How tight does the oil filter have to be?

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euhysh

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Just changed the oil for the first time on my car today using Penzoil Platinum with Auto RX. What an ordeal the oil filter was. My question is, how tight does the oil filter have to be? I managed to get it on, but I have no idea how tight it's on there. Trying to tighten it by hand is of no use. I tried with oil filter pliers but I can only manage to turn the ---- thing a whole 1 mm at a time, before spending another 10 minutes trying to grasp the filter among all the plumbing and ----. Not sure if it's leaking oil or not, it's dripping a bit but I'm not sure if it's the old oil. It's a Supra twin turbo and this car is known for it's PITA oil filter. I didn't think it would be this much of a pain.

I do my own oil changes on my 95 Civic, and I just usually hand tighten the filter. No problems there. But this Supra, I have no idea how secure it is, it seems to be barely hand tight. You guys think this is ok?
 
I've been told that it has to turn 3/4 of a full turn to be within torque specs...don't know if it's ok as is..it may come loose after a few miles if it's not tight enough..
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I used two filter wrenches and a strap wrench and I could not get the toyota filter off my corolla so i finally used a hammer and screwdriver and got it off. Now I just tighten the new filter hand tight and just check for any possible leaks and have had no problems.
-I have always heard hand tight then maybe a 1/4 turn with a wrench max
 
Hand tighten as hard as you can, PERIOD. Don't ever use a wrench of any kind to put it on.

And I don't mean, once it's pretty ---- tight with your hands, get in there and then crank with every ounce of your soul, hand tighten it till it's tight!

It ain't rocket science.
 
I always mark the filter before I put it on with a grease pencil or permanent marker that actually shows up. Take note of the mark on the filter upon gasket contact. Make mental note of it. Can't see the mark get yourself an inspection mirror. Tighten another 3/4 turn problem solved. I have an assortment of strap wrenches I've acquired over the years. Problem solved.
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Some Wix/Napa Gold filters came with numbers 1 - 4 marked evenly spaced around the filter and would tell you to hand tighten and then what number to turn to, which would be 3/4 turn. Could mark your own filter that way.

Usually I can't get a full 3/4 turn. Seems anything better than 1/2 is pretty good.
 
You should try an experiment. Turn it down until it just make contact and turn it a tiny bit more. Start the engine and check for leaks. If it leaks just tighten it a little bit more. When it does not leak you now know at what point it will lean. Then twist it on with just your hands until it if feels like going any farther would be a strain. Now you have some confidence is know the point at which an oil filter starts to seal and you won't be tempted to really jam it on.
 
Quote:

You should try an experiment. Turn it down until it just make contact and turn it a tiny bit more. Start the engine and check for leaks. If it leaks just tighten it a little bit more. When it does not leak you now know at what point it will lean. Then twist it on with just your hands until it if feels like going any farther would be a strain. Now you have some confidence is know the point at which an oil filter starts to seal and you won't be tempted to really jam it on.

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Good suggestions. Normally I do just hand tighten them. Whoever put the original factory oil filter on my corolla, man they must have been ---- at their wife or something that day because when I used two filter wrenches, wouldn't budge. Strap wrench-nope. Just the tried and true bang screwdriver through with hammer trick.
-Now that i am putting on the filters, hand tight and maybe a 1/4 turn is all i do now.
 
I attempted the hand-tight method on my Sentra and it ended up leaking only after I buttoned it up and went for a drive. Since then I've been hand-tightening and then wrenching an additional 1/4 turn and I've never had an issue removing one, nor an issue with leaks.
 
It depends how strong you are, sometimes a wrench can be used. usually the 3/4 turn thing works, but I have had some filters leak under pressure afterwards. Closer to a full turn is better, don't forget to lube the gasket.

Harry
 
Quote:

I attempted the hand-tight method on my Sentra and it ended up leaking only after I buttoned it up and went for a drive. Since then I've been hand-tightening and then wrenching an additional 1/4 turn and I've never had an issue removing one, nor an issue with leaks.

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Me too.. tighten by hand the best I can - then use the wrench for another 1/2 turn or-so. Comes off without any issues - provided you have the proper wrench. Some need a handle wrench - some need a strap - some need an end-cap wrench.

I also prefer removing the filter first - before draining the oil pan. That makes it easier to move around an empty oil pan - versus sliding around a full one to catch the filter contents.
 
I just made my suggestion so you could discover your personal thresh hold for getting the filter on and what the exact point based on your strength that the filter will leak. If you need a wrench to do the experiment, still do it so that you will know where the minimum point is and how much farther you should go. Sometimes a little more information about a process is good.
 
The installation instructions on my FRAM labels say (lube gasket) and tighten until gasket contacts base -- then ~ 3/4 of a turn after that. This is what I do and it has worked well. Have to use filter wrench to get that 3/4 turn.
 
Quote:

Hand tighten as hard as you can, PERIOD. Don't ever use a wrench of any kind to put it on.

And I don't mean, once it's pretty ---- tight with your hands, get in there and then crank with every ounce of your soul, hand tighten it till it's tight!

It ain't rocket science.

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Drew, not all vehicle architectures allow for someone to grasp the oil filter and apply the strength needed to turn the oil filter the proper amount. Sometimes a person is lucky if he can get three fingers on the filter, much less able to turn it. That's why most manufacturers specify a specific amount of turn after the seal contacts the base. It doesn't matter how you turn it, but the filter must be turned the specified amount to properly compress the gasket for a guaranteed, leak-free seal.
 
Quote:

Hand tighten as hard as you can, PERIOD. Don't ever use a wrench of any kind to put it on.

And I don't mean, once it's pretty ---- tight with your hands, get in there and then crank with every ounce of your soul, hand tighten it till it's tight!

It ain't rocket science.

Click to expand...
This works well as stated above..
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Quote:

You should try an experiment. Turn it down until it just make contact and turn it a tiny bit more. Start the engine and check for leaks.

Click to expand...
Might work. Or might blow out the filter gasket. Rev it and it probably will blow out the filter gasket. Be prepared for possible mess and have spare filter on hand.
 
The oil filter on my vehicle is really difficult to get to. I've found that the oil filter cap wrenches, like the Valvoline ones sold at wal-mart, do a great job. While i'm using my wrench to screw it on i can watch the filter make conact and watch my 3/4 turn after contact of the filter easily.
 
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