oil filter wrench????

[Lefy]

best oil filter wrench for gettin to my firlter in a 98 sport 4.0 sohc what do you guys use???

i have one of those metal strap ones that clamp on around the filter but it really doesn't allow easy turning of the oil filter what else can i get that would work better since. i sorta bent the one i have getting the filter tight.
yeh so who knows whihc one i should get.??
i'm looking i guess for one thats like a big socket so i could uses a wrench on it which would be sweet.
but i can't find one who makes them.

thanks

 

[udmsvt]

ok, first..you are only supposed to hand-tighten the filter while re-installing (so you wont break the seal). second, you schouldnt need a filter wrench, assuming you abide by number one. third, if you must use a filter wrench, kmart sells them as do many places like walmart and meijer.

i just have a set of old gloves i use for other people's filters, but on my truck i ALWAYS use fram which have a gripper so i can do it with my bare hands.

 

[aldive]

I have always had to use a wrench to remove any filter that I hand tightened.

The best I have found is the one shown below. I use a 6: 3/8" drive extension with a flex ratchet on it.

 

[jimbo74]

the one i use at work has 3 prongs, and they move via gears... they tighten harder, the more force you exsert..... i got mine at sears..... also, the mac tools guy and the snap-on guy have the same ones as well.....

 

[udmsvt]

re: aldive

thats wierd..you must have some serious upper body strength to tighten that hard or maybe they crust on. i have yet to need a wrench on anybodys car (and that includes my parents who often go a year between oil changes). i know i dont have much upper body strength, but i am also short...maybe its a leverage thing.


sears would probably be a good place to get that wrench. i guess i can see needing one tyo get it off..they can be difficult at times. like i said though, i would definately only hand-tighten.

 

[rocco123]

Both wrenches I have ever needed are at the end of my arms. Thats also where I look when I need a helping hand.

 

[udmsvt]

until i found this site, me too. now, i can come here with any problems i have and i can usually get a phesable solution.

 

[Rhett]

I always hand tighten but for some reason I usually have to use my filter wrench to get them loose. I use an AMSOIL filter, and I think aldive does too. Last time, though, was able to horse it loose with my hands. My filter wrench I bought from sears and its a nice one that lets you attach a ratchet or bb to it. It's similar to aldives. The strap-type ones aren't too useful in my opinion.

 

[Jason_25]

What's wrong with doing it by hand? It should screw on and off very easily. If not, your doing something wrong.

 

[Rhett]

Well, I'd say you're doing something wrong if it leaks after you're done.

It's just how much of a wimp I want to be;

if I use a filter wrench I can loosen it with almost no force. If I do it by hand I have to bear into it a little but it's no problem.

 

[Crankcase]

Very rarely can I loosen a filter by hand, and I have strong arms...I use the cap type of attachment that Aldive pictured....

 

[Bill Kemp]

I usually use a filter wrench I got at AutoZone that looks like ice-tongs or pliars. I use a wrench cause I dont want to burn myself &/or have oil leak down my arm.

 

[Robb]

I will confess. I usually use a wrench to give a quick snug when installing the filter. Reason being, my hands are usually oily and it is hard to get a good grasp on the filter or to determine if I have snugged it up enough. Better to have a filter a little too tight than a little too loss. It has always worked for me and never had a problem.

 

[Crankcase]

I have done that in the past too, Robb. If I think the filter feels loose, I will give it an inch or so of turn, MAX....

 

[X~FACTOR]

Once the filter stop spinning on its own I just give it another half a turn. Never had a leakage problem and always comes off by hand.

 

[udmsvt]

thats what i do too. like i said, i use fram which have that gripper on them, plus i have an old set of mech. gloves that help with gripage and not burning my hand....although one truck id to wrap a bug baggie around the filter to catch all the loose oil...it reduces your grasp though.