How to Remove a Stuck Oil Filter
 

There have been various discussions on how to remove an over tightened oil filter on the RX-8. I do my own oil changes and the last time I must have gotten carried away with tightening the filter. Let's just say I tried everything to loosen the filter this time and could not budge it. :o I refuse to give in and take it to the dealer, so I found the perfect oil filter wrench at Auto Zone for removing one that is stuck for only $6.99 with a lifetime warranty. This design gets tighter as you apply pressure. Easily removed my stubborn filter. :D Highly Recommended.

got one
 

Ditto-- works great--and can into tight spots-Should be mandatory in every shad tree mechanics arsenal of weapons.

Ram a big screwdriver thru the side of the filter...twist.

:D


fwiw, Never put a fliter ON more than hand-tight.

A thin piece of sandpaper inside the rim of a cap-style filter wrench worked like a charm for me.

Thats works for me everytime... ;)

Disagree. The Mazda filters are printed with specific instructions on them for tightening (number of rotations once the gasket contacts the base). If I had to choose between an oil leak and a recalcitrant filter, I'd go with the latter and deal with a garage problem rather than a road one.

That being said, I've never had a problem removing a filter I've put on according to the instructions and I've driven Mazdas for 15 years.

it looks like something off a weed-eater......

Huh...I have that very filter wrench in my toolbox, and would have to say that I have never used it successfully...YMMV ;)

If you've ever done the screwdriver trick and had it rip the can right off the filter base resulting in a tow and a mechanics bill to get the stuck base off, you wouldn't try it a second time. Voice of experience here, sorry to say. It was a '76 Cutlass, tho.

If the screwdriver trick ended up ripping the can off of the filter base, any other means to turn it would have also. This isn't a flaw with the screwdriver trick. It's worked for me in the past as well.

Screw driver trick
 

I do not recommend the punching of the screw driver through the filter, I did that and had to have it towed in to get it off. I did not pay a dime for the tow or the service. Mazda was good to me for that.

Take some rubber tubing and wrap the prongs of the wrench in them. Gives a nice bit of friction to it. (Have one for my current car and will for my 8 eventually.)

I am still just dumbfounded by how anyone can possibly not get a filter off of a car using a screwdriver, filter wrench, etc and then mess up so badly in the attempt that someone else has to fix it. They are human too. It's not impossible.

Think lowest common denominator...

ha!

i did the screwdriver trick and it just tore the side up so i got a huge adjustable wrench and grabbed the filter and crushed it slightly and luckly got it off.

I bought the oil filter wrench and I still had to use the king kong channel locks, it was no problem with those bad boys...

that filter wrench from autozone sucks ass. this one is 10x better. http://www.toolweb.com/itemDetail.cfm?partno=LIS63250

Of the many different types of cars that ive worked on the only cars ive EVER used the filter wrench on was a volvo because that is the only car that is assinine enough to have a special PLASTIC can that requires said method of removal. Incidentally this is the only car out of all types of manufacturers that ive ever had to ask another tech help with.(before mentioned info excludes cadillac because they suck so bad i tend not to include them in a serious discussion of anything automotive).

The Autozone filter wrench just saved me. It is now $9.99 but it got off a filter that I couldn't remove with a cap wrench (kept spinning) or filter pliers (due to the tight space). I did not help myself by first denting the oil filter while puncturing it to help the old oil drain out. I think I'll make sure to try loosening it with a cap wrench first before puncturing it next time. I am trying out the Mobil1 -110 filter this time.

Stuck RX-8 Oil Filter
 

Hi All,

I know this is an old thread, however I ended up in this situation recently with a stuck oil filter (K&N HP1008) on my RX-8.
I have a lot of mechanical experience and I tried all the possibilities referred to in this thread to no avail. Someone had effectively "torqued down" the filter with a socket on the hexagonal nut designed to get it out!!
None of the remedies talked about here even came close to working, so a tow and expensive trip to the garage looked inevitable.
Then I had a Eureka moment and came up with an idea and a tool that would do the trick. It cost $20 and saved me the expense of a dealer repair and tow. If anyone is interested please ping me an email on gcanavan@indigo.ie and I will gladly share my solution.
P

I just wanted to say thank you for the tip to buy that tool in post 1. I have attached two pictures on how I had to get the tool to work. At first it just spun so I threw a rag around the oil filter to give the claws something to grab onto. Then I hooked up a few extensions and spun it with my cordless impact. When it eventually grabbed I was able to finish the job with a ratchet. Hopefully that helps future owners know a good way to use the tool.

PS: It was me who tightened my filter. It was hand tight but it I must have had super human strength that day.

The rubber gasket tends to bond to the metal pedestal face from heat and time. I just learned not to tighten it down so much. It doesn't have to be rammed on there to keep oil from leaking past the gasket. Getting it to wear the gasket touches and then a twist to provide a snug fit is fine.


I'm having a man-crush moment here .... :lol2:

Gee.. quoting a 10 year old post!...;)

Better than starting a new thread! I actually never saw this tool until now, and I tend to overload on the oil filter tightening every change.

Last oil change I had to remove the UIM to take off the oil filter. :banghead:

A worthy thread resurrection. :beer05: