Well, I can't say that this particular article pertains to "Made by Monkeys" but perhaps falls under the categorey of "Fixed by Monkeys". However, I am completely sympathetic, having done the EXACT same thing on my 2004 super-charged mustang GT. I lost about 4 quarts of synthetic oil (at $6/qt) just driving the car of the ramps and back into the street before I noticed I was leaving a big trail of oil. Interestingly enough, when I installed the new oil filter and gasket, I did kind of feel that something was a little different when I tightened it down, but I thought it might have some grime or metal splinters in the threads. I should've looked closer. On a good note, it's definitely one the of those mistakes that only make once in your lifetime. :)
When all else fails and a smoke wrench isn't available a good thing to try is jumper cables and a carbon rod sharpened to a pencil point. Connect the jumper cable to the positive terminal of your battery, put the carbon rod in the other end, touch the tip of the carbon rod to the part you want to heat and in seconds the part is white hot. A caution here, once you have freed several frozen parts you will likely have a dead battery, so a battery charger is appropriate. I get 1/2" carbon sticks 1' long from a local glass blower, but many welding supply places have copper coated carbon rods for cutting using an arc welder, same effect. Never sieze in its many forms is great to prevent galling during installation of high torque parts (the chatter you feel/hear when tightening) but it will not prevent water intrusion on lug nuts, a better substance is 242 locktite (honest - it is removable, seals the threads and prevents water intrusion and lubricates during assembly). Cycles of PB blaster and heat have never failed to aid removal of severely rusted bolts. The carbon rod trick keeps the heat local where it won't do damage. Repeat after me, "Hot metal and cold metal are the same color!".
Changed the oil filter - no problem. Then while cruzing a remote part of Lake Don Pedro, CA, heard a squeek. Those were my main bearings, that was my engine, and oil was all over the engine compartment. First seal stuck to the engine, ended up with two seals, which blew out.
Sorry Rob... but it has quite a bit of 'Monkey Design' indeed: Who can claim that a defective or damaged filter will NOT leak EVER???
A truly good design would avoid placing the filter (or any other part that contains oil) just in front of the rear wheel of the motorcycle. PERIOD!
And if anyone dares to say that the typical motorcycle layout with its space and size constraints has to place the oil filter ONLY in that place, a simple solution wasstill available: just place a sheet metal "catch pan" with a tubing line to divert any oil dripping AWAY from the rear tire! (That would be called a truly failproof design! :)
The VERY fortunate couple was extremely lucky to end up in one piece after that scary drive! (I can easily see from here the big smile of the driver and hear his presumptuous tale narration, saying something like this: "...But thanks to my huge motorcycle handling capabilities, I was able to regain the control, even with the rear tyre completely covered in top quality, very slippery Synthetic oil" :)
That reminds me of a favorite trick that I used many times to remove very stuck theaded plugs from the engine blocks when rebuilding them: Take a small propane torch and softly heat both the stuck plug and the surrounding area of the monobloc, just enough to get it hot, but nothing more. Then quickly spray penetrating oil with the thin plastic tube mounted on the spray nozzle, directing the penetrating oil or WD-40 EXACTLY to the edge of the threads, strongly cooling the plug... the repentine contraction usually breaks the bond and allows one to easily unscrew the plug out, instead of trying to use brute force and completely round the square hole in the plug and damaguing the tool at the same time!
Might not be "made" by monkeys, but posting it here might prevent some "monkey-ish" tendencies in others. Next time I change my oil, I'm going to start looking at that myself. I never would have thought to check it. Thanks for posting!
The rules of most motorcycle racing leagues require the bodywork under the engine to act as a catch pan for leaking oil. This is mainly to prevent oil spilling on the track which can cause accidents if it accumulates. They also have banned any coolants besides straight water. Ethylene glycol is very difficult things to clean from a road surface completely.
I've always been told to inspect the sealing surfaces prior to re-assembly. At the very least take a glance at the old filter and make sure it is intact.
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