Finally- A Less Expensive Repair To The Oil Filter Stopper AKA THE NUB!

OK, Very long post about my journey to correct the loss of the oil filter stopper- the rubber $2 part on a metal spring that seals oil into the filter housing until you remove the filter. Once you pull the filter out the oil immediately drains and it make filter changes easy. If the stopper is damaged or missing there is a problem. In its worst case it results in "LOW OIL PRESSURE" warnings, especially at stoplights with a hot engine. In my case I did a temporary repair and the only symptom was a slow buildup of oil pressure on startup. It was only 3 to 5 seconds but it was noticeable.

There is only 1 solution Ford recognizes, and if their techs screw up and install the filter incorrectly (like I did) they will put in a new oil cooler and filter housing (Ford part # FW9Z 6881 A. The parts cost is less than $150 (more on that below) but labor runs as much as 8 hours as they have to do extensive top engine disassembly.

NOTE: Disclaimer- Ford wants the whole assembly replaced, if you do as I did you may incur a problem down the road with your warranty. Do anything I do at your own risk.

My idea was to buy the cooler-filter assembly and just transfer the stopper and spring to my truck. I also acquired a new filter canister and some beautiful metal parts. Interestingly they are labeled Jaguar-Land Rover so that alone should increase the value of my truck (sarcasm).



Here is what concerned me- the delay of up to 5 seconds before the oil pressure gauge jumped to 20 psi. Here is a short clip showing this issue- you will need volume up to hear the engine start.


Here is the same view after the new stopper was installed.


Now, here is the biggest problem with this repair. Finding the part. First I ordered it from Tasca, 2 weeks later they refunded my money and canceled the order. Next was two different ebay vendors. Same thing, two weeks and a refund from each. Global parts shortage, national backorder. Finally found one at Lakeland Ford, $111.62. (On a side note, Fed Ex delivered it but placed the box under my rear tire, almost crushed it!)

If you are still here, next we will do the step by step. First, carefully remove the spring and stopper from your new oil filter housing. I used 2 pry tools and great care, you do not want to bend the "X" that holds the spring onto the filter stud.











Next remove the old spring from your truck using the same tools.

Next carefully place the new spring into place in your filter housing. I used a socket to carefully push it into place.



At this point I would recommend you make sure the spring is up to allow oil to drain and it is on the stud properly. I actually used a few taps of a hammer on the socket extension to drive it home.

The socket applies equal pressure on the spring as you mount it on the stud.

That is all there is to it. I wish we could just order the spring and stopper assembly separately but that doesn't seem to be an option at this time. And as always, prevention is better than repairs, read the manual before you do as I did and screw up the stopper in the first place.