Don’t have a clue what to do

[ToddS1971]

Long story short, oil filter started leaking, have no clue why, but there is oil all under the bottom of the truck from the oil filter back. How can I clean this up without a lift to raise it and put my pressure washer to it. It is a mess and there’s no way to get it back clean as before, I’d have to disassemble the truck to do that, but has this happened to anyone else and what did you do? Or what does anyone recommend?

 

[BenchTest]

How much oil was lost?

 

[Wild one]

Long story short, oil filter started leaking, have no clue why, but there is oil all under the bottom of the truck from the oil filter back. How can I clean this up without a lift to raise it and put my pressure washer to it. It is a mess and there’s no way to get it back clean as before, I’d have to disassemble the truck to do that, but has this happened to anyone else and what did you do? Or what does anyone recommend?

Take a set of ramps with you to you're local coin-op carwash and a set of coveralls,drive up on the ramps,and start crawling around underneath it with the carwashs gun set on soap.
Once the front is done,move the ramps to the back and do the back the same way.
My 14 that's been washed that way several times a year since it was new.

 

[JHoward]

Take a set of ramps with you to you're local coin-op carwash and a set of coveralls,drive up on the ramps,and start crawling around underneath it with the carwashs gun set on soap.
Once the front is done,move the ramps to the back and do the back the same way.
My 14 that's been washed that way several times a year since it was new.

My 2017 @ 50,000 miles doesn't look this clean and I very seldom drive in the rain.

 

[Jeepwalker]

You don't need a pressure washer. In fact, better off you don't use much pressure...electrical fittings and all.

Go to your farm & barn, Tractor Supply or ...Walmart, etc, and get a can of Gunk Engine Degreaser (Original Formula...not foamy). Spray it underneath and around your truck where you want to degrease.

Let it sit 5-10 min. and then spray with a garden hose. If you can lay the hose out in the sun on the ground a bit ahead of time ....such that the water is warm/hot...even better! Lock the spray trigger on and just feed the hose under there and let the water wash it off. Then let it dry. Easy as that. Seriously...I'd personally avoid sticking a high-pressure washer wand in the engine compartment. Yer just asking for electrical troubles.. Use a garden hose instead.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Once you get the truck cleaned off ...but before you drive it, look at the oil filter you removed. If there isn't a seal/gasket on it, the old gasket is probably 'stuck' to the engine-side...and you accidentally double-gasketed the new filter. What can happen is as ya tighten up, the original (old) gasket curls up and then you get a leak. It's somewhat easy to have happen. If there is still a gasket on the old filter, I'd pull off the new filter and make sure all is good with the seal/gasket/construction. Make sure the old seal isn't still up there...or some other issue. You can put the filter back on if all is well and you can do it w/o getting dirt/debris on the business-end.

But if need be, buy a new darn filter... Cheap insurance.

 

[ToddS1971]

How much oil was lost?

Right at 5.5 quarts…wife was driving it without me and called. “I think there’s a problem, the oil pressure is 26 lbs and this morning it was like 53”. “And oil temp is 246”. I leave the screen on gauge summary, I’m just weird like that. Thank goodness it was on that screen and she recognized it. Told her to immediately pull off road and shut it off. Just changed the oil the day before with Fram Ultra 10060. Looked at it once I got it off and the gasket looks fine. No tears and it was only on hand tight as I’ve done for 40 years. Not cross threaded either, I would have known that putting it on. Y’all’s guess is as good as mine.

 

[ToddS1971]

Thanks everyone for the replies. The engine degreaser sounds like a plan.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Long story short, oil filter started leaking, have no clue why, but there is oil all under the bottom of the truck from the oil filter back. How can I clean this up without a lift to raise it and put my pressure washer to it. It is a mess and there’s no way to get it back clean as before, I’d have to disassemble the truck to do that, but has this happened to anyone else and what did you do? Or what does anyone recommend?

You've never been to a car wash with an underbody wash option?


Splurge my man!

 

[GTyankee]

Instead of just randomly drilling holes
You could go to almost any Hardware Store & buy
V-jet spray nozzles, just 4 or 6, with TINY spray holes, for More Pressure, tell the sales person what you are building, DYI

find any old junk BBQ or something with axle & wheels, remove the Axle & 2 wheels
The PVC should be schedule 40 & about 1/2"

attach the axle & wheels to the spray bar with Zip Ties or Duct Tape



these are for a Misting Spray

You will need a hard stream, the mounting is the same for either

 

[BenchTest]

Right at 5.5 quarts…wife was driving it without me and called. “I think there’s a problem, the oil pressure is 26 lbs and this morning it was like 53”. “And oil temp is 246”. I leave the screen on gauge summary, I’m just weird like that. Thank goodness it was on that screen and she recognized it. Told her to immediately pull off road and shut it off. Just changed the oil the day before with Fram Ultra 10060. Looked at it once I got it off and the gasket looks fine. No tears and it was only on hand tight as I’ve done for 40 years. Not cross threaded either, I would have known that putting it on. Y’all’s guess is as good as mine.

Darn. That sounds like a MESS. Hopefully everything is undamaged after that event. I too drive with the Gauge Summary as my primary screen. I'm constantly monitoring it because of the oil filter adapter issues I've had with my truck (3.6 Pentastar engine).

 

[Wild one]

You don't need a pressure washer. In fact, better off you don't use much pressure...electrical fittings and all.

Go to your farm & barn, Tractor Supply or ...Walmart, etc, and get a can of Gunk Engine Degreaser (Original Formula...not foamy). Spray it underneath and around your truck where you want to degrease.

Let it sit 5-10 min. and then spray with a garden hose. If you can lay the hose out in the sun on the ground a bit ahead of time ....such that the water is warm/hot...even better! Lock the spray trigger on and just feed the hose under there and let the water wash it off. Then let it dry. Easy as that. Seriously...I'd personally avoid sticking a high-pressure washer wand in the engine compartment. Yer just asking for electrical troubles.. Use a garden hose instead.

That's funny.Do you park it in the rain too. You're not going to hurt anything using a high pressure hose to wash a vehicles bottom side,or the engine compartment either for that matter. What do you think the fan does in a rain storm when you're driving,it becomes a high pressure washer.I dare say my truck probably looks a hell'va lot better under the hood and on the bottom side then your truck does,and is a lot easier to find leaks on to.
My dealer tech buddy also loves working on my vehicles,the few times he's helped me out,as my vehicles are the only ones he has to wash his hands to work on

 

[Burla]

Some people pay good money for oil sprayed on the undercarriage. I'd just fluid film the heck out of it, why clean off all that metal protection? Fluid film is oil based.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Some people pay good money for oil sprayed on the undercarriage. I'd just fluid film the heck out of it, why clean off all that metal protection? Fluid film is oil based.

True statement! My Land Rover underside proves oil preserves things!

But he's in central TN...probably not too much rust down there, I'm thinking...

 

[Jeepwalker]

OP. It may well be the oil pressure sending device leaking too (they DO leak sometimes), and since it was reading flaky...its definitely worth a look.

Afterwards, when it's not leaking anymore, drive on over to Autozone/OReilly's and have them do a computer scan. See if there are any codes.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Some people pay good money for oil sprayed on the undercarriage. I'd just fluid film the heck out of it, why clean off all that metal protection? Fluid film is oil based.

FF is not oil based.

 

[Burla]

FF is not oil based.

sigh, from FF
FLUID FILM® is formulated from specially processed wool-wax, highly refined petroleum oils and selected agents to provide corrosion control, penetration, metal wetting and water displacement.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

sigh, from FF
FLUID FILM® is formulated from specially processed wool-wax, highly refined petroleum oils and selected agents to provide corrosion control, penetration, metal wetting and water displacement.

sigh, from FF
FLUID FILM® is formulated from specially processed wool-wax, highly refined petroleum oils and selected agents to provide corrosion control, penetration, metal wetting and water displacement.

Fluid Flim is a Lanolin-based coating; not oil based. It may have ingredients derived from oil.

 

[Burla]

Fluid Flim is a Lanolin-based coating; not oil based. It may have ingredients derived from oil.

sigh number 2, you take if from here... Even if you want to say it's lanolin, that is oil.

Yes, lanolin is a natural oil that comes from sheep's wool and skin. It's also known as wool fat, wool yolk, wool wax, or sheep grease. Lanolin is a waxy substance that helps protect sheep's wool from the elements and shed water. It's similar to human sebum, an oil secreted by the skin's sebaceous glands, but lanolin doesn't contain triglycerides

 

[Wild one]

True statement! My Land Rover underside proves oil preserves things!

But he's in central TN...probably not too much rust down there, I'm thinking...

Just for you,a few pic's of the underhood of my 300 that's going on 11 years old,and has 75,000 miles on it,that's been washed under the hood everytime it goes through a carwash.You can eat off the engine,lol