So I'm changing the oil on my 2001 Vulcan a couple of weeks back.
I'm taking the oil filter off with my wrench (typical Craftsman metal oil filter wrench, jointed, with the rubber coated handle). I get the filter loose and try to take the wrench off. Oddly enough, it gets stuck on something that I can't see (I've changed the oil on Vulcans what seems like a million times and never had this happen before).
The next thing I know, I've got sparks shooting everywhere and oil is dripping out of the filter, not to mention the drain pan of oil sitting underneath!! I get the wrench in a position that isn't shooting sparks and begin trying to see what's happening, but if I let go of the wrench, sparks everywhere again....
No one was around so I had no choice but to get the wrench out of there, so I finally just twisted and pulled (with major sparks) until I got it out of there.
The whole time, I'm just waiting for a big flaming oil fire!!!!
Anyway, when I got the wrench out of there, the metal band of it was melted completely through, half way across the band!! Also, a hole had melted through the side of the oil filter.
What had happened was that the red plastic cover that snaps over the positive contact on what I believe was the alternator (below and slightly behind the oil filter, just to the driver's side) had come loose and the wrench was hitting the contact the whole time!! Current was flowing from that positive contact, across the metal wrench strap, through the oil filter and to the grounded engine block!!
Weird, dangerous, and true....
I'm taking the oil filter off with my wrench (typical Craftsman metal oil filter wrench, jointed, with the rubber coated handle). I get the filter loose and try to take the wrench off. Oddly enough, it gets stuck on something that I can't see (I've changed the oil on Vulcans what seems like a million times and never had this happen before).
The next thing I know, I've got sparks shooting everywhere and oil is dripping out of the filter, not to mention the drain pan of oil sitting underneath!! I get the wrench in a position that isn't shooting sparks and begin trying to see what's happening, but if I let go of the wrench, sparks everywhere again....
No one was around so I had no choice but to get the wrench out of there, so I finally just twisted and pulled (with major sparks) until I got it out of there.
The whole time, I'm just waiting for a big flaming oil fire!!!!
Anyway, when I got the wrench out of there, the metal band of it was melted completely through, half way across the band!! Also, a hole had melted through the side of the oil filter.
What had happened was that the red plastic cover that snaps over the positive contact on what I believe was the alternator (below and slightly behind the oil filter, just to the driver's side) had come loose and the wrench was hitting the contact the whole time!! Current was flowing from that positive contact, across the metal wrench strap, through the oil filter and to the grounded engine block!!
Weird, dangerous, and true....