Oilfilter bracket Torx bolt

There's a large Torx head bolt securing the oil filter bracket to the block. It's bigger than a T-50. Anyone know the size so I can buy the right one the first time?

Should be a T60 if I remember correctly. It's also really tight usually and not much room to get to it.

T60 if its torx according to the write up on here. On my 94 it was a 9/16 hex

yes its a T60 on the late models.

Once again, great time for the original poster to share with everyone what year, engine, etc.

Produced from 1984 through 2001, and there were a few different options and manufacturing changes along the way.

Hex, Allen, and Torx bolts were all used on the 4.0 oil filter adapter at different times.

joe_peters said:

Once again, great time for the original poster to share with everyone what year, engine, etc.

Produced from 1984 through 2001, and there were a few different options and manufacturing changes along the way.

Hex, Allen, and Torx bolts were all used on the 4.0 oil filter adapter at different times.

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1999 4.0. :shhh: I said it was a Torx head in the first post,used a mirror to see it. Oil has been seeping from the bracket to block joint for a few years.
I just finished changing the clutch laying on a creeper,dealing with this oil leak must be easier

Truckedup said:

1999 4.0. :shhh: I said it was a Torx head in the first post,used a mirror to see it. Oil has been seeping from the bracket to block joint for a few years.
I just finished changing the clutch laying on a creeper,dealing with this oil leak must be easier

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A number of people have stripped their Allen/Torx bolt heads out trying to use the wrong tools in them.

I HOPE yours is one of the easier ones, but most have had problems with getting the Torx bolts loose--expect to use a long breaker bar or cheater bar.

Good luck.

Thanks,I saw the link with the tool bit and long bar.I can make something similar....I don't care for big sized Torx bolts.The design seems to let the bit slip out when you crank on the torque.A hex head bolt would work better,no wrench slip and probably be less expensive.

Truckedup said:

Thanks,I saw the link with the tool bit and long bar.I can make something similar....I don't care for big sized Torx bolts.The design seems to let the bit slip out when you crank on the torque.A hex head bolt would work better,no wrench slip and probably be less expensive.

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Torx are not on my X-mas list either.

I understand why they are used--robotic machine assembly is simplified and faster--but they still generally tend to be a pain in the backside and my old eyes can't seem to pick out the right bit the first time in the smaller sizes.

I too can understand the rationale of the Torx bolt but never understood why they need to be so shallow. The one on the OF adapter is hardly deep enough to engage a bit. I had the same problem with the camshaft bolts on my Ford Focus. If they'd just made the holes a millimeter deeper it would have made all the difference.

A diligent search might come up with old pictures of the wrench I put together for my 95, which I can't lay my hands on now. But I found a Torx bit of the sort that can be taken apart, on a 1/2 inch drive, and welded a big box wrench (flat steel, came in a Yamaha Motorcycle tool kit) to the outside of the 1/2 inch socket, with the offset pointing toward the Torx tip. On that, I stuck a long cheater bar, and then wedged the resulting wrench between bolt and car frame. The wedging was important to keep it from popping out. It took quite a pull to pop it loose. There was not enough room to use a regular flex handle on the socket, which is why I had to weld a wrench onto it.

Here's a poor scan of the wrench that I found. The offset shown puts the cheater bar approximately vertical.

Once it started out, clearance diminished, and I removed the bit from the socket, and used a 12 millimeter box wrench on that.

I have a 96 and a 99 right now and I was able to do this on the 96 no sweat. I had a 12mm on the bit that was in the socket and double wrenched it out.
The 99 on the other hand won't budge. My next shot will be when the engine is at operating temperature to help with removal. Poor mans heat wrench is what I will call it if it works.

what you did with the 96 was how I got my '00 out. punched bit out of t60 socket and used a 12mm wrench and another wrench to get it out. I'm hoping the '88 will go as well (but after the oil filter fight ... I'm prepping for battle).

Correct - the early (RENIX, maybe 1991/1992?) were 5/8" hex. Standard box wrench.
After that, it was something like a 9/16" hex socket (Allen wrench/hex key.)
Final production was a T60. Since there's limited room in there, look for one that has a hex shank so you can put a wrench on it, or cut one off and weld it into a wrench to give yourself operating room - because the full-size Torx bit on a ratchet handle will not fit!

But, as old_man said, the engine was produced 1987-2006, by AMC, Chrysler, and Chrysler under Daimler/Benz. Yeah - there have been a few changes...

91to99 said:

I have a 96 and a 99 right now and I was able to do this on the 96 no sweat. I had a 12mm on the bit that was in the socket and double wrenched it out.
The 99 on the other hand won't budge. My next shot will be when the engine is at operating temperature to help with removal. Poor mans heat wrench is what I will call it if it works.

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My 95 required a two foot cheater bar on the wrench shown, and even then, I had to put a good bit of weight behind it before it snapped loose. Perhaps it depends on who was on the assembly line when your engine came through. I think someone was doing Ninja training the day they made mine.

Matthew Currie said:

My 95 required a two foot cheater bar on the wrench shown...

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Which wrench? My wrench?

I have heard some people say that the bolt is torqued to somewhere north of 180 ft/lbs.

But so far no one who has used my wrench has relayed any problem.

Original_MudButt said:

Which wrench? My wrench?

I have heard some people say that the bolt is torqued to somewhere north of 180 ft/lbs.

But so far no one who has used my wrench has relayed any problem.

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FSM usually sez 70-75 lb-ft - but the screw is sintered, I consider that rather excessive.

I've been able to torque to 35 lb-ft with RTV on the threads and O-rings with good results.

Ok,I bought a 5 buck T60 bit. I punched the bit from the 3/8 chrome "socket', then cut the end from an unknown typical L shaped lug wrench and welded the bit to the end. Had to heat this hillbilly wrench to put a bend in it for best clearance to miss AC hoses etc.. Put a pipe over the end for a total length of about 3 feet and "jerked" the bolt loose .I would estimate it was at least 120 ft lbs...
Two questions, do these adapters always develop leaks over time? We have two 99 XJ's and both leak ( the screw on filer is not leaking)
Catalog shows two O rings to buy ?

Original_MudButt said:

Which wrench? My wrench?

I have heard some people say that the bolt is torqued to somewhere north of 180 ft/lbs.

But so far no one who has used my wrench has relayed any problem.

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The one I show in Post #11. It worked without any problems, but it took a mighty heave to do it.

Truckedup said:

Ok,I bought a 5 buck T60 bit. I punched the bit from the 3/8 chrome "socket', then cut the end from an unknown typical L shaped lug wrench and welded the bit to the end. Had to heat this hillbilly wrench to put a bend in it for best clearance to miss AC hoses etc.. Put a pipe over the end for a total length of about 3 feet and "jerked" the bolt loose .I would estimate it was at least 120 ft lbs...
Two questions, do these adapters always develop leaks over time? We have two 99 XJ's and both leak ( the screw on filer is not leaking)
Catalog shows two O rings to buy ?

Click to expand...

That's very similar to what I came up with.

As to leaks, my 95 leaked hard for a long time, and eventually gushed. My 99, at something in the 275 K mile point when it gave up, never did more than seep a little, and I never bothered to fix it. The 97 was somewhere in the middle, but I passed it on at about 230K without having gotten to it. It had other oil leaks that were worse.