Stuck Mercuiser Oil Filter

[EKoselny]

I am on my second weekend of trying to remove the oil filter from my Mercruiser 5.0L. Should be pretty simple, but for some reason this season it just does not want to come off. I am on my 4th different style of oil filter wrench and I just can not get it to budge. I guess my next step is going to have to be driving a screwdriver through the filter, but I am worried this is just going to tear up the metal filter leaving me with no options left. Does anyone have any other tricks up their sleeve to try? 

 

Also, if I cant get the filter off this year and decide to try to defer to next spring, can I still fill the engine with new oil and not have it all drain out next year when I do get the filter off? Or can I remove the oil filter and not loose the oil? 

[fisherdude]

27 minutes ago, EKoselny said:

I am on my second weekend of trying to remove the oil filter from my Mercruiser 5.0L. Should be pretty simple, but for some reason this season it just does not want to come off. I am on my 4th different style of oil filter wrench and I just can not get it to budge. I guess my next step is going to have to be driving a screwdriver through the filter, but I am worried this is just going to tear up the metal filter leaving me with no options left. Does anyone have any other tricks up their sleeve to try? 

 

Also, if I cant get the filter off this year and decide to try to defer to next spring, can I still fill the engine with new oil and not have it all drain out next year when I do get the filter off? Or can I remove the oil filter and not loose the oil? 

This happens when the new oil filter is put on without the gasket being oil up before install . Maybe you can drain the oil out of the filter by drilling a small hole in the bottom side of the stuck  filter . Take a hot air gun and heat up the block and old filter around the gasket . use a wrap around oil filter wrench. Then try to remove it again. Or Pm L&M here on lou. .

[jlogger]

You will only lose whatever oil is in the filter when you remove it. The rest of the oil will be down in the oil pan.

[rolmops]

I had a similar problem a couple of times because I often over tighten stuff with my big hands which my wife used to call coal shovels. Usually I try to squirt a lot of penetrating oil on the top if I can get to it. And after about ten minutes I take a hairdryer and try to warm the filter up a bit, then I use a very big old pipe wrench that goes around the filter and that usually does the trick. I never tried a screwdriver ,but I think that it would not work as well as a pipe wrench because it has less leverage and the force is applied on 2 small areas which may just tear a longer hole.

Edited November 10, 2023 by rolmops

[sherman brown]

18 hours ago, EKoselny said:

I am on my second weekend of trying to remove the oil filter from my Mercruiser 5.0L. Should be pretty simple, but for some reason this season it just does not want to come off. I am on my 4th different style of oil filter wrench and I just can not get it to budge. I guess my next step is going to have to be driving a screwdriver through the filter, but I am worried this is just going to tear up the metal filter leaving me with no options left. Does anyone have any other tricks up their sleeve to try? 

 

Also, if I cant get the filter off this year and decide to try to defer to next spring, can I still fill the engine with new oil and not have it all drain out next year when I do get the filter off? Or can I remove the oil filter and not loose the oil? 

I don't know if this will work in your case or not. does your filter still attach to the bottom of your motor or do you have a remote oil filter on it? back in the days when I changed filters before I wised up, I had several stuck on my car motors. what I ended up doing was using my largest screwdriver and drive it all the way through the filter as far too the right side then use it for leverage and start turning the filter to the left slowly while still under pressure I would start tapping the filter with a hammer if I had room. there were a few where I didn't have room to tap the filter but still got them to break loose.

 

some of the filters I had to put the screwdriver in near the bottom at an angle upward coming out near the top on the other side. and I had a couple that were still a pain getting loose. the metal on the filter would tear when a lot of pressure was applied with the screwdriver.

 

other than using a large screwdriver or other type of bar to go all the way through the filter the only thing I would try is banging on the filter from different angles before using an oil filter. wrench.

 

one good filter wrench that worked well for me on tight filters was a large one that had a rubber strap that went all the way around the filter. when using one of these you may want to clean the filter before using it. and a short piece of pipe to put over the handle for more leverage wouldn't hurt either.

 

I just did a Bing search for an oil filter strap and I hadn't ever seen this one. it has a small square metal piece with the strap attached at both ends. you place it over the filter and turn the metal piece until the strap tightens around the filter. once it starts to tighten you can use a large 1/2" ratchet and keep tightening it until the filter breaks loose or Hadies freezes over. In my opinion, this would have to be the most powerful oil filter wrench I have ever seen in my 55+ years I've been driving.

 

bottom line do a search for this strap and get one and I believe it will solve all your filter problems. i didn't do any in-depth research on where to buy one or their price.

 

 

 

[Pappy]

I assume that the tool you tried was the one that slides on the top that you can turn with a socket wrench, and it’s probably just slipping. 

Two things

put a cotton rag on the filter and then tap that same cap type filter remover on. When you start to turn it the cotton rag binds tight and it should come off.

or

do the same thing with one of those rubber jar lid removers

this works the same way but they are thicker and a bit more miserable to beat off he old filter when it comes loose

 

the screwdriver beat through works but I would use that as a last resort, that can become a real hassle if the filter tears apart but doesn’t come loose

[EKoselny]

Thanks all for the tips. I finally did get this to come off. I used my heat gun to heat it up for a while, sprayed some PB Blaster wherever I could,  and tried the filter wrenches again, when I tried the claw type wrench it pierced the filter causing oil to leak out. So after this I drove a hole in the bottom to get all the oil out of the filter. Heated it up one more time, and then used the heavy duty metal strap wrench again, this time though I lined it with a piece of left over trailer bunk carpet so that the rubbery side could grip the filter. This extra grip finally allowed me to get enough torque on it and  loosen it up, and I was able to get it off. I have no idea why this one was so stuck, I always make sure to put fresh oil on the seal, but who knows, maybe I missed this step last year?? Thanks again