Overtightened oil filter

[Towncivilian]

A couple days ago I performed my first oil change at a friend's house. Oil drain and refill was easy stuff, but the filter on the other hand was hell. Some shop had overtightened it to something like 80,000 hojillion ft-lbs of torque; we couldn't get off by hand, and we couldn't remove it with a pair of filter pliers. I asked a local Total Tire shop today since I had to get my wheels torqued to spec anyway (we had rotated my tires yesterday) whether they could just remove the oil filter for me and swap in a Nissan OEM oil filter I'd give them, but they said they'd have to do an entire oil change. Since I just changed the oil 100 miles ago, I obviously don't want this. I don't know whether he just required a full oil change for liability purposes or just to make some cash, but I'm wondering whether a full oil change is truly necessary to change out the filter? Also, dumb question, but which way do I turn the filter to loosen it (towards driver side, or towards passenger side)? We may have tightened it even more by accident

[AZhitman]

Yes, it is.

See, it makes a mess if you pull the filter when the oil is full.

Take it to someplace that does a $14.95 oil change or something. Wal-Mart, maybe?

[Towncivilian]

Yes, it is.

See, it makes a mess if you pull the filter when the oil is full.

Take it to someplace that does a $14.95 oil change or something. Wal-Mart, maybe?

Damnit! Any severe consequence to waiting until the next oil change (which I'd do early at around 2500 miles vs. 3k)?

[fueler]

u can pull the oil filter off without changing the oil. ive done it before. As always, a little bit will spill out, but no more than already would spill out during an oil change.

PS righty tighty lefty loosy

[AZhitman]

Yep.

1) You may have damaged the filter wrenchin' on it
2) The internal material can break down over time and enter the oil passages
3) It's $15. It's not a big pile of $.

p.s. Getcha a strap wrench for next time. Clean the filter w/ brake cleaner, wipe it good, and that strap wrench will kick its a$$.

[AZhitman]

PS righty tighty lefty loosy

[Towncivilian]

u can pull the oil filter off without changing the oil. ive done it before. As always, a little bit will spill out, but no more than already would spill out during an oil change.

PS righty tighty lefty loosy

Was your PF just flat on the ground, or raised up when you changed your filter?

And yeah, we tried righty tighty lefty loosy, but that changes depending on your orientation vs the filter Can you specify driver or passenger side for a dummy?

And why I don't want to change the oil immediately is because I put in some Valvoline Maxlife oil, and I'd essentially be pissing away the cost of that within 150 miles if I get an oil change at some place, and I'd eat the cost of another 6 quarts by handing them the oil & filter to change to. But I guess it's really not a ton of money, so I guess I'll go buy some more oil and tell them to not torque the filter so damn tight, just hand tight + 2/3rd turn as specified in the manual.

[fueler]

i just remembered an old trick to getting stuck oil filters off. stab it through the side with a screwdriver, make sure the screwdriver comes out the other side, and then you can twist it using the handle of the screwdriver. i had to do that once.

if u looking at it like this, then u twist counter clockwise.

[Towncivilian]

i just remembered an old trick to getting stuck oil filters off. stab it through the side with a screwdriver, make sure the screwdriver comes out the other side, and then you can twist it using the handle of the screwdriver. i had to do that once.

Read about that too, I'm not going to do that. Edited post above, btw.

[AZhitman]

Don't do the screwdriver thing. I've seen the filter tear in half. Then what?

BTW, right and left never change, regardless of your orientation.

[Towncivilian]

I see. I guess my buddy and I tightened the filter even more, we're morons.

I suppose I'll just eat the cost and buy some more Maxlife from Walmart and get some shop to change it out, then. As long as they don't overtighten the filter I should be able to do future oil changes myself.

[AZhitman]

[CanuckQx4]

Even if you CRANKED it down, you should be able to get it off with a strap filter wrench and there cheap.

Just turn it the right way, counter clockwise.

I personally would just leave it on there now until the next oil change, its not going to break down or anything in 3k miles youll be fine

[Towncivilian]

I personally would just leave it on there now until the next oil change, its not going to break down or anything in 3k miles youll be fine

I'm also thinking of leaving it on, it's not dented or crushed significantly and it's not leaking or anything as far as I know (I shall check tomorrow, though)... I'm uncertain of when the filter was last changed, but I'll check records tomorrow to determine. If it's old, yeah I'll eat the cost and replace it, but if it was just changed with the previous oil change I don't think it'll do much harm.

[Chuck Tribolet]

If it's not too badly crushed, you can put a cap type filter wrench on it, and then a breaker bar on the cap.
Cap wrenches are a good idea. You can use them in constrained areas.

Or try a BIG pair of channel locks. My folks gave me a 16" pair years ago as a joke. They have been very useful.

When installing a filter:
A. put a little oil on the gasket it slides and doesn't deform. I just touch the gasket on the new filter to the gasket on the old
filter.
B. Screw down till contact, then hand tighten 3/4 of a turn more. I need clean dry hands to do that.

I wouldn't trust a tire shop to torque my wheels.


Chuck

[Towncivilian]

If it's not too badly crushed, you can put a cap type filter wrench on it, and then a breaker bar on the cap.
Cap wrenches are a good idea. You can use them in constrained areas.

Or try a BIG pair of channel locks. My folks gave me a 16" pair years ago as a joke. They have been very useful.

When installing a filter:
A. put a little oil on the gasket it slides and doesn't deform. I just touch the gasket on the new filter to the gasket on the old
filter.
B. Screw down till contact, then hand tighten 3/4 of a turn more. I need clean dry hands to do that.

I wouldn't trust a tire shop to torque my wheels.


Chuck

We did try a cap wrench, but it kept slipping and stripping itself.

I find that a bit ironic that you wouldn't trust a tire shop to torque wheels. Why is that? I watched the guy torque every nut, but I didn't ask him what the torque wrench was set to. Also, Total Tire does entire vehicle maintenance, not just tires.

[Chuck Tribolet]

I've seen some nasty stuff done by tire shops. Nuts way over torqued.

Was it the right cap wrench? They are unique to the filter, and sometimes even the filter maker. Was it metal or plastic (metal
better).


Chuck

[Towncivilian]

Dunno, I should have asked what the torque setting was then.

I bought some metal Fram cap wrench that plugs into I think a 3/8" drive ratchet. It seems to fit decently, and I tested it on a replacement filter in-store to make sure it fit.

[fueler]

at the mexican tire shop i go to, they dont even know what a torque wrench is. they just air gun the suckers on like 150 lbs lol. Like a nascar pit stop.

I still go there cause their tires are like half the price of a big-brand-name american tire shop...

[Buzzman]

at the mexican tire shop i go to, they don't even know what a torque wrench is. they just air gun the suckers on like 150 lbs lol. Like a nascar pit stop.
.

LOL. That brings back a few memories of a local garage I used to do business with years ago. (they're gone now).
Anytime I had work done there that required the wheels to come off, the first thing I did when I got home was re torque every wheel nut.
Man, they were on tight. I'd have to use an extension bar to get them loose.
Now I understand why my discs used to warp.

[Towncivilian]

A friend and I took a long screwdriver and rubber mallet to the filter. It was difficult even then. After much cussing and eventually getting it off, we filled the new Nissan OEM filter with oil and also spread oil on its rubber gasket and screwed it in.

Will screw the cardboard skid plate back on tomorrow. I cleaned its bolts and washers in some CLR tile cleaner and cleaned the threads of the bolts with a paper towel in the two weeks or so it was off.