Bad oil leak/spraying after an oil change

[wcho13]

Hopefully, this post saves another rookie DIYer. I finished my first oil change using my new extractor. I thought everything went successful until my first drive. Luckily it was only less than 2 mi. A warning message popped up - Stop the car and check the oil.
This issue seemed too coincidental following the oil change. After checking the engine, I found oil sprayed along the front side of the engine and underneath the plastic housing. I'm guessing the belt or fan was throwing the oil around. I double-checked to make sure the dipstick, oil cap, and filter housing cap were not leaking. My only guess is I must have screwed up placing the thin O ring in the oil filter housing. I wasn't entirely sure where the 2nd thin O ring should go. I lubricated the main ring that goes in the cap and I placed the thinner O ring below the threads on the main filter housing. Afterward, I found the FCP Euro video that showed it should have gone around the top thread of the filter housing. Also, I didn't torque the cap.

In the first drive, 1.5 qts of oil was lost. After another short test drive, I found more oil in the engine but the warning light didn't come on probably because it was a shorter drive. This time I clearly saw oil dripping below my car and saw a small puddle too.

Do you all think this was a result of a misplaced oil filter cap or do you think this is a result of another issue (bad oil cooler)? I found another post from MattMarkey that a service shop had a similar issue, but I'm in disbelief that how quickly a large amount of oil was lost.

[jbain2]

The thinner o-ring you are describing as having misplaced is most definitely your culprit. Good news is that it’s a simple fix. Bad news is you still have oil all over the place that you have to clean.


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[MattyMarkey]

Sent you a PM. It does happen fast. I only live 3 miles from the shop I went to and the light came on in that time

[petarat]

I hate to admit this, but I did the same thing last week while changing my oil on my TDI. Unfortunately I lost like 3 quarts of oil and I had to clean my serpentine belt with engine degreaser and a pressure washer. I was in a rush putting the O ring on and of course there's a slot for it to seat perfectly in the wrong spot. It's a mistake we only make once!

[gk1]

It's a mistake we only make once!

Not 100% true since I believe Audi even issued a bulletin to its techs regarding this exact issue as it happened so many times in the early years when they first switched to this design. LoL

[Valpo A7]

This is why you start the engine up and check for leaks before declaring the job done. Once I was changing the oil on my son's car and started it up to check for leaks and had a gusher from the canister filter area underneath. I did not catch that the flat round seal on the end of the old filter stuck to the block thus giving me 2 flat o-rings. I always check and feel each and every time now.

[MattyMarkey]

This is why you start the engine up and check for leaks before declaring the job done. Once I was changing the oil on my son's car and started it up to check for leaks and had a gusher from the canister filter area underneath. I did not catch that the flat round seal on the end of the old filter stuck to the block thus giving me 2 flat o-rings. I always check and feel each and every time now.

I could be wrong here, but I do not think this would be highly noticeable at idle (when most people check/confirm for oil leaks). Driving increases the pressure, which then sprays the oil down the valley, which gets the front of the engine soaked. If you looked at the aftermath when this happens, there is barely ANY signs of an oil leak near the filter housing itself; housing is only slightly wet.

Only speaking from experience lol

[Alabama]

I could be wrong here, but I do not think this would be highly noticeable at idle (when most people check/confirm for oil leaks). Driving increases the pressure, which then sprays the oil down the valley, which gets the front of the engine soaked. If you looked at the aftermath when this happens, there is barely ANY signs of an oil leak near the filter housing itself; housing is only slightly wet.

Only speaking from experience lol

Rev the engine as part of the check?

[MattyMarkey]

Rev the engine as part of the check?

Certainly could, but not many people do. I certainly don't, I just let it idle while checking