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

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: 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.


Not even close, buddy.

O-ring vs flat gasket.

 

[Cristobal]

I do it by hand, and reckon that it is around 30 foot pounds of tightness.

 

[CarbonSteel]

My Hyundai Azera has a special cap "socket" and I snug it by hand and then tighten it very snug with a ratchet. It would leak otherwise...

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: 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.


Not even close, buddy.

O-ring vs flat gasket.

And how is anything I said incorrect? They rotate on similar to a traditional oil filter. How does the gasket type change that they spin on?

 

[bigt61]

Also, on my son's Ecotec, I put a mark on the filter base and the housing when I 1st removed it from fully tight. After the "O" ring in the canister gets replaced, I make sure the marks line up when tightened. If they don't line up, it's a quick clue you may have done something wrong - go back and double check.

 

[PierreR]

When i do an oilchange on a truck at work the dieselfilter cap says 25nm when tighten it (We alwas change the fuelfilter at the same time)
Once just for fun i just tried to screw it on by hand and then check with a torquewrench.
Once the oring started to go down with the cap there was some resistance but i was still able to use my hands to tighten it,
when the cap had fully seated i checked with the torquwrench and i was at 25nm.

So 25nm on a cartridge filter is handtight after the oring is fully seated

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: 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.


A quick point- Technically the o-ring doesn't bottom out, causing the exponential rise in torque. The cap itself is what bottoms, causing the torque rise. The o-ring is simply captured, creating the seal.

 

[BHopkins]

I am 56 years old, and have never paid someone else to do an oil change. I've done them all myself. A lot of oil filters. And I have always hand tightened spin-on oil filters. Never, ever, have I had a gasket blow out. Never lost oil at the filter. Never had a filter come loose.

If torquing on the filter makes you feel better, go for it. But if you follow the manufacturer's recommendation, of 2/3 or 3/4 turn past gasket contact, you will have every bit as reliable of a seal as using a torque wrench.

 

[901Memphis]

The last loose filter i saw was on probably 3-4 times longer than it was supposed to be. It was not even fingertight anymore and was leaking very slowly. It spun right off with 1 finger. I think the longer time on the engine gives it more time to back off with vibration.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
This is a CANISTER FILTER, people.....

Exactly. And reading this thread, that seems to be where the confusion lies. In my experience with both, 'hand tight' is not applicable to a cartridge housing. As opposed to spin on, can't get the cap tightened enough by hand. Thread housing cap by hand (doesn't go far), then use the specific wrench or socket to snug the cap lip flush with lower housing top. Or if it has to be 'exact', as has been suggested, just use a torque wrench.

 

[97tbird]

I use an oil filter cap socket and a 3/8 wrench to tighten the cap of the oil filter housing on my Bimmer until it's "pretty snug" - haven't had any problems so far.
(I don't have a torque wrench) -

Sorta like this: (not my car, but exact same model)