Just changing the oil filter and there is no centre spindle in the housing, is this a problem? Normal? am I in trouble

Did it come out with the old filter?

It should look like this.

I think mine was like it for years, it was only when i did my vanos i decided to buy another housing after checking that it was still present in the new one off ebay and then just removed the tower from the new one and screwed into mine.
it is very common for them to come unscrewed when the filter housing lid is undone and then they get thrown out with the filter.
The two connections are shown and i think one feeds up through the centre and then the oil is taken back down out the port shown in the bottom of the housing i think so it should still be filtered. the black square is the drain valve which lets out the oil when you remove the filter and that comes out the connection shown between the two main feed pipes.
I think the tower just distributes the oil up the length of the filter rather than all at the bottom

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I found this on the net:

A potential problem arises with your 2002-2004 MINI during a filter change when the plastic cage 'detaches' from the canister cover and gets pulled out with the oil filter, allowing the spring to pop free. If the technician is not familiar with the early filter setup - the plastic cage gets thrown out with the dirty oil filter. Without the spring and cage in the early canister, the filter fails to seal against the cover resulting in 'low oil pressure' warning light.
Since the canister cover is built differently for the 'cage version' vs. the later version, the filter will not seal properly without the cage, allowing unfiltered oil to circulate around the filter. Circulating unfiltered oil is NOT good for your engine... not to mention the low oil pressure.
Another problem arises if you should happen to purchase an early 'un-caged' oil filter. If you use this filter with the later 'uncaged' canister cover, the filter will collapse affecting filtration and oil pressure.

I've got a spare oil filter housing if you need one. Current:
- 2013 L405 4.4 TDV8 Vogue
Sold:
- 2004 L322 4.4 Vogue (BRC LPG)
- 2002 L322 4.4 HSE (having fixed timing chain guides)
- 2000 P38 4.6 Vogue (BRC LPG)
- 1981 2-door In-Vogue
- 1980 Ex-Army SIII LWB
- 1976 SIII LWB
- 1968 SIIA
Stripped for parts:
- 2003 L322 4.4 Vogue

Hello, thank you all for your replies!

Holidaychicken that is exactly how mine looks ( I did check the filter as I thought that I could have pulled it out - someone else must have)

Zebedee does your's have the centre column in it? If so how much are you looking for for it please?

Hi - Yes, it's got the centre column. Does £28 including postage sound reasonable? PM me if you're interested. Current:
- 2013 L405 4.4 TDV8 Vogue
Sold:
- 2004 L322 4.4 Vogue (BRC LPG)
- 2002 L322 4.4 HSE (having fixed timing chain guides)
- 2000 P38 4.6 Vogue (BRC LPG)
- 1981 2-door In-Vogue
- 1980 Ex-Army SIII LWB
- 1976 SIII LWB
- 1968 SIIA
Stripped for parts:
- 2003 L322 4.4 Vogue

BUY IT ! That’s half what I paid

Changed the oil again today and fitted this - thank you David - she's pulling like a train again!!

Nice easy fix

Just to add my two-pence-worth if I may, I did an oil and filter change last week in my fatty - (M62 4.4 petrol) and every time I started up from cold afterwards the oil pressure warning light stayed on for a couple of seconds before extinguishing. The oil level was bang on the maximum mark on the dipstick (as it always is) and before the oil change the oil light had always extinguished immediately on startup.

I did some research on this forum and a BMW forum and decided the problem could be the oil filter not being seated properly, and so not pressing down on the drain "button" at the bottom of the oil filter housing. When you remove the filter it releases this "button" and allows the oil to drain away. I removed the filter again and found it was twisted. Presumably as the cap was screwed on it had rotated the filter, twisting it in a corkscrew. I did a bit of measuring to see how far down the filter must sit to press in the drain "button", thus sealing the drain hole, and put a new filter in the housing, tapping it down gently to the depth I had measured, before screwing the cap back on. That resolved the problem.

I assume the problem was that the oil filter was not seated low enough down, so wasn't pressing on the drain "button" allowing the oil to drain back when I switched the engine off, so on startup the oil pump had to refill the filter housing every time I started the engine before the oil pressure got to where it should be. Everything is fine now and I don't have to convince my wife I need an engine rebuild.

This may all be complete tosh to anyone who knows better, but it worked for me.

Happy Christmas.

That is correct, i always make sure the filter is seated in the bottom of the housing before screwing the cap on and i only use OEM filters.
i always lubricate the top of the filter where the cap goes in so it is less likely to twist when the cap pushes into the top of the filter as it screws up tight.

This reminds me of what the mechanic at the LR dealer dound ( and showed me ) back in 2013 whenmy 4.4 Petrol was in for a service.
That very filter was installed a year before by the same mechanic in the same dealer, sp proper LR parts.
The filter disintergrated while being removed so no remains in the oil circuit, but still....

You just don‘t want to see such things...

Click image to enlarge