who uses a oil filter wrench?

[KrisZ]

For spin on filters I always put them on by hand and remove them by hand. I Never, ever had a leak or even a seep. I had to use a wrench to remove the filter only a handful of times and that was when someone else did the oil change.

My Grand Caravan has a spin-on, so it looks like I will have to use a socket on this one, but it will be tightened snug, nothing more.

 

[demarpaint]

Common sense with a wrench helps, a lot. I never had a problem removing a filter I installed with a wrench. It's not rocket science. Some filters are situated where tightening them by hand is very difficult, and a cap wrench, extension, and ratchet come in very handy. Others are easy on and off by hand.

 

[exranger06]

I have a few oil filter wrenches, but rarely use them. I can usually get the filter off by hand easily.

 

[circuitsmith]

I put them on by hand; remove with an old belt (yes, the kind that holds your pants up).
Works better than the various tools I've used in the past.

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Common sense with a wrench helps, a lot. I never had a problem removing a filter I installed with a wrench. It's not rocket science. Some filters are situated where tightening them by hand is very difficult, and a cap wrench, extension, and ratchet come in very handy. Others are easy on and off by hand.

Exactly. The older I get the more I appreciate the socket cap style. When I was younger I had a couple of cars (82 Escort comes to mind) that I could take the filter off by hand. Also the 95 Aerostar (4.0 Engine) was usually fairly easy to take off by hand. As was mentioned a lot depends on where the filter is located and how much space there is to work.

These days I usually tighten by hand and "snug" it a small amount with the socket cap.

 

[Mr_Joe]

Originally Posted By: circuitsmith
I put them on by hand; remove with an old belt (yes, the kind that holds your pants up).
Works better than the various tools I've used in the past.


I may have to try your belt method.

 

[Trav]

When you work on a lot of cars that other people have serviced you have a collection of oil filter wrenches no matter how strong you are.

 

[Traction]

I don't know what the big deal is about anyone that wouldn't use some type of tool to make it easier to reach the spec of "hand tighten" for anything from a oil filter, plastic pipe fitting, or whatever. Not knowing what the foot pound value is for "hand tighten", all it really means is, common sense/feel, and don't crank the [censored] out of it, is all.

 

[eblade]

I always hand tighten when installing a fresh filter. I use a pair of huge channel locks to remove stubborn filters off.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: eblade
I use a pair of huge channel locks to remove stubborn filters off.


My cheap filter pliers broke removing the filter housing on my GF's Lexus. The tool I replaced it with is a very nice pair of Channellock filter pliers. What a difference!

 

[GMBoy]

I install hand tight and then turn 1/4 turn with a filter wrench. This has been my procedure for 35+ years. It's not too tight and I know it won't come loose. Obviously I also use a wrench to remove these filters.

 

[DBMaster]

Overall, if you don't deform the thing installing it and you don't give yourself a hernia removing it, it's all good.

 

[Quattro Pete]

The oil filter housing on my car takes a 36mm socket. I think its the same on wife's q5.

 

[15SilvyEcotec]

The filter on my wifes fusion is tucked up above the oil cooler and can be hard to get to. My silverado has a ton of room and the drain plug is next to it. When I do the EcoBoost after the gasket touches I can get 3/4's turn and run out of steam.

The belt trick mentioned here works better than you can imagine. I use it for the fuel filter on my outboard

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
Overall, if you don't deform the thing installing it and you don't give yourself a hernia removing it, it's all good.

That pretty much covers it.

I've had applications where I use a wrench to install, just because it's in such an awkward location. The G37 never requires a wrench to install, and almost never to remove. The F-150 is more of a hassle, and the Audi would be a bit messy, so the channel lock type filter wrench was very helpful to get things started.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Traction
I don't know what the big deal is about anyone that wouldn't use some type of tool to make it easier to reach the spec of "hand tighten" for anything from a oil filter, plastic pipe fitting, or whatever. Not knowing what the foot pound value is for "hand tighten", all it really means is, common sense/feel, and don't crank the [censored] out of it, is all.


Honda actually had a torque spec for "hand tight" for filters, 10Nm.

 

[RooflessVW]

I think the Q5 is 24mm. Those are the two sizes I keep - 24mm and 36mm.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
I think the Q5 is 24mm.

I just re-checked. It's 36mm on ours (3.0T).

 

[deoxy4]

I have an oil filter wrench but it was for a previous car and doesn't fit my current filter.

I had an oil change done at the local gas station in the dead of winter. They probably used a wrench on the filter. It was on pretty tight and I could not get it off with my hand. I wrapped a sheet of course grit sand paper around the filter and luckily was able to spin the filter off by hand. Seemed to make
the difference I needed.

 

[InvalidUserID]

Rarely. In recent changes, the only time I had to was when my parents took their car to a shop and they super overtightened it.

Most of the time I just have to contort my body a little to get a little more "oomph" and it comes off. I'm getting older so I anticipate the cup adapter in the near future.