Stuck Oil Filter

[VFRMAN]

What's wrong with this picture? An oil filter that wouldn't play nice. That's what.

Oh......and some milky foamy engine oil.

Never had a filter beat me like that one did. It eventually succumbed to a hammer and punch, but put up a helluva fight.

 

[enox]

I don't understand why they go on just hand tight but take a beating to get off. I've had this happen multiple times.

 

[BILT4ME]

Forgot to lube the seal when you installed it?

Second, that's a Fram filter. They are crap anyway.

 

[enox]

Forgot to lube the seal when you installed it?

Man...I even use the toyota ones with the little bit o grease on the seal.

 

[clx16]

My 80 is the only one that hand tight keeps getting lighter and lighter after each struggle. Not sure why it is different than all the other vehicles i have to change the oil on.

I stop as soon as I hear the filter metal hit metal with one hand turning it on and it is still hard to get off later

 

[Dave 2000]

@clx16 The metal should not need to hit metal, if it does that is way too tight, or the wrong filter. Run the filter down gently until it stops (rubber now on filter mount) and then a quarter of a turn more and call it done.

Regards

Dave

 

[clx16]

The toyota filter oring crushes very easily. That's good to know but wow that is on very light.

 

[BILT4ME]

I read once that the proper installation on the oil filter is:

Screw it on until the seal touches the seal surface.
Turn 3/4 turn.

I can rarely get it to a full 3/4 turn after the seal first touches and I have excellent grip. My therapist says so.....

 

[midfat]

I always put my OEM Toyota filter on a quarter turn by hand after the rubber seats, and I still end up taking most of them off with a sharpened screw driver and a litany of profanity. Perhaps I need to only drive in reverse to prevent the inevitable tightening?

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, I use Fram filters on 10 plus cruisers never had a problem in 30 years. Lube the bottom gasket and don’t over tighten. Mike

 

[Rwhat]

Mine seem to get really stuck. I go hand tight. I usually just warm up the engine a bit and it seems to make it easier. Hopefully you didn’t break the wire to your temp sensor for your gauges.

 

[Dave 2000]

Hi, I use Fram filters on 10 plus cruisers never had a problem in 30 years. Lube the bottom gasket and don’t over tighten. Mike

I think the Fram brand has seen a lot of bad publicity and it may be justified, having been in the trade for many years (45+) I reckon I have used every brand in Europe. There was a guy on the internet years ago who was cutting up filters and showing how they were constructed inside, and the Fram example was not pretty. I have seen one or two filters (enter brand here) leak at the seam where the canister meets the mounting plate, and have seen a couple of Fram units leak badly from the same place, and one actually burst open. Having seen that I decided not to fit Fram on any of my customers vehicles or of course my own.

Where possible I use OEM filters or better known brands however, it was only recently I found a couple of Bosch filters (one on my own 80) where they were empty after a few minutes of shutting down the motor, this would indicate the anti drain mechanism on filters mounted on their side or upside down were not effective. I think it is fair to say that mass production of anything is open to errors/faults during the process, it just seems that Fram had more than most, I was told that Fram were going to offer their products to major manufactures to try and boost public confidence in the brand, but of course this can only be treated as a rumour, personally I have not witnessed any filters listed as OEM from Fram, but have seen OEM purchases manufactured by the MANN brand.

Regards

Dave

 

[BILT4ME]

I think the Fram brand has seen a lot of bad publicity and it may be justified, having been in the trade for many years (45+) I reckon I have used every brand in Europe. There was a guy on the internet years ago who was cutting up filters and showing how they were constructed inside, and the Fram example was not pretty. I have seen one or two filters (enter brand here) leak at the seam where the canister meets the mounting plate, and have seen a couple of Fram units leak badly from the same place, and one actually burst open. Having seen that I decided not to fit Fram on any of my customers vehicles or of course my own.

Where possible I use OEM filters or better known brands however, it was only recently I found a couple of Bosch filters (one on my own 80) where they were empty after a few minutes of shutting down the motor, this would indicate the anti drain mechanism on filters mounted on their side or upside down were not effective. I think it is fair to say that mass production of anything is open to errors/faults during the process, it just seems that Fram had more than most, I was told that Fram were going to offer their products to major manufactures to try and boost public confidence in the brand, but of course this can only be treated as a rumour, personally I have not witnessed any filters listed as OEM from Fram, but have seen OEM purchases manufactured by the MANN brand.

Regards

Dave

Mann now owns Wix.
Napa Gold filters are made by Wix.
Wix and Napa Gold part numbers for these engines have multiple proven failures.

I will only use Toyota filters on my Toyota.

 

[Dave 2000]

Mann now owns Wix.
Napa Gold filters are made by Wix.
Wix and Napa Good part numbers for these engines have multiple proven failures.

I will only use Toyota filters on my Toyota.

Sad to hear that, I have no knowledge of the Napa brand and have not seen it in Europe, I have used the Wix brand but they seem to be a rare item here, perhaps fitted half a dozen?

Regards

Dave

 

[FMC80]

through extensive experience and knowledge I’ve learned to install new oil filters by removing the plastic seal, then lubing the top with oil and to install you simply hover the oil filter in front of the housing for 6-9 seconds in small circular motions. Light contact is okay but not more than that.

 

[PeterTheBeater]

I had the same experience with the OEM filters. I've used the wix filter one but had some weird knocking, not sure if coincidental but ive stuck with OEM since. Even though I put the OEM about 3/4 turn after contact, and trust me I can spin it on waaay tighter, its a complete pita to remove. I always end up using channel locks to get it to budge.

 

[clx16]

My experience with filters on 3.4L found in tacoma/4runners etc, and the 4.5L for the 80. No real issues with mobil 1 filters or purolator(note very little experience with purolator though). All FRAN including the HD versions on the 3.4L cause clatter on startup in the mornings (means the check valve is garbage). K&N filters regularly didn't seal up well on either the 4.5L or the 3.4L and I would leave a trail of of oil after a change. K&N filters that didn't leak were on so tight I had to stick screwdrivers through them to get them off regularly.
only issue with OEM filters have been on the 80s 4.5L engine and that has just been with difficulty removing them. Hopefully with the Advise here I will void that in the future.

 

[VFRMAN]

Wow, I go away for a bit and this thread lives on.
Yeah, this one went on just like every other filter in it's 315,000 miles. Pour some new oil in it, use my right index finger (*at an approximately 25 degree angle to the lip of said filter) to spread oil across face of new rubber seal until completely saturated, hand tighten filter (*in a clockwise direction) until it contacts block, continue clockwise until 1 small "there!" sound comes from my mouth.

I don't know, (*nor really care all that much anymore at 315,000 miles) if Fram filters are the Devil, or sent straight from Heaven, as the milky foamy oil I have was not likely caused my my oil filter.
*Caveat: I did buy dozens of OEM oil filters early on, but I'm now lazy..... and Wal Mart is only 5 minutes away....

Now, with fresh oil and filter I started up my truck for the first time in about 6 months and it purred like a kitten. Just enough to tease me that maybe my original head gasket was still intact, and the foamy oil was all just a trick. It seriously did run like a top (but I didnt let it get up to temp).

Checked the oil and all clean still.

Yesterday I had to move my fish house from beside the garage, back onto the driveway before the grass softened up with the thaw, so I used my truck, shutting it off each time in between hooking up and manuvering things out of the way.

It ran fine, and got up to normal temp before I was done, but it was definitely running rough at the end so I suspect my HG issues remain.

Soooooo..... I now have my 80 requiring major work, my wife's 13' Pilot ripped apart in stall 1 with a burnt valve, my Accord wagon being driven with the steering wheel cocked to the right from a curb hit this winter, and new major hole in the exhaust so it sounds like a high school kid's coffee can tailpipe, my son's Outback residing in stall 2 with a bad wheel bearing, a coolant leak, and oil drips everywhere, and my Chevy 3500 Shuttle bus laying dormant with mysterious propane system problems (yet to be diagnosed).

*Pic attached of a Pilot timing belt with 182,000 miles on it.
*^^Don't do this ^^
Also pics of the valve.

I think this burnt valve situation might actually have just saved this engine from impending doom. Had my wife not been forced to stop and get a rental car 500 miles into a 3000 mile snowboard trip, this belt quite likely wouldnt have held together another 2500 miles in the mountains.

So needless to say, this week is going to require a boatload of car mechanicing.