Oil filter tightness..

[CollingsBob]

Whats the preferred meaurement for correct oil filter tightness?
The 12 lb-ft spec’d in the owners manual..or the 3/4 turn mentioned in various sandboxes?

[John d]

I just turn it by hand until I can't turn it anymore. Never a problem.

[Festus]

The guy at the Yamaha factory believes the proper setting is 150 ft. lbs.

I'm with John d, just hand tight or a tiny bit more with a wrench if you are paranoid.

[FJRoss]

Hand tight isn't what it used to be. After a major surgery on the left hand a few years ago plus a little bit of arthritis in both, I am a bit more secure with Festus's method - hand tight plus a bit.

[wheatonFJR]

Yeah, just changed the oil and filter on a used bike I purchased, and 150ft lbs probably wasn't too far off. I'm actually surprised that the filter wasn't a gnarled mess when it was installed from the massive torque.

[extrememarine]

Hand tight as mentioned. I've also read something along these lines "tighten until gasket makes contact, then tighten a 1/4 turn."

I have followed that on my FJR's and Harley - spin it on until it stops, then a 1/4 turn further.

When I was younger, my dad made me stop using an oil filter wrench on the truck / car to put on the oil filter because we (me) were having to use a punch or screw drive through the filter to get it off... So "hand tight" became "spin it on until it stops, then a 1/4 turn further".

[raYzerman]

It's usually stated on the filter... first, oil the gasket, then install I go 1/2 turn after gasket contacts base. Don't use a Purolator or Bosch, they won't seal properly unless you have the Norm Kern modded filter adapter or shave 0.060" off the nut face on yours.

[CollingsBob]

So, nobody uses a torque wrench...interesting

[raYzerman]

The torque wrench thang was on Honda and Suzuki OEM filters that had a big fat O-ring as a gasket. Even torquing that was a bit silly.......

[CollingsBob]

In my opinion it looks like another instance where a user group has found a better method than the factory..perhaps in this case the factory was/is being overly cautious, defaulting to a measurable value.

[D-Eagle]

I use the torque wrench on everything, including the oil plug (22 lbs based on people having problems stripping with the factory specs). I use 12 lbs on the oil filter. Never a problem. Of course on my SUV's I use the hand tight method (usually I think 3/4 turn after contact). Never a problem there either. Most likely you're not screwing it up either way. On the bike I'll take the extra time and torque wrench because it's so easy to get at compared to the SUV's.

I did get made fun of at tech day for using a torque wrench but after years and years of stripping everything I touched (to make sure they were tight enough) I gave up and bought a torque wrench. I'll take the ribbing over a helicoil.

[gixxerjasen]

I use the hand tight method, and always need the tool to get it back off when the time comes. Hand tight does not equal hand loosen.

[wheatonFJR]

I use the hand tight method, and always need the tool to get it back off when the time comes. Hand tight does not equal hand loosen.

You call NTXFJR over to your place to get it off? What?????

[dcarver]

I rotate until my right wrists clicks.

[FJRoss]

I rotate until my right wrists clicks.

So, do you call that a dork-wrench?

[silverback]

Hand tight plus a bit. The only thing you're doing is compressing the gasket against the block to seal. No worries.

Plus, if it isn't tight enough...you'll know.

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[bungie4]

Make sure the old gasket comes off with the old filter. Wipe the mating surface. Oil the new gasket. Good'n hand tight.

[ionbeam]

Make sure the old gasket comes off with the old filter. Wipe the mating surface. Oil the new gasket. Good'n hand tight.

^^^^ This has never failed me. At a NERDS fall ride in Acadia I had a drain plug crush washer weep but never had a filter gasket leak, car or bike.

[bungie4]

Make sure the old gasket comes off with the old filter. Wipe the mating surface. Oil the new gasket. Good'n hand tight.

^^^^ This has never failed me. At a NERDS fall ride in Acadia I had a drain plug crush washer weep but never had a filter gasket leak, car or bike.

The real brain stem rotator is if you should drain your oil hot or cold. Personally, I always do it cold, because all the icky bits are completely drained into the pan and are in suspension. Starting it and redistributing the oil, along with the icky bits, back through your engine seems wrong to me. (Once in a while I'll drain hot just in case LOL!)

If you have bigger bits that have to be 'stirred' up before draining, man, you've got bigger problems.

[silverback]

Make sure the old gasket comes off with the old filter. Wipe the mating surface. Oil the new gasket. Good'n hand tight.

^^^^ This has never failed me. At a NERDS fall ride in Acadia I had a drain plug crush washer weep but never had a filter gasket leak, car or bike.

The real brain stem rotator is if you should drain your oil hot or cold. Personally, I always do it cold, because all the icky bits are completely drained into the pan and are in suspension. Starting it and redistributing the oil, along with the icky bits, back through your engine seems wrong to me. (Once in a while I'll drain hot just in case LOL!)

If you have bigger bits that have to be 'stirred' up before draining, man, you've got bigger problems.

Do it cold because bathing your hands in hot oil sucks. There are still bits of stuff in the engine that will never come out with an oil change.

Also, trick I learned from a guy that's been changing oil since it started being refined: use the old filter to lube the new filter's gasket by touching the gaskets together. It gets really obvious if the old one isn't there. For some reason the human mind can see something that's missing better than something that isn't supposed to be there.

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