help removing oil filter

so i am changing my oil now and beig the idiot that i am i didn't check to see how hard it would be before i started...

i successfully drained the oil but now i can't get the filter off.

can someone tell me how i am supposed to get the filter off a 1st gen and how i am supposed to get the new one on there tight considering i can hardly get my arm up there?

maybe i am going in the wrong way??


any help would be VERY appreciated!!!!

 

go thru the little flap in the fender well. and you may need to use a filter wrench to get a better grip.

 

i'm not by my truck now... do i need to unscrew anything to get the flap open?

 

it also helps if you park the truck with the wheels turned all the way to the left, it gives you a little more room to work with

 

is it ok for the truck to sit overnight with no oil in it... starting to get dark here

 

no the flap is held on by little plastic rivets u can push out with your hand

 

awesome... going to try that before it gets too dark... be back with results

 

success!!! thanks for the help... moving the flap was key

luckily i could unscrew the filter with my hand because the wrench i found wasn't tight enough to grip the filter

i put in 5 qts oil and 8 (?) oz of STP oil treatment but i can't see the oil on the dipstick... maybe i need another qt. will go get that tomorrow and see but i thought the 3.4 L engine took about 5.8 qts... will check again


thanks again for the help everyone!

 

5.8 quarts equals 5 quarts and 25.6 ounces. Not sure if its the issue or me misinterpreting but I thought i would throw that out there

 

the oil treatment bottle was roughly a third of the qt. oil bottle


i guess i was over estimating how much the treatment would add


may have been more than 8 oz too

 

even with just 5 quarts it should be well up on the dipstick, you should start to see just 4 quarts on the stick. besides the obvious (leaking out as fast as you put it in or adding to your tranny fluid as in wrong dipstick) are you pushing the dipstick all the way back seated in when you're checking it? if you're sure you put 5 quarts in and the additive don't go dumping another quart in...you'll just end up draining it out later.

 

Owners manual for a 1997 3.4L with 4WD states 5.5 US Qt with filter change.

If memory serves me correctly, though. I always put 6 US Qt. in.
May have been 1/8- 1/4 Qt too much, but looked good on the stick.

Either way, what you added should be registering on the stick. Make sure you insert the stick all the way. It's kind of finiky that last 1/2".

 

Being that I'm going to be doing an oil change myself for the first time this weekend or next, it's good to hear about the trick to get the filter off. I remember reading that getting it off on the 5VZFE was a bitch. Glad to know theres an easy way to do it!

 

i made a mess the first few times i did an oil change on my truck with that crazy filter. Then i figured out the splash guard trick..It still makes a mess, but not as much.

The best tip for you sir, is to take the skid plates off, or everywhere you go it looks like your truck is leaking oil for a week.

 

Have u tried priming the engine after putting the oil in it? you should have already been able to see oil. Try turning the key two clicks right and let everything circulate for about 20 seconds. then check the oil.

 

this is kinda a stupid question but i have done it before did u put the plug back in after u finished draining it???

 

LOL, thats what I was thinking and only because I have done it! I did that on my 97 when I was in high school, my dad just watched as I dumped 5 fresh quarts through the engine then ask if I had put the plug in. I must say I will never do that again!

 

Remember to put some clean oil on the rubber o-ring on the filter, and DO NOT over tighten, you probably already have the filter on but hand tight is more then enough. Some filters have markings at 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, half a turn past where the rubber touches should be tight enough. I've seen guys use a filter wrench to put the filter on, only to curse up and down when they try to change it later!

 

I had a buddy call me and say he changed his oil and now the engine wouldn't crank. Turned out he drained his tranny empty and dumped 4 quarts of new oil on top of the 4 quarts of old oil in his engine. It was so full the pistons couldn't move up and down. Pretty new Lancer too.