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C6 Corvette ZR1 & Z06General info about GM’s Corvette Supercar, LS9 Corvette Technical Info, Performance Upgrades, Suspension Setup for Street or Track
Until my warranty ran out I had a local dealer do the oil changes, just so there would be a record of service in case I needed to use the warranty. Since the last oil change (a year ago - 1200 mi) there has been a small oil drip on the bottom of the filter. I knew something wasn't quite right, but it never dripped onto the floor, so I didn't worry about it.
I should be able to remove the filter just using my hand, but this filter is cranked on so tight I can't move it. I suspect that either the gasket wasn't lubricated before it was installed or it slipped out of its channel, and the mechanic just cranked the filter on harder to force it to seal.
I have tried the following clamps:
The rubber strap clamp would have been ideal, but it needs unrestricted access on at least one side of the filter. The way this filter is embedded, it is not an option.
I used the steel strap clamp, and was able to get some bite just around the bottom of the filter. All it did was crush the filter. Now its hard to fit any clamp on it. I then tried the big channel-lock pliers, and all they did was puncture the filter, and started oil dripping everywhere.
So, I punched a hole in the bottom, and set the project aside to drain while I planned my next steps.
I have a nylon strap wrench arriving tomorrow. The advantage with this design is that I should be able to get the strap up high around the base of the filter, and then use a 1/2" breaker bar for lots of leverage. I hope there is enough room alongside the filter.
I have also read that "goof off" or "goo gone" adhesive removers can soak in and lubricate the rubber gasket, but it will be tricky to get it up in there.
If none of this works, I will need to tear apart the filter and then attempt to use a chisel or air chisel to spin the filter base off, assuming I can get enough angle.
I sure hope it wasn't cross-threaded. I have come across the occasional over-tightened oil filter before, but never this bad.
mine was on pretty hard when i first bought the car. i used one of them cheapo harbor freight filter wrenches and it came out just fine. I think the cap wrench style works the best because it grabs the whole filter.
Large Channel locks by the base of the filter and it should come.
I'll have to look at it again tonight, but it seems like there is no way channel locks could fit up into that tight space around the filter. even with the purpose-built channel lock filter wrench I tried, I could not reach very high up.
mine was on pretty hard when i first bought the car. i used one of them cheapo harbor freight filter wrenches and it came out just fine. I think the cap wrench style works the best because it grabs the whole filter.
Yea, that might have worked initially, but after trying with the metal strap wrench, and it being on so tight that the filter body twisted and crushed rather than come loose, no cap wrench would fit on it now.
Live and learn.... cap wrench should have been used to start with.
They make vice grip style oil filter wrenches that may grab onto what you have there.
If not, I would be taking a screwdriver and piercing it through the sides of the filter and then trying to turn it out like that. If that tears the filter completely open, then I would use the tip of the screw driver at a seem and hammer it loose.
Live and learn.... cap wrench should have been used to start with.
They make vice grip style oil filter wrenches that may grab onto what you have there.
If not, I would be taking a screwdriver and piercing it through the sides of the filter and then trying to turn it out like that. If that tears the filter completely open, then I would use the tip of the screw driver at a seem and hammer it loose.
It might likely come to that. I am certain that the filter will tear out if I try to lance it, so I'm trying everything I can to solve it while it is still somewhat intact.
The next time I remove a filter that I didn't install, I'll invest in a cap wrench before I begin.
Live and learn.... cap wrench should have been used to start with.
They make vice grip style oil filter wrenches that may grab onto what you have there.
If not, I would be taking a screwdriver and piercing it through the sides of the filter and then trying to turn it out like that. If that tears the filter completely open, then I would use the tip of the screw driver at a seem and hammer it loose.
Was going to suggest that as well...but damn man, that thing is on there.
Would it help if I pried the filter slightly from multiple sides to try to tease the filter flange away from the seal surface? Or would that require enough force to risk damaging the mounting tube?
Would it help if I pried the filter slightly from multiple sides to try to tease the filter flange away from the seal surface? Or would that require enough force to risk damaging the mounting tube?
I would not pry what its mounted to- or you'll be replacing that too.
Try a giant pair of adjustable pliers (like what you would use to push a brake caliper piston in when doing brake work).
Clamp it around the filter from the bottom up and adjust it so you have the handles close together that you can put both hands on it and twist it should come off.
I know filters can be screwed on pretty tight but man the way that filter looks it really is on there if the yahoo that installed it REALLY twisted it on.
As a note, once the filter gasket is lubed with fresh clean oil the filter only needs to be turned about 1/2 to 1 turn once it contacts the base and it will seal, definitely no need to EVER screw in an oil filter that much. I unscrew my filters mostly all by hand and occasionally just need a filter wrench to get it loose to remove.
I recommend you do your own oil changes moving forward after you get that mangled filter off.
Would it help if I pried the filter slightly from multiple sides to try to tease the filter flange away from the seal surface? Or would that require enough force to risk damaging the mounting tube?
Don't Pry ever.
Get a larger channel lock, and it only needs enough room on the bottom to move a hair, once it gets started your done. Get a good bite and a large pair will move it.
Even a partial bit works sideways not up and down.
I tried a screwdriver and was paranoid after shredding the filter on a stuck one like yours before.
Last ditch was a hammer and old screwdriver used like a punch on the upper ring. Not sure if you have the room or not
From the bends in the filter it almost looks like you are turning it the wrong way? Easy to get confused under the car. Hopefully, you are turning it counter-clockwise looking from the bottom.
I would hope that its not cross threaded...how dumb would that jackwagon have to be to crank on a filter that's cross threaded the whole way. What did he use, and impact wrench? Oil filters on every vehicle I've ever owned literally spin on effortlessly until the seal meets the surface.
OP, if that filter is in fact cross threaded, a trip down to the dealer with some photos of this garbage and the receipts of your previous service would be in order.
There isn't much room to finagle it off. If you stick a screwdriver through it, that may work. But it may also tear apart the filter.
Consider two things. Don't do anymore work to it and tow the car to a reputable shop. Or spray some liquid wrench around the seal and try whatever technique again to remove it. Follow the directions on the bottle (spray, bang, wait, spray..rinse & repeat a couple times).
^^ ouch. Keen eye...
When I was a kid, I watched my dad f*ck with a sparkplug for like an hour. He felt a little foolish later...
But if that isn't the case, a strap type wrench as close to the base as possible would be my next try. Close to the base is the key, but with the limited access, doubtful any type a pliers/channel lock wrench will get you close enough.
I wouldn't try prying on the base plate, for fear of damaging the aluminum.
Last resort would be to strip all the sheet metal off the base plate, and use hammer and chisel to walk it around until loose. Failing that, remove the whole oil filter block and buy a new one!
Just my $.02, but this is the kind of sh*t I get to deal with on an almost daily basis.
From the bends in the filter it almost looks like you are turning it the wrong way? Easy to get confused under the car. Hopefully, you are turning it counter-clockwise looking from the bottom.
Last resort would be to strip all the sheet metal off the base plate, and use hammer and chisel to walk it around until loose. Failing that, remove the whole oil filter block and buy a new one!
Just my $.02, but this is the kind of sh*t I get to deal with on an almost daily basis.
A Porsche and Volkswagon mechanic showed me what you mention on a filter. He said (for those kinds of filters), don't use a screwdriver. Then he took an air hammer chisel, pressed it against the base plate and it rotated off. Big difference was the amount of room he had to work with. Plenty of it. Not so much here?
10-18-2016, 01:58 PM
stuck oil filter woes
