Oil change wrenches, do the cap wrenches work?

[strider3700]

I went to change my wives oil on her Matrix yesterday.  it turns out that my swivel wrench is 1 size too big,  I then tried to use some of those rubber band pipe wrenches but there was just no space to turn it even when I did get a good grip.  The damn filter is really on there,  I'm sure the neighbours heard some new colourful language as I was trying to get off of it.  In the end it started to rain I told the filter what it could do to itself and I quit for the day.   

This morning some googling led me to something called an oil filter cap wrench.   THat with some long extensions should sure be a hell of a lot easier then the other style.  I've never seen them before.  Anyone used one?  Do they actually grip when you have the right size?   How do you determine the right size that you'll need?  Should I be looking for something else.

[Spork]

My experience is that: it depends.

There are lots of filter wrenches out there -- and sometimes you just have to find the one that fits your vehicle.  It's a matter of what space you have where.  I think I've got 3-4 different filter wrenches built up over 30+ years of oil changes.  When I get a car that one doesn't fit, I find one that does.

As for "how to find the right size" ... I'd just walk into where you buy your filter and ask them if they have a cap style wrench that fits it.  Try it out right there in the store before you walk out.

I've found the "swivel style" has solved some of my hard-to-get-at filters: 

I am not necessarily recommending this particular one, but this just gives you an idea what I'm talking about.  The lever part has a hinge in it so it can maneuver a little.
http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-53500-Satndard-Swivel-Filter/dp/B0002SR4AO/ref=sr_1_11?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1361813789&sr=1-11

[Nate R]

The cap wrenches do work well when you get the correct size. It's how it's often done in the factory.

[ketchup]

I've found these to be pretty foolproof.  I've broken way too many of those swivel wrenches, and they can be a pain to use.  I found myself occasionally ending up destroying the filter this way.  The cap wrench for me has been flawless and easy. Just be sure to get the right size.  Mine has a lifetime warranty, and should last just as long as my car.  I think it was something like eight bucks.

[BlueMR2]

Out of the types I've used, the cap wrench is the way to go.  There may be some circumstance where it's not the best, but I've never run across it.  :-)  It's critical that you get the right size though.

[paddedhat]

Every time we end up with a "new" vehicle I grab the small collection of cap wrenches hanging on the wall of the shop and see if we have a match.  If not, I find the right one when I'm at Advance Auto shopping for oil. Most of mine are metal, but one is a hard plastic unit that has a few steps inside to fit a couple of different filter sizes. All of them work well. BTW, since it's related to the topic, IMHO the commodity grade Fram filters are best avoided. We have had issues in the past with a bone dry, rattling valvetrain on start-up. After much investigation it was traced to failed CARDBOARD anti-drainback valves inside of the cheapo Fram filter. Purolator classic filters are a far superior product, and are usually cheap when bought as a packaged special with the oil.

[Wooderson]

After having done several thousand oil changes my favorite style of filter wrench is this:

http://www.amazon.com/Tools-3369-Filter-Wrench-Pliers/dp/B0002SR558

I don't recall a situation where this style did not work, although there were times that it wasn't as elegant as a cap wrench. 

[JamesL]

I suggest the cap wrench.

Normal wrenches (like Wooderson mentioned) will often leave me with crushing the filter as I try to unscrew it. Just my experience though.

[jakkyl]

After having done several thousand oil changes my favorite style of filter wrench is this:

http://www.amazon.com/Tools-3369-Filter-Wrench-Pliers/dp/B0002SR558

I don't recall a situation where this style did not work, although there were times that it wasn't as elegant as a cap wrench.

I used to work at a tire shop and I did a lot of oil changes, the plier type linked in the quote are my favorite or this works well also:
http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Best-Universal-Filter-Wrench/dp/B000UD0CTQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1362065628&sr=1-6&keywords=filter+wrench

I've always hated the strap type and the cap wrenches don't always work, and we had many different sizes of them.

[Blindsquirrel]

   The cap wrenches work fine. I have also driven a screw driver though the side and turned filters that way. messy but works when you wrenchless.

[idjces]

I use a hammer to drive a screwdriver through the upper end of the filter, than you can use the screwdriver handle for leverage.


Somehow that's evolved to become the easiest method heh :)

(be careful not to aim too low and damage part of the filter housing)

[strider3700]

I have to share how this story ended.

Last sunday I tried to change the oil and couldn't move the filter.    Over the week I went to the parts store and bought the appropriate cap wrench.    Today I sat down to try.   First thing up,  drain the oil.    Next put cap wrench on and hive it a turn.   1/4 turn then "click" as it slips.  WTF I say and try again.   "click".   New colorful language comes from my mouth,   my wife sticks her head out the window and asks whats wrong.   I verify numbers and yes the wrench should fit but it obviously doesn't.   SO Off to the parts store.  Another cap wrench,  this one metal and with few matching filters listed.  I assume the other one was more universal in nature.   Drive back home.   crawl under put it on, push real hard, start to turn,  "click", "click", "click".   At this point my neighbour who worked construction for 40 years learns some new words he's never heard before.     

Come inside calm down and look over and there's a hammer and all my screw drivers....   Back out I go.  It's almost impossible to get the screw driver on to the filter.  Eventually it's there and I drive the tiniest one I have through.  Next the longer one  Drive it through.  NOw put my back into it and **$**$*$#*@@#%#@#*@#**@#*@*#@*#*    nothing.  switch to a different small screw driver theat I can reach from a different angle.  Bend screw driver like it's made of butter.   more swearing.    Wife suggests jacking it up so I can get at it from  below. Great Idea that may help.    40 minutes later it's not high enough to help and I'm out of jack and the jackstands barely fit under it.  Resume swearing.   Now I'm screwed. I can't turn it, I can't drive it somewhere and make it someone elses problem.   Resume swearing.   Back into the truck, back to the parts store,  buy the smallest swivel wrench. While walking through there's some ramps on sale.  Fuck it it's only fucking money  $30 more.    Return home get wife to start the car and bump it up the ramps. crawl under and put the swivel wrench on.  SLIP SLIP SLIP.  Resume teaching the neighbourhood new words ( no small kids nearby and mine are at grandmas today)     Find the bigscrew driver and push it through the filter.  No hammer needed this time I'm so pissed.  Get a good angle and reef as hard as I can.  Now I don't mean to brag but I'm no small weak guy.   I can pick up 300lbs without having been in a gym for years.  I had my legs planted and I was grunting to the point of blowing something out.   ANd it spun.  Just 1/2" but it spun.    It was still way too hard to turn by hand but I was out of space for the screw driver  so I put the cap wrench on and off it came.   Checking everything there was no cross threading, no damage on the housing, no anything  it was just hard as hell to turn.

So I put the new one on filled it up and started to clean up.    In the end instead of paying $50 for someone else to change the oil while I drank one of their coffee's  I paid $20 in oil, $8 for the filter, bought 3 different wrench's 2 of which will be returned so only $10 more,   bought $30 worth of ramps, drove to the parts store 4 times,   now have a filter, a bunch of rags and a container of oil to dispose of  and spent 5 hours working on it.      Yeah normally I love do it yourself  but not so much this time.

[ketchup]

Not an uncommon experience unfortunately if you've had your oil changed by an oil change shop before. They tend to overtighten everything.  The oil drain plug and the filter do *not* need to be in super-tight.  Tighten the oil drain plug with your second largest tool, and loosen it with your largest tool.  Only put on the filter hand tight; it does not need to be any tighter than that.  Also do be sure to put new oil on the filter gasket, or that could cause it to get stuck too.

Congrats on getting it done though!  This happened to me once on my friend's car, and we ended up destroying the filter to the point where all the oil bled out, and we had to push the car to the closest oil change place to wrangle off the filter.  Not a fun day.

[BlueMR2]

DIY with cars always carries some risk.  I've had a couple jobs go bad where I ended up having to get a tow truck to take my car to a shop as I'd rendered it undriveable and reached the end of what can be done at home without a lift/special tools.  :-)

[William]

I've changed oil in at least a dozen vehicles and I've never been tempted to buy a special wrench.  The only wrench you need is to loosen your drain plug.

If you were lazy ever and took your car to have someone else do the oil change and its too tight, there's a simple solution.  Shove a screwdriver through the filter and use the handle as leverage (as mentioned above).

[superspeck]

I just use a pair of Vice-grips and crush the filter to get a grip on it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with doing that from my experience as long as you don't crush the threads. Which shouldn't ever be the case if you're using a decent filter.