How to remove oil filter & not get covered in oil

[Rand]

Cut a 2 liter bottle loosen oil filter until the gasket is about to break free.

slide 2 liter bottle(half) up over the filter and filter mount.

loosen filter a few more turns let oil drain into 2 liter bottle.

Remove filter rest of way dont let it "splash down" into the bottle.

let rest of oil drain from filter mount into bottle.

wipe with rag, make sure filter gasket is on filter.. put on new filter.

Certain vehicles bags are better but I like the 2 liter bottle.

IF you use the cap end it makes a funnel too if needed.

 

[SirTanon]

Originally Posted By: Danno
I bag it, slip a bag around the filter after loosening it and before the oil spills out.
Canada sells milk in 1 liter bags and 3 bags to a large bag. The 1 liter bag works perfectly.


I use the bad method myself, but in my case, just a plain grocery store plastic bag. Always does the trick, and I always have plenty available.

 

[Olas]

There was a video on here that showed a flexible/mouldable funnel used to catch and direct spillage from the filter to the drain bucket. I'll try and find a link..

 

[Olas]

Here;

http://shop.formafunnel.com/

 

[Cuba]

Its a mess on every vehicle we have. '01 Jeep Wrangler leaks down engine block and impossible to get a bag to work. '98 Explorer shoots out onto tire when filter removed. '94 Chevy truck covers front drive shaft and universal joint. Initial mess is one issue but even bigger is they drip after. Is this just a problem on older style vehicles? Maybe need to get new cars!

 

[Lubener]

I move my arms out of the way.

 

[kschachn]

Hey Cuba, did you ever post a picture of your big towing rig?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Don be dirtying other materials for waste. Turn the filter till it starts to leak and get out of there!

Pan underneath of course.

The harder part is removing the drain plug without getting oiled.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: Alex_V
I always get oil on my fingers, but very rarely running down my arm. Crack the filter to where it starts to leak at the block, leave it until it's drained, then screw it the rest of the way off.


^^^ THIS +1

 

[Cuba]

Exact problems I'm talking about! Each car has its own unique way of getting you! Engineers who design these must have a real sick sense of humor!

 

[LeakySeals]

You changing hot?

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I only change the filter once a year (12K two 6k OCIs). I change the filter at the hottest time of the year and when the engine is cold. I never get scalded with dripping oil from the hot filter that way. The one gallon freezer bag works well to catch most of it escaping from the top of the filter and the oil line above it.

Then I install a new filter and unscrew the pan bolt and drain the oil..... which is basically room temperature and free-flowing during the summer months - whatever the temp is outdoors (70s-80s-90s).

Otherwise, any other time of the year, I let the engine run and get that oil hot before unscrewing the drain bolt. But all those colder temp oil changes never involves removing the oil filter. So any little / minimized mess from oil filter drainage is only once a year.

 

[dwendt44]

Originally Posted By: Cuba
Exact problems I'm talking about! Each car has its own unique way of getting you! Engineers who design these must have a real sick sense of humor!


I think that the engineers should be required to perform maintenance on the vehicles they
design. That goes for the engines as well.

the horizontal mounted filter may save a few cents in casting material, but over the
lifetime of an engine, makes a mess of maintenance duties.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

To me, the vertical filters make a bigger mess than horizontal. Oil pours out 360 degrees around the filter.

With horizontal filter discharge, no more than 90 degrees of the filter see discharge and it's probably more like 60 degrees of the filter.

 

[Wheel]

I break the friction, then slip a red solo cup over mine and grab both filter and cup. Give it one or 2 turns and let it drain.

Then again, your filter may not fit in a solo cup...

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Sure don't. My cars use cartridge filters. ...
Try it with a cartridge filter accessible only from underneath, a problem I have to solve now. Avoiding having oil run down my arm was easy with my Mazda, because I could reach both the filter and the drain plug from above.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
To me, the vertical filters make a bigger mess than horizontal. Oil pours out 360 degrees around the filter.


If you're talking vertical with base down, simply punch a hole in the dome of the filter and let it drain. I do this on the Tacoma, and don't get one drop of oil mess when removing the drained filter.

 

[Bud]

I use a Form-a-Funnel. Works pretty good. Never thought about the Ziploc bag. Will try that next change.

 

[blupupher]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Don be dirtying other materials for waste. Turn the filter till it starts to leak and get out of there!

Pan underneath of course.

The harder part is removing the drain plug without getting oiled.

Fumoto solves that problem.

I don't think I have ever done a filter removal on over 50 different vehicles and been "covered" in oil. Sure I get some on my hand, but never enough to go onto my arm. Regardless of filter, I always loosen it till it starts draining, let it drain into the pan, when done draining, remove filter. Sure some of them do make a mess when draining, but no oil on me.
My current F150 makes a mess, the filter drains onto the crossmember, with a drain pan/funnel thing under it, but it just makes a mess.

 

[Cuba]

For the poking the hole in the filter.... does that drain the oil just from the filter or have people found that it also drains the oil the comes from the block when the filter is loosened?