4.0 Oil Change

[backslash18]

I hate that I have to even ask this but I'm out of ideas... My truck has been sitting for about a year while I recovered from some injuries and couldn't do anything with it. Now that I'm capable of physical activity again i decided to go out and try and get it running. I figured I'd change the oil and fuel filters, new battery, check the gas and so on.

Now I've drained the oil but can't get the filter off. The last change was done at a quicklube shop and I swear they put it on with an impact gun. There isn't a lot of space around the filter on a 4.0 and I can't seem to do anything to budge the filter. I've tried the following and I'm out of tricks.

Removing by hand
Oil filter Wrench
Strap Wrench
Razorblade around the seal
Screwdriver through the filter
Channel locks

Now I'm left with a mangled filter that has sharp edges all over the place and I'm no closer to getting it off the truck. It's been suggested I use penetrating oil and that I heat the filter up with a torch. I'm not big on the torch idea but does anyone here have any ideas for me?

 

[Explorin94]

This might be the part of your fight where you swallow your pride and ask for a friend to come over and help. Cause you have tried all the ideas that I would have told you, except for a chisel and a hammer to the base of the filter.

 

[Hahnsb2]

Chisel. Hammer.

 

[bodkin1]

First oil change I did on mine after I bought it I encountered the same problem. Turns out whoever did it before neglected to oil the gasket before they put it on. After much fighting and cursing went down to the auto parts store and bought this. Got it off in a minute.

Attaches to a 3/8 ratchet.

 

[nine-teen91stxranger]

chisel. hammer= oil filter out. the numb nuts who had my ranger before me stripped out the drain plug and they tapped it with reverse threads... that took me about a hour to figure out.

 

[4.0B2]

they tapped it with reverse threads... that took me about a hour to figure out.

wow, that sucks!!!


but yea, get one of those fancy thingamiggers shown above, it works wonders

 

[Psychopete]

Had that same problem, but I had the engine out at the time. Went through just about everything you did, except last resort I bent the lip around where it sealed to the engine down with a screw driver and hammer, got around what I could and eventually got it off. Does your have the oil filter adapter? Is it possible to remove that, then remove the filter from the adapter in a vise?

And even after I had the engine back in, putting the filter on and hand tightening it (and I know to oil the seal), that thing would just get stuck on there. Never figured that one out, but think it was related to heat.

 

[backslash18]

Thanks for the replies guys. I don't have the adapter so it's the filter or nothing unfortunately. That tool looks perfect except my filter is already so far out of round that I doubt it would work at this point. I didn't see anything like that in the local stores though so...

When you guys say to go at it with a chisel and hammer, don't you have to worry about destroying the threads up above? I don't want to solve this problem just to walk in to another you know?

 

[Psychopete]

Doubt you'll trash the threads unless you were being reckless as hell. I fought and fought, completely trashed the filter, hardly anything to grab on to anymore. Had the idea to hammer down on top of the filter where it seals to bend the filter down and give some breathing room, eventually I got it free with a lot of effort. Not much option left, just going to keep ripping the filter apart. I suppose in doing that you could get a good spot to get a pair of vise grips on it and bend it away that way. The filter shouldn't be caught up on the threads, but the rubber seal and the engine block.

I used the socket style oil filter tool that fits on the end, stripped out the filter. Used one of those tools that digs into the side, dented and punched a hole thru. Channel locks, made matters worse. Screw driver thru the filter, don't ask lol, but that did the most damage. Above is the best I could come up with at the time and eventually got it off.

 

[skyway0018746]

i would say an air hammer might work better in the tight space you have just be careful with it.

 

[holyford86]

Drop the crossover pipe, pull the oil filter adapter off the block, grab filter in vice and turn adapter with big channel locks.

 

[mud_bogger]

Not sure how much filter is left, And havnt looked under that year of ranger before. But can you get the Chain style vise-grips wraped around it? Had to use them just the other day on a oilfilter for a powerstroke.