Do you normally need or use a filter wrench?

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I always use one to remove a filter, never to install, to install always as tight as i can go by hand, without straining my wrist. Gasket always get a film of oil, and for cartridge filters I use the right sized socket and the cap always gets torqued to spec when accessible. Its annoying, on my friends 2.4 Equinox I can't get an extension plus the socket on the cap without using a wobble extension, so it just gets tightened until snug.
 
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On the Scion, on and off by hand, real easy to get too, filter is a great size and easy to get my hand on.
My truck, on by hand, sometimes off by hand, sometimes I have to use the cap wrench, it is a little odd to get to, so can't always get a great grip on it.
 
Originally Posted By: irv
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I tighten by hand as tight as i can then give it touch tighter with a wrench, wrench to remove.


Maybe you are only kidding or trolling, I don't know, but tightening them any further by hand is totally unnecessary and even then, just using your hand, depending on your strength, can also end up being too tight.

Hand tight for me and usually just my hand is needed to get them off.
cheers3.gif



I'm going to assume you are fairly young. When I was younger I did all of my own by hand both on and off. But as some have pointed out, when you get older and various aliments have set in and you may not be as strong as you once were, tightening by hand and then give it a SMALL snug with the cap wrench isn't such a bad idea. They all come off very easily with a small tug of the cap wrench.

In my old age - I would rather work smarter than harder!
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: oldmaninsc
Originally Posted By: irv
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I tighten by hand as tight as i can then give it touch tighter with a wrench, wrench to remove.


Maybe you are only kidding or trolling, I don't know, but tightening them any further by hand is totally unnecessary and even then, just using your hand, depending on your strength, can also end up being too tight.

Hand tight for me and usually just my hand is needed to get them off.
cheers3.gif



I'm going to assume you are fairly young. When I was younger I did all of my own by hand both on and off. But as some have pointed out, when you get older and various aliments have set in and you may not be as strong as you once were, tightening by hand and then give it a SMALL snug with the cap wrench isn't such a bad idea. They all come off very easily with a small tug of the cap wrench.

In my old age - I would rather work smarter than harder!
smile.gif



I am 53 but I was insensitive/ignorant as I never thought about people with arthritis or disabilities. I just assumed the poster was doing it wrong/too tightly when he mentioned he used a wrench to tighten it further. My apologies.
cheers3.gif


Many vids exist that show/explain, make contact, then a 1/2 - 3/4 turn after that is all you need. Personally, I try to follow that rule as much as possible and I have never had a problem. The filter on my Ram Hemi is in a tough spot so I make extra sure with it, not to overdo it. My wife's 3.6 Impala is installed horizontally but is fairly easy to get at so an extra 1/4-1/2 on top of the original 1/2 - 3/4 doesn't matter a whole lot if I do make a mistake and over tighten it slightly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xijw5Qrrr_U
 
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Yes sometimes you can't get both hands in there or the angle is odd or something is in the way.

And as you get older you sometimes lose that "Kung-fu" grip
 
On one of my cars I can't get my hand around the entire filter because the oil pan literally surrounds half the circumference of the filter -- so I have to use a cup wrench for both installation and removal. There's ways to prevent over tightening is you know what you're doing.
 
The *@#^$ oil filters I use have a torque stop that prevents over tightening, but after the filter has been is service six months, I have to use a Toyota cup wrench to get it started off the engine. *@#^$ = the oil filter brand I said I wouldn't mention for a year.
 
The spin-on filter on my Mazda was easy to reach left-handed, but difficult right-handed, and difficult to see. I screwed on as tight as I conveniently could without straining, which meant I was barely able to get it off straining without a wrench. The method of rotating it a specified angle after gasket contact doesn't work so well when you can't see it. No leaks that way, except occasionally minor leaks from Purolators used multiple times.

Have used the special tool for the Toyota cartridges. I suspect tightening it only hand tight would make no difference in risk of leaks, because further tightening with the tool does not increase pressure on the O-ring.
 
Originally Posted By: irv
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I tighten by hand as tight as i can then give it touch tighter with a wrench, wrench to remove.


Maybe you are only kidding or trolling, I don't know, but tightening them any further by hand is totally unnecessary and even then, just using your hand, depending on your strength, can also end up being too tight.

Hand tight for me and usually just my hand is needed to get them off.
cheers3.gif



You have obviously never tried to remove a cartridge Toyota filter from a 4Runner, RAV4 or a Camry then
 
Originally Posted By: car51
Originally Posted By: irv
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I tighten by hand as tight as i can then give it touch tighter with a wrench, wrench to remove.


Maybe you are only kidding or trolling, I don't know, but tightening them any further by hand is totally unnecessary and even then, just using your hand, depending on your strength, can also end up being too tight.

Hand tight for me and usually just my hand is needed to get them off.
cheers3.gif



You have obviously never tried to remove a cartridge Toyota filter from a 4Runner, RAV4 or a Camry then


I could be wrong, Car51, but I believe we are talking about the spin on filters here and not the cartridge types?

My wife's Intrigue, that we just got rid of, had that design and of course I had no other options but to use a wrench on it as it was buried half way up in the oil pan.
 
Filter cap "special tool" on my spin off filters for removal and installation but I always follow directions regarding turning 3/4 turn past contact point. I mark the contact point at 12:00 with a sharpie, line up my filter cap (marked with a sharpie) to match, and then tighten with socket wrench to 8:00 or 9:00 on "clock" dial. I have experimented a bit and with my Nissan I can hand tighten to around 6:00 or 7:00 but need the wrench to get it the rest of the way. I probably could hand tighten all the way with some grippy gloves.

My 2015 Corolla plastic cartridge filter holder is a new experience. Once the rubber O-ring on the cartridge you have to replace every time contacts the engine, you have to turn with the wrench and then eventually it just completely stops tightening. Once it suddenly stops I just give it a tug and call it good. It really doesn't seem to tighten beyond this point unless perhaps you got really aggressive with it.
 
Almost always tool to remove. If it's a metal can I will hand tighten, otherwise tool to install--but I tighten to "barely tight" if it requires a tool, while it's "good n snug" on a metal can.
 
I have no idea why you wouldn't use a wrench if you have one, while using less effort, and read the instruction that say 3/4 turn. Many cars are impossible to tighten correctly without a wrench. Good luck try to hand tighten a GM LS engine filter with just your fingertips on the side of the small diameter filter. Toyota filters take a lot of force just to thread them on and off, which are a PIA.
 
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Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
End cap oil filter wrench. Good solution for those GM trucks with the filter recess built into the oil pan.


If you can ever find the elusive FloTool SuperGraphite version, they're a lot nicer than the metal ones.
For one thing, they never wedge themselves onto the filter like the metal ones do.
 
Originally Posted By: c502cid
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I tighten by hand as tight as i can then give it touch tighter with a wrench, wrench to remove.


^^^This^^^.


This is what I've typically done for over 40 years with spin-on filters.

I haven't dalt with an engine with a cartridge oil filter yet.

My wife's Mustang 3.7L V6 has the filter in a more easily accessible spot, I install by hand but typically use a wrench / oil filter pliers for initial breakaway. Same with my ZTR mower.
 
I use an old belt (the kind that holds up your pants) to loosen the filter.
I like it better than the various straps and end caps I've had in the past.
 
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