K&N-148 oil filter leak

[Intech]

Anyone else use the K&N oil filter and have it leak? I did an oil change yesterday evening. Found a small amount of oil under the bike this morning and saw that it was coming from the filter. I installed the same way I always do. Wipe out the seating surface, apply a little oil to the seal and screw the filter on. I didn't feel like I could compress the seal with my hand, so I used the wrench on the handy "nut" on the end of the filter. This morning I put a little more on it, wiped it all off and rode to work. Still leaking! WTF?

BTW, my Harley buddies enjoyed putting oil pads under it!

 

[PhilJet09]

Disregard, you said you lubricated the seal.

 

[SilverHound]

Are you sure the rubber o-ring seal from the old filter wasn't stuck to the bike?

 

[Intech]

Are you sure the rubber o-ring seal from the old filter wasn't stuck to the bike?

Yes. I thought of that talking with one of the guys here at work that has had that happen. I am kind of anal about wiping out the seating surface to make sure it is free of debris. I even run my finger around it to check for smoothness, so I know it wasn't there. I have used Yamaha filters exclusively until now. They don't tend to leave the o-ring as it is retained in the groove.

 

[Intech]

No matter what, it looks like I will have to get some more oil as I will not have this leaking! I will also buy a Yamaha filter in case I can't find a definitive reason for the leak and the K&N experiment will be over. Almost 89k on the clock and this is the first issue like this.

 

[lonerider]

Possibly the wrong size O ring. I've had that happen on another bike; no oil leaks up to the time I used an aftermarket filter, then drips on the floor. Tightened the filter to the max, no luck. Dug in the garbage for the old filter, swapped the old o rings for the ones provided with the aftermarket filter and the leak stopped, using the aftermarket filter with the OEM o rings. Only thing I could figure was the aftermarket manufacturer supplied the closest thing he could find to the OEM, hoping it would compress enough to seal and it didn't, YMMV.

 

[Burnspot]

I've always hand tightened my oil filters...never used a wrench, and have never had a leaker (always OEM or the Wally World filters when they had them). Perhaps you over-torqued it in some fashion?

 

[Justin]

I have used many K&N filters on the FJR and other bikes, and never had a leak. Probably just got (un)lucky and got one with a bad O-ring. Doesn't take much of a blemish in one to leak, especially when the oil is hot and thin.

 

[RaYzerman19]

Bob, just buy some HD decals and you're all set.

I'd check the thickness of the seal and see that it seals before metal contacts metal.......

 

[SLK50]

Maybe the filter suffered mislabeling similar to what

happened with the Bosch 3323 and it isn't the correct filter.

 

[Intech]

Possibly the wrong size O ring. I've had that happen on another bike; no oil leaks up to the time I used an aftermarket filter, then drips on the floor. Tightened the filter to the max, no luck. Dug in the garbage for the old filter, swapped the old o rings for the ones provided with the aftermarket filter and the leak stopped, using the aftermarket filter with the OEM o rings. Only thing I could figure was the aftermarket manufacturer supplied the closest thing he could find to the OEM, hoping it would compress enough to seal and it didn't, YMMV.

The K&N has a flat seal. It is pretty thick too.

I've always hand tightened my oil filters...never used a wrench, and have never had a leaker (always OEM or the Wally World filters when they had them). Perhaps you over-torqued it in some fashion?

Same for me. On hand tight and removed by hand and never a leak.

I have used many K&N filters on the FJR and other bikes, and never had a leak. Probably just got (un)lucky and got one with a bad O-ring. Doesn't take much of a blemish in one to leak, especially when the oil is hot and thin.

We shall see. I can't get to it tonight, so I put a pad under it. It isn't leaking much, but just a few drips would piss me off!

Bob, just buy some HD decals and you're all set.I'd check the thickness of the seal and see that it seals before metal contacts metal.......

Really helpful Ray!!Surprisingly, I noted that the K&N seal looked pretty beefy.

Maybe the filter suffered mislabeling similar to whathappened with the Bosch 3323 and it isn't the correct filter.

I will check when I take it off. I have to go and check the old filter just for piece of mind, but I know that o-ring wasn't left behind!

 

[Intech]

Talking with Spanky after dinner I couldn't take it any more! I got up and went to the garage and drained the oil and removed the filter. The seal on the filter felt fine, but my light isn't the greatest right now. I will let it and the bike drain until tomorrow and take a closer look. Weather probably isn't going to be suitable for riding tomorrow anyway. Guess I will go get a Yamaha filter and oil and start over.....

 

[audiowize]

Maybe the filter suffered mislabeling similar to whathappened with the Bosch 3323 and it isn't the correct filter.

This is exactly what came to my mind. My defective 3323 leaked, but not overtly, and not for a bit of time.

 

[Intech]

I did check the box and it said 148 which is the right filter. The filter was full of oil, so I will check it when I get home today. FWIW I did make sure the o-ring was still on the old filter. (I knew it would be) Guess I will just be going back to, and staying with, Yamaha filters! Hey, I just performed a $30 oil flush!

 

[Fred W]

Compare the bottom of leaky K&N filter to the old one that didn't leak. Is the shape the same? The Bosch filters design was inexplicably changed from a convex bottom to a concave one. This resulted in the bad seal at the o-ring since you couldn't tighten it down to compress the o-ring fully.

 

[Intech]

Compare the bottom of leaky K&N filter to the old one that didn't leak. Is the shape the same? The Bosch filters design was inexplicably changed from a convex bottom to a concave one. This resulted in the bad seal at the o-ring since you couldn't tighten it down to compress the o-ring fully.

I will investigate further when I get home today, but the K&N doesn't have an o-ring. It is more of a flat thick rubber gasket. It was one of the first things I noticed about it when I took it out of the box.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Take some pictures...

 

[Intech]

Take some pictures...

I will.

 

[Abercrombie FJR]

If you check over in NEPRT you will see a fellow just found the same problem with a new M1 102 filter as people have been having with the base of the Bosch 3323. The base of the new M1 filter is convex compared to the old concave design. Are the Bosch, M1 and K&N all the same rebrand named filter since there seems to be a pattern starting here?