Stuck oil filter

[PWO]

I've got an 06 OBV/325 Assault. I'm winterizing early this season and was working on the oil today, first time doing it myself. Pumping it out was no sweat of course, but then I was trying to take off the oil filter and had pretty much no luck. I don't know if they just put it on too tight last season or what, but I can barely get it to move because there's hardly any room to turn the oil filter wrench in the tight space with the support beam in the way. Combined with that, the support arm that's holding the filter isn't very strong so any time I try to turn the filter the arm just bends enough so the wrench goes into the support beam leaving nowhere to turn. The casing of the filter is pretty beat up at this point leaving me only a few positions where I can grip it with the wrench, none of which leave me any real room to turn it once the support arm bends.

So need some ideas if anyone has any. I guess I could try to support the arm somehow so it doesn't bend when I'm trying to turn the filter but not sure what I could use to do that.

I could also try perhaps just removing the piece the filter is screwed into, is that a bad idea? Would need to unscrew the in/out lines and I think the 3 screws on the inside of the piece mounting it to the arm.

I suppose I could have tried a strap wrench instead of an oil filter wrench but too late for that now. With the casing beat up would a strap wrench still potentially get the grip it needs to turn it? If so I think I might still run into the issue of trying to turn into the support beam but if I can grip the filter from any position then I might have enough room.

[lewisb13]

Heres what I did since you and I have the same engine and Im pretty sure Satan himself tightened my oil filter when the last owner had it. I used a strap wrench connected to a 1/2 drive rachet. You reach down and slide the strap wrench (its made from car seat belt material and I got mine at Oreileys) over the oil filter and use the wrench from the top. If you want me to take pictures and you absolutely cannot get it, I will.

[Razzman]

When i had the boat services the last time by the dealer they also put it on too tight. No wrench of any type would get it off. I also knew of the screwdriver trick and having had to do that years ago i also know it would more than likely just tear the thin metal.

I had to remove the oil lines, remove the remote filter mount and put it in the vise and using an oil wrench, large channel locks and all the strength i could muster finally got it to start moving in millimeters until loose.

I will gaurantee that if yours is anywhere as tight as mine that's the way to get it off. Don't waste your time messsing around as it will actually bend the remote mount bracket.

[DOCDRS]

I wonder if these are on too tight as the rubber seal is not lubricayed with oil before it is placed on, Make sure you do this. Installing the new one, never had a prob and usu can hand remove

[PWO]

I was able to conquer the oil filter this morning. I went out to give a few things a shot, prepared with a drill and some things I thought might fit through it and not bend like a small screwdriver. I drained it and gave a quick attempt at trying to drill through but that wasn't really going to work so I gave up quickly. I thought about trying to unscrew the in/out lines to take the whole assembly off, but once I put the crescent wrench in place it kind of clicked. I was able to use that to brace the mounting bracket so I could turn the filter without the bracket bending (2 attached pics).

For my replacement filter I had searched the list of matching filters, and in this thread (https://forum.moomba.com/showthread....ghlight=filter) I saw that the Mobile version was the M1-111. That was the first one I found at my local shop so I picked it up. It would fit but since I'm a newbie I'm comparing it to what was there, and it's a lot shorter (see third shot). Can I assume that's not a problem? (I wonder if it might make it harder to get off next year though). Why the height difference and should I look for a different filter before I put it on? For what it's worth I didn't get mobile synthetic oil (and didn't refill yet so options are open).

[lewisb13]

The M1-111 is the shorter version of the M1-303 or 302. I cant remember which it is. Let me look it up real quick...

Yeah its an M1-302. Thats what I put in my boat. I have the 325 Indmar. Its the same as the M1-111 except its double the capacity.

[newty]

DOCDRS, agreed! always lube the o-ring and it will be much easier to get off. I always just put my filters on hand tight, or star tight... Turn it til I see stars.

[PWO]

Got it all done, thanks guys.

[kaneboats]

I end up doing the screwdriver thing just about every time a vehicle gets taken in for service. I can never get the filters back off even with a wrench. It seems these shops (including quickie lubes, walmart, etc.) have major liability for a filter coming off but no liability for putting it on too tight. So they teach their guys to wrench them on. (and the filters nowadays are so wimpy they just bend up if you have to wrench them very hard) You can put them on hand-tight and they won't come off. It's supposed to be hand tight plus 1/4 turn with the filter wrench. With a properly lubricated seal it will go on tight and still come right off with the filter wrench. I've never understood overtightening anything. But, my Dad was the guy who would tighten every bolt till he broke it off. I remember the night he broke a water pump bolt off and when I found him in the morning he was trying to drill the broken drill bit out of the hole-- what a mess. Moral: Don't overtighten anything. Get a torque wrench if you have no "feel".

[Razzman]

When the filter bottoms out after spinning on a 1/4 turn is all you need and it will come off every time. Anymore than that and your just making it hard on yourself.