Jalopnik: Man Spends Three Days Trying To Remove Oil Filter, Lives Every Wrencher's Nightmare.

[wemay]

Jalopnik: Man Spends Three Days Trying To Remove Oil Filter, Lives Every Wrencher's Nightmare.
https://jalopnik.com/man-spends-three-days-trying-to-remove-oil-filter-live-1848361141

 

[blufeb95]

Either someone installed it with a cup wrench and a bar or they used an impact.

 

[UncleDave]

I like the comment - "torch" it cant be tight if its liquid.


Ive been involved in several of these in my life - each in the midwest where salt and rocks expose and rust a can.
Any pressure and it fold into a meaningless wad of mush.

Not my cars but friends cars (that were often what got me around at under driving age time) that were bricked if we didnt figure it out we were collectively out of a ride and there was no option that allowed it to sit unfixed. We had to do it.

The punch and hammer got it done. We went to Stobie -he told us what to do.

We had to borrow a punch from Jim "Stobie" the uber cool mechanic Carpenter guy that roamed the US building and fixing things that stayed mostly with one of us. He taught us kids all many thing and gave us various jobs. Everyone should have a Stobie in their life.

 

[bullwinkle]

I’ve used both the screwdriver & the hammer/chisel method before. The trick is, do your own oil changes like a real BITOGer-that way idiots can’t screw your stuff up! (I know, he bought it that way)

 

[ecotourist]

Many of us have had similar (albeit milder versions) of the same thing.

The filter on my '78 Fiesta just wouldn't come off. I dented the fender in one of my early wrestling attempts (thereby finding out that the fender, which had recently been replaced, should have been undercoated. The shop offered to undercoat it. Thank you very much). I hammered a screw driver through the filter which only resulted in a tear. I finally succeeded using an expensive all metal strap wrench that tightened as you turned. I thought that thing would never come off.

 

[Junk]

Worst one I ever encountered came installed on a GM 5.3 liter LS long block sourced from a local GM dealer. Ultimately required shredding the can and removing enough of the filter media to access the threaded adapter in the center, remove it with the baseplate still installed, clamp it in a vise, and air hammer the filter baseplate off. The filter had been tightened so much the baseplate bottomed out on the flange on the threaded adapter causing the issue.

 

[paulo57509]

That's insane.

I've always been successful with this (if there's room). The key is being able to grab the filter at the base so the filter doesn't collapse.

 

[mightymousetech]

It’s always removable.

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

'79 vw van, bought at 11,000 miles, oh, about 1-1/2 years on it with (likely) the as-delivered filter on it. Normally removed with a cup socket due to access issues. Wouldn't budge, don't recall all of the details, but had to chisel-off the can and drill the baseplate between holes...so what was left could be removed with fingertips. Was not happy .

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

Incidentally, I often have to add some file-folder material over the flutes, on my Honda Civic, to improve the fit of the cup socket. This despite having tried numerous sockets, numerous mfrs. Have resigned to using the file folder shim trick, each time...

 

[JavierH19]

I suspect some spoon burner didn't put oil on it and spun it around a whole dozen times. I've never had a filter tighter than what my hand couldn't take off if i can get my fingers on it and neither have any of them leaked. I use a yellow paint maker to make a reference dot on the bottom to spin it around exactly 1 time. impossible to over tighten.

 

[vw7674]

just wipe the mounting flange clean & spin a new one on dry......
Getting it off will be fun for hours. Or 24 minutes to fabricate a home-made chain/strap wrench if you know what you're doing.

 

[Imp4]

Incidentally, I often have to add some file-folder material over the flutes, on my Honda Civic, to improve the fit of the cup socket. This despite having tried numerous sockets, numerous mfrs. Have resigned to using the file folder shim trick, each time...

Lisle 63600 works every time and for less than $11.
No folder paper required.

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

Now that's unique... Thx for the reference...

 

[wwillson]

In 2013 I helped my neighbor remove an oil filter from his van that required the use of a hammer and chisel to get it off. I thought I had posted a picture of the base plate, but I can't find it. I'll bet it took us two hours and the base plate was mangled by the time we got it off. The filter had been installed at a quick change by someone who might not have been properly trained.

 

[PimTac]

The Channelocks above are great and can be used for other things as well. The Lisle tool is another good option.

I currently have this tool. Hyper Tough Filter Wrench. For less that $6 it works very well. The long handles on any tool give you better leverage


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-Oil-Filter-Wrench-63-5mm-116mm-Model-1208/55524395

 

[ZeeOSix]

There's actually a special tool (used mostly by aircraft mechanics I believe) that locks in to the base place holes once you rip it down to this stage.

 

[Leo99]

The Channelocks above are great and can be used for other things as well. The Lisle tool is another good option.

I currently have this tool. Hyper Tough Filter Wrench. For less that $6 it works very well. The long handles on any tool give you better leverage


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-Oil-Filter-Wrench-63-5mm-116mm-Model-1208/55524395

I overtightened the filter on my old RAV4 once. The end cap tools did not work. I had to remove the plastic undercowl and get at it with oil filter pliers. Learned my lesson about overtightening oil filters.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I've changed the original filter on several new Hondas. It seems the factory employees the Hulkster...

 

[ZeeOSix]

... The new factory oil filter installer.