Make sure you swipe a bit of oil on the rubber gasket on the end of the filter when you put it on. Some folks have reported if you don’t, the filter acts like it’s welded on.
I change my oil cold. This month the brothers admitted in their columns that is a valid choice, because people get burned a lot on hot engine parts. They said oil runs out slower, but it is 98 percent effective.
I pull it up on the concrete under the sun roof. The concrete stops, which means there is a several inch drop. Putting my old WWII shelter half on the dirt, I can reach under and get off the drain plug with the car sitting on the ground, no danger, no sweat.
And, the filter is available on a 2002 Sienna from the top.
When I put the new one on, I stick a piece of masking tape on the end, so I can estimate that half turn really close, after I can feel it touch home. Or, is it 3/4 turn, I forget.
Wash the outside of the filter with Dawn Soap. Dry it, then cut rubber gloves to wrap around the filer and place a wrench over the rubber gloves and clamp it hard. The twist it off.
About drain plug position. On the X5 BMW the drain plug and the skid plate is positioned so as that after the inital “gush” of oil has left the engine (lets say after 60 seconds) what is left over will not fall straight down but follow the cast oil pan and end up pooling on the skid plate. We found this out with one of our guys that liked to let his oil changes drain a long time. Well his X5’s were all comming back with a customer complaint of oil in the driveway, but we could not see any oil leaks. The fix is,short drain times or pull the skid plate. Trouble is, there is a access plate that you remove to get to the plug so BMW could not understand why we wanted extra time for oil changes that were part of the package sold with the SUV.
i don’t think there is such a thing as “the best oil filter tool”. it depends what works best on the application, or how tight the previous #$&%@% installed it!? probably the best tool to use might be the cup type. the strap type will get a better grip, is awkward to use, and can crush the filter. if you need to use a tool to remove the filter every time, the next time you install the filter just snug it down by hand, fill it with oil, start the engine and let it idle,and check the filter for leaks. i change oil on all my cars without needing to use an oil filter tool. i just wipe the surface area where the filter goes on, apply a light coat of new oil onto the o-ring on the new filter and snug it on by hand.
I Have Cars That It’s Easier To Use A Metal Strap Type Wrench On And Cars That Require A Metal Cap Socket Type Wrench In Order To Service The Filter.
I keep log books in all of our cars and in addition to recording changes, filter wrench type / size and drain plug wrench sizes are posted so that I don’t lug extra tools.
I must have at least 7 or 8 filter wrenches in the box. I change a lot of oil. I buy it on sale and have stacks of cases in the garage.
I use ramps. I would never use 2x4s. They are too narrow, and I would be concerned about the car falling to the side. Too many people have died that way. 2x10s would be good, but I think plywood would be better.
They make shorter ramps now for cars with low clearance. I have a pair of metal ramps for my mother’s minivan, and a pair of plastic ramps for my Civic.
I try to send as little oil as possible to the landfill, and as much as possible to the recycling center. That’s where I take my old oil filters and rags too.
I have an open-top plant watering container with a long spout on it. First, I prop the drain pan on its edge over the container, so all the oil can drain out of the pan. Then I prop that container up on a large funnel draining into the empty oil jug. Once everything is given time to drain, there is very little residue left to wipe off with a dirty rag. It isn’t that time consuming. I just do one step each time I happen to go into the garage for something else.
That pristine wilderness in which you live isn’t going to have a clean water supply for long if you keep sending some of your oil to the local landfill.
I use the socket type that fits over the end of the filter. I suspect though that you don’t have the right size though. On the Acura, it takes something like a 17 mm and was only available from Honda. It needs to be a pretty snug fit and then it would bend the filter before slipping. No way would I be comfortable with a hand tight filter.
I agree though. You need to raise the front end up a little. Not off the ground or anything but just up enough to get decent clearance. Ramps, 2x6 etc, but I just use a screw jack. Even if it comes down, (which it never has) you don’t get hurt. At one time before ramps, I just had about three 2x8s nailed together with the end tapered to drive on. Just anything to get a little more clearance safely.
I’m fortunate enough to have an uncle who works in masonry, and I have access to car-length concrete ramps that will lift one axle or the whole car 18 inches of the ground. But when I help out-of-town friends change oil, I have them put the right front wheel over the curb, from the driveway, and lie in the gutter. They’re mostly young and slim, like me, so that works for us.
As for removing filters, I have the end-cap type wrench, but usually don’t need it. I lubricate the gasket and don’t leave it on forever and usually can work the filter loose by hand. On one friend’s filter we have to pound a tight filter wrench on, and after removing the filter, knock the wrench off. A filter wrench that’s too tight may work this way when the next larger size is too big.
If there isn’t much space at the end of the filter to use a ratchet, you might try a drive belt tensioner pulley wrench, or something similar. They’re very thin and may fit better than a ratchet.
Whitey, This Isn’t The Big City Here. We Don’t Have A Recycling Center That Takes Oil Filters Or Rags, Etcetera ! We Don’t Have Lots Of Things, But That’s Good.
We don’t even have a hardware store any more, within a 2 hour drive. We don’t have Starbuck’s, KFC, Costo, Home Depot, Lowes, etcetera. Can you picture it ? We have trees animals and lakes.
Don’t worry about our pristine wilderness or clean water. We have a lake association. Ground water / lake water is tested regularly and has actual improved over the years. Our landfill isn’t going to fill up, either. We’ve been using dumps for decades with no problems. This isn’t the big city. The population is very small.
I burn most of my oily stuff. Is the smoke coming your way ?
One size doesn’t fit all. I live here so that I don’t stress over everything the way you folks do in the city. I get the heck out a long time ago. I guess you’ll have to continue to deal with urban problems for me.
When I was a kid, waste oil was sprayed regularly on the dirt roads to keep dust under control. It used to pool up and it was slippery. I fell while riding my bike once and soaked my clothes in used oil. They use brine, now. It’s cheaper.
Please don’t lay your guilt trip on us or share your problems. We’re all fine.
I don’t live a life of stress, and pollution isn’t just an urban problem. It is a global problem. I know all those things about where you live. You have said it all before. Yet I said what I said already knowing all of that.
When I say “recycling center,” what I really mean is the place where I bought the oil and filters. You do buy your oil, and filters at a store, don’t you? Did you know the EPA requires that store where you buy your oil to take your used oil for recycling? Taking care of the environment doesn’t have to be a hardship, so I don’t know why you see it that way.
Pep Boys, where I buy my motorcycle oil and filters, is willing to take my used oil, oil filters, and they let me throw my oily rags into the same trash bin they use for their hazardous waste. I’m going there anyway to buy the oil and filters, so there is no need to make a special trip.
I work smart, not hard, and solving simple problems like this isn’t a hardship. In my opinion, taking care of the earth is a sign of gratitude for God’s gift of the pristine wilderness in which you live, but what do I know? I am just a guy who lives in a small town, so my opinions about disposing of hazardous materials apparently mean nothing to you.
If you want to keep throwing away your hazardous waste in the garbage, go right ahead. After all, your landfill is obviously in someone else’s back yard, not yours. You evidently have no reason to care unless it’s in your back yard.
IMHO end cap tools are virtually useless. mmost of my filter removal tools are ones that grip the surfaces of the canister in three places, gripping tighter as the ratchet is turned counter clockwise.
The best I ever had by far is one that’s a helically coiled spring that tightens around the filter canister body as the ratchet is turned. Unfortunately, it’s for the larger filters common many years ago, and I cannot find one like it for today’s itty-bitty filters.
I Buy My Oil At Wal-Mart And Advance Auto Parts And Take It Back, Used, For Recycling, But I Didn’t Think They’d Take Oil Filters And Besides I Don’t Want To Carry Them Around.
I’ll tell you a quick recycling story. Our nearest town started a recycling program with thousands of tax-payer dollars. People were washing, sorting, and folding their garbage and taking it there. Trucks were hired to haul the bins to the recycling yard.
Well it turns out after a couple of years, somebody found out the stuff was just going to a landfill because the value of the stuff couldn’t turn a profit for the haulers.
Now my wife, an avid recycler, you’ll be happy to hear, takes lots of junk to the town she works in about an hour from here. They have a fancy dancy machine that sorts the stuff all out for you.
For three people in our house, we generate only about one 30 gallon bag of actual trash (not recycleable) every month. When I see what others throw out, I notice we are pretty environmentally friendly.