The oil filter on my 2011 Jeep Liberty is a major pain to get at and I have often had to retighten after having my Oil changed while on the road traveling for work. I have gone as far as to create a 1" dia access hole in the lower front facia so that I can get a socket style filter wrench onto the filter and use a rachet with extensions and uni joint to tighten the filter. I would like to install a remote oil filter with dual filter connection, but I have heard it may void my warranty and or cause oil pressure problems. My mileage per year is high so I’m not as concerned about warranty as I am about causing damage due to low oil pressure over long term. Does anyone have any experience with installing a remote filter on jeep libertys.
I can’t remember anyone ever commenting on a remote filter on any modern car. Do you have a brand in mind?
A Mr. Gasket universal kit unit from JC Whitney and purchase a separate dual filter mount so I can install 2 filters and reduce resistance that may decrease oil pressure. My brother is on a dirt track racing pit crew and he suggested installing a remote filter.
Do you need more filter capacity? It is extremely rare that an oil filter is maxed out in normal use, or even extreme use. What benefit will 2 filters provide? And when you consider the cost and effort to install such a system compared to the few minutes of tedium at each oil change is there really any benefit? You might consider a shorter filter if available. It might be more easily installed. Or possibly one of the brands that have a large hex on the base would help.
“JC Whitney”…uh-oh…I’d much rather find a shop that knows how to do your oil change correctly.
Rod, I think he’s looking for an oil filter mount with two connections, an inlet and an outlet, rather than considering using two filters.
Personally, I’m wondering aout this “retightening” that he keeps doing. OP, I’d like to hear the history behind this “need”. Is there chroniically leakage at the filter gasket? Or are you tightening it just because you think it’s too loose?
An oil filter should never have to be tightened with a wrench. Wrist tight is all that’s required and all that shoud be done. I’m wondering of the places that are servicing the vehicle are tightening it wrist tight and you’re going on after and wrench tightening it.
TSMB - see his second comment “so I can install 2 filters and reduce resistance that may decrease oil pressure”
If you found the Whitney catalog, you probably saw the Jeep magazines in the Auto section at Bones & Marbles or at Safeway. If you didn’t, you may have missed other kits.
I just love (no I DON’T) the 2002 GMC Sierra 4.8 with auto, 4WD, 1500 series filter location. You can get to it but it can tip when you try to remove it. The oil then gets on the skid plate (or whatever it is) and can drip.
It’s a better location than yours but I want to at least look at other options just for fun, if for no good reason. Is it any wonder that I want Toyota to build a retro version of the 83 Corolla SR5 two door? Don’t forget the 83 to 87 Camry with the easy maintenance four cylinder.
Big red flag here, you don’t tighten an oil filter with a cap wrench or any other type of wrench. HAND TIGHTEN ONLY. If you are using a wrench to tighten the oil filter, you are over compressing the gasket, this causes the rubber to lose its modulus of elasticity and permanently deforming, reducing its ability to expand and keep the joint sealed. This is why it feels loose later.
The ideal compression for rubber is 30%, any more than that is counter productive. This is achieved by hand tightening the filter by most people.
I see it now, Texases.
But I’m still wondering about the whole retightening thing. I see Keith had similar thoughts.
Op? Could you explain why you’ve been retightening the filters with a wrench every time?
Let me add a little more here. I haven’t done any actual measurements here but it looks to me like most oil filter gaskets are about 3/16" thick and the thread pitch of the oil filter looks like its about 13 tpi, maybe 12 tpi. But using 3/16" thickness and 13 tpi, 3/4 turn after gasket contact yields about 30% compression.
30% is generally considered ideal, not sure where that comes from but that is the answer I have always gotten from every engineer I have talked to. I did have this discussion quite frequently when I was working for a transformer manufacturer as the optimum compression is needed for a gasket that has to hold oil under pressure for at least 30 years.
The acceptable range for compression accepted by most of the engineers was anywhere between 22 and 40% with 30% being the target.
A little more here as well, adding two filters will not reduce the pressure loss, the pressure loss isn’t from the filter(s), well a little is, but most of it comes from drag inside the hoses to the remote filter. You can reduce the drag by using larger diameter hoses, but there is a trade off here. Every time you change your oil and filter, the oil pump has to fill up the lines and the filter before it can deliver oil to the engine. Also, even if the oil filter has a good anti-drain valve in it, one or both lines will probably drain every time the engine is shut down. This means that the engine will be running dry for awhile every time you start it.
If you do a lot of short trip driving, lots of starts each day, you could damage the engine.
The only time I would use a wrench to tighten would be for a hard-to-get-to filter that I am replacing. I can then tell when the gasket first contacts the base, and then carefully tighten the recommended 3/4 (or whatever it is for that application) turn. But I would never do this on an already-installed filter, I wouldn’t know how much it had already been tightened.
Some engines have filters located in hard to reach positions and I find it necessary to use the 3/8 square drive cup type wrenches to tighten them. When available I use the filters with a hex on the base for those applications.
My Nissan truck is that way, but I only use the cap wrench (the kind you describe) to remove the filter. I hand tighten the new one on. I agree that it is awkward to do, but I still do it. Sometimes, my hands get a little oily and I can’t go much past 1/2 turn past contact. Even then, it has never leaked and after 7500 miles, the oil filter is still a bear to loosen and remove.
Owning a Honda Civic with the oil filter on the back of the engine, I’ve considered one of these kits. In the end, I decided that eliminating the hassle of getting to the oil filter wasn’t worth possible oil starvation and the destruction of my engine.
For all I know, the kit might work just fine, but if you install one, you’ll be giving the oil more places to leak from. I prefer to keep it simple so I reduce the odds of massive oil loss.
BTW, I agree with the others. If you need a wrench to tighten the oil filter, you’re doing it wrong. The wrench is only for removing the filter on a car. On a motorcycle, things are different, and you need to torque the filter, but on a car, you should be able to hand tighten it enough that it won’t come off.
If your filter is hard to remove, there is a wide variety of different tools that can make it easier. I prefer something like what’s in this picture. You’d never want to use something like to install a filter through. It usually crushes the filter when I squeeze on the handles.
The Mr. Gasket remote setup from Whitney that I was able to see on the web appears to be a good solution to your quest. It just so happens that I have the filter mount portion of one of those kits; can’t recall where I got it but it appears to be a quality cast aluminum part. I would extend one caution from ignorance about the seal on the engine mounted fitting. If a silicon rubber seal is provided, then you should be fine. Otherwise it might be good to occasionally check the seal to make sure it is not deteriorating from heat over time and exposure to hot oil. I have bought auto parts from J. C. Whitney in the past and have received satisfaction. Yes, they do sell things that are questionable but a capable person can sort these out of consideration.
The Mr Gasket filter mount is identical to the Hayden package and is sold with various labels. By coincidence I have several, one still in the package, labelled Trans-Dap #1028. It requires a filter with 3/4-16 nipple. It is a solid hunk of aluminum and its greatest problem is leaking at the fittings. I installed remote filters on hydraulic equipment and on several occasions used the adapters to flush out power steering systems and automatic transmissions. The engine outlet adapter appears to be an aluminum casting that is tapped out to match the engine’s filter nipple. If carefully installed the package should work well but I remain curious about 2 filters.
And if installed I would suggest that when changing the oil, fill the new filter(s) before installing.
I’m not sure why one would want to reduce oil pressure.
Me either. I’d also like to add that I don’t consider the mating surface of the fittings the weak link in this set-up. I’d be much more worried about the oil lines.
As most cars are setup, the oil travels through passages inside the engine, and through the pump. The only machine I’ve seen recently with exterior oil lines is a custom chopper. There’s a reason for this. Exterior oil lines have all the same failings as coolant hoses and brake lines. They might deteriorate, get pinched, or leak. If your cooling system leaks, you usually get some warning before your engine is toast. If one of your brake lines leaks, two or three of the other brakes will probably still work, but you can still use your parking brake if you have to. If an oil line leaks, by the time the oil light comes on, the damage could easily already done, especially if you are in a situation where you can’t kill the engine and pull over right away.
Will the oil lines on your filter relocation kit leak? Probably not, but is getting to your oil filter really so difficult that it’s worth the risk? Not in my opinion.