An Observation...

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: defektes
Originally Posted By: The Critic
If you remove the old filter and install the new one right away, whatever film of oil left on the surface should be sufficient.

I usually clean it with a shop towel, but I always lube the gasket with oil...
+1 I always wipe the contact area and threads with a shop towel and wouldn't be satisfied with old oil left on the surface to lubricate.

Pour some oil in the filter, thin layer of fresh oil to lube gasket, ~3/4 turn after gasket contact surface, usually with hand, but cup style wrench ok if it's too slick. Check for leaks. To remove when hot, sometimes takes cup style just to start.

Factory OEM's are generally tight and not an indication of what's normally needed to remove a properly installed filter.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: scurvy
Originally Posted By: The Critic
On the last few oil changes I did, I either tightened the oil filter until it was snug using a cap type oil filter socket and a ratchet, or I tightened the filter at least 1 full turn after the gasket contacted the base.

The result? No problems with removal as long as I crushed the can slightly with a pliers type filter wrench.


If you have to crush the can with filter pliers to remove it, it's too tight.

Back when I had cars with spin-on oil filters I'd clean the block surface with a shop towel, prefill the filter and lube the gasket, then spin it on by hand until it was snug. The filters always came off by hand (with the requisite smidgen of grapplin' & cussin'), never leaked or left gaskets on the block. And never required anything more than a small strap wrench to get them loose - and usually not even that.

IMO if using a cup-type filter wrench, mark the filter so you can observe the 3/4 turn and use a torque wrench to determine the torque necessary to snug it to that point. And use that setting from now on to tighten filters.

You shouldn't have to crush the can to remove it. Destroying the filter for removal may not sound like a big deal, but what if the filter you planned to use had dorked up threads or was an incorrectly boxed one? I'd rather be able to reuse it in a pinch.


Exactly. The gasket just needs to seal, which doesn't take much. The tighter you go, the better the chance of crushing and bottoming out the gasket, possibly leading to a leak.

 

[mjoekingz28]

3/4 is pretty tight on my car. I think 1/2 is more like it if you plan on taking it off by hand. I used to do it by feel and never had a problem over the years, but on my car now it is either in a worse location making it hard to get a good grip, I've gotten weaker, or just am lazier now so I use a metal cup and mark the filter indicating 1/4 of a pie (a big L) so I can determine exactly 3/4 of a turn past gasket. Doing exactly 3/4 for a while I can say it would be a pain to remove unless you can get two hands on it or one handed if you have good access. And don't forget, the filter will be tighter than when you installed it, after the car has been run because I think it is the heat that causes the gasket to swell and thus become harder to remove.

Always clean the base! A blue shop towel works great at this. An even better idea if you weren't the last guy to put the filter on as it could've gone on without lube and stick.

 

[Gary Allan]

Yeah, going to the full 3/4 turn is a challenge without mechanical assistance. I think that "hand tight" just varied too much from person to person in interpretation.

I just do the 35 year hand tight standard.

 

[Papa Bear]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
It is agreed upon by both experts and service manuals that engine oil filters should be tightened approximately 3/4 turn once the gasket contacts the base and preferably by hand.

On the last few oil changes I did, I either tightened the oil filter until it was snug using a cap type oil filter socket and a ratchet, or I tightened the filter at least 1 full turn after the gasket contacted the base.

thoughts?



Yes, my thought is "Why would you read the instructions on the filter and then go ahead and do it your own way anyway".

Can't you just do the 3/4 turn thing like the directions say??

Thoughts?

 

[rslifkin]

I always spin them on by hand and just go until it's good and tight (usually around 3/4 turn). No problem getting them off usually, worst case I use sandpaper. The filter on Mom's Jeep with a 4.0 was overtightened horribly from the prior change (not done by me) last time I changed it. I had to take the longest screw driver I could find and ram it through the side of the filter to get enough leverage to get it off.

 

[sxg6]

There should be no need to use an oil filter cap to tighten a spin-on oil filter. Secondly, not lubing the gasket is just lazyness. You should always clean the gasket mating surface, and lube the new filter gasket with oil.

 

[rslifkin]

Yup. Gaskets should always be lubed, otherwise the filter WILL get stuck eventually.

 

[opus1]

I had posted along these lines a while back -- the filters on my Dakota usually say 3/4 to 1 full turn after contact and even though I never make it to 1 full turn, getting the filter off the next time has been a huge PITA.

Last oil change, based on advice here, I stopped at 3/4 and checked religiously for leaks. 1000 miles later there are none, so if the filter comes off easier at the next change, I'll just have to stop at 3/4 and learn to live with it...

I always wipe off the mating surface on the engine so I put a coating of oil on the gasket before I put the new filter on.

I've heard that the caps for the cartridge filters on the GM Ecotec engines just need to be snugged for the most part, and if you overtighten one of those, you'll regret it next oil change. Haven't done an oil change on the Cobalt myself yet, but I will definitely remember that bit of advice.

 

[bigbird_1]

Originally Posted By: opus1

I've heard that the caps for the cartridge filters on the GM Ecotec engines just need to be snugged for the most part, and if you overtighten one of those, you'll regret it next oil change.


Absolutely true. Once the cap is snugged down, DO NOT tighten it any more. By snugged down, I mean use the ratchet to tighten it until there is no more movement using about 1/4 the torque you'd use on a spark plug in an aluminum head.

 

[doitmyself]

When it comes to oil filters and oil pan plugs, you guys are always saying "hand tight" this and "snug it up" that, and yada,yada yada.

I really wonder how much difference exists between "hand tight" of people with different build and strength. Weak hands/fingers vs. magilla gorilla.

Based on hand shakes, I bet it is huge.

 

[Soobs]

A lot of OEM filters now have a torque-stop feature. You just tighten the can until it's snug and stops. Nice little feature.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Soobs
A lot of OEM filters now have a torque-stop feature. You just tighten the can until it's snug and stops. Nice little feature.


That's a new one to me. Which OEM filters have this feature?

 

[Soobs]

Off the top of my head I believe all Denso oil filters have this feature. Also, my Subaru (Honeywell) OEMs have this and I'm pretty sure Honda (Honeywell) A02 OEMs are built this way too.

http://www.densoaftermarket.com/oil-filter.php

TORQUE STOPPER — Makes installation easy and accurate; prevents leaks caused by under-torquing and difficult removal caused by over-torquing.

 

[sxg6]

Interesting. I'll have to pay more attention when I replace the oil filter on my subaru, I've never noticed anything special and I use oem filters 99% of the time. Feels like any other oil filter I've ever installed