Removing stuck oil filter..

GraemeH

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Welcome to the silliest question asked here probably...

So, last time i serviced it was no problem, the old filter unscrewed with nothing more than a cloth in my hand.

Now, my TRD filter is absolutely refusing to budge.. I've been at it from every angle possible, tried a reccomended sand paper trick, heated it/the engine first to see if it was easier etc. It's only been on there 4-6 months so it's not like it should be so stubborn.

I don't want to do the screwdriver + hammer thing (hammering a screwdriver through the side to get leverage), and I can't get out and find an oil filter wrench (i never knew such things existed before) until after the weekend.

Anyone got any tricks?
 
Maybe. I was told about it by a bike guy so i wasn't sure how the composition of their filters different from cars.

I heard that it's possible for the entire metal casing to come away when it splits, leaving it still threaded/screwed on and nowhere to grab it from?

Or is it relatively safe? I may well end up going that road. Done it before?

Cheers :)
 
I can't get out and find an oil filter wrench
Why not? No transportation?

I don't know if this would work, but try a belt (the kind that you put around your waist).
In principle, it should be able to function similar to an oil filter wrench.
 
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I'm a mechanic and if I can't get it off with slip joint oil filter pliers or my cups, then I just jam a screwdriver through and wrench the fucker off. So it is safe to do it.
 
I've done it before also.
 
what you can do if you don't want to use the screwdriver, is take a metal shaft and a hammer, and make a deep dent in the filter. Next take the same shaft and hammer, put it down in the dent you just created but in an angle, and try to slowly beat the oil filter in the right direction like that.

That trick worked for me once, when even the screwdriver thing didn't work (it was that stuck) and we were 80 miles from the nearest shop.
 
I've made a wrench using a belt (as described above - clamp and old cam belt) which helped.
Last time I needed to change the oil filter on mine, the filter clamp wasn't much help as it was too tight & oily for that. So I used the screwdriver through trick. Gave me enough leverage to get the thing out.
But if you're not confident, don't do it and wait until you get the right tool. No point facing a ?400 (just a figure I pulled from the air, no idea what it'll cost) mechanics job to fix the mistake you made because you were impatient!
 
It sounds like people are putting their filters on way too tight. I always just hand tighten mine and they never leak. Then they're real easy to get off again.

[/rant about buying used cars where previous owner tightened everything with combined strength of all Greek gods]
 
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It sounds like people are putting their filters on way too tight. I always just hand tighten mine and they never leak. Then they're real easy to get off again.

[/rant about buying used cars where previous owner tightened everything with combined strength of all Greek gods]

Sometimes you have to take it into the shop to get your oil changed, because it is snowing and cold outside... and they tighten the filter with combined strength of all Greek gods... leaving you screwed during spring.
 
Sometimes you have to take it into the shop to get your oil changed, because it is snowing and cold outside... and they tighten the filter with combined strength of all Greek gods... leaving you screwed during spring.
I've had shops do that to me before (that and tightening lug-nuts way too much). :glare:

These days I'm just way too lazy to do it myself, so if a shop does that to me, they're just giving themselves a problem. :D
 
/rant about buying used cars where previous owner tightened everything with combined strength of all Greek gods
Funny you should mention that ;)

What I described above with the hammer/shaft trick happened when I bought a car that had been standing still in a shed for 10 years. We didn't have a trailer so me and a friend wanted to try to get it running, so we wouldn't have to tow it home (150 miles). After a quick service, of course.
Well that quick service was harder than expected! Everything was tightened just as you describe, including the spark plugs and the oil filter. And what made it even worse was that the oil filter was in a place where you could hardly reach it with a finger, let alone 2 hands. Anyway after 2 hours of swearing and molesting the filter we finally got it off.
The funny thing about this is that later it turned out that the guy who owned it had been a wrestler in his younger years, which pretty much explained everything :D
 
Well, I've spent the weekend going at it in various ways and positions (still talking about the filter...)

So now I have the cleanest car in the world after 4 days of detailing, but the service i started before still isn't finished as my oil filter just has a couple dents in it now...

Bugger. I'll just grab an oil filter wrench tomorrow i guess, though im just crossing my fingers that that works :/

Cheers for your tips ;)
 
Just to make sure you're aware :)
There's different kinds of oil filter wrenches.

The "regular" one
6178644.JPG


And then there's this kind, which comes in handy when the filter is in a tight place where the other variant won't fit.
WRF060L-B.jpg
 
Thanks. I don't get how the regular one works? I can only imagine it slipping over the surface if you try to use it to 'wrench'?

I've never seen one of these in action so im not sure :p
 
Thanks. I don't get how the regular one works? I can only imagine it slipping over the surface if you try to use it to 'wrench'?

I've never seen one of these in action so im not sure :p
6178644.JPG

Yes, you slip it over the oil filter and then you pull the handle in the opposite direction of it's resting position.
When you do this the ring will constrict and grip the oil filter because of the hinge mechanism at the bottom of the handle.
 
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