I changed the oil and filters in the two Ford Lehmans on my trawler last week. I started the engines, checked for leaks, and everything was fine. Last Thursday, we decided to move the boat off it's Westport dock under it's own power for the first time. We motored about 8 miles to Norwalk to take on 100 gallons of diesel for the heater and then go another 7 miles to our winter berth in Stamford. As I pulled into the fuel dock, the port "check engine" light came on. I thought that maybe the engine stalled or something. After fueling up, I started the port engine and the check engine light came on again. I shut the engine down and went down to the engine room to check things, and found oil sprayed all over everything down there. What happened was that when I removed the old oil filter, the gasket stuck onto the mounting plate, and I put the new filter on without realizing it. Oil pressure finally blew out the extra gasket, luckily at a good place.

From now on, I'll check for that gasket!