changing oil filter without draining oil

[Litster]

Hi all. I tried to change motor oil for my 2004 XC70. Stupid of me :mad: I didn't research enough ahead of time. I didn't have the right oil filter wrench to remove the oil filter cap to replace the filter. I tried other universal wrench tool but they don't work. Since I had already drained the old oil, I put in 6 qts of Mobil 1 10W30 anyway in order to get the car running again.

I will be getting the right wrench (Assenmacher V410 wrench) so I can replace the filter. My question is, has anyone tried removing the filter without draining the oil first? Will all the oil come rushing out from the oil filter hole if I remove the filter while the engine still has 6 qt of oil in it? My guess is yes. But want to see if any one experienced it before.

Thanks!

[howardc64]

Maybe someone else have the answer but I would guess some oil would come out given the filter fairly low on the engine.

Here is an idea, a cheap new oil pan would allow you to drain + pour it back in.

BTW, I'm in Sammamish so we are neighbors :) I have a filer wrench (looks exactly like the Assenmacher you are getting, got mine at ipod long ago) if you want to borrow it. But on the road this next week so I'm guessing your wrench will be in before I get home...

[Litster]

Howard, draining the oil to a clean pan and reuse is a great idea! If you don't mind, may I borrow you wrench? PM'ed. Thanks.

[uscgc70]

you will get some oil coming out when you take off the filter, but not the entire 6 quarts. you will probably need an extra quart to top it off after you change the filter.

[Litster]

Thanks uscgc70! This is very good to know.

I ended up ordering the heavy duty wrench (http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-V70XC70-2001-2007/Filters-&-Tune-Up/Oil-Filter-Cap-Wrench-Heavy-Duty/p-127-382-1339/)from ipdusa.com. I didn't know about ipdusa.com until I saw it on howardc64's Volvo site (http://freewebs.com/howardsvolvos/). The filter housing is very tight (thanks to the last service at Barrier Volvo), I don't think the regular cheap wrench will work.

Thank you all!

[billr99]

Thanks uscgc70! This is very good to know.

I ended up ordering the heavy duty wrench (http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-V70XC70-2001-2007/Filters-&-Tune-Up/Oil-Filter-Cap-Wrench-Heavy-Duty/p-127-382-1339/)from ipdusa.com. I didn't know about ipdusa.com until I saw it on howardc64's Volvo site (http://freewebs.com/howardsvolvos/). The filter housing is very tight (thanks to the last service at Barrier Volvo), I don't think the regular cheap wrench will work.

Thank you all!

Don't blame the dealer this time. Mine is always tight and I think it is a property of the plastic housing and the big o-ring that is used to seal it to the block. By the time you get the housing to properly seat, I think you will find that it will still be tight the next time you go to remove it. Now that you have the proper wrench though, you'll be sorted from now on.

Cheers,

Bill

[gibbons]

I have noticed that my V410 wrench doesn't fit the canister perfectly, and so it jams on. I just bought one of these rascals (http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_02820523000P?keyword=oil+filter+wren ch)for yanking oil filters. I just used it on one of our Subarus yesterday, it's magic. I can't wait to use it on the Chevelle, reaching between the scattershield, header, and oil pan. Should be a breeze. I will be using it on the XC from now on.

[Jeremy]

I have noticed that my V410 wrench doesn't fit the canister perfectly, and so it jams on. I just bought one of these rascals (http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_02820523000P?keyword=oil+filter+wren ch)for yanking oil filters. I just used it on one of our Subarus yesterday, it's magic. I can't wait to use it on the Chevelle, reaching between the scattershield, header, and oil pan. Should be a breeze. I will be using it on the XC from now on.

Thanks for the link, pretty cool tool.

Off topic but I just have to ask Gibbons: Do you have a Volvo avatar for your profile in the Chevelle forums ???? [thumbup]

Jeremy

[duettitude]

Those Sears Craftsman universal wrenches won't do the job if your oil filter canister is on really tight, as they so often are. Been there, done that, money cheerfully refunded by Sears.

There really is no substitute for the correct wrench in this case. Get the die-cast one, not the stamped and welded one.

[Ocean Racer]

btw, oil filters dont need to be on super tight.
Just tight enough to be firm. Generally wrist tight.

Make sure you moisten the rubber seal of the new filter by wiping it with your finger with a few drops of new oil. This prevents damage to the seal upon installation and allows a better fitment of the filter to the engine.

[gibbons]

Thanks for the link, pretty cool tool.

Off topic but I just have to ask Gibbons: Do you have a Volvo avatar for your profile in the Chevelle forums ???? [thumbup]

Jeremy

The Chevelle forum won't allow avatars, it's very family friendly. Most avatars are pretty tame on this site, but some forums, like on the road biking forum, are obscene. I used to use a picture of me on my alpine racing snowboard, it's fun to switch things up.

It will be interesting to see how the wrench works on other applications...

[Aviator]

you will get some oil coming out when you take off the filter, but not the entire 6 quarts. you will probably need an extra quart to top it off after you change the filter.

Correct. You will get as much oil spillage from the filter housing as you would doing a normal oil change. Don't forget to replace the O ring on the housing, and top up the oil after you've restarted the engine. No worries.

Dave.

[Litster]

Aviator, thanks for the confirmation.

I received the heavy duty filter wrench from ipdusa today Tuesday (ordered on Sunday, shipped on Monday, basically UPS "Next Day Ground"! :D). The HD version of the wrench is expensive at $40, more than double the AST V410's price. But it is very nice and strong, possibly lighter than V410. It needs a 1/2" drive instead of 3/8". I also purchased from Sears a longer wrench to get better leverage. The oil filter came out in no time.

With the filter removed, barely 1/4 qt of oil came out. I bought an extra qt of Mobil 1 just in case but didn't need to add any oil as the oil is still at the top of the indicator of the dip stick after everything was put back in place.

The oil change is finally done! There was more drama than necessary due to my ignorance. But next time it will be a piece of cake now that I have all the tools I need! [happy]

Thank you all for your help and suggestion!

[MoeB]

Another wrench option is this Assenmacher filter cap wrench from Tooltopia (http://www.tooltopia.com/assenmacher-v410.aspx). About $14 plus shipping. It's cast aluminum and very stout. Fits perfectly on my '01 cap and can be used with socket, box, open end, crecent, or even by hand with the cross bar grip.

[Litster]

Yeah, I was going to get that AST V410 wrench you link to, but I wanted the tool to finish the job before my weekend trip, and only ipdusa in Oregon is close enough to send me the tool without me paying for overnight shipping (more than the price difference between the two wrenches). So I went that route.

[goldxc70]

Apologies for resurrecting a (not so) old thread but blame the Search function :)

Went to do an oil change today and was very surprised by a couple of things: the bolts holding the engine cover on seemed to be very unevenly torqued: some came off very easily, a couple needed quite a bit of force. I was really surprised by how tight the oil drain bolt was. It took a tap with a hammer to break the seal. Finally, the oil filter filter was really, really tight. In fact, I broke the IPD bought filter wrench (this one (http://www.ipdusa.com/version.asp?strPageHistory=category&numSearchStartRecord=0&strParents=74,732&P_ID=2606&CAT_ID=732&V_ID=5809)) surprisingly easily with no success in removing the housing. Had I read this thread first, I would not have bought this particular wrench in the first place.