Snow good!

[CitroJim]

Nope, I wasn't that bothered. It is just the webbing that broke, and if I can get hold of some more, and get it securely stitched, it will be simple to fix.

Excellent James Pleased about that!

[Gibbo2286]

Nope, I wasn't that bothered. It is just the webbing that broke, and if I can get hold of some more, and get it securely stitched, it will be simple to fix.

I used an old seat belt to make a webbing filter remover, cut it to the right length then bolted it to an old jack handle, must have done good service for more than twenty years now.

[Paul-R]

I made a similar item some 35 odd years ago. I bronze-welded a duplex timing chain onto an old 1/2" drive socket. It worked perfectly until I mislaid it one final time.

[white exec]

Done the same, with seat belt webbing slotted through a slit cut in an old long socket tool. The webbing tightens on itself as the tool is wound up.

Having used chain and strap wrenches for many years, I must say I do now like using large diameter filter sockets. Minor disadvantage is needing to stick to a chosen make/type of filter which the tool fits.

[Timmo]

Ive often wondered about the filter end sockets, my strap wrench is mostly useless, all it seems to do is crush the filter, but in fairness, it is a cheapy!

[CitroJim]

Ive often wondered about the filter end sockets,

They look good but will only work if there is room for them... This rules out a good few XU/XUD engines... Especially the Activa and 1.9TD Xantia...

[Timmo]

Do they have a hex on the top for a spanner as well as the ratchet hole?

[daviemck2006]

Ive often wondered about the filter end sockets,

They look good but will only work if there is room for them... This rules out a good few XU/XUD engines... Especially the Activa and 1.9TD Xantia...

Just as well the previous filter fitter on gabby left it so it was removeable by hand 8000 miles later

[lexi]

You know yesterday afternoon here around Paisley and Glasgow, the roads and pavements were terrible. It was freezing temps all morning and still about freezing, when a light drizzle of rain started. My goodness...........talk about a skating rink. It stayed like that for over 2 hours. When I got back from a jaunt the water was still lying on top of a few mm of ice. This is why we salt the roads here. That is the only thing that will work in exactly those conditions.
People will say that salt is not used in Sweden or many other places etc etc. Salt is no use for extreme cold or heavy thick snow. It was only the salt on the main roads yesterday that made it possible to actually drive.

[white exec]

Do they have a hex on the top for a spanner as well as the ratchet hole?

Quite a few do. The one I have for the Toyota has a 3/8" square socket hole in the centre of a 17mm hex, so gives lots of options.
Amazon list lots of these, singles and kits. You need to specify diameter in mm, and number of 'flutes' or flats.
I'm just about to get one for the Purflux LS880A on the XM.

[Paul-R]

...so it was removeable by hand 8000 miles later

It's a fine line between leaving the oil filter canister just tight enough so that it can be unscrewed by hand 6000 (or more!) miles later and ending up with a oil slick down the drive and possibly ruined engine!

[Zelandeth]

Best filter tool we used to have in the garage was an odd triangular device with a hex/ratchet attachment in the middle. There were three fingers that gripped the filter as you turned it. The more force you applied the tighter it gripped. Think we had two for small and larger filters. Always worked well when I used it. Did have a Snap-On logo on though, so probably cost more than most cars I've owned.

Most places you struggled to get it in were on cars that the filter was going to be a pig to do anyway. 1993 Corsa 1.5TD I'm looking at you. Only car I've had to remove the coolant expansion bottle to change an oil filter on.

Worst filter I've ever had was on my first Saab. We reckon it had been on there for about ten years. Snapped a big screwdriver trying to pry that sucker loose.

[Michel]

This particular filter on my Ka is the one I snapped James' webbing on. I'd serviced the Ka in the office car park on Sunday as it was covered and wind-free but failed miserably to remove the oil filter. Obviously, I'd already drained the oil, so wanted to get the new filter on asap as it was full of fresh clean oil.

My trusty oil filter pliers, which have never failed to remove any oil filter couldn't budge it. I even mole-gripped them shut to get maximum squeeze on them.
My phillips screwdriver through the filter and lean on the handle - failed. It simply ripped the metal body of the filter
My 30cm long T50 T-handle smashed through the filter - simply mangled and tore it even more. Wouldn't move.
It then snapped James' webbing - I had a 2ft torque wrench pushing as hard as I could on it. Still didn't move.

I then fumed and let James attack it with a large cold chisel and a BFO hammer on the base ring.

IT STILL DIDN'T MOVE.

I called the scrapyard. I was 5 mins from scrapping the car. Not paying anyone to remove it on a £200 car..

Got my dremel out. Cut out chunks of the filter around the base ring, used up two cutting discs and my vocabulary of curse words, in both English and Spanish..

Finally, it came off. 3 hours!!

Fortunately, the fuel filter I've just changed, with all it's potential for snapped brittle fuel lines, broken holders, jammed clips and so on took me all of a minute to change. Obviously, it would, as I'd got all my tools out ready, rags, put it up on ramps etc. I could have done it with one hand with the car on the ground..

[Hell Razor5543]

My strap tool has a 1/2" square drive hole and a 21 hex head (for a 21 spanner). I will get some suitable webbing and replace the failed webbing. I will try to get the stitching done, then folded over and done again (assuming that this will still pass through the slot). I will strongly suggest (based on what happened to Michel on that BLOODY filter!) you make sure the stitched section is in the slot when using the tool, as it was mainly the stitching that failed. If the stitching is in the slot the overlapping webbing should protect the stitching from being over-strained.

[CitroJim]

...so it was removeable by hand 8000 miles later

It's a fine line between leaving the oil filter canister just tight enough so that it can be unscrewed by hand 6000 (or more!) miles later and ending up with a oil slick down the drive and possibly ruined engine!

That filter was last changed by me... I know just how tight to do them and in over 40 years of looking after cars I've always got it right - so far!!!

Best filter tool we used to have in the garage was an odd triangular device with a hex/ratchet attachment in the middle.

Ahh, now I've seen those and I believe pattern ones are available at a fair price... The operating principle is very sound...

No good in an Activa though unless very slim...

This particular filter on my Ka is the one I snapped James' webbing on.

What an epic adventure you two had on that one You did well to finally remove it but three hours for a filter has to be a record... I've had biblically tight ones myself but never so tight as that...

I've had some spheres that would rival your filter Mike... But even then a BFO (love that term and abbreviation ) hammer and cold chisel eventually did the trick although one - an Activa Accumulator - I had to remove wholesale and deal with it on the bench and in my big vice...