5 Genius Ways to Loosen an Engine Oil Filter

If you change your own oil, there is a real good chance you’ve struggled with an overly tightened oil filter that takes a massive effort to loosen. This YouTuber, whose channel is named Cruzdelasadas technical – has five very effective ways to tackle this problem, so we thought we would share them with you.

The first few are more effective, but requires specialized tools that not everybody has in their toolbox. The last one you can find the tool for in almost every home, though it’s the least effective and messiest method of filter removal. First up is the extraction tape, which is basically an oversized hose clamp that you tighten onto the filter, giving you plenty of grip and leverage to get the job done. After that, he introduces us to the octopus extractor, a geared clamp that provides a solid grip thanks to the geared arms, which are then torqued with a large wrench. A chain extractor is the third method shown, similar to the extractor tape, it wraps around the filter and adjusts to the correct size, again providing extra grip and leverage to remove the filter.

The last two methods are more “last resorts”, using a large pipe wrench or a screwdriver hammered through the filter to help remove it. Neither are ideal, but if you can’t get it by hand, they’ll do in a pinch!