oil filter tightness question
- Thread starter mco30mco
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- Oct 3, 2023
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I use a cap wrench and torque all my filters regardless of vehicle make to 9 to 9.5 foot pounds with a torque wrench which is roughly over 1 full turn after gasket contact. Its what Toyota universally spec's when using their SST cap wrench tool on all their spin-ons but have found it to work flawlessly on other vehicles filters that I service.
Toyota filters have the "torque stop" feature with a P-gasket. So it stops when the base of the filter bottoms out on the filter seat. Any more torque on the filter doesn't move it, just makes it tighter on the mount threads.
Always hand. Never really every had a problem. Well, except the one time that I left the old gasket on. That was a mess.
If you measure the gasket height and look up the thread pitch, there is a good chance you will find that at 1 turn you have achieved full gasket compression and the filter metal has made contact with the engine block. Any rotation past 1 turn is distorting the base plate, not compressing the gasket.
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
as tight as i can with a rag on the filter. never had a filter leak nor back off.
Oh god! Just venting here ! I will chime in!
I have since stopped going to dealerships for any courtesy oil changes, free oil changes, any kind of extended free service oil change or any Fear Factor token put into my brain from my local dealerships.
This is all Spawnd from these jackasses that tighten the oil filter metal to metal and the oil plug bolt as well to the point of stripping.
You'll need a breaker bar to release the oil pan bolt as well as an extension to release an oil filter from being over tightened.
I hand tighten all filters with an extra twist if that makes sense, I don't even check anymore for leaks I just put everything back together and I'm done.
Beware of the jackasses that tightened down a filter metal to metal past the rubber gasket specs. You will be in a world of problems trying to get that filter off.
And I'm saying because, all it takes is one time to have a collapsed Tin Can oil filter turn into a ball of compressed metal trying to get it off! You will be a real believer of hand tightening.
I have since stopped going to dealerships for any courtesy oil changes, free oil changes, any kind of extended free service oil change or any Fear Factor token put into my brain from my local dealerships.
This is all Spawnd from these jackasses that tighten the oil filter metal to metal and the oil plug bolt as well to the point of stripping.
You'll need a breaker bar to release the oil pan bolt as well as an extension to release an oil filter from being over tightened.
I hand tighten all filters with an extra twist if that makes sense, I don't even check anymore for leaks I just put everything back together and I'm done.
Beware of the jackasses that tightened down a filter metal to metal past the rubber gasket specs. You will be in a world of problems trying to get that filter off.
And I'm saying because, all it takes is one time to have a collapsed Tin Can oil filter turn into a ball of compressed metal trying to get it off! You will be a real believer of hand tightening.
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
the local chevrolet dealer likes to do this. the thin acdelco filters normally just crust and twist with a cap wrench. normally have to get my knives cobras in there to get them off. i don’t understand why people think a tool needs to go on an oil filter for installation.
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My '22 Yukon w/5.3 has an oil pan that wraps around much of the filter. No easy way to get a good grip so I recently purchased a properly fitting cap wrench.
I never go past 3/4 turn on filters with a square base gasket. There is always still some air gap between the filter metal base edge and the filter seat. I don't like filters digging into the filter seat, and one reason I stopped using Toyota filters on my Tacoma. Most filters with a P-gasket are going to bottom out the can on the filter seat when tightened to spec.
And that's 8 years from now.
I think my Subaru Crosstrek filter bottoms out after some amount of gasket compressing. I mean the metal edge of the filter hits the wide sealing area for the gasket.
And I am old school I use index finger dipped in fresh oil to lubricate. Off with their heads those new kids who say to use your pinky.
And I am old school I use index finger dipped in fresh oil to lubricate. Off with their heads those new kids who say to use your pinky.
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2024
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It should be gasket contacts base, then 3/4-1 turn by hand.
I no longer use spin on filters but when I did they were always considerably harder to spin off than spin on. I never used a tool to tighten them and even excessively hand tightened ones could be a bear to remove. I must be a slow leaner because it took years for me to home in on lightly hand tight being sufficient which translated to gasket contact and no more than 1/2 a turn. Never had one come loose or leak.
The experience of fitting and removing many filters suggested to me that they might have designed the rubber gasket to swell on contact with oil or heat. If that's true then it would be hard to tighten them too lightly.
The experience of fitting and removing many filters suggested to me that they might have designed the rubber gasket to swell on contact with oil or heat. If that's true then it would be hard to tighten them too lightly.
I just recently sold the last car I owned with a spin-on oil filter. But I have been spinning on filters for most of my 68 years of life.
- I have always only hand tightened spin-on oil filters, following the 3/4 - 1 turn after gasket contact method.
- I have never had an oil leak at an oil filter gasket.
- I have never had an oil filter work loose between oil/filter changes.
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This has always been my experience - getting it to the minimum of the recommended range requires quite a bit of effort.
IME - if you really try to hit the "3/4 to 1 turn" you may end up with filters that are a little too tight for easy removal. I just go strictly by feel now and I'm probably not quite hitting 3/4 turn.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
Hand only
In my experience (5+ decades), most can instructions/diagrams ~ 3/4 (1 max) turn past gasket contact. 'Generally', I can get 3/4 by hand. If I did use a tool, only a fitted cap wrench for that.
Related. I watched the linked video a while ago on captured P type gaskets. Fwiw, I don't agree with his technique for it. In fact, I think the only filter gasket I had fail was a dealer installed Toyota Denso with P type that started dripping some time after installation. Before returning I tried to snug just a tad more, didn't help. I now believe it was overtightened something like dude in vid did. Dealer did install new filter foc, adding some bogus (imo) filter recall mumbo jumbo.
Edit. Recently installed a CQ Premium 84356 with P type gasket, followed same procedure as flat type. Certain torque stop not hit. No leaks. This after watching linked vid.
Related. I watched the linked video a while ago on captured P type gaskets. Fwiw, I don't agree with his technique for it. In fact, I think the only filter gasket I had fail was a dealer installed Toyota Denso with P type that started dripping some time after installation. Before returning I tried to snug just a tad more, didn't help. I now believe it was overtightened something like dude in vid did. Dealer did install new filter foc, adding some bogus (imo) filter recall mumbo jumbo.
Edit. Recently installed a CQ Premium 84356 with P type gasket, followed same procedure as flat type. Certain torque stop not hit. No leaks. This after watching linked vid.
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Over tightening a torque stop type filter with a P-gasket shouldn't effect the gasket, it just makes the filter tighter on the mount spud threads. As the guy in the video above said, the base of the filter on a torque stop style filter with a P-gasket is designed to touch the filter seat when fully tight. Over tightening from there doesn't give any more sealing action. Once the base of the can bottoms out on the filter seat, the gasket can't compress any more.
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