Oil filter stuck

I don't imagine the whole filter being embedded into housing, so hammer a thick screw driver through the side and twist it off. Make sure all remains of previous gasket come away too.

Well the housing is part of the "engine". It's made from aluminium, and the filter is a cartridge type inside this housing. Like the sort you get mostly on motorbikes. So unfortunately I can't use the screwdriver plan....

The nut is facing down, below the car, in the centre of this circular housing. In fact it's a lot like changing a motorbike filter. Not sure if the nut is part of a bolt, or part of the housing.

Cheers, Carl.

In all probability a through bolt.

PDH

What sort of spanner are you using? Have you got or can you get a _hexagonal_ (6 sided) socket? Most are 12-sided, and prone to rounding off the heads of difficult bolts and nuts. It'll likely come straight off with a 6-flat socket.

I'd change the filter, and top up the oil to replenish the loss.

John

Is this the kind of filter you have? Wrench-Off Oil Filters

(By K&N; I think Mobil 1 has this too)Click "More info" and you'll read "Each of our automotive and marine oilfilters comes with a 1" nut welded to the top of the canister so they can beeasily wrenched-off with a standard tool." So you can destroy the filterwithout fear of damaging anything protruding into the filter from the oilsump. You should check from the Haynes Manual first of course thatthis is indeed true! First try again with a socket of an imperial size of exactly 1". Failing that you might get one of these spider filter wrenches: the traditional belt/chain wrap tool you find in Halfords. Failing allof these, you can resort to punching through the body of the filter canisterwith a strong, long screwdriver and twist, as suggested before me. I havedone that. It was messy but worked. Hey, can you not drain the new oil and reuse it after removing the filter?

I'd assumed it was this one:

John

Sounds like you may have been using a bi-hex socket or spanner. You'd have a better chance of removing it with a hexagon socket, or better still a flank or wall drive socket, which is a socket, or spanner come to that, that contacts on the flats of the hex bolt head, rather than the corners. Very effective even on bolts that have started to round. If you did replace the filter, you would only lose the oil in the filter housing, so you would only lose about a cupful of your new oil. Mike.

Gentlemen,

Correct, I started of using a 12 point socket, this caused the initial rounding of the bolt. Then I borrowed a 6 point socket and tried that, but it's in an awkward place to try and get leverage, and it tends to slip off at an angle (the bolt seems bleedin' tight).

The filter is the paper cartridge type, as in the link John provided. Therefore the oil filter housing is a part of the car (thus not wanting to stick a screwdriver through it - I probably couldn't in fact, it's too thick).

The bolt head is also recessed ever so slightly, making it difficult to get a good purchase with anything other than a socket or drop head ring spanner.

My brother has a compressor, with an impact wrench attachment. Maybe I'll see if that can shake it loose this weekend, with a decent 6 point socket attached.

No Haynes manual available for my car :o(

Thanks for all suggestions!

Carl.

To me, this is rubbish if it is a decent quality bi-hex socket or ring of the correct size used on a bolt or nut which is unlikely to be rusted. I've been using such things for many many years and never 'rounded off' an undamaged free of rust nut, etc. Indeed on things like exhaust manifolds I've snapped a few rusted studs without any damage to the nut.

Of course 'flats' drive sockets might come into their own on rusty or damaged nuts, etc.

Sounds like the initial socket wasn't kept square when trying to undo, or was a poor quality one which didn't fit correctly. With any socket it's essential to keep the effort on the bolt as pure rotation with as little side thrust as possible. A ring spanner does this by nature as it doesn't stick out beyond the centre of the nut, etc.

What can I say? I'd been maintaining cars for over 20 years before I first rounded off a very tight sump plug (no rust). I've since done it to a few other things with "soft" bolts or nuts. I've got a good collection of hex sockets now, and use nothing else on sump plugs especially.

John

What about a surface drive socket, they are meant to be good on damaged bolts. Worth a try?

It's possible the sump plug was damaged before you got the car?

I've had to use a breaker bar on brass sump plugs before now with bi-hex and not rounded them. But I'd guess it's down to the fit of the socket - and there's quite a variation.

Hard to say. But I find that rounding damage tends to accumulate with repeated use of bi-hex tools, while hex tools keep the surfaces true.

John

The brass plug on my SD1 is about 20 years old and has been removed at least once a year - more so when the car was new. And it's in perfect condition. Of course I'm not saying you can't abuse such things.

I'm not a great believer in magic tools when the old ones have done ok for many years if used with skill and care. Bi-hex is also more versatile where space is tight.

Have you tried removing this oil filter cover both at hot and cold? Sometimes one or the other is a lot easier.

Wot I suggested. AKA flank or wall drive. Mike.

Oops yes sorry Mike, I saw that after I posted :o)

I am picking up some surface drive sockets tonight from Bennetts, will give it a go at the weekend. Will probably take it for a good drive to get warmed up first, by the time I tried it last time it had cooled down considerably.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

Carl.

Make sure to buy a new bolt first and not be tempted to re-use the old one.