View Poll Results: How do you torque your oil filter?
Gasket contact + 3/4 to 1 turn
40
74.07%
OEM spec 22 ft/lbs
14
25.93%
Voters: 54. You may not vote on this poll
Oil filter torque?
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 22,598
Likes: 14,555
Oil filter torque?
Delco filters say + 3/4 to 1 turn on the filter casing, but OEM says 22 lb/ft in the manual. 22 lbs is way more than 1 turn from gasket contact. What do you do? Personally I've always done contact + 1 turn and it takes everything I can give it with a clean hand.
EDIT - My concern is not removal... that's simple with a filter wrench or the oil filter socket I have. My concern is over-torquing the filter and damaging it or the gasket.
EDIT - My concern is not removal... that's simple with a filter wrench or the oil filter socket I have. My concern is over-torquing the filter and damaging it or the gasket.
Last edited by RapidC84B; Apr 2, 2019 at 05:31 PM.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 592
Likes: 314
From: Chesterfield Twp., Michigan
I've probably done a couple hundred oil changes over the last 40 or so years including 3 on my C7. Always have done 3/4 - 1 turn after contact. Never had a problem except the one time I failed to see that the seal from the old oil filter stayed on he engine, thus getting pinched by the new oil filter and leaking. Unfortunately that happened on a motorcycle and things sure got interesting after the rear tire got soaked with oil!
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 173
Likes: 48
From: Windham Maine
Give me a break
I've been changing my own oil for probably 50 years never use a torque wrench. I just do it by feel when I think it's tight enough I stop. Never had a leak. Same with oil pan drain bolts.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 690
I paid ~$150 ea for three torque wrenches, 2x 3/8 drive that reads from 10 in*lbs to 25 ft*lbs, and 18 ft*lbs to 120 ft*lbs, and a 1/2” drive that reads from 30 ft*lbs to 200 ft*lbs.
Thats a lot of $$$ invested in 3 tools that basically does similar things. You bet I’m going to use them as much as I can.
Torqued to 22 ft*lbs with the “micro” torque wrench.
Thats a lot of $$$ invested in 3 tools that basically does similar things. You bet I’m going to use them as much as I can.
Torqued to 22 ft*lbs with the “micro” torque wrench.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 9,899
Likes: 1,839
From: Hot Springs AR
I had to remove one filter that had been tightened to 22 ft. lb. (or whatever, that's what I was told), and I literally twisted the steel can, which warped the base and finally released the seal. I've always used 3/4 turn after contact and never had a problem, AS LONG AS I USED A GOOD FILTER. Once I had to replace a filter with a Fram (not my favorite, but they're normally OK), but this time there was some problem (couldn't tell visually), but after replacing it normally it started leaking after a day or so.
Have a good one,
Mike
Have a good one,
Mike
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No I went how I always do with filters, not by torque. I didn't torque the drain bolts either, but sure seemed like they werent torqued to spec by the factory either. Easiest oil change ever I thought.
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St. Jude Donor '13 thru '22
I have change my own oil hundreds of time since the 80s, and ever single time I have tightened the spin on filter by hand well beyond initial gasket contact, usually in the 3/4 to 1 full turn range. 95% of these oil changes have been with AC Delco filters. Never once any leakage. Not one.
Until this thread, I never knew there was even a torque spec for spin on filters.
Until this thread, I never knew there was even a torque spec for spin on filters.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 4,303
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From: Margate, FL
If it leaks I assume it going to happen right away so before the car comes down I start the engine and confirm all is good.For wheels I always use the correct torque amount because its harder to judge the correct amount and a wheel coming off is a much bigger problem then an oil leak
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 3,104
Likes: 626
From: Baton Rouge LA
I've probably done a couple hundred oil changes over the last 40 or so years including 3 on my C7. Always have done 3/4 - 1 turn after contact. Never had a problem except the one time I failed to see that the seal from the old oil filter stayed on he engine, thus getting pinched by the new oil filter and leaking. Unfortunately that happened on a motorcycle and things sure got interesting after the rear tire got soaked with oil!
Last edited by iclick; Apr 2, 2019 at 06:08 PM.
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Once contact is made, I go 3/4 to 1 turn and call it a day. Never had a problem.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 690
they’re rated to within +/- 3%. At 22ft*lbs they’re well within spec.
These ain’t the cheap *** Chinese torque wrenches you get at Pepboys. Short of new Snap-Ons these SK torque wrenches are about as accurate as off the shelf torque wrenches can get.
These ain’t the cheap *** Chinese torque wrenches you get at Pepboys. Short of new Snap-Ons these SK torque wrenches are about as accurate as off the shelf torque wrenches can get.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 9,899
Likes: 1,839
From: Hot Springs AR
Have a good one,
Mike
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 206
Likes: 80
From: Honolulu Hawaii
Some things need to be second nature. Making sure the old gasket came off with the old filter is one of them. Removing a fill plug before removing a drain plug also comes to mind. New to my list is ensuring the targa top is correctly reinstalled and secure before driving off.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,745
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From: Buckeye, AZ
St. Jude Donor '12-'13
Sometimes I scratch my head here.....I have been changing oil on a nyriad of cars for 45 yrs. And have never seen any instructions that dont specifically say to only hand tighten. I am guessing hand tight is about 20lbs. Make sure you always lube the gasket and hand tighten. Even just hand tightened some are very tight to remove. I have only had 2 filters with a problem. A Fram where the gasket adhesion failed and it slipped out of the crimp. I was warned by oil drips. The only other problem I had was a time I paid to have it done and some jamoc over tightened the filter. Using a proper oil filter wrench, 3 diff types only caused it to crush. In the end I had to drive a screwdriver through the filter and twist it off. Over all my years only the over tightened filter caused a problem, never the ones hand tightened per manufacturer reccomendation.