Filter removal without a gorilla

bkenobi · Dec 1, 2016

I was going to change my filters this evening when I ran into a somewhat expected snag. NH hires gorillas to install their filters! I assume the oil filter wasn't lubricated and is locked in place. I tried my Orielly filter strap wrench (connects to a 1/2" wrench) but only got a few degrees of rotation before having clearance issues. I don't have a filter socket, but after using a strap, I'm pretty sure it's too buggered up for that. I know about pliers but have heard they can destroy the filter potentially before completely removed. Any suggestions?

4570Man · Dec 1, 2016

I've always used straps or pliers. My grandpa drives a screw driver through them, but I'm not a fan of that methods.

bkenobi · Dec 1, 2016

I had a jiffy lube guy suggest that years ago, but that seems problematic if it doesn't work. Also, tearing a hole in the filter isn't going to be mess free!

MF283 · Dec 1, 2016

Had to use a screwdriver once, nothing a little cleaner & water hose didn't take care of. Being you got it to move a little, tighten it back up & try again.

Ronnie

stuckmotor · Dec 1, 2016

When I first bought my used MF the oil filter wouldn't budge and I broke my never-fail homemade filter wrench trying. Luckily, the filter was positioned so that a huge pair of arc joint pliers around the rim removed it. I had to go out and buy the pliers they cost somewhere around $25.00.

s219 · Dec 1, 2016

I've had to drive a screwdriver through a few of them. There's also a gadget that's basically a set of jaws with a nut in the middle that you turn with a wrench. As you turn the nut in the direction to loosen a filter, it also causes the jaws to bite down. That works well, though I haven't seen in a couple years so I may have misplaced it.

I remember once on a new Subaru, I had one of those cups that fit over the end of the filter like a big socket, then you turn that with a 3/4 wrench. Could not get the filter to turn loose, and after much struggling, the cup/socket was pretty well stuck to the filter. It took me using a breaker bar with a 4' section of pipe slid over it to get the factory filter to budge. Talk about nuts.

frogpond · Dec 2, 2016

The gadget with a set of jaws described by s219 does work. I have one from Harbor Freight. And it's not expensive. The oil filter on my bx25d has very little clearance around it, and this device has been a knuckle saver and frustration preventer.. Because it tightens up as you turn it with a socket wrench, it can work on a variety of filter sizes. I've only used it once so far, so I can't speak to its durability.

coldsteelva · Dec 2, 2016

HF Part Number?

oosik · Dec 2, 2016

I've never had a filter that I couldn't break loose with a strap wrench. The original filter on many were tight beyond belief. I don't know if its that the engine was painted AFTER the filter was installed or ALL manufacturers have gorillas to tighten filters. Whatever - you can just about figure that the original filters are going to be really tight.

CCWKen · Dec 2, 2016

I've had to use the 3-screwdiriver method on a couple of cars. These were impossible to get to without a filter socket. I didn't have the socket. Once you punch the first hole in the bottom and let the filter drain, the mess isn't not that bad. Then punch another and put the third between them and twist.

It's worth buying the sockets for all your vehicles and tractors if you stick with the same brand of filter for each type. Not all brands are the same even for the same/equivalent filter number. Pick a good brand of filter and stick with it. (And keep spares.) Then buy a filter socket for that type. It will save a lot of frustration and skinned knuckles in the future.