Best time to twist off/on filter--when engine cold

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I think I know the answer to this, but I'd rather get input here before I end up with oil all over my driveway.

Just did an oil change on my Sienna. When I was under the car, I couldn't get a great view of the filter (I was struggling to get it to spin onto the stud just right), and I started turning it before I started paying attention to where my fingers were positioned--so I'm not sure how far I turned it, pretty sure it wasn't 3/4 a turn--more like 3/8 to 4/8. I'm thinking it would be better for me to twist it off, then twist it back on again, than have it come off on the freeway.

I am thinking I should wait till the engine is cold, in the morning, correct? That way, there would be less oil in the filter, that might leak out? I don't think I would even need to take it off the stud. FWIW, we've driven it about 100 miles since the change.

If you guys are gonna tell me I really really really don't have to worry about this, fine, it would be less work for me. But I'd rather be safe than sorry, so if 3/8 of a turn is good enough, fine. If not, I just want to know if a cold engine would be less likely to push oil out from the filter.
 
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If its not leaking now and with 100 miles on the change I wouldn't worry but check every once in a while till 1k for peace of mind
 
about 100 miles, since the oil change.

Originally Posted By: edwardh1
has it been driven?
 
Hand tight and your fine.
Not gorilla grip tight.

I never look at how much it turns once the gasket conacts the block. I just tighten it with my hand till it is tight (I try to have the dome of the filter in my hand and tighten that way, keeps me from getting it too tight).
On my car I can get it off with my hand by just getting a good grip on it. On my truck, I can sometimes get it off by hand, sometime need a filter wrench, it is just in a hard place to grab onto for removal.
 
I do mine hand tight, which unfortunately for me is always way too tight when oil change time comes around...it was yesterday and I ended up cutting my hand open from trying to loosen it...fought with it for about 45 mins til I finally yanked down the plastic piece underneath and got a better angle with the fram filter wrench...i really should just get filters with the nut attached...

If its hand tight I wouldnt worry. Maybe just check it and make sure. I think once the oil gets hot it causes the filter to bond more firmly.
 
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If I hand tighten an oil filter too much, when I go to replace it, I'll need a wrench. I suspect the engine's vibrations tightens the filter. I have never had an oil filter loosen up and leak.
 
If you decide to take it off, the diesel guys use a shop vac on the filler to keep the oil from coming out.
 
So if I did decide to twist it off, there still would be oil coming from the engine? I don't think much would come out from the filter itself, as long as it stayed on the stud.

Also, if I did decide to take it off, would I need to re-apply oil to the gasket of the filter?

Originally Posted By: KJSmith
If you decide to take it off, the diesel guys use a shop vac on the filler to keep the oil from coming out.
 
If you think the filter isn't tight enough, then just reach up and see whether you can get it tighter.
If not, you should be fine.
Hand tight is typically plenty tight enough that you'll still need some sort of tool to remove the filter.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
If you think the filter isn't tight enough, then just reach up and see whether you can get it tighter.
If not, you should be fine.
Hand tight is typically plenty tight enough that you'll still need some sort of tool to remove the filter.


That seems to be teh consensus here. I won't worry about spinning it off. Sure would be cleaner that way.
 
Hand tight is fine. Lubing the o-ring will change its friction characteristics substantially, so you can get more crank on 'er, and while not everyone lubes theirs, many mating flanges are still oily enough to do the job.

There's plenty of squish to the gasket so you can have a safe fit over a wide range of rotation.
 
Sorry, you have to break that down for me (I still think of myself as a newbie here). Are you saying I don't have to lube the gasket, or that it would be better to, or better not to...?

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Hand tight is fine. Lubing the o-ring will change its friction characteristics substantially, so you can get more crank on 'er, and while not everyone lubes theirs, many mating flanges are still oily enough to do the job.

There's plenty of squish to the gasket so you can have a safe fit over a wide range of rotation.
 
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Put a filter wrench on it and give it a 1/4 turn if you're in doubt. You'll know if it's tight or not.
 
Originally Posted By: paulri
Sorry, you have to break that down for me (I still think of myself as a newbie here). Are you saying I don't have to lube the gasket, or that it would be better to, or better not to...?

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Hand tight is fine. Lubing the o-ring will change its friction characteristics substantially, so you can get more crank on 'er, and while not everyone lubes theirs, many mating flanges are still oily enough to do the job.

There's plenty of squish to the gasket so you can have a safe fit over a wide range of rotation.


Always lube the gasket before putting it on.

No need to remove and replace, you are MORE likely to get a leak when doing that. Just see if you can tighten it a bit by hand, and then check it every few days to make sure it isn't leaking.
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
I have never had an oil filter loosen up and leak.


Me neither, and I really don't tighten them that tight.
I put them on snug, then back them off about 1/8 - 1/4 turn.
Makes them easier to remove next time.

Do what I did once -
start the car and start to loosen the filter by hand while it's running.
It will BLOW YOUR MIND how loose it can actually get and still not leak.
 
Originally Posted By: Kuato

No need to remove and replace, you are MORE likely to get a leak when doing that.


No - it won't.

It will NOT be more likely.
 
Originally Posted By: Kuato


Always lube the gasket before putting it on.

No need to remove and replace, you are MORE likely to get a leak when doing that. Just see if you can tighten it a bit by hand, and then check it every few days to make sure it isn't leaking.


I just went out, and this time I went down from the top of the engine (putting it on, I went up from below). Anyways, I couldn't tighten it at all, so I think that means I'm good to go.

So far, there has been no leaking at all (a first, I'm attributing this to the fact that I used a new actual crush washer, with rubber and aluminum), from the time I first put on the filter.
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: Kuato

No need to remove and replace, you are MORE likely to get a leak when doing that.


No - it won't.

It will NOT be more likely.


OK, let's talk about this. You have a gasket designed for single use. If you tighten it, then take it off, and then put it back on you've now used it twice.

Your turn.
 
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