Proper Oil Filter Tightening

[bdcardinal]

On my 2 cars with spin on filters, they get turned about 3/4 or so. I will run some oil on the seal before I spin it on. I'm sure I could loosen then by hand, but I have the cap wrench for them so its an easy job.

The Volvo gets the housing torqued to spec with new o-rings on the housing.

 

[mechtech2]

Oil the gasket, and tighten 3/4 turn.
Went further, like up to 1 1/4? So what?
Any more is entering problem territory.

 

[morris]

i started changing oil in 1967 on a 1965 chrysler 300 L, was my first 3/4-16 thd oil filter, i changed that thd till 2006. 1. clean oil on the seal. 2.tighten it 3/4 turn. 3. NEVER had one that didnt come off. how many did i do? est 800-1000. new subject: if your engine has a lot of miles on it. dont drain the oil then let it sit. my dad did that, as it sat the oil drained out of the oil pump. he had to use a high speed drill to pump the oil pump up to pressure.

 

[PandaBear]

I never goes by hand, because my hand is weak and it will leak if I rely on my hand to tighten.

What I do is look at how many degree it takes my ratchet to tighten and go roughly that when tightening. Dad used to over-tighten and one time end up having to go to a mechanic to use a breaker bar to loosen it out.

 

[mechtech2]

I smear a dab of dirt/muck/grease that is always present under the car on the filter to visually orient it.

You high tech types can use a magic marker.

 

[Vikas]

Is it OK to thread jack this little bit and talk about drain plug tightening? Some of you might have read the saga of stripped oil drain on my Odyssey. One mechanic stripped it and the other senior mechanic re tapped it and put a over sized plug with a nylon (white plastic?) in there. He was very very gentle in tightening it, I wonder why

When I brought the van back home, I noticed that the plug is leaking. I don't have time to take it back to them during their normal hours. For last few days, I had to re-tigthen the plug. The access is extremely bad as I am trying to do this *without* jacking up the van.

Here come the questions:-

Honda specifies 29 ft-lb for the drain plug with new crush washer. I do not know how that translates with the over sized plug (14mm headed bolt) with the nylon washer.

I have a got an exercise bike which just happens to have couple of 14mm bolt. I am trying to get a feel of 10 ft-lb, 15 ft-lb, 20 ft-lb etc and that feels way tighter than "snug". I was able to confirm that both 1/4 and 3/8 torque wrench were giving me similar readings, so I believe they are accurate. My plan was to start with 10 ft-lb on the 1/4 torque wrench and see if the leak stops. Unfortunately, there is no room to swing the 1/4 torque wrench. The only wrench that I can get there is the 3/8 composite. I also can't get my dominant hand there. I tried to tighten with my other hand but I was only able to move it a little bit. The leak slowed down but not stopped.

Also I believe the dynamics are different with the nylon washer vs the crush washer. With the nylon, one does not get the solid stop like one will get with the metal washer. Against my better judgement, I used my hand to whack the ratchet to move it more.

You know what frosts me? Those mechanics even laughingly said "we can already see you putting cardboard under the van to check for the leak" :-( May be I should learn how to do my own oil changes after letting these guys do it for last twelve years. I certainly have lot more tools than they do

 

[George7941]

Nylon washers seal well but I stopped using them because they compress with engine heat and the passage of time and the drain plug becomes loose. The drain plug needs to be retightened at least a couple of times. Fibre gaskets also compress and lead to loose drain plugs, though not to lesser extent than nylon.

I now use aluminium or copper washers on those vehicles needing the washer replaced. The OE design with the rubber o-ring embedded in the metal head of the drain plug works very well and I have that on my truck.

I have never had an oil change done by somebody else, I have always done it myself. Doing it yourself also gives you a great opportunity to look around under the vehicle to spot any potential problems.

 

[tom slick]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
I smear a dab of dirt/muck/grease that is always present under the car on the filter to visually orient it.

You high tech types can use a magic marker.


Only use snap-on markers. You can find them cheap on EBay, only $25 each.

On certain imports I use a PDI inch-ounce torque wrench to make sure the filter is torqued according to an obscure spec.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: tom slick
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
I smear a dab of dirt/muck/grease that is always present under the car on the filter to visually orient it.

You high tech types can use a magic marker.


Only use snap-on markers. You can find them cheap on EBay, only $25 each.

On certain imports I use a PDI inch-ounce torque wrench to make sure the filter is torqued according to an obscure spec.

 

[ltslimjim]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Oil the gasket, and tighten 3/4 turn.
Went further, like up to 1 1/4? So what?
Any more is entering problem territory.


Exactly.

 

[GearheadTool]

Originally Posted By: ltslimjim
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Oil the gasket, and tighten 3/4 turn.
Went further, like up to 1 1/4? So what?
Any more is entering problem territory.


Exactly.

+1. I always tightened "1/4 turn past snug by hand" but that is true..

You want to "snug" the filter.

FTR: Jiffy Lube and other places puts it on so tight, in a manner that requires a gorilla with a breaker bar to get off. This leads to the cars with issues down the road.

*Also, remember: 1. HEAT will tighten it up, and
2. If it is too loose it will be all too obvious. "It won't even stay on." That cant really happen.

 

[cp3]

I'm in the half to three-quater group, or what ever the manufacturer suggests but that is usually in that range. Summer time I usually try to stay closer to the minimum if there is a range, winter I will usually go a bit tighter, use the 3/4 as opposed to the 1/2. Don't typically need a wrench if it is a filter I put on. I did have a couple Baldwin's that were a bear to get off, I think I may have tightened them a bit too much as it was the first ones I had used.

I just look at the position of my hand and gauge the 1/2 - 3/4 turn in 180 or 90 degree increments. Hidden ones are the worst, like back of the block on transverse 4 cyl.