Are oil filter cap wrenches useless?

[Elkins45]

On my Mazda I have to remove and reinstall both the drain plug and filter entirely by feel through a small access panel. A cap filter wrench is the only tool that I can use unless I buy a lift.

To service the variety of vehicles in our fleet I have a plastic one, a stamped steel one and a cast aluminum one. The cast one is by far the best in terms of not slipping due to flex. Get a cast one if you can find it.

 

[Donald]

I have many filters cap wrenches from a set I bought from HF (cheaply made, a spot weld broke), ones I bought individually and some I got from my Dad. And a couple of strap wrenches and a couple with jaws that adjust.

These days truck gets a strap wrench and Subaru gets a cap wrench.

One think I realized, just because a cap wrench fits filter brand A for your car does not mean it will fit all the filter brands for your car.

 

[Donald]

I tried to use my assortment of oil filter wrenches to get off a really tight cap on Alfredo Sauce. A rubber strap wrench did the trick.

 

[The motor guy]

I tried to use my assortment of oil filter wrenches to get off a really tight cap on Alfredo Sauce. A rubber strap wrench did the trick.

Run it under hot water. You can loosen it and still keep your hernia in it's place

 

[Donald]

Run it under hot water. You can loosen it and still keep your hernia in it's place

Tried that.

 

[D60]

So these are not the exact same diameter or flute count, but you can see the difference in wall thickness between stamped steel and a VIM

On the stamped unit, it's not just the angle of the photo -- the square drive plate really is spot welded off-center

When the spot welds let go on a stubborn filter-- and they will -- you might think you're clever to weld it back on with a nice bead all the way around.

THEN the next thing that happens is the relatively thin square drive plate which is just mild steel starts to wallow out.

Overall, stamped steel is simply not able to be unburdened by what has been

 

[Strumpan_]

The band style is the best, never failed me even if the filter is destroyed

 

[Greenbeforeblue]

Filter pliers for me. Nothing in my fleet is recessed.

 

[Rock_Hound]

I generally just use a 1/4 sheet of 80 grit sandpaper to remove my oil filters. I do my own oil changes, so the filters all go on hand tight.

I do have a Lisle-type remover, but I think it only has been used two or three times. I bought it in 2009 when I was doing the first oil change on a used truck that I bought and whoever did the oil change on it before I owned it either had gorilla strength or used a breaker bar to put the filter on.

 

[Nyogtha]

Overall, I prefer to use cap style filter wrenches these days. Prior to the 90"s I exclusively used band style oil filter wrenches with the occasional screwdriver driven through the filter.

I have a cast aluminum cap style filter wrench initially for the PH 16 size filter from prior RAM trucks that fits the PH 2 size oil filter in my current Ram truck. No good access to use a band or strap style wrench. It's never failed to work for me using multiple label / brands oil filters. Example: Purolator Synthetic, Mopar, OG Fram Ultras.

For my wife's car we have two steel cap style oil filter wrenches depending on filter manufacture,r but my pliers style oil filter wrench for the ZTR Mower was required for an Affinia generation Carquest Blue that had too small a filter cap for end wrenches. One cap style is for Fram PH 10575 filters and the second end cap wrench is for filters manufactured by Champion Laboratories.

 

[Geekhead]

I have used both stamped and cast cap style on Toyota and Kia filters with 0 issues. I hand tighten but need the caps to get them off, but then i'm 66.

 

[srfdude]

I certainly don't need to use it all the time, but...
- When you acquire a vehicle, at least in my case, I was never able to remove the filter by hand.
- Some vehicles have little space to get a proper grip on the filter.
- Then there are motorcycles and I'm, sure cars too, that have the filter behind exhaust headers, or very close to the exhaust pipe, so good luck sticking your hand in there when the engine is hot.

Having a good oil filter removal tool in your arsenal is always a good idea

Actually I have to admit that has happened to me, I had to buy a wrench once and the next time another one. I could see plier marks on one, wonder why folks have to tighten with a tool???

 

[Kira]

wonder why folks have to tighten with a tool?

1) 'Cause they're stupid.
2) Adding muscle to a small job is a faker's way of strengthening his "I work so hard" position in life.

 

[DuckRyder]

Y'all do realize there are cars out there that spec an oil filter tighter than hind tight right?

 

[The motor guy]

Anyone ever strip out an oil filter from tightening too much?

 

[Donald]

Y'all do realize there are cars out there that spec an oil filter tighter than hind tight right?

At 71 yr old unsure how many more years I will be able to get an oll filter to the proper "hand tight".

 

[HemiBenny]

“Hand tight” is a very broad spec. I have found that most people consider hand tight as “tighten it by hand until you can’t turn it anymore.”
I spin it on until it touches and then it’s usually ~3/4 of a turn. That has it tight enough that it won’t turn anymore without putting some muscle to it. If I were to put a little more muscle, I could get it to turn more.

For the crowd that puts it on until they can’t turn it anymore, they don’t seem to understand that “Hand tight” is very different between these two.
I’ve had some filters that were obviously “Hand tightened” by the second guy.

 

[hrv]

At 71 yr old unsure how many more years I will be able to get an oll filter to the proper "hand tight".

I am 70 and know what you mean....

 

[The motor guy]

There's nothing wrong with hand tight, then 1/4 turn more with a wrench for safe measure. There have been times where I was glade I did

 

[Pablo]

I am in the "whole bevy of OF wrenches" category, including the humongous round mouth vise grips - never ever failed me.