Stuck oil filter housing

completely stock here. 1st time was a nightmare, was afraid i'd break it due to dealer over tightening.
needed breaker bar. fortunately it came off in one piece and i tighten it with a torque wrench. i believe it does get harder to remove after being installed but not overly so. i would need a ratchet to tighten it so might as well use a small torque wrench and pull til it goes click. 18 ftlbs. no ear breakers here. got it off ebay for 8 bucks in a bidding war. usually changed cold, sometimes warm, never hot.
usually requires a couple taps to get the wrench to release it. not a problem.

 

Assuming thermal expansion is the case, when this expansion is combined with a muscular rack monkey, the filter becomes very difficult to remove.
I torque mine down exactly to 18 ft-lbs with lubricated threads.

The factory filter torque on my new 2023 was not difficult to remove.
The rack monkey torque on our 2016 RAV4 required a shop lift and huge breaker bar.

 

I would like to know how many members are changing their oil with the engine hot? I do think the thermal expansion theory has a key part here I have always changed engine oil with the engine cold and never had an issue with any filter in 40 years of doing my own service.

 

usually changed cold, sometimes warm, never hot. no snugness problems.

 

I usually change it warm. Drive from the carport to the garage/shop, then up on the ramps. Engine is on for 5-10 minutes before the change.
Composite housing does have less "slop" in the threads than aluminum one. Plus aluminum and composite expand at different rates, so I can see where composite would be harder to remove.

 

Same here..

 

Mine comes to a dead stop right at18 Ft lbs.

 

The problem I had on our RAV was when the engine was cold.
I changed the filter on my 2023 hot, no problems.

 

That’s weird just the opposite for me.

 

Thanks. I will do that!

On an additional note relating to composite and aluminum oil filter housings (caps): I haven't found a difference when installing or removing either one. I always replace the oil while it is hot enough to not burn my hands. I wear shop or heavy duty Nitrile gloves, of course, and then before reinstalling I clean and lubricate the threads of both the housing and the engine. I also make sure that the new O-rings are well lubricated with clean oil. There may be a slight resistance just after the housing engages the threads own the engine, but this resistance is from the O-ring as the housing moves up to the engine. The housing will stop moving when it contacts the engine, and there is where one can torque it as indicated (18 foot-pound?).

 

I've done both and doesn't noticeably change the resistance. I like cold because there's slightly less mess if you don't have a fumoto.

 

I’ve never checked the exact torque, but mine does the same thing. Comes to a dead stop and I’ve never had any trouble removing it.

 

It does fit Amazon needs to update but you can go back and put in 2018 TRD OR 3.5 and it will show it fits. I have the Motivx in the link above and it fits perfectly.

 

All you have to do when it gets stuck is barely turn it counterclockwise and it will come off with ease.

 

I had to do it when I switched RAV4 to aluminum housing. Dealer had tightened the crap out the drain cap. Small 6" vise, with 2x4 worked. Wood deforms enough to engage the treads and keep the filter housing still. Do not overtighten.

 

Thanks!

 

I assume that the mechanic does not want to take chances to have the filter housing coming lose on the road. More than likely he or she does not use a torque wrench, just "as much arm torque as needed."

 

Got the plastic filter housing off, didn't take much using the Motivx tool. I could see on the plastic housing where the ears had been distorted from previous oil changes. I decided not to install the metal filter housing at this time; I'm going to hold onto it as a spare in case the Tacoma or my other two 4Runners need it during a future oil change. Torqued it down to 18 ft/lbs and called it good.

Also got around to cleaning up excess oil that was on the skid plates and bottom of the engine. Looks like the common timing cover leak is occuring on the truck. Decided to clean it all up and put in some leak detection dye and run it a few hunderd miles to confirm my suspicion. Based on my research, I highly doubt I'll be spending the money needed to have the seal replaced and I'll just drive it and keep an eye on the fluid levels.

Tomorrow I'm planning to change the front/rear differentials and the transfer case fluids. Might also slap on some new rotors and pads. I already made an appointment with Toyota to have the brake system flushed, as I was reading there's a special procedure required for the Off Road models and I don't want to mess up the brakes.

Glad we're having some nice spring weather in Texas, time for a motorcycle ride now!

 

I am told there is no gasket, only a precision milled surface with a sealant applied.

 

Had to put more than 200ft/lb torque to get the plastic oil filter housing off. My stock torque wrench topped of at 100ft/lb, so I took a longer breaker bar that was twice the length at the point where I applied force. Now I know the problem.

The specs for oil filter housing call for 18-21ft/lb or 216-252in/lb torque. Yeah, you gotta read the last spec carefully - it is "inch per pound." Someone at the dealership does not know the difference.