Toyota Composite Oil Filter Cap STUCK - Any guidance?

[CR94]

... People need to understand, the housing selas on the o-ring, not the base. There is no reason for any real torque past bottoming plus a bit more. ...

Exactly! Installers failing to comprehend that obvious fact is the cause of all the trouble with these. Even the modest officially specified torque is way more than needed except with worst-case tolerance stack-up with a dry gasket on dry parts.

 

[Gebo]

The paper element is the same.
The metal filter (Scion) has 2 seals; the larger o-ring for the filter (same) and the smaller seal for the filter drain on the botton of the dilter. The composite filter does not have the bottom drain. It is mounter horizontally.
Our GS350 has a metal filter; I don't bother with the lower drain plug.

Corolla YZZA6 (1 seal)
Scion YZZA7 (2 seals, has smaller seal)

This is my best understanding. Perhaps our Toyota experts can chime in.

The bypass valve is built into the housing. Make doggone sure you get the specific cap for the Corolla. Otherwise, your built in bypass valve
may not be opening and closing at the proper pressures for your particular car.

 

[NismoNVT]

Makes you wonder with their switch back to cans, was this canister a way to engineer out some cost...smh

 

[LouC]

Personally I HATE these things, most especially the plastic oil filter housing on the Mopar Pentastar 3.6, when they leak, it is a lot of labor to replace. And I don't see any advantage, not one, to the consumer/DIY mechanic. The old way was far better.
With the one on the Pentastar, the o ring is also what makes the seal, there is no need to tighten the cap any further after it makes contact with the housing. As soon as it stops turning STOP.

 

[Greasymechtech]

Never underestimate the power of a 'torque wrench' in preventing problems.

 

[Traction]

I have the same PITA cartridge filter on my 12 Camry, but when I went to do the filter change on my 19 Camry, I was surprised it had a horizontal spin on filter. Much easier to change by far! I guess they changed the design in 2018.

 

[Mazomopar]

As much as being over torqued can be blamed for most of these issues,I think what also contributes to the matter is the materials used for the cap and body. The composite/ reinforced plastic threads are very coarse and the actual mating surfaces do not machine as smooth as a metal thread would. The plastic appears to be fiber enforced and and when you mate those surfaces together, you have more friction fighting you on removal. Circular threads are nothing more than a modified lever.

 

[JeffKeryk]

It's a bad design. Too error prone. I am starting to think "everyman" auto engines should have topside, fool proof filters and topside oil extraction.

 

[gregk24]

I don't understand why they continue to use composite, (read cheap plastic), for these type of applications? Plastic, combined with motor oil equals sticking and seizing. Especially with a monkey at Jiffy Lube at the other end.

The plastic oil filler caps most all vehicles use are bad enough. All 3 of my vehicles have them, and even with cleaning and greasing the sealing surfaces and O-Rings, (which I do with every oil change), I still have to be cautious when I tighten them. I barely go 2 finger tight. Or else they're a bear to remove.

I can't imagine tightening mating plastic surfaces to almost 20 foot pounds. This has to be a common occurrence. I'm thankful all 3 of my cars utilize metallic, spin on oil filters.

They never should have gotten away from the old stamped metal, 1/4 turn on / off oil filler caps, with the cork or fiber sealing gasket. All they did was work...... Effortlessly. Now, it's yet another thing they've gone and, "improved".

I've never had a problem with them.

 

[Fahrvergnügen]

Hand tighten it, when it stops you stop. When you change oil in 5000 miles. It will be tight, but easy to come off with 3/8 ratchet.

 

[Fahrvergnügen]

It's a bad design. Too error prone. I am starting to think "everyman" auto engines should have topside, fool proof filters and topside oil extraction.

No it’s not a bad design. It’s great. All manufacturers need to go to the European design.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Hand tighten it, when it stops you stop. When you change oil in 5000 miles. It will be tight, but easy to come off with 3/8 ratchet.

i know how to install it. The problem is, it is too error prone. That's a bad design.

 

[Fahrvergnügen]

i know how to install it. The problem is, it is too error prone. That's a bad design.

What is error prone with it. I’ve done thousands of these setups. BMW, Toyota, VW, MB. Have never had an issue with any of them.

 

[dumkid]

the composite caps get stuck good if you tighten them too much, same with spin on filters. just run it down without tools and it'll come off with tools.

 

[billt460]

No it’s not a bad design. It’s great. All manufacturers need to go to the European design.

That must be the reason you have 154 replies in this thread, telling everyone how great and trouble free they are.

 

[nthach]

See now I'm confused because I noticed the latest greatest MotivX tool no longer engages the large "fins" and just grabs the lower flutes and claims this is superior in their marketing.

But looking at those flutes they don't look that distinct or pronounced and it appears to me you could just wind up spinning the tool and effectively rounding the flutes? I've had it happen on stubborn canister filters.

What say the experts? What is the truth?

I have the latest version of that MotivX tool - no drama. I sheared off the notches on a RAV4’s 2AZ filter cap with the old tool. Part of it was that a quick lube overtightened things.

 

[dlundblad]

My guess is someone didn’t oil the gasket and perhaps over torqued.

I’ve never had an issue.

 

[billt460]

I have the latest version of that MotivX tool - no drama. I sheared off the notches on a RAV4’s 2AZ filter cap with the old tool. Part of it was that a quick lube overtightened things.

And therein lies the problem. Regardless of how many times it echoes in this thread to only, "Tighten until it STOPS, NO MORE!", it does no good if someone takes their vehicle to any of these, "Quick Lube" joints to be serviced..... Because the monkey's await.

 

[Fahrvergnügen]

And therein lies the problem. Regardless of how many times it echoes in this thread to only, "Tighten until it STOPS, NO MORE!", it does no good if someone takes their vehicle to any of these, "Quick Lube" joints to be serviced..... Because the monkey's await.

And therein lies the problem. Don’t take it to a quick lube joint, a Toyota dealership knows not to tighten it that much. We as in techs see lots of cars with problems from quick lube places. And by the way, I don’t have 154 replies in this thread. Maybe 4.

 

[JeffKeryk]

And therein lies the problem. Don’t take it to a quick lube joint, a Toyota dealership knows not to tighten it that much. We as in techs see lots of cars with problems from quick lube places. And by the way, I don’t have 154 replies in this thread. Maybe 4.

The point is, a little overtightening coupled with mny heat cycles tends to render these composite filter housings troublesome.
No one is saying you or I don't know how to install them. I am saying it happens all to often.
I have personally worked on 2 Carollas with filters I was afraid I was about to beak. And I think I have only serviced 4 vehicles with the composite filter.