Oil Filter/Drain Safety Wire!

galaxy

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i think it’s a nice touch...
 

JCSIX13

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looks like the safety wire on the oil filter is on the wrong side to me.
 

galaxy

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Nope, it’s not. Looking straight at the nut, you would turn counter clockwise to remove. You would be turning away from the wire. It’s correct. Why do you say that about the filter and not the drain? They are both pulling in the same direction preventing a counter clockwise turn, just that they are on opposite sides.
 
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Tob

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Is one going to the other? Difficult to tell from those photos/angles. The filter wire almost looks as if it goes to a chassis bracket.
 

galaxy

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Is one going to the other? Difficult to tell from those photos/angles. The filter wire almost looks as if it goes to a chassis bracket.

Correct. The filter goes to an existing hole in some brace that runs just across the corner of the filter access panel. The drain plug just goes up and around that’s long prodruding bolt that extends forward from the tranny. You can’t tell from the angle of the pic, but it’s not going to slide off that bolt. I thought about drilling a tiny hole in the belly pan, but the oil pan extends a little farther aft out past the pan. THis just kept it simple and a straight shot. Only drilling I had to do was a tiny hole in each flat on the filter canister nut.
 

Tob

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Are you certain that there isn't a strain put on your connection to the body when the engine moves under accel/decel/braking?
 

galaxy

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From the filter to the bracket? Nope, not certain. Good point. It’s been on there for about 600-800 miles now and I was just under there last night to take these pics (finishing up my resonator delete)and no funny business going on. If there is, worst case it’ll stretch/break that safety wire. But that’s certainly a valid point I may go look at and adjust my connection point if needed.
 

ArkLightning

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You could probably leave a bit of slack in the line to allow for engine movement. The filter can isn't going to loose a seal if it rotates 5 - 10 degrees. On my Cobra knockoffs that are safety wired we leave a bit of slack so they can easily be checked for any spinner movement. I walk around and visually see or touch each twisted wire and if it is a bit slack - all is good. If someday I find one that has gone tight - I will know the spinner has moved.
 

ANGREY

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A better, more thoroughly engineered solution would be one where the lanyard attaches to some portion of the engine within the confines of the engine brackets.

Leaving slack in the line, particularly for the plug, is going to negate/nullify the intent of the belt/suspenders. Where the line is attached, and the radius of the plug makes it so that even a small amount of slack will allow the plug to rotate, essentially making vibe spin outs as if the line wasn't there (the plug would simply spin and the line would shrink and grow back and forth as it turned). Not leaving slack in the line if it's attached from the plug to something outside the engine assembly creates a situation that may be more risk than just torqueing the plug. If the engine torques enough and puts too much tension on the line/plug it may damage the plug.

For the filter, if it's tethered back to a spot on the block/engine assembly, I would think you could leave it taught because there's no mechanical movement (or at least not anything more than negligible) between the filter and the rest of the block engine.

The idea is rock solid and I'm actually going to do this on my next change once we all workout the bugs/kinks:)

Quick question....I would think that the data would bear out that the real risk is the filter. Has anyone ever heard or witnessed an example of the plug vibrating loose and dumping the oil? I've heard horror stories of shoddy oil changes where they didn't torque the filter down properly, but never where they weak armed the plug and it came out and ran the motor dry.
 

galaxy

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So let me start with this. I am far from a worry wart...quite the contrary. I did this because I'm a total nerd like most of us. Got the idea from tracking motorcycles back in the day where some of the clubs required the drain plug to be safety wired. Thought it would be super neat on here. I did it because I think it's cool and I think it looks neat and I enjoy doing it.

Angrey...completely agree. I've never heard rumor nor otherwise of a drain plug coming loose. Why did I do it? See paragraph immediately above, LOL ;)

I also agree with all of your comments, and I'll address some points here...

- I know the picture doesn't reveal it (may get back under and take more pics), but the protruding bolt the drain plug wire runs to is part of the tranny; thus it torques/moves with the engine assembly. Or as you put it, inside the engine assembly. This wire is pulled taunt; there's no play in it.

- I reevaluated the oil filter wire. I cannot find a descent spot to run the safety wire too anywhere within 'inside the engine assembly'. There's just nothing neat, convenient, nor easy to get to in this area:( I'll have to keep looking for something here and reattack.
 

JCSIX13

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Nope, it’s not. Looking straight at the nut, you would turn counter clockwise to remove. You would be turning away from the wire. It’s correct. Why do you say that about the filter and not the drain? They are both pulling in the same direction preventing a counter clockwise turn, just that they are on opposite sides.
I don't know what I was thinking - I must be getting old - Sorry
 

tomshep

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- I reevaluated the oil filter wire. I cannot find a descent spot to run the safety wire too anywhere within 'inside the engine assembly'. There's just nothing neat, convenient, nor easy to get to in this area:( I'll have to keep looking for something here and reattack.

What about a simple bracket under a bolt for the oil pan, or whatever is nearby, and a small hole on the other end for the wire?

Tom
 

galaxy

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Good idea tomshep, but every idea like that just seemed too far away (i.e. a loooong ass piece of wire) or impossible to get your hands in there to do a good job.

So here’s a few pics. I’ve included pics of the front side of the bell-housing so you can see the stud the safety wire from the drain put wraps around. As Angrey had described, this all moves as one assembly inside the motor mounts, thus this wire is tight and done correctly.

For the filter, I couldn’t find anything practical or easy. In these pics, you can see I went around the head on the small bolt on the alternator case. Simple, unobtrusive. Yes, the wire can just slip right off the head of this little bolt, but it’s pretty tight and the angle is such that it should keep it on there. I don’t think it will slip off. And let’s be honest...I’m not exactly relying on this wire. It’s just on here for looks and cool points. I thought about going through one of the exposed fins on the alternator case right there, but decided against it. I’ll monitor to see if the wire slips off the screw head with vibration, but I don’t thing it will. If it does, no harm no foul,a nd we can

Oh...and I also installed these sexy mother fu$*ers from Caliperfexion while I had the front end up in the air!
 

tomshep

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So, for the oil pan plug just use my idea and get a 1" wide of aluminum strap about 1.5" long. Drill one end large enough to go on the stud you are using. Leave the current nut in place if you want. Just buy another nut that is the same thread as that stud and put the strap on and wire tie to that.

Same idea for a similar bolt/stud near the filter.

Tom
 

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