Oil Filter Torque Figures

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Jan 30, 2007
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Location
Clovis, CA
I always thought it would be cool if we had torque figures for our oil filters. It would be so much nicer than worrying about getting the filter too tight or too loose by hand. On small piston engine powered aircraft like a Cessna 182, the oil filter will have a nut on the end like a K&N filter has. Teledyne Continental specifies a range of 192-216 inch pounds for disposable type oil filters on their engines:

Teledyne Continental PDF

I'm wondering how 200 inch pounds would be for an ACDelco PF47.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I always thought it would be cool if we had torque figures for our oil filters.

Honda OEM 15400-PLM-A02 is tightened to 10-14 Newton-meters (about 8-10 ft-lbs). Says so right on the filter.
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
I just tighten as hard as I can by hand and call it a day.


+1 Maybe not quite "as hard as I can", but good and snug with a clean grip. No torque wrench needed.
 
I think my Sonata's factory service manual does have a torque spec for the oil filter.

I'm super serious about torquing things to spec, but that's one I skip. I just tighten it by hand to the normal 3/4 - 1 turn and call it a day.
 
Originally Posted By: bigt61
Originally Posted By: gregk24
I just tighten as hard as I can by hand and call it a day.


+1 Maybe not quite "as hard as I can", but good and snug with a clean grip. No torque wrench needed.


^ This
 
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
Yep , hand tighten here too . Make sure you oil up that new seal or they sure don't come off with your hand though .


I dread changing the oil after it was changed by some one else previously. The filter gasket is usually never lubed and the filter is cranked on super tight so the filter usually deforms as you fight trying to get it off. Also the drain plug is so tight you need a breaker bar to loosen it. I was finally able to get on a OCI schedule for our 3 vehicles where I can change them when it's not cold and nasty out side. My days of laying on the cold ground and in snow and slush are long over with
smirk.gif
. I've gotten too old and arthritic for that anymore.

Whimsey
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
I just tighten as hard as I can by hand and call it a day.


Wow. Hard as you can. If I put an oil filter on as hard as I could by hard it would never come off.
I use one hand. As soon as I feel contact I turn a maximum of 1/3 turn.
I've never had one leak and they come of fairly easily.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: gregk24
I just tighten as hard as I can by hand and call it a day.


Wow. Hard as you can. If I put an oil filter on as hard as I could by hard it would never come off.
I use one hand. As soon as I feel contact I turn a maximum of 1/3 turn.
I've never had one leak and they come of fairly easily.


I'd think 1/3 turn isn't quite enough IMO. I go for 2/3~3/4 max from when the gasket first hits the seat.
 
If I tighten it with my hand with a glove as hard as I can, usually after one year I cannot get it off with just my hand. Changing once per year using synthetic oil and filter deals from Autozone.

If I tighten it with bare hand as hard as I can and loose it back just a little bit to make sure I can still loose it with my hand. Usually I am fine next year taking it off with hand.
 
The Denso[Toyota too] oil filters have a ring built into the mounting plate that provides a stop to further filter tightening when the gasket is compressed to design specs. Works good. I guess I could use my 1/4" drive inch pound torque wrench with my filter cap tool to torque the filter but have no need to.Never have seen oil filter torque specs for my 04 in the shop manuals.Regards
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
If I put an oil filter on as hard as I could by hard it would never come off.

One definitely has to be cautious, depending on filter size and leverage. It's pretty hard to overtighten the filter on the G by hand, being so small of a filter. But, with something like a Chevy small block, if the large filter has thin enough cannister material, one can deform it putting it on by hand if one twists too hard.
 
The service manual for my Honda VFR800 says 16ft-lbs. That's 196 inch pounds so 200 is a nice round number. I think my old Neon said 20 ft-lbs but that's darn tight.
 
Just tighten by hand until it is snug and go an extra half turn. I have yet to hear of a filter falling off using those instructions. (Let alone heard of a filter falling off in general)

NEVER use a wrench to install a filter, or else you will have a very difficult time getting that filter off.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I always thought it would be cool if we had torque figures for our oil filters. It would be so much nicer than worrying about getting the filter too tight or too loose by hand. On small piston engine powered aircraft like a Cessna 182, the oil filter will have a nut on the end like a K&N filter has. Teledyne Continental specifies a range of 192-216 inch pounds for disposable type oil filters on their engines:

Teledyne Continental PDF

I'm wondering how 200 inch pounds would be for an ACDelco PF47.



That seems like a pretty bad idea for a passenger car filter. Most oil filters have an angle torque recommendation (the Ford filters I'm using have it printed on the box). When you consider the varying degrees of lubrication on the gasket and mating surface, friction torque seems like a step backwards. Aircraft filters are generally installed under different, more controlled environments--e.g. an oil pump dripping oil on the mating surface during installation.
 
Originally Posted By: Cristobal
I have always tightened filters by hand alone. I reckon it comes to about 25 to 30 foot pounds for me.


Sure ... what's that put the turns at, about 1-1/2?
lol.gif
 
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