Exactly what torque is "hand tight, plus 1/4 turn?

[Buick92]

I'm changing oil on a 2012 toyota corolla, the plastic cover for the element filter says 25nm pds torque, do you think this is close to hand tight and 1/4 to 1/2 turn on a regular filter? When I changed the oil for the first time from the factory there is no way it was on there at 25nm, that thing was on there way too tight. I used a torque wrench and marked the position of the filter when I put it back on last time.

 

[Kool1]

Tightening the oil filter is a handjob with lube on the gasket.

 

[Astro14]

No....hand tight for you might be when the O-ring first contacts the threads...and it might take 3 more full turns to seat. 1/2 turn after hand tight on a regular filter might be close to that...or, again depending on your hand, nowhere near close.

Cartridge elements don't seat like metal can elements...I would use the wrench and make certain that it's on there correctly, not too tight, and not loose either...

 

[Trav]

It would depend on who's hand right? Not trying to be funny but someone who works every day with their hands is going to have a much stronger "hand tight" than say a pencil pusher.

25Nm is tighter than hand tight + 1/4- 1/2 a turn in most cases. 25 Nm is high for a spin on, Honda has a 10Nm spec for some filters and thats pretty tight.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
No....hand tight for you might be when the O-ring first contacts the threads...and it might take 3 more full turns to seat. 1/2 turn after hand tight on a regular filter might be close to that...or, again depending on your hand, nowhere near close.

Cartridge elements don't seat like metal can elements...I would use the wrench and make certain that it's on there correctly, not too tight, and not loose either...


Astro brings a very good point.

25nm is 18.3 lbs. Tighten the cover until it just stops turning, then just apply a bit more pressure and you're done.

 

[901Memphis]

Can't you get a torque wrench?

 

[Warstud]

Originally Posted By: Kool1
handjob with lube

 

[djb]

Is this an oil filter carrier with an o-ring sealed cap?

The sealing is done entirely by the o-ring. The cap is torqued only to keep it from unscrewing.

 

[Falken]

I give it a good snug twist and call it a day.

The most important thing is to clean the mount area well with a rag, and lube the black nitrile gasket with fresh oil before installing it.

This allows for easy removal even if you put it on a bit too tight.

 

[eljefino]

This is a CANISTER FILTER, people.

DJB has it. Snug and a tug. You won't probably have the room for an extreme amount of leverage. Lube (replace?) the o-ring and call it good. Plastic has more "natural friction" than metal anyway and won't spin off.

 

[Fleetmon]

It seems to me that in the amount of time it took to read this thread, I could have set my torque wrench, tightened the filter cannister, unset my wrench, wiped it off and put it back in my tool box.

I guess I don't understand the principle/theory of NOT torqueing a filter cannister or drain plug for that matter. Call me anal or whatever but back in my day if I was paid to torque something, I torqued it and my methods carry over to my personal stuff.

 

[Astro14]

Having done several dozen oil changes with canister filters on the two Volvos and the S600, I can offer the following:

The feel is nothing like a spin-on. I can do a spin-on by hand, gasket contact, good grip, and get 3/4 turn after gasket seated. Never had a leak or one come loose, though it takes a wrench to get them off.

The canister o-ring (on which I put a thin coat of fresh oil, just like a gasket on a spin-on) engages the sealing area several turns before the threads are tight. I can barely turn it by hand once the o-ring is engaged, so I accomplish those several complete turns with a wrench to seat it into the housing. The torque rise is rapid once the threads of the canister are fully engaged, it's a very small angular change from just turning canister to reach specified torque. So, seated and a tug should be about the same, but it takes a wrench to do it, and since I am using a wrench, why not a torque wrench?

Similar to a spin-on, getting a canister off takes more torque than installing it. I've seen at least one canister mauled with vise-grips, so I recommend getting a good quality wrench that fits well. I would not worry about the Corolla being hard to get off, that's the way they seem to be, but once loose, the canister is easy to remove by hand, I reckon because the o-ring has taken a set and offers less friction.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I just tighten it as much as I can by hand and that's it.

 

[bigt61]

Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I just tighten it as much as I can by hand and that's it.


+1 - it's hard to go wrong with that - just oil the gasket and clean the mating surface. With a canister, like my son's Ecotec, I just make it good and snug with a half inch drive socket - the top of the canister has a 1 1/4 inch hex nut. IIRC, having done a change on a 2010 Corolla, it had a little removable tab that kept the oil filter canister from backing off under vibration, so you just tightened it until that tab lined up.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I just tighten it as much as I can by hand and that's it.


A canister??? Are we talking about cartridge filters here? Or spin on cans?

 

[The Critic]

Astro14 is spot on. My Prius uses the same canister. I am usually able to get to the 18 ft lbs by hand. Once the o-ring starts bottoming out, the force required to turn the cap will suddenly increase exponentially -- and that is when you're done. Even if you tried to turn the cap further with a ratchet, it will require a lot of force.

I would always advise using a torque wrench on these, however.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I just tighten it as much as I can by hand and that's it.


This is exactly what I do, at least on my cars where it's really hard to get to the filter.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I just tighten it as much as I can by hand and that's it.


A canister??? Are we talking about cartridge filters here? Or spin on cans?


We are talking about the cap on a cartridge filter setup. Once the cap itself bottoms out on the engine (ie, O-ring fully smashed into the cap's groove), then it doesn't take but a hair more tightening to get it nice and snug. This is why there is a torque call-out for the tightness of this cap. Can't really go by "turns after the o-ring hits the seat" like with a spin-on oil filter.

 

[kkreit01]

For canister caps, I use a torque wrench. Some are plastic on plastic, and some are plastic caps on metal. There's too many risks to "estimate".

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I just tighten it as much as I can by hand and that's it.


A canister??? Are we talking about cartridge filters here? Or spin on cans?

The reusable housing for a cartridge filter. Should rotate on similar to a traditional oil filter.