirty motor oil will drain out of your engine! Now where did that come from? From oil galleries in the engine that were released when you pulled the filter! Failure to do this little step means that you will spend $50 or $60 to do your own oil change and will still have dirty oil when you're done. This is almost never done in a shop, and it's another reason why you should do oil changes yourself.
- Replace the drain plug in the crankcase, tighten it down well (but don't strip it), and put the new oil in the engine. Start it up, visually inspect for leaks underneath, then replace the front skid plate.

While under the truck take the opportunity to look around. Familiarize yourself with what your truck is supposed to look like when it's healthy so that you will immediately recognize when it's not. Look for frayed wires, loose fasteners, frayed brake lines, broken SV joints, etc.

There is satisfaction in doing the job well - better than it'll get done at a shop - and in knowing that everything under your truck is A-Okay for whatever comes next.
 
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