FruityOne

Seriously, I mean as in an oil filter wrench couldn't get it off no matter how tight I got it.

I even go so desperate as to jab a large screw driver through to the other side and try to turn it that way.

I mean it will come off eventually, but its driving me insane right now and I had to post to alleviate some frustration.

Stekman

Lefty Loosy, Righty tighty!

have you tried using a hammer or large ratchet and hammering on the handle of the screwdriver that you just put through the filter? I've had to do that on a Caprice.

On my camaro, i've had to get one of those ratchet adaper socket things that goes over the end. I use a large extension and a breaker bar.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I have a strap wrench on a square bar that you put on a 1/2" drive ratchet. The strap turns around the bar as you turn the ratchet, tightening the grip on the filter body. I have yet to find a filter it wouldn't remove.

In fact...

Back in the early 80's, while stationed with the Army in Germany, the motor pool had a Dodge truck (the Army bought a bunch of them in the late 70's, had 318's in them) in my shop bay over the pit. They couldn't get the oil filter off for a week. They did all that you've done, it was horribly collapsed and full of holes, couldn't get it off. That Saturday, I brought my car in to the next bay do a little work (they let us do that on weekends), had my toolbox with me, pulled out that strap wrench and had the filter off in less than 2 minutes (most of that time was spent getting my tool box out & opened, getting the strap wrench and ratchet, crawling into the pit, etc. I think I put my coveralls on in that time, too...).

FruityOne

All the screw driver got me was a bisected filter. Instead of turning the filter it just started to cut into the filter leaving huge gashes.

Bah, I hate it when stuff like this happens.

This is just about ALL thats stopping me from starting my new motor!!! I just did EVERYTHING. Heads/Cam/Intake/Headers.....Why oh WHY ME!!!

its so purdy!

robsgta

I got a tool that slides on a groove and clamps down as you loosen it tightens down on the bottom of the filter.(auto zone)

Try your best to never use the screw driver method since the sides of the filter are allready thin as heck and will just add to your problems since they cant hold any real pressure.

Personally I always hand tighten my filters so when the time comes they easliy hand loosen with no tools ever being used and no stains in the drive way either from a loose filter.

right tight left loose..lol

Damon

Pull the screw driver out of the ripped-up filter. Drive it onto the edge of the filter, up by the mounting flange. Use a BIG hammer to drive it once again into the edge of the filter but this time you want to use the blade of the screw driver as a chisel to drive it in and use the force of the hammer to "unscrew" the filter from it's flange. Basically unscrewing it by the shock-force of the hammer blow on the end of the screwdriver. Just about the time you think I've given you bad advice, the filter will budge and then unscrew. You will laugh out loud when it finally pops loose (takes many hammer shots), I guarantee it.

You're welcome. Have a nice day.

Air_Adam

Channel locks

Red Devil

I'm with the Kid. I have collected over a dozen oil filter 'tools'. Seems to be a favorite gift type. One that I love is a big *** strap type like five7 mentioned. I have yet to find anything it couldn't get off. You can get regular metal strap ones at wally world for around five dollars (it's 3/8 drive size IIRC). Mine cost around $40 IIRC but I can put a big air gun on it.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Old Faithful...

THEGENERAL

if this is a new engine why is the filter on that tight ??????
just rip the thing now youve already got holes in it and then grab whats left with a big set of visegrips and turn it

FruityOne

I have no idea why its on so tight. It was winter when the fluid was last changed. It was freezing outside, snow and slush. So I took it to a oil change place because I didn't want to freeze my *** off.

Red Devil

Wuss.

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

I've had a couple filters stuck on tight enough, that even 5-7's "Old Faithful" couldn't budge.

Ended up using a screwdriver punched through the filter till it ripped in half, then chiseled at the filter base ring till it came loose like Damon mentioned!! Patience is a virtue!!

scottland

good lord people 1/2 to 3/4 turn is all you need on those filters for them to seal. LOL i can usually take mine off by hand

Red Devil

Yep, if you're the one that put it on, but if you have to fix someone else's screw up, it's never that easy.

robsgta

Let this be a lesson fuity... dont let some kid who's possibly first day on the job was to man handle your pride and joy..in a unfit manner...

One thing that I learned about having an older car is NO ONE will take better care of it than you will.

From now on do it your self, lightly dab the oil seal with oil and hand snug it with a 1/4 turn with bothe bare hands so next time you can lossen it with your bare hands no tools needed, except to drain oil from the plug.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Last May I took the '57 into a shop to have the front suspension bushings changed. Yes, that is a job I could have done myself, but one was completely gone, I was on mandatory overtime at work, and I was driving the car to my 30th high school reunion over Memorial Day weekend, so I decided to bite the bullet and let someone else touch my car.

I spent the better part of the racing season fixing things that they had messed up or were caused by what they messed up. They lifted the engine off the motor mount to get to one side, so they removed the distributor cap when they did that - nice, but when they put it back together they didn't get the coil ground wire back on right, which I didn't discover until I got back from the reunion and made my first run down the track and it dogged out above 5000 RPMs.

Later, I discovered a missing alternator bracket bolt. Seems they removed that, too, when they were trying to get to that a-arm, and didn't tighten the bolts properly. After that, I started throwing fan belts, seems the loose mount had wiped out the alternator bearings, so I had to replace the alternator.

Somewhere during the summer one of the a-arm crossbar bushing retaining bolts fell out, as did the new poly bushing guts. I couldn't buy just one bushing, had to get a whole set, same for the bolt and washer. At least I didn't have to remove the a-arm to fix that. (I was also told it is a good idea to Locktite those bolts when using poly bushing.)

My point is this: We've all had to turn our car over to a shop when we probably could have done the job ourselves. Sometimes, the price we pay is a lot more than what the shop charged, as was the case for me last year, and is the case for Mr. Fruityone now. So, let's lighten up a little.

FruityOne

It'll come off somehow. I'll keep trying. The good news is that its not my only car so I don't have to worry about transportation issues.

THEGENERAL

thats a good thing ....but it still sucks that some youngster (most likely) didnt know you dont have to torque a oil filter to 150 lb ft. ....LMAO....but it sucks . i bought a car once that was like that took better part of an hour with channel locks and screwdrivers and a bfh (big freakin hammer)....lol

Red Devil

Ouch. While in motion?

THEGENERAL

that would be a very bad noise i could just imagine that

iroczrockz

I had a 67 nova one time with a stuck filter. The problem was I forgot to put oil on the rubber seal when I put the new filter on. I ended up doing the screwdriver thing and finally ripping the entire filter off with the exception of the metal flange that screwed into the block. I then used a screwdriver and hammer to put in the holes and knock it around until it loosened. I will never do that again.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I noticed it when I got home from the track one night. Not sure exactly when it came off/out.

I've been changing oil & filters for a little over 35 years. I've never had one I put on stick on so it wouldn't come off, and I've never had one I put on come off when I didn't want it to (or even leak, for that matter).

THEGENERAL

did it make any noises at all???

Red Devil

That is not an occurance I'd like to try. Damn.

THEGENERAL

amen to that

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

That old car rattles more than a 3rd gen (if you can imagine that). I noticed it was pulling during braking more than usual, and my times seemed to be a bit off. Other than that, I didn't notice anything...

THEGENERAL

dont you love the old rides .....lol.....
all honestly i prefer them to any other car out there i love the old early 70s to mid 50s cars