Why You Only Hand Tighten an Oil Filter

[wemay]

composite, such as BMW? If so, agreed. But not with a traditional filter as the gasket is lubed

Yes, composite as in many cars now (including BMW) come with the composite (plastic) style oil filter setup where element fits into the canister with a screw-on plastic cap that if slightly overtightened, can seep.

 

[Fla]

Some automakers have torque specs. Others don't.

I use my torque wrench.

That s2000 torque spec can be used by any/all common canister filters.

12ftlbs/Kia/Hyundai
13ftlbs/Toyota
15-18ftlbs---s2000(?)

The whole 1/2 turn, 3/4 turn, 7/8, 1 full turn... is a cop out. Pure laziness on the automakers that don't list torques for oil filters. Even more sad when an engine is used by multiple vehicles in multiple markets and lists a torque for some and 3/4 turn after contact for others... on the SAME engine.

I've never had a difficult to remove filter.

If it's a cop out then why do the auto manufacturers specify the torque on many (thousands!) of fasteners used in the same automobiles? IMO if torquing was necessary on oil filters then they would specify a torque. And I think that the oil filter manufacturers would also. I've worked on 1000s of cars, trucks and military jeeps, trucks, missiles, aircraft, helicopters and even space craft for over 60 years and I've only seen one oil filter that came off by itself. Torquing filters or not just doesn't seem to be a significant issue, except on rare occasions with some of the parts changing monkeys are involved, but even they get it right most of the time.

I've had difficult to removed filters but only ones that someone else installed. I've never had trouble getting off a filter that I have installed and I have never used a torque wrench to install one except with the MIL manual required it. Following the auto manufacturers and the oil filter manufacturers instruction to hand tighten seems to be more than adequate IMO.

I've had VERY difficult to remove oil filters but I've never had to resort to destroying one as shown in the original post. Most of the time I take a sharp chisel and hammer it into the edge of the filter then point it in the direction that the filters needs to turn in and then hammer it in that direction. That always seems to work, and I do the same with stuck screws and bolts. One time I used a center punch and hammered a hole all of the way through the middle of an oil filer an then used a long tommy bar to force the filter to turn. It worked but I don't recommend it, oil goes everywhere!

 

[ARCOgraphite]

View attachment 150843

Is that in a Lawn Tractor? Doesn't look passenger car automotive.

Funny story. A couple years ago I had a Fram Ultra gasket MELT onto the filter boss on my wife's Subaru. Had a tough time getting that off. Even with a band wrench. It's top mounted, but hoses and stuff are in the way of swinging the tool. Coolant bottle, AC compressor AC piping, etc..
The Subaru factory filters utilise a captured modified O-ring gasket (P-ring) and you tighten it till it stops as the metal capture flange bottoms out on the mounting boss.

No torque setting necessary.

¡No hay problema! técnico gringo

 

[Heywood_6078]

Been changing my own oil since 1976 and have always just
hand tightened. No problems that I can recall.

 

[RooflessVW]

Except an s2000. They have a torque spec. Hand tight is not enough

Captains of Crush® Grippers

ironmind.com

 

[bullwinkle]

I just got around to trying out a pair of these that I bought some time ago, anticipating that it may work for removing the oil filter for the Cummins ISC 8.3, that is in my motorhome. It was worthless. I tossed it back into my toolbox, and will give it another chance, next time I think it may be the right tool for the job. But I'm not hopeful.

Now this did the job!


View attachment 157328

I have a couple of these-between them & the 2 & 3 toothed jaw ones, they all come off.

 

[mr_boring]

Hand tight, and my hand was always oily.....
That's 4 hand/lbs of slippius torkus