Oil filter removal

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Epic Ed

Epic Ed

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Threads
32
Messages
239
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I must be the only retard on this forum who can't remove the damn oil filter on my Cruiser. I have a long history of bad experiences with oil filter and I'm about to set this damn thing on fire. What tool do you guys use to remove the filter? I have three different ones and I can't get access to it sufficiently to use any of them. Oil filter pliers - the arms get in the way no matter which angle I go from. Most success was from the bottom and I can grip it with the widest setting but can't squeeze it enough to move it. It crushed the filter a little and just slips. Regular old oil filter ratchet - can't get an angle to get it to grip at all. Strap wrench - no room to cinch it up to get it tight enough to grip.

I have the wheel entirely off and I can access it from there so I figured one of those caps that you place on it that allows you to use a socket to wrench it off would work - it doesn't fit tight enough on an OEM Toyota filter to get it to move. It just slips and spins.

Seriously -- I'm about to lose my mind. Any suggestions?
 
Is is the large or small filter? I always use the small filter and one of those tools that slips over the end of the filter and you then use a 3/8" ratchet works just fine.

Make sure when you put on the new one you only HAND tighten it.

cheers,
george.
 
NLXTACY said:
Biggest mistake that is easiest to prevent. Use a little oil on your finger to coat the o-ring before you hand tighten.
Click to expand...
Very true. Even if you hand tighten, if you don't lubricate the gasket before you put it on it won't come off after.
 
I have used the strap wrench a few times... It is a tight fit, but it works. If you don't have room to make that work, the screwdriver punched through the filter for leverage works well. And yes, clean oil on the o-ring when installing, and lightly hand-tighten only.
 
When I had a stuck filter I tossed all the tools and just reached up from under the truck (laying on my back) and grabbed it high up then used my body weight to turn it. The best wrench I've used was a cast aluminum cap type that is turned by a ratchet and fits over the end of the small filter.
 
I use the small Channel Lock Filter Wrench. They come in I think two sizes. And the small OEM filters of course. I've done the strap wrench and slide over the end socket deal. I like the channel lock the best. It will slightly crush the filter and then at that point you have some good leverage.

0016740_channel-lock-212-12-oil-filter-plier.webp
 
It's the small OEM filter and it was properly lubed before I put it on. Hand tightened - no tool used to torque it down. The wrench crushed the filter a bit but now it's at the limits of the range of the wrench and I can't squeeze it any tighter. I tried putting a towel over the filter to increase the diameter - it still slips. I got under the truck and got a really firm grip on the filter and cranked as hard as I could and it won't budge. (Just a frame of reference, I benched 305 last night at hit a 515 lb deadlift earlier in the week -- I'm not small or weak. lol.)

An important but fundamental question -- as I'm looking at the filter head on through the wheel well the "righty-tighty, lefy-loosey" rule still applies, right? I have been cranking this thing counter clockwise from a wheel well orientation. Someone please confirm for me I haven't been tightening this for the last five hours.
 
Correct, counterclockwise. Once when I had a stuck filter I started the engine to warm things up a bit first, not so hot I couldn't grab the filter, seemed to help loosen it.
 
You're going the right way. a piece of rubber matting or maybe drawer liner on top of the filter and under your palm could help. But at this point, like it's been said, poke a stiff screw driver through at an angle you prefer. Or you can always pull the top off of it with some pliers, and then grab the guts of the filter, but that's getting messy.
 
Epic Ed said:
I put it on. Hand tightened - (Just a frame of reference, I benched 305 last night at hit a 515 lb deadlift earlier in the week -- I'm not small or weak. lol.)/QUOTE]
Click to expand...


Think I found your problem, your "hand tighten" isn't exactly an average person's hand tighten.

If you can't get it off I am not sure who can, maybe try those giant pipe wrenches from harbor freight? Worst case try Dremel it.


Channel lock style wrench always worked for me but my hand tighten is obviously weak sauce.
 
i use my hand. but i've also been known to use the seat belt style strap wrench

i started using those in the 90's when they were the only tool i could find that would fit over the fram ph-7 i was using on my fiat. same filter that goes on many fiat-allis tractors. big old bastard. holds almost a quart of oil.
 
Epic Ed said:
It's the small OEM filter and it was properly lubed before I put it on. Hand tightened - no tool used to torque it down. The wrench crushed the filter a bit but now it's at the limits of the range of the wrench and I can't squeeze it any tighter. I tried putting a towel over the filter to increase the diameter - it still slips. I got under the truck and got a really firm grip on the filter and cranked as hard as I could and it won't budge. (Just a frame of reference, I benched 305 last night at hit a 515 lb deadlift earlier in the week -- I'm not small or weak. lol.)

An important but fundamental question -- as I'm looking at the filter head on through the wheel well the "righty-tighty, lefy-loosey" rule still applies, right? I have been cranking this thing counter clockwise from a wheel well orientation. Someone please confirm for me I haven't been tightening this for the last five hours.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you should start exercising your brain along with your muskels Epic Ed.

As long as you're replacing the filter you're taking off you don't have to worry about damaging it. Try the screw driver method mentioned earlier as a last resort. Make sure you still spin it off though and don't start yanking every which way to pull it off. Also keep in mind some oil may drain out of the hole you make so try not to get any on your muscles.
 
I hate this thing, too. I have loosened the power steering reservoir and moved it over a bit on occasion to get better leverage.
 
I have the same problem my hand tight never comes off at oil change time even with lubing of the gasket. I got one of the adjustable plier/channel lock type wrenches years ago and have never had a problem. It adjusts to fit the large and small filters. I might squeeze the hell out of the filter on removal but it always comes off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom