This is why I don't let anybody else change my oil

[Mossyoakglock]

I went over and changed the oil in my parent's '07 Avalanche last night since my mom is heading down to FL from TN and it was close to be due anyways. I got the oil drained and went to take off the filter and it wouldn't budge. The Silverado/Avalanche is not the easiest trucks when it comes to removing the filter due to the clearance of the oil pan and filter but I can usually get a good enough grip to loosen it. If not I use my filter wrench since it's easier on the fingers.

Well this one wouldn't budge so I used the filter wrench. The first issue is that the filter wrench started to crush the filter. I think it was a combination of the filter being on way too tight and a cheap/thin canister. So, now that the filter is slightly crushed I can't use the wrench so I move to pliers. I could not get a grip and it started to deform more. My last resort was to punch a screwdriver through it and loosen it that way. I don't like do that but it was my last resort.

Finally got the filter off and this was the aftermath. I swear whoever put this one on did it with an impact gun.



It's little things like putting on a filter way too tight that makes me never take my cars in for oil changes on my truck. I told my mom to never let dad take it somewhere again.

One another note I checked my sister's oil this past weekend when I saw her and her car was 4 quarts low ('06 Envoy which takes 7 quarts)! I was not able to change her oil the last time before a trip she took so she took it somewhere. It has no history of using oil or leaking so I think they didn't fill it all the way. Not sure how long it was that low.

 

[L_Sludger]

They tighten the filters like that for liability reasons. Better to have them too tight than too loose, resulting in an engine claim.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Is it possible that the filter wasn't the correct one? I don't know for sure but can the center hole be of a different diameter depending on the filter?

 

[Mossyoakglock]

Not sure but it was the same size as the Wix filter I replaced it with.

 

[Kira]

A percentage of people are garbage.
A percentage of people do wrong things when they think they can get away with it.
Lube places hire bad people. Sometimes the get tax breaks or "community credits" for hiring released prisoners.

My brother's Honda has rust on the mount against which the filter's gasket contacts because the cheap, garbage oil change place he went to used a cheap, undersized filter which left that contact annulus partially exposed.

Wanna bet he got the 0W-20 he paid for? I bet he didn't.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Or they cross thread the drain plug, or over tighten it. Better off DIY for these easy jobs, if possible.
If you over tighten an oil filter, it does increase the chance the gasket moves out (dragged out) of correct position, another problem waiting to happen.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

The Lincoln Dealer put the WRONG oil in my 02 Mustang Bullitt. They said they didnt have any 5w20! A Ford Lincoln Mercury dealer. Really?!

Engine felt REAL sluggish with the 30.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I've had a few like that before... though I've never met any that I couldn't get off with my pair of oil filter pliers. Usually I try my cup wrench first and that gets 90% of the stuck filters off that I can't get off by hand.

 

[IndyIan]

I'm doing 2 oil changes on one filter in the CRV, and the extra time seems to make the filter stick alot more. I've had to bring out the strap filter wrench which started to crush the filter before I re-positioned the strap close to the end.
I had no one but myself to blame for it being that tight, and I just tighten by hand, so sometimes the filters just stick.

 

[ksp7498]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
They tighten the filters like that for liability reasons. Better to have them too tight than too loose, resulting in an engine claim.


This. I know someone who had the oil filter fall off on the highway (resulting in a rod thrown through the block) a few days after getting an oil change from a quick lube place. Shop had to replace the engine of course. They would rather just crank 'em on there super tight and not have that happen.

 

[Ethan1]

Lube techs definitely overdo it on torque. However, I notice the same thing in every thread about a destroyed oil filter: a lack of proper tools! An appropriately-sized oil filter socket will not only grip the filter extremely well, but also support the walls of the filter and prevent it from collapsing. If the correct oil filter socket is not available, a 3-jaw wrench is a very effective second choice for tight filters. Oil filter pliers are OK, strap type wrenches might work, there's a possibility you might twist it off with your hands, but you are going down the wrong path if you reach for a screwdriver

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
They said they didnt have any 5w20! Engine felt REAL sluggish with the 30.


I'd like to see dynomometer proof of that.

 

[Gokhan]

Oil filters should never be tightened with tools or wrenches. They should be tightened by hand only.

The torque spec on canister filters isn't really meant to be an installation spec. It's only to give an idea. The correct spec isn't the torque spec but the turn spec and it's very easy to reach the turn spec by tightening as hard as possible with hand. So, just tighten is as hard as possible by hand only and you still won't be able to remove it without a wrench.

 

[saginawmale50]

I once used a screwdriver to get an overtight oil filter off. The filter tore open , my hand slipped, and cut my hand. Got it off with a hammer and chisel. I now purchase cap wrenches for every filter I use.

 

[Ryan]

If you don't oil the gasket before putting the filter on, hey are impossible to get off. I saw many oil changers do that when I worked in a garage.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I learned years ago to lather the filter gasket with either Gorilla Grease or Permatex anti-seize compound. I use both of these products on my muzzleloader breechplug threads. So I keep both of them on a shelf in the garage.

 

[Geoff1200]

I owned a independent shop, across the street was a jiffy/quicky lube.....they were my Best customers. I've replaced a few engines, several oil pans, couple of transmissions each year I had the shop. Don't know how they stayed in business. On another note, the quicky brake store was also good to me, my advertisement was "We fix $99 brake jobs"

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Gokhan
Oil filters should never be tightened with tools or wrenches. They should be tightened by hand only.

The torque spec on canister filters isn't really meant to be an installation spec. It's only to give an idea. The correct spec isn't the torque spec but the turn spec and it's very easy to reach the turn spec by tightening as hard as possible with hand. So, just tighten is as hard as possible by hand only and you still won't be able to remove it without a wrench.


Since I rarely agree with anything you post, I thought that I should tell you how right you are about oil filter installation. A canister filter should be installed with hands and fingers only. This will get it plenty tight, tight enough that you'll probably need a wrench of some sort to get it off.

 

[Hootbro]

Between your sister and your parents, are you the only one in that family with a lick of sense when it comes to oil?

 

[yvon_la]

If you see someone using tool to tighten oil filter ,don't ever go back there again .too many good shop to bother worrying with the shady but not suable .mechanic .