Best Oil Filter Location

[bigbird_1]

Best: Any GM 2.2L or 2.4L Ecotec. To get those few tablespoons of oil out of the canister housing, I lay a shop rag in there for 10 seconds and it's all gone.

Worst: Any Saturn 1.9L "S" series engine. The filter is at the rear of the engine, jammed up above the driveshaft. It can only be accessed with great difficulty and unnatural hand contortions.

 

[labman]

+1 on the Ecotec. In answer to somebody that asked earlier, I leave the dirty oil be. I am sure there is much more elsewhere I can't get to.

Seems some people are rather sensitive. Been tons of people here that bashed cartridge filters that never even saw a picture of one.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I remember test driving a mid 90's Camry once and the oil filter was very conveniently placed right in front of the engine so you wouldn't have to jack the car up to take it off. Very easy and convenient if you ask me.

The one on the 2.4 Twin Cam GM engine is pretty easy too, right in front but a little tucked under a few wires and such.

The filter on the Kia Sephia is the worst I've had to deal with. No room to work and you have to fight through a bunch of harnesses and brackets to get to it from underneath the car. When you do manage to get it off and bring the new filter up to put it on, you can't see where it goes so you just have to feel around until you get it right.

 

[cp3]

I'm with bigbird! Only done one change on the Ecotec but I was nice. I soaked the oil out too and will probably continue to do so. Don't think it would hurt anything to leave it there though. And yes the Saturn 1.9 is terrible!!

 

[Quattro Pete]

On the 530i, the filter is very easy to access... it sits right in front of the engine, just to the left of the power steering reservoir.

On the C300 it's easy to access as well. You just need to pop the top plastic cover.

Both cars use cartridge inserts.

 

[Virtuoso]

Worst I've owned: '98 3.8L Windstar. You kinda gotta get it through the frame a little bit. I'm sure there's much worse though.

So far the easiest ones I've had was the 2.2/2.5L Chrysler's and the 2.4L "Twin-Cam" (think Quad4) in the '99 Malibu. Both right on the front (facing) side of the engine.

 

[PF52]

I've yet to have a vehicle where I'd describe the filter location as "bad" or difficult. I suppose my worst was my S-10 truck which although it was easily reached, it was mounted sideways and always got old oil all over my arm.

My Fiero is a piece of cake (despite what some people say about Fieros being hard to service). Easy to reach and easy to untwist by hand. Being low to ground, though, I need to raise the car to reach under there; the jack gets a real workout. Raise the car, remove the drain plug and filter, lower the car, drain the oil, raise it again to re-install the plug and filter, lower the car and put the tools away.

 

[opus1]

Here's my Malibu. Fortunately, I used a Purolator filter on the last change to make it easy to find.

It's not as bad to access as this picture makes it appear; once the car is up on ramps, there's a plastic shield that snaps out and the filter is just sitting there for all to see from underneath.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Here is a better shot of the Corolla oil filter.

 

[crazyoildude]

That is super easy to get too but i likethe filters that go strait up no need to rely 100% on an oil drain back valve also they are easy to pre fill... On my mothers 2004 Grand Marquis the filter is on the side and not so easy to get to.. My Cadillac northstar is strait up also and easy to get to

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
That is super easy to get too but i likethe filters that go strait up no need to rely 100% on an oil drain back valve also they are easy to pre fill... On my mothers 2004 Grand Marquis the filter is on the side and not so easy to get to.. My Cadillac northstar is strait up also and easy to get to
+1 on that.

Both the Malibu and Dakota have filters that are at about a 45-degree angle so I could partially prefill if I wanted to. My old S-15 Jimmy had a remote mount behind the left headlight for a PF52 filter (due to the front driveshaft passing right underneath where the filter would be on the engine). Between the large filter size and the almost perfect up orientation, I was able to prefill that one.

The Ranger is the pits -- the filter is perfectly horizontal so no way to prefill and you're almost guaranteed an oil-shower unless you're very quick.

 

[08_SHELBY]

Worse location I have ever seen was my daughters 97 Civic w/ the small 4 cylinder. It was Between the fire wall and engine back side up high. I could barely reach it and only see the bottom of the filter while laying under the car.

 

[Silver02ex]

Originally Posted By: 08_SHELBY
Worse location I have ever seen was my daughters 97 Civic w/ the small 4 cylinder. It was Between the fire wall and engine back side up high. I could barely reach it and only see the bottom of the filter while laying under the car.


the 01+ Civic is still in the same place. It's not fun trying to change the filter.

 

[Sayjac]

Yeah the 01 Civic isn't great, but I have to drive up on ramps anyway, once you've done that, it is basically unobstructed. You just have to wait for the oil to drain out and slide the drain pan back and over. You have to clean up what the oil drains on after the filter is removed that makes it a tad messy.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Originally Posted By: opus1
Here's my Malibu. Fortunately, I used a Purolator filter on the last change to make it easy to find.

It's not as bad to access as this picture makes it appear; once the car is up on ramps, there's a plastic shield that snaps out and the filter is just sitting there for all to see from underneath.

[censored] that plastic shield!

One of the wingnuts that you're supposed to take off seized into place on the one I maintain. PB Blaster, Pliers and a rubber mallet still wouldn't break it loose. It eventually broke the plastic clip that holds it in place but still won't let me remove the shield from that side. Luckily one of the wingnuts still comes off so I can pull it down enough to get access to the filter.

I remember the first few oil changes on the Malibu... I didn't know that plastic shield came off so I tried cramming the oil filter up between the frame and the engine thinking it was the most backwards setup I'd ever seen... until I realized you can remove that shield.

Made life a lot easier.

 

[kohnen]

Originally Posted By: labman
I have my doubts about dome up, and just as soon wouldn't want a catch basin to clean. I love my Ecotec with the easy access cartredge cap up top.


I have a Saturn Ion with an Ecotec. Love it for two reasons:

1) Easy to replace oil filter
2) I put a Samarium Cobalt magnet (really strong, high temperature) in there and just wipe it off with every oil change. It captures gray goo with every oil change.

But...

Whenever I've removed the cap for the filter, almost all of the oil has drained. That means that every time the car is started, there isn't oil flow until the filter area is filled up with oil again. Essentially, the Ecotec engine has no anti-flowback valve and has to fill the filter with every start. Is that really such a good idea?

 

[labman]

I have actually put the filter in place and filled it with oil. The oil stays there until you remove the filter. There is an ADBV somewhere in the engine. The little tip on the bottom blocks a passage around it. Let all the oil drain out of the sump. Then replace the drain pan with something empty and unscrew the filter cap. Some more oil will drain out when cap pulls the tip out of its hole.

You could prefill the cartridge and then put the cap on, but that risks the cap not mating right with the filter.

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe

[censored] that plastic shield!

One of the wingnuts that you're supposed to take off seized into place on the one I maintain. PB Blaster, Pliers and a rubber mallet still wouldn't break it loose. It eventually broke the plastic clip that holds it in place but still won't let me remove the shield from that side. Luckily one of the wingnuts still comes off so I can pull it down enough to get access to the filter.

I remember the first few oil changes on the Malibu... I didn't know that plastic shield came off so I tried cramming the oil filter up between the frame and the engine thinking it was the most backwards setup I'd ever seen... until I realized you can remove that shield.

Made life a lot easier.
Glad my Dad and I weren't the only ones stumped by this.

We did one or two changes that way until my Dad decided to see if taking that shield off would help matters. Night and day. I don't bother taking the wing nuts off, I just kind of slide the back of the shield out from the slots/pins that hold it in and let the front pivot down.

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: kohnen

Whenever I've removed the cap for the filter, almost all of the oil has drained. That means that every time the car is started, there isn't oil flow until the filter area is filled up with oil again. Essentially, the Ecotec engine has no anti-flowback valve and has to fill the filter with every start. Is that really such a good idea?


Originally Posted By: labman

I have actually put the filter in place and filled it with oil. The oil stays there until you remove the filter. There is an ADBV somewhere in the engine. The little tip on the bottom blocks a passage around it.


Labman is correct. The only "dry" start is the first one after an oil change, unless you pre-fill the chamber before snapping the cap onto the filter.

The chamber stays full of oil every time because the little O-ring plugs an opening down on the bottom of the casting. Unscrewing the cap and removing the filter "pops the cork" so to speak and lets the old oil drain out. Its a nice system!

 

[labman]

Yes, imagine the raves it would get if it wasn't GM.