I cant remove my oil filter

[Hoo024law]

None of the wrenches I have can properly grip the filter presently in the engine. I've heard that you can penetrate the filter with a screwdriver in order to twist the filter off.

Has anyone done this and should I try it? Thanks much. -John

[joezee]

HELLO : happened on my first oil change last week.it was a mutha.i warmed up the car,shut it off and just kept trying to move it with both hands on the filter.i almost gave up and tried it 2 or 3 more times with all the strength i had and it moved a tiny bit.tried it again and it moves some more till it got easier.then finally screwed off..........suggestion, just thought of this,take it somewhere for the first oil change and tell them not to put it on tight,make sure they oil the seal too and double check it as soon as it's done to make sure it's not on tight......let someone else do it the first time.................joezee

[Mole]

did you use an oil filter wrench? they come in real handy. buy it at any car parts store.

[Yanks0114]

did you use an oil filter wrench? they come in real handy. buy it at any car parts store.

Agreed. It seems that our oil filter is too small for the regular slip on oil filter wrenches ( ) but I've had success with end cap filter wrenches

[99solarai4]

I prefer the adjustable filter pliers myself. They work on almost anything.

[Luc]

Craftsman (Sears) sells a very nice one, an filter removal/install wrench that adjusts the 3 claws when it gets turned. I tried the poke-a-hole-in-filter trick, but didn't work. If you plan on using the same type filter next time, get the specific cap also.

[NASTY]

It seems that our oil filter is too small for the regular slip on oil filter wrenches

worked fine for me...theres different sizes
the K&N filter im using now has a thing (i dont know what to call it, kind of like the head of a screw sticking out) so you can remove the filter with a socket wrench which should make it easier

[rnsmelody]

None of the wrenches I have can properly grip the filter presently in the engine. I've heard that you can penetrate the filter with a screwdriver in order to twist the filter off.

Has anyone done this and should I try it? Thanks much. -John

that happen to me on my frist oil chnge too..ended up sticking a screwdriver in it and twisting it off.. tried everything i could find at frist. but that was my last resort. its located in a tight spot.

[JMSinMaryland]

The new 1MZ-FE filter is a smaller dimension than the older 1MZ-FE filter, my filter wrench that wraps around the old filter kept on slipping with the new one. I took a jar opener, (loose plastic disc thingie =) ), and wrapped that around the inside of the wrench and it came loose. Jon.

[Flipside909]

The new 1MZ-FE filter is a smaller dimension than the older 1MZ-FE filter

Are you comparing the older 1MZ-FE to the newer 1MZ-FE found in the 02+ Camry and etc?

[JMSinMaryland]

I'm blanking out on the codes for the filters (I'm sure you can tell me), but by older I'm speaking of the difference between the filter meant for my 01 and the filter meant for the 02. Try putting a oil filter wrench meant for the '01' oil filter around an '02' oil filter and you'll see how they're different sizes. Jon.

[austinsolara]

Same thing happened my first oil change. Looks like Toyota does not prime the oil filter gasket with oil. I ended up poking a hole in the bottom and using a pair of vise grips to remove the filter.