Changing Your Car’s Engine Oil Filter is Easier Than You Think

The most difficult side of driving is not everyone can be a car mechanic.

There are all too many cars that have specific individual problems, and these problems can create difficulties that affect the running of the car. In order that everything runs smoothly, there is a lot of importance placed on the engine oil, as this keeps moving parts moving. That oil itself is never much use unless you have a good oil filter in the car’s engine. There is all the more importance placed on the quality of the oil filter in a powerful car, as these cars are considered high-performance vehicles and depend on the moving parts performance more than ever.

Changing the engine oil filter is projected to be easy, and that anyone can do it, even the non-mechanically oriented like the rest of us. In fact, the filter is said to be replaceable by hand, and it would not be far from the truth except when the filter is slick and slippery with oil — and most car owners do not know how.

Thus filters often cannot be loosened by hand, but there are special filter wrenches that may be used. They come in two general types: the jointed pincer style and handle-and-chain style. Either is a handy tool to unscrew an oil filter, a task extremely difficult to do even when using latex gloves. At any rate, work gloves of leather, denim or latex are recommended when using filter wrenches as they minimize the metal’s bite on the hand when applying pressure to unscrew the filter. They also protect the hand from oil spills, a good thing for those who are allergic or averse to oil on their skin.

When you access the oil filter, you may well find that it is screwed on pretty tightly. With the aforementioned oil making for a lack of purchase, you would be well advised to wipe it with a rag before you ever take a wrench to it.

After the filter is loosened, twist it off by hand as using the wrench will be more cumbersome. You should have a container to catch the oil that will spill from the filter’s opening as you remove it, while turning it upside down will also prevent further spills. Place it in the container with the opening on top to avoid spilling more oil.

At this stage, again, it will be worth using a fresh rag to wipe the nozzle and the sides of the new filter for the purposes of ease of handling. You will be well-advised to smear some oil on the rubber surface of the gasket, as this will smooth the twisting of the filter on to the nozzle. A few drips will do, and if you smear them over the whole rubber surface it will create a firm contact point.

Turn the filter by hand when it begins to thread in but do not force it at the start: you might damage the thread and the filter will not seat perfectly, causing leaks. It is good practice to turn it counterclockwise first (as if loosening it) a few turns to find the entry thread before turning it the other way to thread it in. This way you can be assured of a good thread-in. Hand-tighten it to a good fit and youre done.