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Oil Filter Housing

11K views 21 replies 14 participants last post by  CAD-Man 
#1 ·
Just purchased 2014 Tundra, I have had 4runners previously, oil change on those took me no time at all.. no more! My problem is my oil filter housing will not break loose, I used a piece of paper to tighten filter wrench, breaker bar then I broke aluminum wrench! Of course the wrench I bought was the cheap one at Wal-Mart. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. They must have tightened this one with a jackhammer! Thanks
 
#2 ·
They are tight. Just changed my oil yesterday afternoon (2015 5.7L).

What are you using for a filter wrench? I use a MotivX filter wrench and I've never felt a need to "tighten it up." I do make sure that it's seated properly and securely over the tabs on the side of the housing.

To turn that wrench, I use a 3/8ths breaker bar with extension to reach up to the filter. Increasing pressure slowly and making sure I keep the extension straight into the MotivX adapter, it does finally unseat.

When I reseat the filter housing, it does "bottom out". I try not to overtighten, but since I'm the one who does the oil changes, I have me to blame as the bonehead who tightened it last time.
 
#3 ·
They always are tight ( O ring ) even though not over tightened. Just the nature of the beast. My wifes Camry is the same way .

Get the cast aluminum housing socket from Amazon

I always use the socket , long 3/8 extension and 3/8 socket wrench . Still loosing is stiff.

Tundra oil change really isnt too bad once you get used to it . I also mod'ed my skid plate with a 6" nice neat round hole right under the oil filter . Filed the cut smooth , 2 coats of rubberized under coating and heavily greased the attatchment bolts to the skid plate since they will not be removed for quite some time .

good luck
 
#5 ·
I use the TOY640 filter socket/wrench. Yes, they can be cranked on by dealers. There is also a locking tab that you have to make sure you pull over the lock/safety tab.

Some people have actually broken the filter housing trying to get them off. If that happens you can swap in an aluminum housing.
 
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#13 ·
I recently bought a new steel wrench at AutoZone for about $10. It grips the flats and the lugs on both sides simultaneously. Use a socket on the hex-head of the wrench. Use a breaker bar and apply slowly increasing pressure until it comes loose.

When reinstalling, I recommend using a little anti-seize lube on the threads, and oil on the O-ring. The O-ring is what actually does the sealing, so tighten the cap until it contacts the flange (bottoms out), and snug it up with a short ratchet. ( Minimal torque) It is unlikely to vibrate loose, and as I said, the O-ring does the sealing.

I changed over to the metal cap which others have mentioned.
 
#17 ·
It seems that the dealers really over tighten these things when they install them (same with the canister oil filters). But it does not have to be that tight. The first time I did the oil change, I was really afraid I was going to break the plastic filter housing, but it did come off after using a 1/2" breaker bar with a long pipe extension and an unbelievable amount of torque. There is just no reason for that thing to be that tight, and it was because the dealership put it on that way.

I did get the Toyota filter housing wrench and it is built tough. It fits the housing very well and it has tabs that engage the ears of the housing for even more turning strength. It does work well, but a little pricey.

A couple more tips.

When you re-install the filter housing, just bottom it out and get it snug and it will be fine. No need to torque it like a head bolt. The torques listed in post #4 from Brian20 above are correct. There is no need to over torque this thing.

Since my Tundra has never actually been off of a paved road, I removed my skid plate and sold it on ebay, and that really speeds up the job.

I did accidentally break off the little tab that keeps the oil filter housing from turning on one of my first Tundra's, and it worked fine afterwards, so I have done the same to the last 3 Tundra's I have owned. It has never been a problem, but it sure makes the job easier when you don't have to worry about it.

And last, pay close attention to the o-ring seal. I don't always change the o-ring on the canister because they can get damaged easily, so I usually change them every other oil change and keep the o-ring just in case I damage one re-installing the housing (which has happened a couple times). So, re-use that o-ring everyone once in a while so you have a spare o-ring in case you need it.
 
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