Oil Filter Housing stripped

[vxlady]

Hi, I'm new around here. I bought my VX about a year ago used; it's a 1999 silver model, 46,000 miles.

When I last had the oil changed, the guys at Jiffy Lube told me that the housing that holds the oil filter had been stripped. I've called around a bit and can't find a mechanic who has even seen a VX.

What I want to know is, what part do I need to get, what's the best place to get it from, and if there is anyone from the SF Bay area around here, I'd love to know who you work with for your VX repairs.

Thanks!

[Anita]

Not that what they say is false, but I would NEVER believe what a Jiffy Lube tells you at face value! THey are in the business to take your money.

Perhaps one of you good gentlemen (or ladies) living near that area can refer her to a good mechanic.

[Y33TREKker]

Not that what they say is false, but I would NEVER believe what a Jiffy Lube tells you at face value! THey are in the business to take your money.

Agreed. And I think the metal used for the threads of an oil filter is generally softer than the oil filter housing, and should therefore strip before the housing ever would. Then again, some of those guys are of the "gorilla tight has to be better right?" variety, so you never know what may have happened. At any rate, it would be a good idea to at least take a look at it to make sure it's not leaking now.

[tom4bren]

vxlady,

Welcome to the family.

I can't help you with a mechanic since I live on the other coast. I need to look into what you're asking about (& I'm sure others are too). Oil filter housings don't strip on their own. It must have been damaged during one of the oil changes - probably cross threaded the oil filter when they were installing it or sometime in the past, someone put the filter on too tight and messed up the threads when they tried to get it off.

I'll let you know what I find out unless someone beats me to it. I assume that Jiffy Lube did not complete the job and you need a quick response since it's sitting in their parking lot undriveable.

[vxlady]

Hi All, and thanks for the info. I bought my VX about a year ago from a friend. I took it for its first oil change at a place called Oil Changers; that's where I suspect the stripping took place. It took them something like an hour to do the oil change.
My friend suggested I take it to Jiffy Lube, since that's where he always took it, and so I did. That's where the guys informed me of the problem.

I'm still driving around, there seem to be no visible oil leaks. But I'd like to get this dealt with. Does anyone know what part I would need to replace the oil filter housing, and how expensive can I expect this to be?

Thanks!

[tom4bren]

On the right side of the home page (towards bottom) there is a download section that has a pdf file of VX part list. If you look in there you can find the part shown in the engine section (kind of blurry but readable).

The part you are looking for (34 in the picture) is called "adapter" and the part number is

89714 93432

Merlin at St Charles Isuzu has the part for $102.65 (if you mention you got the info from this forum). It's $120.77 otherwise.

http://isuzu.stcharlesauto.com/Department-Parts.aspx is where you can get his phone number. Make sure you ask for Merlin - he's helped out a lot of us.

[Ascinder]

Some of the time with housings like ours they use a threaded insert that goes into the housing and the filter. If this is the piece that is stripped, you should be able to get one super cheap as long as you know what the threads are. It is a double ended piece of threaded steel which may or may not have different threads on each end. I don't remember if the VX has one or not, but I can guarantee they would be a lot cheaper than $100+ dollars, probably under $5. It 's worth a shot at least.

[Ldub]

I'd like to know, if the housing threads are stripped, how is it there is no leaking & you're still driving around...to determine it was stripped, it would have to be dis-assembled. No one in their right mind would re-assemble it after that.

GET A SECOND OPINION...you must know someone locally who knows a trustworthy mechanic, or a mechanically inclined neighbor ?

[nfpgasmask]

I agree with Dubster, the oil filter is easy to locate and if you are up to it and willing to make a little bit of a mess, I would say it is worth looking into yourself before you start dropping bucks....

When threads are stripped, you can expect leakage, even if it is minimal, trust me, I know this from recent strippage experience! You should be able to tell if the threads are stripped just by feeling them, and a flashlight should definitely tell you more...

Bart

I'd like to know, if the housing threads are stripped, how is it there is no leaking & you're still driving around...to determine it was stripped, it would have to be dis-assembled. No one in their right mind would re-assemble it after that.

GET A SECOND OPINION...you must know someone locally who knows a trustworthy mechanic, or a mechanically inclined neighbor ?

[vxlady]

You guys rock. I will look into this and report back with my findings. Thank you so much for all the help!

[IndianaVX]

are you sure that there is even any oil in there????
you might make sure before you drive around much more.......

and welcome to the family.......

[MrCrowley]

Hello, and welcome!

I and everyone else here would place the root of the problem in the hands of the "jiffy lube" places that did the stripping in the first place. Many horror stories occur at their quickie lube shops. I would also recommend doing it yourself if possible? $20 and 20 min. Just prepare ahead of time for a smooth and less filthy experience. I would be a little more hesistant in your case as it would be a little tougher with stripped threads, and probably not a good chance to learn. Unless you had someone help you. I hate to demand something, but DO check your oil before every trip for awhile, or mark the mount and the filter with a mark of some sort to see if it becomes unthreaded. Its for the sake of your engine.

Even if your threads are stripped, no leakage will occur because of this. The threads are internally positioned inside the o-ring. It would just be tricky to replace every time you change your oil. Do not let just anyone attempt this now, or it will make it worse. Also, inform whoever will be doing it about the problem. However, if enough damage has occured to the threads on your truck, your filter may not be able to prevent itself from unscrewing. This will be the case if it ever does leak. Threads are a circular inclined plane. Having two angles of installation- the normal and the oops! one may not be a problem unless the idiot really cranked down, and kept twisting a long ways towards the engine. Minor damage this way leads to two paths on the part, but unless you travel up the bad one, no problems will arise. Filters dont require enough torque to fatigue metal. What I would place my money on is the fact that yes, you have a problem, but at some point the fool realized it, and you will have a section of intact threads up close to the engine where the o-ring will come into contact with the engine. The fact that you havent already leaked leads me to believe this is the case. Even with one intact circular thread area, with the correct amount of torque, the o-ring provides the friction that keeps the filter on anyways- on every car.

Even though you may be ok, I would still try to have it repaired. If the damage isnt too bad, having someone use a die to rethread the engine part may be all that is necessary. The ultimate fix would be to have it replaced, but unless you have someone good, this may open another can of worms, hence the staged suggestions and information I have stated. If they dont have the seals mounted properly after the repair, you WILL leak. If left unchecked you will be arguing with someone about who will replace the blown motor.

Always try to find and retain a good mechanic, or learn to do it yourself- ancient chinese horseless carriage proverb.

[tom4bren]

I have to agree with what was said above. I just answered your question about what the part number is without giving you alternatives (I knew everyone else would).

You may be able to find a piece of threaded tube to just replace that part but the part is not listed so you'll have to find someone who knows what they are doing to pull the piece and locate a replacement.

You may be able to 'chase' the threads and not have to replace anything at all. Again, this should be done by someone who knows what they are doing.

There was a product (years ago & haven't seen it lately) that you could apply to stripped threads (like epoxy). Apply a release agent to the mating part & install. This would form new threads on the existing part. This probably wouldn't be the best approach since you could end up with junk in your oil and you'd still have to find a threaded tube to form the threads since the oil filter wouldn't have enough threads to do the job.

The part I gave you the number for looks easy to install so despite the fact that you'd be out $100, it may be your easiest route.

Let us know what you decide to do & how it works out.

Remember to keep an eye on your oil level until it's done.

[Ldub]

You guys rock. I will look into this and report back with my findings. Thank you so much for all the help!

Soooo...what's the verdict ?

Did you & your VX go on to live happily ever after ?

Was there actually no damage, & the lube shop was trying to rip you off ?


Inquiring minds...