Prius Oil Filter Cartridge

There is a good chance that your cap is on there so tight that it would not come off with the strap. If it was properly tighten, probably yes. For whatever reason the dealerships seem to be really cranking down on those puppies. Probably a misprint in the service manuals.

However, you would have to find a pretty small strap wrench for that size (64mm).

 

I never had much luck with the straps... I was not happy when I got the 2009 corolla and discovered it had the cartridge filter. I'm going to get a wrench that will do both corolla and Prius (supposed to be same size). Auto store had some really inexpensive oil filter wrenches for under $7 - $10.

 

A strap wrench won't work. The filter cover is too smooth, and you'll be highly challenged to generate 17 ft-lbs of torque needed. The correct end cap wrench is either available from a dealer or on-line. Go to the Maintenance section of this forum & search for oil change threads.

 

+1 Agree !

I tried a strap wrench the first time and could never get enough grip. What little grip I could get I could not get enough leverage to get any torque on it.

Get the correct 64mm cap wrench. I had a 65mm and it would slip off when I tried to apply torque. With the correct cap wrench and socket wrench it still took some leverage to finally break it loose.

I do not understand why the dealer service departments have to torque these down so tight

 

I sympathize, there's always a quirky aspect to a new car's maintenance. The oil filter cover wrench is one of the very few special tool issues for general maintenance on a Prius. I had a heck of a time finding a 23 mm socket for the wheel lugs recently. At least the real oil filter tool is metal and will last a very long time.

 

I bought mine at the Toyota dealer. It was in the accessory area. They are also available on Amazon. Most of the stamped steel wrenches don't seem to work very well. An additional benefit for me is that the Toy640 also fits the filter housing on my 09 RAV4.

 

You should have saw me when I did my first (Saturday) change. I drained the pan figuring my Camry cap wrench would work. It didn't. So I ran to the local parts places twice... no go. So I called the dealer... yup they had one but $40! Reluctantly I bought it and it turned out to be a Assenmacher for 3x the price. *!

 

Looks like I'm going to start a maintenance tool list now, before I need to do anything.

 

Ouch. I was only charged about $20.

 

There's one for sale on amazon. I think it's around $17.


iPad ?

 

Bullocks on Toyota wanting not selling you the tool.

Glad you were able to get the SST and change your oil. It was allot cheaper up there in Canada then it was in the islands.

 

The Repair Manual says 18 ft/lb, it's fairly clear, in a couple of places.

I've been using a (Honda) 14 face socket with 64.5mm inside face-to-face, so I guess a quoted size of 64mm is what you need. Here's a few pics:

With the socket on:



Without:

 

It makes a person wonder though... it seems like everyone that has done a change themselves (after a change by the dealer) has reported difficulty getting the cap off. Whereas when I do a change after I have torqued it prior, I have no problem getting it off. Perhaps they are trying to align with the tabs as opposed to torque tightening? Who knows. Perhaps I will ask the service tech next time I am in there... next year, ha.

 

Yeah, this car, I decided not to darken the service department's doorstep for oil changes.

I initially purchased the oil filter socket in the pic for an '89 Honda Hurricane. It's got quite a heavy gauge sidewall, over 2mm, basically indestructable. I also picked up a larger diameter one for Accord. Then Honda's automotive division switched over to the smaller filter diameter. And Toyota's a perfect match. Maybe becoming a standard size?

The oil filter socket, and a torque wrench, are good investments. And the oil pans, funnels, safety stands, jacks, ramps, socket wrenches, trim pry bars, and, and...