MGB & GT Forum

Just put napa gold 1068 oil filter on and started up and 2 quarts of oil came out in my drive way (70-b). Yes had oil pan screw in . I screwed oil filter up and down prior to start. Put old purolator on and no problem. I lubricated seal etc never had this happen. First time with napa probably last
Bob j

The time this happened to me, it was because I cross-threaded the filter when doing it up. My mistake but very easily done.

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- If duct tape doesn't fix it - you haven't used enough duct tape

Bob, I have been using the NAPA 1068 Gold on my 1971 for many years with never a leak or issue. Is it possible that the gasket on the new filter was not properly seated in the can, or that part of the old gasket remained stuck to the filter housing?

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Be safe out there.
Kenny

X2 Kenny. Don't be too quick to blame the filter. If oil is pouring out then for whatever reason it isn't seated properly. Any filter would do the same.

Several possibilities here.

* Cross threaded on install

* Miscut thread on filter (I had this happen with a Fram filter)

* Rubber gasket from old filter stuck on engine so you ended up with a double gasket

* Rubber gasket on new filter missing or deformed

BH

Take a close look at the threads on your NAPA filter. Are they properly formed, or are they too shallow (for lack of a better description).

I think I was the first one to post a problem with a NAPA filter several years ago. Like you, i changed the oil & filter, installed the new filter hand tight - and immediately dumped oil on the garage floor. I've been installing filters for 50 years and this is the only time I ever had that happen. Installing the filter felt normal, and one couldn't really tell from looking that there was a gap between the filter and the filter head. I compared the new filter and the old and the difference in the threads was obvious. It's as if they used the wrong size tap on the filter's baseplate.

I got lucky and didn't ruin the standpipe....carefully installing a good filter allowed me to repair any damage to the threads enough that it's still good today - although I am extra careful when installing a new filter.

I originally thought that the bad filter I had was a fluke but, in the months (and years!) after that other forum members have reported a similar problem - and some of them weren't lucky enough to save the standpipe. That makes me believe that a defective batch of filters were made and showed up on the store's shelves for quite some time. I would have thought that wouldn't still be an issue....but I suppose it's possible. When a similar issue is reported here it's always with a NAPA Gold filter...never with a Wix or any other brand made by Wix, and never with any other filter brand.

I had used the NAPA Gold filters for years on all my cars but have since changed to Purolator. Still, I always take a look at the threads before installing one!

FWIW, Napa Gold filters are made by Wix.

When that happened to me, it was because I hadn't realised that the old gasket hadn't come away with the old filter. Took it off removed the old gasket, replaced the filter and all was fine. (apart from having to clear up the mess)

Yeah, that's what I meant. It seems odd to me that the problem seems to be limited to the ones they branded as NAPA Gold. To me, that seems even more likely that it was a bad production batch....assuming they would run a batch of filter with the same brand at one time...

If that's the case then I agree it's odd. If it were a bad batch, and you reported it years ago, then I can't imagine there would be any of that stock left. Generally speaking, Napa Gold / Wix filters have always been highly regarded and sell in huge quantities. Any bad stock not recalled should have sold out long ago. Strange.

The Napa Gold is very slightly different than its Wix-branded counterpart, so that would explain why a problem with one would not show up in the other...

What Joe said... The NAPA 1068 filters are notorious for having improperly formed threads. Since these filter threads are steel and the threads on the oil filter adapter are aluminum, many of the oil filter adapters have been ruined by these filters. While the problem may or may not have been fixed in recent production, I would not use a filter with such a known problem. I have always found success and satisfaction with the Purolator PL20195 filter, and never any fitment problems...

Some folks say they buy the NAPA filter and run a bolt through the threads prior to installation. For the life of me I can't understand why anyone would buy an oil filter they have to repair before they can install it and still risk ruining a part on their car, when there are other alternatives available that bear no such burden, especially when such "field repair" runs the risk of leaving metal thread chips on the side of the filtering medium that feeds the engine...

Dick

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Errabundi Saepe, Semper Certi
(Often wrong, but always certain)

Wow, that's crazy! Never heard of anyone doing that. I would never feel comfortable with a filter I had to form threads on! Nor can I believe it would be necessary, but people do nutty things I guess. I haven't used Napa filters in years (now prefer K&N) but back when I did, I never had a problem with them. Just searched the web for current info on this issue and came up empty, but the Bob the oil guy forum still seems to speak highly of Napa / Wix.

The bad one I bought was in July....2006!!!!

If someone can't tell whether they're cross threading an oil filter(or drain nut), they shouldn't be changing their own oil.

They call the filters "Spin on" for a reason; They should SPIN...freely...when they're installed. Doesn't matter their orientation. Up, down, sideways...they all SPIN.

IF you cannot spin it. STOP! Something's wrong.

Yes, some filters may have bad threads however, ultimately the decision to keep forcing it on is the owners.

When I first bought my MG I had one of the faulty NAPA filters and attempted to install it but was immediately met with resistance. I pulled it off and sure enough there was a small amount of aluminum in the steel thread so junked it.

Since then I've used the Purolator 20195 and the Bosch 3422. The WalMart up in Rhinelander had the Bosch filters in their clearance section for $1.50 a piece so I bought all of them(8). Between them and the two Purolator's I already had I should be good on filters for the next 35/40k miles or so!

As Dick mentioned; Why anyone would "fix" a particular filter when there are multiple alternatives is beyond me.

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"One test is worth a thousand expert opinions"--Alvin "Tex" Johnston...Boeing test pilot.

"Who do you think you are? I am."...Pete Weber

73 MGB. Tires: Round, black, hold air. Oil: Sometimes old, sometimes new...always slippery. Oil filter: Yellow, usually full of oil. Carbs: 2 SU HIF. Distributor: Yes. Headlights: Not that bright but bright enough. A bunch of other stuff most cars have but not really important enough to itemize. Oh, wait...it has a cool sounding exhaust with stickers on the chrome tips. Really slays the ladies...

^ Ditto from me.

Several years ago, Napa Gold filter, miscut threads, oil on driveway, filter went into trash. I haven't used a Napa filter since.

I bought about 10 of the Bosch 3402 filters when Walmart was clearing them out at a store near me. No problems.