Doing my first oil change on my "new" 1993 E-350 with a 5.8L.

I've seen some pretty stupid oil filter placements, and this one is definitely in my top five. So far I have had no luck getting the filter off using a variety of strap wrenches.

Seems like a gorilla mechanic must have tightened it on there.

Anyone got tips for removing? I already drove a screwdriver through it; didn't help (but it did drain the oil, at least).

Thinking of the razor blade on the gasket trick (which will be difficult, since I can only access one side of the filter) or using a torch to burn the gasket out of there.

 

The last time I had to remove a stubborn filter like that I ended up tearing off everything but the base and using a hammer and a long screwdriver as a punch to turn what was left.

 

This has never failed me:

 

Been there

 

2X's on that pliers, Always work for me

 

3x from me. I've changed oil on hundreds of different vehicles and those pliers are the Go To tool.

 

While those pliers are great, sometimes the filter just tears apart.
I've wondered what the installer did to get a filter that tight.

 

Thanks for the tips guys. I may get a set of those pliers. The problem is getting enough leverage in such a small space -- I have a cheater bar, but there's barely enough room to use it. I may have to just destroy the outer shell of the filter and hammer the core off.

 

That's what great about the pliers, I had a '94, 5.8 with the oil cooler, and the pliers were the only thing I could get in that tight spot to break the seal.

Of course, the last person that put the filter on might had over tighten it, like past the 1/4 turn, by hand, or the filter has been on for years........

 

There's two different versions of those Tekton pliers -- 12" and 16". I'm tempted to get the 16" for maximum torque. Which length have you guys used?

 

I'm not partial to the Tekton brand, that was just the first picture that I found. Channel Lock and other brands make them as well. I would go with the longest handle set that will fit in your toolbox.

 

agree with every sentence.

 

I wanted to thank you guys -- I got a set of those filter pliers and they were indeed what finally enabled me to get that !@#$%^ filter off the van. It wasn't easy, but they did work.

I got a set of two, one is 13.5" long and the other is 18" long. The 18" are too long because they interfere with the track bar. The 13.5" work all right.

It's still an incredibly stupid place to put an oil filter, though. Sure like changing the oil on my Cummins a lot better -- that's a ten-minute job.

 

Congrats!

 

At least it will be easier next time