Can't remove oil filter

[jhamb]

I have a new Solara with the 3.3 engine. I have tried to remove the oil filter but it seems to be frozen (rusted) to the engine block. There is little or no room to get a filter wrench to torque on it. Any suggestions out there? Is there a trick I'm missing? Do they have 900 pound gorillas installing the filters on at the factory?

[deekay140]

u need a cap style remover

[jhamb]

I bought one last night to try. The engine was too hot to work on so I'll give that a go later today. Wish me luck!

[CrawlingEye]

Originally posted by jhamb
I bought one last night to try. The engine was too hot to work on so I'll give that a go later today. Wish me luck!

Try that and a breaker bar if all else fails. Did you previously have someone else doing your oil changes? Maybe they forgot to lube the filter seal and/or over-torqued it.

[terrastrife]

if all else fails, grab a scredriver and a hammer, hammer the driver though the filter to make a handle =)

[yotacam98]

Originally posted by terrastrife
if all else fails, grab a scredriver and a hammer, hammer the driver though the filter to make a handle =)

I think we all have tried this one before

[jhamb]

It must be a thing they do at the factory. I had a 76 chevy I bought new and had the same problem. I punched a screwdriver into it and it shredded the filter casing. I had to have the care towed to the dealer to get the filter removed. I'M NOT DOING THAT AGAIN!

[Phi]

I always had a tough time removing my oil filter too (V6). I decided to buy one of those cap style removers deekay mentioned. Works like a charm

[nort0188]

Righty tighty, lefty loosey

[CrawlingEye]

Just remember when you put it back on not to tighten it with anything but your hand.

[es250nut]

I use the K&N oil filters. The 1" nut at the end is a lifesaver. For the quality they are definetly worth the $8-$10 a filter.

[Mikey21]

Yep, it's stuck all right!!!

My 3.3l 3MZ got it's first oil change without a filter change(luckily it was only 2,000 miles on the Odometer). I removed the oil plug and drained the oil, but for the life of me I couldn't remove the oil filter. So I had to fill it back up with new oil but no filter change.

It's not really stuck though, there's just no good angles to get at the filter. I used a cap style oil filter wrench and tapped it onto the filter. It came off pretty easily after that. I just hit the filter thru the socket hole to drive it off of the wrench. I needed to buy two cap style filter wrenches though. The performance oil filter I put on had that ruberized grip thing around the filter base so the cap style wrench wouldn't fit. So now I have two of them.

[CrawlingEye]

Mikey21, autozone carries universal cap-style filter fittings, they use springs and when you rotate them right to tighten, they expand, but when you rotate them left to loosen them, they grip, I bought one due to the fact that I change not only my own oil, but my girlfriend's, brother's and a couple of his friend's oil for them. It works like a charm and was only $7 or so.

[emerald_gen3]

Do they have 900 pound gorillas installing the filters on at the factory?

im not sure about yota factorys but i know that ford and GM both put their oil filters on dry (not lubricating the seal) that contributes to the problem of them seizing, cuz they usually sit on the lot for a while b4 they're bought and then ya put 2 or 3 thousand miles on 'em and that just makes it even worse... i never saw any 900 pound gorillas at the ford or GM factorys...