Replacing the oil screen cover gasket

For information on how to check the oil screen please see the oil screen article.

To start, pull off the oil strainer cover (#14090-1350) and make careful note of the five bolt locations, as they are varying lengths, as explained in the above-mentioned article. Clean the screen as directed, then check the gasket. If it looks good, with no rips or noticeable wear, put everything back together and ride on. This is not something that will need to be replaced very often.

This paper gasket (#11009-1874) was worn on the edges, so the owner decided to replace it. When pulling on the gasket, it began to stubbornly come off the cover in very small pieces (it's paper). A flat head screwdriver was found to remove the rest of it. A putty knife would probably work well, also. Just be patient and work slowly; any dings or gouges in the cover could result in an oil leak.

After 45 minutes of careful scraping and cleaning, the cover surface was finally clean and clear of the old gasket.

The next step was to take the new paper gasket (part #11009-1874) and orient it correctly.

Before you button everything back up, there is something you can do to increase the life of your paper gasket. Coat the outside of the filter (the cover side) with oil, and leave the engine side dry, so it'll stick to the engine. This will make the cover come off more easily. This can be done with any paper filter. Coat one side with oil; the other side will stick to whatever it's facing.

Go ahead and reassemble the screen and cover, finish the rest of your oil change, and be sure, as always, to check for leaks.