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Goddamn F*%KING oil filter. EDIT: THanks ATOT! :D

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No Lifer
So I'm trying to change my oil. I have an oil filter wrench that has a tooth on it to grab the filter (ie, the pressure on the filter is on one tiny part). Well this filter will not come off. The tooth has now received so much pressure that the side of the filter tip now has a gash in it where oil is spurting out. Needless to say the tip is covered in oil and impossible to get a grip on. Yes I did put oil on the rim of the filter before installing it. Anyway how the hell do I get this off? I just spent $8 on some new filter from wal mart - it acts like pliers and just crushes in from each side, but it can't get a grip either so I'll be taking that back. Any other ideas? The car (sentra) is sitting on jacks now totally unusable.
 
Well now that you have a hole in it already do the "last resort" method of removing an oil filter. Take a screwdriver and hammer, punch the screwdriver through the filter, grab handle and turn. Guaranteed to work, but messy🙂
 
As long as you've already got oil spurting, just take a nice strong screwdriver and pound it through the side of the filter with a hammer all the way through to the other side and turn it.

** Make sure you keep the screwdriver as far from the threaded end as possible to prevent hammering the threads on the engine's filter receiver threads! **

Next time, hand tighten and you should be all set.

(You are turning it the correct way, right?)
 
If for some reason you have exhausted all your options Skoorb, take a sharp screwdriver and hammer it throught he oil filter then use it to unscrew it from the block.
Only do thas as a last resort because if you manage to destroy the filter housing without it unscrewing, you are going to be in a world of hurt.


Edit;

Looks like I was beaten to the punch 😉

If and when you get the filter off, make sure you wet the gasket of the new filter with engine oil before you install it.
 
hey take a sharp scre.....

o wait, it seems as if that's been suggested before 😉 good luck! 🙂
 
Yup, screwdriver, but you might want to get as close to the base of the filter as possible before you peel it open.


If you do shred it, a chisel struck at a 45 degree angle can force it to spin, but be mindful that you don't cut through the filter into the engine.


 
I'll try that. I was thinking of drilling a hole but wasn't sure what to put it through with but this should work. Pretty sure I'm doing it the right way - it unscrews anti-clockwise. I don't actually have a screwdriver like that. Back to walmart 😱
 
Also, skoorb, if you want a good oil filter wrench look around for the type that is made of solid metal. It has a cast handle and three hinged solid, slightly curved, pieces which form the mouth. The design works in such a way that when it turns one way it tightens very tight. All the mouth has small teeth on it also. I have used this wrench to take off just about any filter. Those wrenches with the smooth metal band, or chain, are garbage.
 
Ah those look nifty! Damnit I got the screwdriver hammered in and believe it or not with 99% of my strength I still couldn't turn the son of a bitch. I was about to give up and realize I'd have to call a tow truck and leave it to a mechanic but I gave itone last anger-spurt and it started to turn. Needless to say I'm filthy as are a bunch of tools. Two hours for an oil change :| I put the new filter on and wrenched it as hard on as I could with my hand, but no filter wrench this time; I'll use the wrench only for removing. It was my first oil change last time so obviously I overdid the filter. I did as hard with my hand as possible and then did another 1/4 turn or so, but this time no wrench to tighten it at the end.
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Ah those look nifty! Damnit I got the screwdriver hammered in and believe it or not with 99% of my strength I still couldn't turn the son of a bitch. I was about to give up and realize I'd have to call a tow truck and leave it to a mechanic but I gave itone last anger-spurt and it started to turn. Needless to say I'm filthy as are a bunch of tools. Two hours for an oil change :| I put the new filter on and wrenched it as hard on as I could with my hand, but no filter wrench this time; I'll use the wrench only for removing. It was my first oil change last time so obviously I overdid the filter. I did as hard with my hand as possible and then did another 1/4 turn or so, but this time no wrench to tighten it at the end.
Click to expand...

This is precisely why I don't change my oil.

$30 is simply not worth the aggravation, dirt, and general PITA of doing it myself.

Viper GTS
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Ah those look nifty! Damnit I got the screwdriver hammered in and believe it or not with 99% of my strength I still couldn't turn the son of a bitch. I was about to give up and realize I'd have to call a tow truck and leave it to a mechanic but I gave itone last anger-spurt and it started to turn. Needless to say I'm filthy as are a bunch of tools. Two hours for an oil change :| I put the new filter on and wrenched it as hard on as I could with my hand, but no filter wrench this time; I'll use the wrench only for removing. It was my first oil change last time so obviously I overdid the filter. I did as hard with my hand as possible and then did another 1/4 turn or so, but this time no wrench to tighten it at the end.
Click to expand...

This is exactly why I get my oil done somewhere I trust...

I can't stand it when simple things go horribly awry....
 
I have a large channel-lock pliers that I use on stubborn filters I can't get to Pliers

Don't give up on oil changes, it gets a lot easier once you develop a routine... & you can run synthetic for what a conventional oil change costs.
 
Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
I have a large channel-lock pliers that I use on stubborn filters I can't get to Pliers

Don't give up on oil changes, it gets a lot easier once you develop a routine... & you can run synthetic for what a conventional oil change costs.
Click to expand...
Well I was quoted at $35 for an oil change at a speedy place involving valvoline maxlife on my sentra. $35 I am not kidding. I can do it for $9 including oil and filter. I have enough free time that it's worth saving the $10-15 for an oil change. Normally they'll take 10 minutes 😉
 
The 'official' how-tight-to-get-it is 1/4 turn after the gasket contacts the engine, prolly says on the filter. Although I must admit I just tighten as tight as I can by hand.

JC
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
I have a large channel-lock pliers that I use on stubborn filters I can't get to Pliers

Don't give up on oil changes, it gets a lot easier once you develop a routine... & you can run synthetic for what a conventional oil change costs.
Click to expand...
Well I was quoted at $35 for an oil change at a speedy place involving valvoline maxlife on my sentra. $35 I am not kidding. I can do it for $9 including oil and filter. I have enough free time that it's worth saving the $10-15 for an oil change. Normally they'll take 10 minutes 😉
Click to expand...

Perhaps you don't have my ridiculously bad luck.

Trust me I'd end up needing a new engine if I did it.
 
This is precisely why I don't change my oil.

$30 is simply not worth the aggravation, dirt, and general PITA of doing it myself.
Click to expand...
I've never had an oil change last more than 10-15 mins on my car 🙂 It's too easy on my car, everything's within reach, don't even have to jack the car up to drain the oil.
 
Drive up oil change. 10 minutes, 20 bucks, new oil filter, new oil, along with a check of several other things including tire pressures, grease points, air filter, trans fluid, etc. Can't be beat. Unless you can't drive there of course. (Edit: Or if the place is shady, heh. But just find a good local place and you can hop in there on the way home from work one day.)

-
 
Originally posted by: bleckywelcky
Drive up oil change. 10 minutes, 20 bucks, new oil filter, new oil, along with a check of several other things including tire pressures, grease points, air filter, trans fluid, etc. Can't be beat. Unless you can't drive there of course. (Edit: Or if the place is shady, heh. But just find a good local place and you can hop in there on the way home from work one day.)

-
Click to expand...
I've read of too many bad incidents with people who get their oil changed at the drive-up service stations. Usually, you will only have trouble getting the filter off the first time. Then, for all future oil changes, it's very simple because when you install the filter, you only need to turn it 1/4 of a turn once the gasket has seated to the flange. If the filter is so stuck on like Skoorb's was, then it was probably over-torqued by somebody who did the last oil change (hopefully, it wasn't Skoorb.) The filter, by nature, will slightly tighten itself as time goes on. However, changing oil every 3 months or 4,000/4,500 miles will ensure the filter doesn't get too tight. Jiffy Lube keeps pimpin' their 3,000 mile campaign, but most cars don't need to get it done quite that frequently --- unless, you're in constant stop-n-go traffic. 😉
 
Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
Hey skoorb, if you have a pep boys around AL, I have a 20% off coupon you could use. PM me.

-PAB
Click to expand...

No Pep Boys in Bham.

BTW, you should have changed your oil over here! I had a nice heated garage with lots of tools, jackstands, ramps, and everything you would have needed. Beer to drink too! I am hurt. 😱
 
Originally posted by: Millennium
Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
Hey skoorb, if you have a pep boys around AL, I have a 20% off coupon you could use. PM me.

-PAB
Click to expand...

No Pep Boys in Bham.

BTW, you should have changed your oil over here! I had a nice heated garage with lots of tools, jackstands, ramps, and everything you would have needed. Beer to drink too! I am hurt. 😱
Click to expand...

Hmm. Perhaps I should make a trip to pep boys and import oil to you for a tidy profit.....

-PAB
 
Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
Originally posted by: Millennium
Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
Hey skoorb, if you have a pep boys around AL, I have a 20% off coupon you could use. PM me.

-PAB
Click to expand...

No Pep Boys in Bham.

BTW, you should have changed your oil over here! I had a nice heated garage with lots of tools, jackstands, ramps, and everything you would have needed. Beer to drink too! I am hurt. 😱
Click to expand...

Hmm. Perhaps I should make a trip to pep boys and import oil to you for a tidy profit.....

-PAB
Click to expand...

If you can get Royal Purple for cheaper than my current supplier. I buy my gear oil, tranny oil, and motor oil from him.

 
I've never had an oil change last more than 10-15 mins on my car It's too easy on my car, everything's within reach, don't even have to jack the car up to drain the oil.
Click to expand...


My longest part about changing the oil on my camry is waiting for the oil to drain. The oil filter is just sitting out wide open the top side of the engine and very easy to get to.

The passat is a different story. There's this plastic shield that goes on the bottom of the engine bay that is an absolute PITA to take off and put back on every time you change the oil. Once you get that skirt off, it's a synch, but then putting it back on the right way is a challenge.
 
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