Removing oil filter w/o wrench

well just means you didn't tighten it enough when you installed it.

 

so you've been doing this since 2008 and bragging about your he-man strength now? lol

 

I wasn't insulting you. I guess anybody can try to do it without a wrench, but it's just so much easier with a wrench.

 

If you are anything like me, your hands have better "gripping surfaces" now than they did when I was 20.


Really the usual key factor is whether or not there is a film of oil on the "can" or not.

 

I gotta use one of these:



On some spaghetti sauce jar lids. My grip strength is not that great, I'm sometimes near-stymied by some ziplock bags, lol. Well actually, those are the ones that finally rip somewhere beside where they were supposed to open.

For removing the oil filter (housing, on 3rd gen), I use this:



Putting it back on, I switch ratchet for a torque wrench, set to 18 lb/ft.

 

I used to barehand the filters regularly on my old Ford (big old FL1A Motorcraft filter, easy to grab) and on my Mazda 323. The Mazda was barehanded out of necessity - the filter stuck straight back out of the engine toward the firewall, and maybe it was easier to access on a lift, but reaching in from above I could get a hand on it but never a tool.

I was always able to tighten those filters to spec by hand, and loosen them by hand later. I think they both specified 2/3 turn after the gasket touched. The only time I couldn't remove the Mazda filter by hand was the first time, when it had been put on at a shop. That one I had to remove by driving a screwdriver through it as a handle. Did all my own changes after that.

These Toyota (gen 1) filters are really small, and they also seem to specify 3/4 turn after the gasket touches. Usually, even putting it on, I have to reach for the wrench for that last 0.09 turn, so I don't bother trying to remove them without it.

I think my favorite tightening spec was on old Mitsubishi filters: "Then tighten enough by hand."

-Chap

 

There's a lotta confusion/lore about oil filter torque values, and Toyota could lay that to rest if they included oil filter instruction in the Owners Manual. But no.

 

I feel Toyota would prefer people not go under their car and get crushed from stupidity......and then get sued.

 

Uhhh, sure you want to go there.

Remember, people not gender!

I have mostly been taking off the filters by hand for the past several years....if you amend it to "he-person," I will be happy.

O.K., yes, I am screwing with you.

And, yes, you have a bit of a doubter who does not seem to believe our "strength," but we can ignore him.

I don't remember why I ended up trying the sans wrench method. Probably something along the line of not having the wrench either.....

But, not having to use one, makes it a lot easier.

As an aside, I managed to run over a big curb and "clunked" my Fumoto Valve pretty good on the oil pan, but no leaks and the valve worked fine after.