Man Spends Three Days Trying To Remove Oil Filter

[Mackman]

I had a friend in the late 70’s that was a mechanic at a local Chevy dealer. He claimed that the guy at the factory that installed the oil filters was actually a gorilla.

 

[padam]

Yeah put on dry at the factory. I felt like a real idiot beating the filter off a brand new engine with a screwdriver.

 

[Sixpactogo]

Like Big Bad Dad. After crushing the filter with a big channel lock pliers, I too opted for the filter socket. The right tool for the right job is a no-brainer. That and adding oil to the new filter to save the pump a little time getting oil back to the lifters seemed to be another good idea.

 

[XS22J8R]

When I bought my ‘09 Challenger, I’d heard stories about how hard it was to get the filter off hemis during the first oil change because they have a guy named Mongo at the engine assembly plant who installs them.
I bought it at a dealer 90 miles away and they sent me a coupon for a free oil change. I decided a nice long drive would be fun so I took them up on it. Have done all the subsequent ones myself.
My new 6.4 hemi Ram is about due for its first change and this time the dealer didn’t offer any free oil changes. Do I take a chance Mongo retired, or pay for its first change?

 

[69a100]

I don't know if I can call him a friend anymore because of his slanderous disrespect for disabled Vets and my family. But I digress! Anyway, this schmuck back in the late 70's bought a 69 Mustang w/a 289 that needed a oil change when he bought it. He calls me asking how the hell to remove the oil filter. Long story short, I go over to help him and he's trashed the filter in every way possible trying to get it off. Drill a hole & use a tire iron, channel locks, vice grips, etc, etc. I couldn't help much at that point cause he borked up the filter so bad that there wasn't much left of it! He wound up having it towed to a shop to get the filter off and complete the oil change.

 

[Bee1971]

72 Hours to remove an Oil Filter

WOW

 

[Don Frelier]

This has worked EVERY time I have tried.

I was helping change the oil for one of my brother's friends in high school. Couldn't get the filter off. Tried the screw driver through the filter all it did was shred the filter.
When my dad came home from work I begged him to help. He reluctantly crawled under there and spun it off with one hand (he has large hands)
I had a whole new level of respect for dads hands after that.
He commented it wasn't very tight but I knew it sure wasn't.

 

[Kern Dog]

Take the screwdriver and put it against the outer ridge where the filter is against the block.....tap it with a hammer. It will come off.
I would never admit to anyone that this took me three days to do. Whatever happened to pride?
We used to openly make fun of losers like this.

 

[joe smith]

I had a similar experience on the 383 in my 71 Charger many years ago. Spent a few hours under the car, but finally got it off. I think it was installed dry on the seal ring. I learned quickly that the screwdriver through the casing was NOT a good idea! Now, I have become a big fan of the sockets that fit on the end of the filters and use a 3/8 drive extension and ratchet. They usually work for me, even when the filter is really tight. I have one that fits every vehicle my family owns now, and purchase one if we get a new vehicle with a different filter.

I like those too, but they do not work on all cars....

 

[moparedtn]

I'm an old fire sprinkler guy.
As such, my ace in the hole, as it were, is of course a Ridgid 24" pipe wrench.
On a RB in a b-body, there is exactly one position in which you have the swing room to
make that work - not that I'd know anything about that. ;-)

On any of the rides around this ridge, filters are all easily removed by my hand, of course -
I do fill 'em partially and slick up the gasket so's it doesn't have much chance of bunching
up or whatnot, but they're installed as tight as my right hand can get them barehanded.
I'm left-handed, of course. Next time is never a problem....
But of course, that freakin' old Ridgid is always warming up in the bullpen, just in case.

 

[beanhead]

 

[khryslerkid]

Next Month's article... Same guy changes spark plugs

 

[Kern Dog]

I will admit that a spark plug change in a 5.7 equipped 2003-2008 Ram truck S U C K S.
The fastest time I had was 1 1/2 hours.

 

[Gort]

HHHmmmmmm.....

I wonder how long he spent twisting it the wrong direction before he figured it out...

 

[OKDart]

When I bought my ‘09 Challenger, I’d heard stories about how hard it was to get the filter off hemis during the first oil change because they have a guy named Mongo at the engine assembly plant who installs them.
I bought it at a dealer 90 miles away and they sent me a coupon for a free oil change. I decided a nice long drive would be fun so I took them up on it. Have done all the subsequent ones myself.
My new 6.4 hemi Ram is about due for its first change and this time the dealer didn’t offer any free oil changes. Do I take a chance Mongo retired, or pay for its first change?

I did the first oil change on my 2020 Ram 6.4. It came off easy enough. They are very small filters that stick out the front of the engine similar to Big Block Mopars, but they have a built in catch tray.

 

[moparedtn]

I will admit that a spark plug change in a 5.7 equipped 2003-2008 Ram truck S U C K S.
The fastest time I had was 1 1/2 hours.

The worst, amen.
If you don't have several socket extension swivels before the first time....you will afterwards.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Since getting this set I've had no trouble at all.... Prior to that I'd only had a few fight me but one friend who owns a fleet of plumbing trucks bought it when the fuel filter on one of his old diesel trucks was giving me trouble

 

[BB BELLA]

I will admit that a spark plug change in a 5.7 equipped 2003-2008 Ram truck S U C K S.
The fastest time I had was 1 1/2 hours.

I would do one bank a night on the magnum! then i got smart and sat at the table gapped them all applied antiseize and reboxed them!what took longest was finding a 10mm socket for the coil packs!
guys who bitch about car oil filters havn't worked on many boats, and I'm not talking about the ones with remote filter!I've changed plugs on a few boats 20yrs. old and they still had the original #7 plug with overspray on it!

 

[dvw]

Working as an auto tech 45 years there was more than one filter that the can got ripped off. If the seal was dry and it was installed to tight, good luck. Learned two things. Before the can starts to twist grab it with 2 oil filter wrenches at the same time. Most times that will work. The cup type by itself can tear the can off. If the can has to come off or tears you are at option two. Break out the air chisel. Grind a bit with a notch in it. Place the notch in one of the holes and have at it. At times the hole will tear. You may have to go to a 2nd hole. Filter brand doesn't matter. I've had this happen with many different brands.
Doug

 

[moparedtn]

Big-assed Channelocks work wonders too - same ones I use on brake calipers.
You can grab that rascal by the base and give 'er hell.