its a 90. i got the o rings for 5.54 today at the dealer
You should have the easy one - 5/8" box wrench, gang for leverage.
Whatever year your XJ is,
turn that screw slowly! It's drilled for about 4/5 of its length, and cross-drilled where the lengthwise bore ends. This is done to pass oil from the pump to the filter, but it's depressingly easy to snap this screw if you get silly with it!
You may also be able to use a 5/8" short socket and either a long-handled ratchet wrench or a breaker bar to get the thing moving. Use a stubby ratchet or a stubby wrench to keep the thing moving, it's easier.
Tips (I just did this job myself the other day - paying gig):
1)
Disconnect the negative battery cable! If you don't watch your hands, you could end up welding your wrench to the starter motor post...
2) It's easier to get the thing loose from underneath, then remove it from the top. Go ahead, ask me how I know this...
3) Expect to lose about a quart of oil by the time you're done - a half-quart from the filter, and about another half-quart from the drainback once you take the adapter off (you
will not need to reprime the oil pump.) Put a bowl down.
4) Don't use RTV on the O-rings. Make sure the sealing surfaces are clean, and use a decent petroleum grease on them instead. Using RTV on them - or installing them dry - can result in scuffed O-rings and a redo of the job in a week or so. Any handy petroleum-based chassis grease will work.
5) Use a brass wire wheel to clean the adapter and the screw before you put them back together - that makes it easier to see if you have a dribble (see below) and makes them easier to hold on to when you're putting them back in place.
6) This may be a good time to reverse the engine mount through bolt, if necessary. The bolt is typically put in with the head toward the rear - which means you'll have to pull the filter (and lose oil again...) if you have to change the engine mount later. Support the engine, remove the bolt and nut, and put the bolt in from the front. When you replace the engine mount later, the oil filter won't be in the way.
7) Torque spec on the through screw for the oil filter adapter is 75 pound-feet.
I have never used this spec - I think it's too much for the screw. Experience has borne me out on this. I'll torque the screw to 35-40 pound-feet, then check for dribbles over the next couple of days. That's usually sufficient, but I'll tighten it incrementally if the dribble continues. 75 pound-feet is far too much, I think, for a screw that is length-drilled and cross-drilled - and you'll have a good time finding a replacement!
The breakdown for wrenching the thing seems to be (for everyone else):
1987-1990 - 5/8" wrench (use a 6-pt box wrench or a 6-pt socket)
1991-1995 - ~14m/m hex key (you can cut one short if you need clearance at the front subframe rail.)
1996-2001 - T60. Fabricate this one - cut the business end off of a T60 drive socket, and weld it into a close-fitting box wrench. Using the T60 in its "as-issued" state will result in your swearing at the frame rail because you won't be able to get the wrench into play!
In all cases, it's easier to loosen from below, and remove from up top. This keeps oil out of your eyes. Start the installation from the top, turn until finger tight. Torque from below - you'll have more space to swing the wrench.
Have fun! It lookse difficult, but having a RENIX is to your advantage, and the job is a bit simpler than it first looks, with these hints in mind.
