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oil filter adapter bolt won't budge, ideas?

M

mandarin

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Santa Monica, CA
Well I've finally got around to taking care of this leak, bought the o-rings, found a short T-60 that I can put a box-end on, new oil (SL/CI-4) and filter, and a nice Saturday as well. However, even with a 3-foot pipe on the wrench this darn bolt won't turn. I was able to break a non-Craftsman wrench, now I'm using my good stuff. It is soaking in Amsoil MP right now, any other ideas? Maybe I'll just keep parking on cardboard!

Thanks all, '94 I6 Auto
 
i use a huge snipe to get mine off and i thought for sure u was gonna bust it but it did come off all good , just make sure u have a place to land when the bolt comes loose and make sure u get a good straight pull on it so u dont stip the torx bolt or bit . do u have the o ring already ?? i believe its a 230 or 231 size
 
I have had great luck by heating them just a little with propane, and then squirting them with penetrating oil. it normally sucks it into the thread and the heat / cold process breaks it loose enough
 
Heat! I knew I was forgetting one of the tricks, should be fun with all the penetrating oil around there now! My craftsman box-end now has a slight curve LOL!

btw- what's a snipe...besides the creature in the woods :eyes:
 
Get a long bar that slips over your ratchet have a buddy working the bar while you hold the head of the ratchet in tight and square i mean a long bar the longer it is th more forse you can put on the bolt. good luck.
 
88xjchief said:
I thought it was a regular head not a torx.
Click to expand...

On the renix motors it's a regular head. On the non renix, they're T60 Torx bolts.

To the OP, Out of curiosity, where did you find a T60 small enough to get something behind it? The only one I could find took up all the space thats there to work on it, which meant I had to loosen up the motor mounts, and raise the motor up enough to get a ratchet behind it. What should have been about a 30 minute job took a couple of hours.
 
I hope it doesn't come to lifting the motor. I drove the torx bit out of the socket carrier and am able to put a 10mm box-end on it, slip another box-end on the 10mm, then slide a 3'ft pipe on. It isn't ideal I know, lots of places for things to move out of alignment. I first tried leaving the socket on the torx bit, with the open end of the 10mm on there (cheap brand), but the open 10mm broke very quickly. I'll try the heat and more penetrating oil tomorrow...
 
It's hard to find a wrench setup that fits the space. For mine, I bought a t-60 socket with a removable insert. I found a box end wrench big enough to go over the outside of the 1/2 inch drive socket, and booger welded it on.

boogerweldyt7.jpg
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This makes the wrench shallow enough to fit in the space. Note that the wrench is offset so that the handle bends toward the fastener not away. This allows a straighter pull when it's in place. I then took a pry bar and used that as a wedge between the wrench and the vehicle frame, so that it didn't pop out. Make sure you clean out the head of the bolt before putting the wrench into it, so you get maximum engagement. It's pretty shallow. A big cheater bar on the wrench, and a very big pull, and it popped.

Once it was loose, the vehicle frame started getting in the way again, so I had to pop the insert out of the wrench, and use a 12 mm. box wrench on that.
 
I have not long ago done mine and the adapter bolt was very tight, but I did manage to shift it in the end. When putting it back together with new O rings I used red gasket sealant on both the block and housing, and I have not tightened the bolt up anywhere near as much as was, so I can get it off easier next time! But I hope I don't have to do the job again anytime soon! So far it is bone dry after about 2,000 miles.
Good luck
 
Matthew Currie said:
It's hard to find a wrench setup that fits the space. For mine, I bought a t-60 socket with a removable insert. I found a box end wrench big enough to go over the outside of the 1/2 inch drive socket, and booger welded it on.
Click to expand...

Great idea.
I had no way to weld it so, I trimmed the tip and the socket, used a 3/8" breaker bar, used a really big screw driver to keep pressure on the tip and it came off.
 
I made a wrench like Currie's and it works like a charm. I've also found that after a couple of turns of the bolt you can push the adapter in toward the block to un-seat the "O" rings and it will turn much more freely. The "O" rings keep you from turning it out by hand.

I welded a bit to a craftsman 1/2" box end, it ain't pretty but it works!

adapterboltoa0.jpg
 
Last edited:
on my engine 4.0L the oil filter is mounted directly to eng block
 
the jeep is a 98 model only had it couple weeks dont know the history of it
 
CJ's98XJ said:
I've been told that you can also pull the motor mount on that side and lower the engone down a couple of inches. Shpould make it a little easier to get wrench to it.
Click to expand...
It may be easier, or even just plain necessary, if you have not modified the wrench, because there's so little room. On the other hand, I found that the torx indentation of the bolt was surprisingly shallow, making it easy even for a brand new T-60 bit to cam out. Considering the force I needed to get mine loose, I'm not sure it could have been done without wedging the wrench hard into the bolt head, and for that, the interference of the frame helps.
 
I found that the torx bit that NAPA sells is composed of 2 pieces. There is the torx bit itself and it's pressed into whats almost like a regular hex socket.

It is possible to punch the torx bit out of the socket. Then, I cut the torx bit (not at the hex end) and the socket down with a saw so both pieces are shorter and put the 2 back together.

This leaves you with a tool short enough to use. Alternatively, you can just drive the torx bit out and put a wrench around it, then use a "cheater pipe" on the wrench.
 
bajacalal said:
I found that the torx bit that NAPA sells is composed of 2 pieces. There is the torx bit itself and it's pressed into whats almost like a regular hex socket.

It is possible to punch the torx bit out of the socket. Then, I cut the torx bit (not at the hex end) and the socket down with a saw so both pieces are shorter and put the 2 back together.

This leaves you with a tool short enough to use. Alternatively, you can just drive the torx bit out and put a wrench around it, then use a "cheater pipe" on the wrench.
Click to expand...
The inner bit on mine was 12 mm. I tried putting my best Craftsman double-box wrench on that, and it bent like a noodle.
 
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