Oil change trouble

[BUTCH1]

So I go to change my oil last night, first the filter, it's on so tight I barley got it off without ripping the can off it's base. Then the oil drain bolt, it's on so tight I had to put the car on stands and use a 1/2" breaker bar to get the damm bolt out! WTF!, what kind of grapeape morons work @ the dealer to tighten an oil drain bolt to almost 100lbs!, idiots...

 

[sjwaste]

Check the drain bolt for leaks now. I had that happen and the damn thing leaked two quarts while running in my driveway.

As a stopgap, i used undersized rubber gaskets, which worked wonders. However, overboring it and using a bigger plug is the permanent fix.

I hope you don't have to experience that.

EDIT: Thought of another funny story. Once, they put the filter on really tight, I think it was the same time as the bolt incident because I only let a shop change my oil once or twice. I went out and bought one of those filter wrenches that tightens on the can as you try to loosen it. The damn thing crushed the filter in about 1/2" all the way around before it broke loose.

 

[boomerang]

It was me. Next time leave some change in the change holder. The roach coach came and I left my wallet at home.

I figured I'd teach you a lesson. j/k

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Check the drain bolt for leaks now. I had that happen and the damn thing leaked two quarts while running in my driveway.

As a stopgap, i used undersized rubber gaskets, which worked wonders. However, overboring it and using a bigger plug is the permanent fix.

I hope you don't have to experience that.

On my old jeep I've been using teflon pipe tape on the plug for the last 2 years. It worked much better than I thought it would so I've never bothered to really fix it.

 

[sjwaste]

Originally posted by: boomerang
It was me. Next time leave some change in the change holder. The roach coach came and I left my wallet at home.

I figured I'd teach you a lesson. j/k

You're kidding that you overdid his drain bolt, or that you were looking for change? 🙂

 

[sjwaste]

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Check the drain bolt for leaks now. I had that happen and the damn thing leaked two quarts while running in my driveway.

As a stopgap, i used undersized rubber gaskets, which worked wonders. However, overboring it and using a bigger plug is the permanent fix.

I hope you don't have to experience that.

On my old jeep I've been using teflon pipe tape on the plug for the last 2 years. It worked much better than I thought it would so I've never bothered to really fix it.

That didn't work on mine, unfortunately. I tried that first, then combined with thicker/wider copper gaskets. Only thing that worked was using a 12mm rubber gasket on a 14mm bolt.

 

[BUTCH1]

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Check the drain bolt for leaks now. I had that happen and the damn thing leaked two quarts while running in my driveway.

As a stopgap, i used undersized rubber gaskets, which worked wonders. However, overboring it and using a bigger plug is the permanent fix.

I hope you don't have to experience that.

EDIT: Thought of another funny story. Once, they put the filter on really tight, I think it was the same time as the bolt incident because I only let a shop change my oil once or twice. I went out and bought one of those filter wrenches that tightens on the can as you try to loosen it. The damn thing crushed the filter in about 1/2" all the way around before it broke loose.

No problems (so far) I'm at a loss to guess why anyone would tighten a drain plug that tight, maybe that way no one can blame them for a loose bolt leaking oil. If I didn't have a breaker bar this would have ended with a stripped bolt..

 

[Pacfanweb]

Filters often get very tight whether you actually cranked down on it or not. Drain plugs shouldn't get that way, but be advised that their threads come apart easily...and while they might have gone on easily, they might be really hard to get off if the threads broke. And yes, the threads literally break. They're designed that way, because it's easier to replace the plug than the oil pan.

I'm not saying that it wasn't simply put on too tight, just that there ARE other reasons it could be like that.

Then again, the guy who did the work could have just been some big dude who's a lot stronger than you are and he didn't think they were that tight. 😉

 

[XZeroII]

I've had to jam a screwdriver through the filter to get it off before. What a mess.

On my old car, an 87 Grand Am, the first thing I did when I got it (around 1998 or so) was change the oil. It had a cap under the car and required a 1" socket to get off and the hole was probably 4" wide or so. Well it wouldn't come off. We had to tear that oil filter cover off with an air chisel in about 5 pieces. I don't know how it got so tight but it simply would not come off.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Get yourself a good open end/box wrench.

Get yourslef a hammer

use very light taps on the wrench and the drain bolt will loosen up without any chance of you stripping the head of the drain bolt off.

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: XZeroII
I've had to jam a screwdriver through the filter to get it off before. What a mess.

I had to do that once too. I didn't think I was going to get if off at all. The metal shell of the oil filter was peeling and curling. I tried several times until I finally realized I had to spear through up high. Once the screwdriver jammed against the internally threaded boss inside the filter, I was able to get enough leverage to get the filter off.

Luckily it was an old car with lots of room around the filter.

 

[BUTCH1]

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Get yourself a good open end/box wrench.

Get yourslef a hammer

use very light taps on the wrench and the drain bolt will loosen up without any chance of you stripping the head of the drain bolt off.

That was my first thought too but jacking gave me enough clearance to use the breaker bar, I used a tight fitting 6 point 13mm socket and I half lifted my 210lb ass off the garage floor before it came loose!.

 

[LTC8K6]

Well, I change my own oil, and the filter and drain plug always seem to be much tighter than I left them. I think the expansion and contraction cycles tighten them up.

 

[jRaskell]

If the drain plug was reinstalled while everything was still warm or hot, and you tried to remove the drain plug while it was cold, it will be tougher to remove. If it was overtightened even a bit, it will be a LOT tougher to remove.

I follow a very exact routine every time I change my oil. Drive to the local autoshop, buy my oil and filter. Drive home, let the car sit for half an hour. Drain oil, replace filter, put in new oil. I have always been able to remove the old filter by hand, never had any trouble with the drain plug.

I did try doing an oil change when the car was cold once. Planned on doing it one morning, bought the stuff, got home, then had a priority interrupt. Next morning, drain plug was much tighter than usual, couldn't get the old filter off. Had to borrow one of those filter removal tools from a neighbor. First time I'd used one of those in nearly a decade.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: boomerang

Originally posted by: XZeroII
I've had to jam a screwdriver through the filter to get it off before. What a mess.

I had to do that once too. I didn't think I was going to get if off at all. The metal shell of the oil filter was peeling and curling. I tried several times until I finally realized I had to spear through up high. Once the screwdriver jammed against the internally threaded boss inside the filter, I was able to get enough leverage to get the filter off.

Luckily it was an old car with lots of room around the filter.

I did that once, too. This was because I used the oil wrench to TIGHTEN the filter during the previous change. A mistake I never repeated. Talk about filthy.

 

[blurredvision]

I always have my oil changed at the same place (yes, I'd rather pay an extra $10 to have someone do it rather than do it myself), so if they put anything back on too tight, they are the ones who have to take it off in 3 months.

 

[bruceb]

I usually do my own oil using just a ratcheting 6 point box wrench to loosen and tighten the drain plug. But on in the winter I do take it to the dealer (gm for $29) to do the oil as I work in the driveway on my car. Dealer did tighten the drain plug a bit more than I usually do last time I was there. And I agree, filter should be spun down and then by hand about 1/2 turn or so.