Another oil filter horror story

[Mrtin]

Hey folks. This happened a while back and just thought I'd add it to the pile of stories out there. I generally do my own oil. I was far from home, about 1K miles far, and needed an oil change before hitting the road again.

Went to a cheap oil change shop, everything was fine. Went to change my oil at the next interval and found my filter wrench did not fit. The filter on there was significantly smaller in diameter than any filter I've ever bought for my engine (I have a 2.3)

Went and bought a smaller size wrench which fit. Filter seemed overly tight. One good pull and I crushed the filter. Several hours and lots of mess later I ended up getting some vise grips around it and getting the filter free. I can't recall the brand of filter, maybe some of you can figure it out by this picture.

Now I don't know if this is a bad filter, or if it was just improperly installed. Just putting this out there in case anyone needed another reason to avoid cheapo oil and lube shops.

 

[86 slo-vo]

Hey folks. This happened a while back and just thought I'd add it to the pile of stories out there. I generally do my own oil. I was far from home, about 1K miles far, and needed an oil change before hitting the road again.

Went to a cheap oil change shop, everything was fine. Went to change my oil at the next interval and found my filter wrench did not fit. The filter on there was significantly smaller in diameter than any filter I've ever bought for my engine (I have a 2.3)

Went and bought a smaller size wrench which fit. Filter seemed overly tight. One good pull and I crushed the filter. Several hours and lots of mess later I ended up getting some vise grips around it and getting the filter free. I can't recall the brand of filter, maybe some of you can figure it out by this picture.

Now I don't know if this is a bad filter, or if it was just improperly installed. Just putting this out there in case anyone needed another reason to avoid cheapo oil and lube shops.

My guess is it was a combination of cheap filter, no oil on the O-ring and over torqued.

 

[PANTERA]

I agree with 86 Slo-vo. They probably cranked the filter on TIGHT! Like you, I do the oil changes myself. Heard too many horror stories from people getting changes from these quickie lube places. Plus if something DOES go wrong, I have no one to blame but MYSELF!
Jason

 

[dangerranger83]

In a pinch I went to Wal-Mart since I didn't have a place to do my own oil change at. I supplied the oil and filter. Got home a few miles down the road and checked the filter and it was a turn loose still, thankfully it didn't come any loser and bleed on the ground while driving. This was on my thunderbird with a 4.6. I about went back and decked somebody.

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[ab_slack]

I've had on a couple occasions hammered a screwdriver thru cause the filter crushed rather than twist off with a wrench on it because of how tight it was put on by a shop.

I've had one instance of an oil filter damaged by the shop, they kinked it with wrench putting on and it was leaking oil thru a small hole.

I've also had them strip the oil plug putting it on so hard that it was leaking there.

My biggest pet peeve about shops is torqueing of lug nuts. If I can't get them off with the cross lug wrench that is too tight and I have had occasions where it was tough getting them off with an impact wrench. I had to bring car back to the shop once to get them to get nuts off a wheel. This hunched back guy comes out with this 4ft long breaker bar and even then they hardly moved. And all this messes up the rims.

 

[dangerranger83]

A little anti seeze or wheel bearing grease on lug nuts is what I do. Never had them back off on me either and makes it much easier to get them off.

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[JohnnyO]

Agree with 86, I'm thinking they used a filter wrench to tighten the filter.
Once I changed the oil on my church's emergency generator, the filter had been for God knows how long and wouldn't budge. Ended up using a strap wrench which worked nicely. Crushed the filter though.
I always put my filters on as tight as a greasy hand will make them.

 

[Doofy]

Being in a cold climate, I tighten mine more than usual. The cold seems to shrink the gaskets.

 

[Hagan]

Better too tight then too loose!

 

[86 slo-vo]

Always oil the gasket and only hand tight.


If I get a tight one I just beat a screw driver through and turn it off.

 

[adsm08]

I heard a story in school from the prof once. When he was just getting started in dealerships they had a car come in, it was a regular vehicle, and nobody told him the back story. 25K miles on the original oil filter because it was overtightened and nobody could get it to budge. He had the bad luck to puncture the filter trying to take it off and then it had to be replaced.


I also saw one, when the new 5.0s came out. A guy was in for his second oil change, his first was done at a Jiffy-goob. They put an old V8 filter (the FL-820) on. The coyote takes an FL500, same gasket, same hole size, different threads. That was fun to get off.



It looks like they put an FL400 on it, and you probably use FL1-A (or equivalents). Same gasket and threads, the 1-A is just bigger.

 

[pjtoledo]

always make a mark on the filter, when the gasket touches its at least 3/4 turn. usually try for 1 full turn by hand.
for removal I've one of those adjustable wrenches that looks like a 3 legged crab, works great.

Perry

 

[97RangerXLT]

yeah, hand tight and 3/4 turn for me.

I once took the Ranger to Walmart for an oil change...(yeah what was I thinking...) the next time I did the oil change myself and had to get a small breaker bar out to remove the oil plug. I was pissed. my truck has an aluminum oil pan too.

I usually do my own oil changes on the Ranger, but every now and then if I get a good enough deal and don't want to mess with it I will take it to a shop, but that hasn't happened since I moved to Indiana back in 2008..

AJ

 

[pcollins]

I just go hand tight and maybe a turn more, never had one leak, and I can get it off without a wrench every single time.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

I have removed one with an air chisel once....