doing an oil change for the first time on my truck and for the life of me i can't get the oil filter off. i feel like an idiot for asking this, but has anyone ever had a filter siezed on the threads? i have a strap wrench that looks like a seatbelt attached to a square metal tube. you throw a ratchet or in my case a breaker bar on it and spin the filter right off. everytime i put a filter on i do it hand tight and then 1/2 turn with a wrench. i am actually crushing the filter can and it isn't budging. and i am turning the right way. lefty loosey. what else can i try?

btw, the dealer i bought it from said they did an oil change as part of the getting ready to sell process and now i am really starting to doubt that. so god only knows how long it has been since it was last changed.

 

Yes, lefty loosy. You are correct. I've seen filters stuck on these trucks several times. Don't worry. And yes, it's from over tightening it. I have filter wrench that has 4 fingers on it that go to the outside of the filter. When you twist on it, the fingers clamp down on the filter. Either it comes off, or tears the filter in half.

Or you could always use a drift or chisel at the top of the filter to try and get it moving. But be patient. And worst case, if you have to cut it off, at least the particles won't go in the motor. LOL Good luck man.

 

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

The cheap version.

 

Move your filter wrench as close to the base as you can and twist away. Have seen em where I have used channel lock pliers or rammed a pry bar thru the filter to finally get it off. Definately too tight. I spin mine on snug and tighten it by hand till it won't turn and sometimes this is too much.. Oily hands makes sure I can't grip it too good. ha ha...

 

when i have one like that i usually just drive a screwdriver all the way through it and then just turn it.

 

i thought of jamming a screwdriver through and trying but with it being this tight i figured i would just tear off the bottom. i went to advance auto parts and bought one of those chain wrenches for tractors and big filters. all that did was poke a hole in the top of the filter and i ended up bending the wrench in half. i tried one of the 3 jaw clamp things but it wouldn't grip the filter. it just spun.
grrrrrrrrrr

 

if you drive a screwdriver through it you just have to make sure you get it though the metal section in the center of the filter. if you are off center youll just rip the filter open when you turn it.

 

I worked on a car one time that a heavy equipment guy put a filter on. Screwdriver through it didn't do it. Multiple filter wrenches wouldn't do it. Cold chisel on the base wouldn't do it. Finally had to cut the B*&stard in two, and used a socket driven on the end of the threaded shaft to get it off. Musta taken a good couple of hours, but it came. Hope you don't have to resort to that...

 

well i bought a pair of those vise grips with the big curved jaws for taking off filters and all it does when i hammer on it is spin a bit. i can't tighten it anymore because all it is doing is crushing the can a bit. this is absolutely ridiculous. drove a screwdriver though the bottom and put a 3' piece of pipe over the end and all i did was break a screwdriver! may be time to cut it.

 

well i thought i had a great idea. i have a 1000lb hand crank winch so i put the chain wrench around the filter, got underneath, ran the cable forward and up and over the front axle and hooked it to the wrench handle. i braced the winch itself against the back side off the axle housing and cranked away. all it did was start to bend the handle on my 3rd wrench today. never budged the filter. how do i cut it off? i can't see how i can get a swazall in there, and it's real close to the oil pan on the front. i'd be even more pissed if i punched through that too.

 

Okay fella, your situation sucks, but there is a logical sequence of events. Once you poke a hole in it, you are stuck either finishing the job yourself or have it towed.

We had a guy drive a screwdriver through one and then drive it in to us. We ended up replacing that motor.

So from what I understand, you have already crushed the housing and if I read correctly, you have poked a hole in it. You have tried everything else so....

Find yourself a bar and drive a hole through the filter approx 1.5 inch from the baseplate. (Consider the direction you need to turn it when you drive the bar through cause you will need to turn it.)

Use this to turn the filter. If it does not turn, you are correct in that it will tear the filter in half. Remove everything you can until the internal nut is exposed. At this point you can use a cold chisel on the baseplate or use a pipewrench on the nut. It will come off. Never failed on one yet.

Heck,my friend bought a Honda Civic that the filter had been crushed at some time in the past and had been left on so long that it was nearly rusted through. The strap wrench tore it in half. We worked on that on for hours, but believe it or not the engine was not hurt. He ran it another 150K.

The filter will come off. Just think about it logically and make sure you are going the right direction!

Good Luck,

Aaron

 

Allisonmo2 I can understand your frustration about now. Them filter pliers usually do a good job until you get in too severe crushing. That is where the channel lock pliers can be a great tool, and I don't mean the little 12" ones. You need the bigger 18 or 24" size for a wide mouth bite. Never had a filter I couldn't get off with them But if all else Arons' idea will get you through this.Think positive and hang in there.

 

to prevent this, what i do is take some of the new oil im going to put in the engine, and i dip my finger in it, then i do the o ring like suppost to, but i also then run my finger around the threads in the inside of the filter and on the male threads on teh filter housing, have not had one not come loose with a filter wrench since...

but i have always done the long screw driver through to get it loose.

 

the end result of my first 7 hour oil change.

thank god! took two people, vise grip filter pliers and a 2' pry bar through the filter. and a fram no less!

 

damn iv had some stubborn ones before looks like that one realy gave you an hard time