Oil filter O-ring slipped on an engine run up last Tuesday

I was doing a post-maintenance run up on a 172 at KAPA in Centennial Colorado. Everything looked good until oil pressure dropped to zero about 30 seconds in. Shut it down quick and found the O-ring had rolled out of the groove on the filter housing. Had to drain the new oil, replace the filter, and run it again to confirm pressure held. Has anyone else had an O-ring fail right after an oil change?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_susan1mo ago

That rolled O-ring is a classic sneak attack. The filter looks fine from the outside, the torque felt right, then 30 seconds of run time and bam, zero pressure. The part that kills me is you probably did everything right, checked the old gasket came off, lubed the new one, all that. Then the thing still bites you. That's why I always give the filter a good visual once-over from every angle after I spin it on, and I mean get down there with a light and really look at the groove. Also makes me want to do the first oil pressure check with the cowl still off next time, just to be able to see the filter area if something does go sideways.

ellis.rose1mo ago

Did you get a chance to check the old gasket stuck to the engine block after you pulled the filter off? That's the sneaky one that usually gets me, but your case with the O-ring actually rolling sounds like a whole different kind of bad luck.