Stuck Oil Filter: Pittsburgh oil filter "master plier" saved my A**

[dilettante]

Changed the oil on two cars today. The second one had a stuck oil filter. :mad: I'm assuming that my mechanic cross-threaded that sucker. He changes the oil on occasion, but this has never happened before. It wouldn't budge with my normal filter wrench. That thing felt like it had been put on with an impact wrench!

I stepped up to the oil filter "pliers" (similar to the one attached). No dice... Tried many times to no avail. Filter was nicely crushed, though. :mad:

Went to HF to give the oil filter "Master Plier" a shot.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40678

The thing worked like a charm. :thumbup:

I've never had so much trouble removing a filter before, anything that has been remotely difficult has been handled with the plier type device. But, for some reason I couldn't get it to work this time. The master plier did the trick!

[bchee]

that's cool. I hope my filter never gets stuck because there is no room for pliers like that.

[dilettante]

bchee.
The pliers aren't actually that big. But, it was pretty tight between the block and the exhaust manifold. I couldn't work in there with a hot vehicle. Not sure I could get them in on the same angle with my other car. The good thing about them is that you can lock to the filter from the front and turn them with your hands or something like a cheater bar.

[evintho]

In all my years I've done thousands of oil changes. All different sizes of filters, no room, crushed and crossthreaded filters, etc. I've used many types of filter wrenches. This is by far, the best! Head and shoulders above anything else I've ever used!.................http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02820523000P

[Dust]

I'd be hard-pressed to fit those pliers on any of the vehicles I work on. The only ones I could possibly use them on are PT Cruisers and Rams and Dakotas with the old Magnum V8s, since there's tons of room around the filter. Of course, I can usually get the filters off with my strap wrench.

[Diesel-Mech]

Those are cool, I want to pick up a pair for fuel filters.

[MAD]

In all my years I've done thousands of oil changes. All different sizes of filters, no room, crushed and crossthreaded filters, etc. I've used many types of filter wrenches. This is by far, the best! Head and shoulders above anything else I've ever used!.................http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02820523000P

Those are made by Stride Tools.

http://www.stridetool.com/tools/autospecialty/oilwrenches_01.html

I have been meaning to get one of those.

[dilettante]

evintho.
that looks pretty slick. i'll have to look at it at least.

how does it work? does it tighten and stay tight as you apply force? seems perfect for tight spots. lucky i had some room to work.

[Merkava_4]

I just think it's stupid as hell to call your product "Pittsburgh" when it's made in Taiwan/China. :cool:

[Danglerb]

Yeah, Pittsburgh is a terrible name, how about Snap Off?

[Merkava_4]

How about Shanghai? :D

[tatra]

any comments on mc donalds "100% beef logo?".........an american success story?

[Hawk321]

if the filter was cross threaded...was it leaking?

Btw. this oil filter "spider" (http://cgi.ebay.de/GENIUS-3-8-OLFILTERSPINNE-OLFILTERSCHLUSSEL-OLFILTER_W0QQitemZ350106345323QQihZ022QQcategoryZ8 3595QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting) is really good, with other bigger pliers, you can damage the filter and make a big mess

[Stephenw]

Oil filter pliers work, but not on a filter that is really stuck.

This type has never failed...

[eschoendorff]

In all my years I've done thousands of oil changes. All different sizes of filters, no room, crushed and crossthreaded filters, etc. I've used many types of filter wrenches. This is by far, the best! Head and shoulders above anything else I've ever used!.................http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02820523000P

Really? I have one of those and it is the biggest POS I own. I use a cup-style oil filter wrench/socket, or the big-toothed pliers for the stubborn ones.

[tbgallant]

In all my years I've done thousands of oil changes. All different sizes of filters, no room, crushed and crossthreaded filters, etc. I've used many types of filter wrenches. This is by far, the best! Head and shoulders above anything else I've ever used!.................http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02820523000P

http://s.sears.com/is/image/Sears/02820523000?qlt=90,0&resMode=sharp&op_usm=0.9,0.5,0,0

I also use one of these, great tool!!

[buening]

Beats the crap out of driving a screwdriver through the oil filter and trying to remove it that way! Old mechanics trick, but makes one helluva mess

[3 at 8]

Beats the crap out of driving a screwdriver through the oil filter and trying to remove it that way! Old mechanics trick, but makes one helluva mess

I've done this; its effective but just a little messy.

[malibu101]

Yeah, Pittsburgh is a terrible name, how about Snap Off?

A buddy of mine has a cheap cabinet with the name "Stack-On" on it.

[chrisexv6]

I've done this; its effective but just a little messy.

Yep, had to do this to my wifes car. For some reason the filter tightens itself between changes (I put them on hand tight). Strap wrench snapped in half, only choice I had left was the screwdriver trick!

Ordering the product from this thread to avoid ever doing it again :)

-Chris

[fotoflojoe]

In all my years I've done thousands of oil changes. All different sizes of filters, no room, crushed and crossthreaded filters, etc. I've used many types of filter wrenches. This is by far, the best! Head and shoulders above anything else I've ever used!.................http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02820523000P

+1
Those style filter wrenches are unbeatable.
Mine is a Hazet that I bought new 25 years ago - never needed anything else.

[hossmwp]

http://s.sears.com/is/image/Sears/02820523000?qlt=90,0&resMode=sharp&op_usm=0.9,0.5,0,0

I also use one of these, great tool!!

I also use this version. I think its a Craftsman but I am not even sure. It works great. I find fuel filters on diesel engines to often times get stuck. I guess due to the fact they stay on longer than the oil filters typically 2 to 1 on some pieces of equipment. I prefer this over the screwdriver method mainly becuase I dont like to wear diesel fuel all day.

[speed bump]

Thats what I have 16" chanellocks for.

[66HertzClone]

It is virtually impossible to cross thread a filter. The base plates are high quality steel as is the nipple. Imagine cross threading a nut on a bolt all the way tight without resorting to a wrench, tough if not impossible to do. Once removed you would have damaged threads on the nipple that might not accept the new filter.

Almost always the filter is tightened so much the base plate metal comes in contact with metal of the mounting point on the engine. The raised portion around the threaded hole in the base plate coming in contact with the locknut on many filter attachment nipples. This is what makes the filters so difficult to remove. I've had multiple filter come off the car with the nipple stuck in the filter. A large Allen wrench inserted inside the nipple usually gets them loose.

I had a customer tow their vehicle to my shop for an oil change. He had tried to do it himself in his driveway and failed. He did manage to remove all of the oil filter except for the base plate which was still there. We used the three finger unit posted a few posts up to grab the edges of the base plate to remove it.

[Chris Adams]

That three finger looks nice but wouldn't work on my Ford. Can't even put a cap on the filter because the 'oil drain tray' is too close to the filter. I usually use K&N filters with the nut on top. Great filters (made by Champion to very high specs) and easy to remove.
Those pliers look good though for other vehicles.

[dilettante]

Ahh... makes a lot of sense. Good info. Seems to describe exactly what happened. Once I was finally able to get the thing to turn, it turned right off.

It is virtually impossible to cross thread a filter. The base plates are high quality steel as is the nipple. Imagine cross threading a nut on a bolt all the way tight without resorting to a wrench, tough if not impossible to do. Once removed you would have damaged threads on the nipple that might not accept the new filter.

Almost always the filter is tightened so much the base plate metal comes in contact with metal of the mounting point on the engine. The raised portion around the threaded hole in the base plate coming in contact with the locknut on many filter attachment nipples. This is what makes the filters so difficult to remove. I've had multiple filter come off the car with the nipple stuck in the filter. A large Allen wrench inserted inside the nipple usually gets them loose.

I had a customer tow their vehicle to my shop for an oil change. He had tried to do it himself in his driveway and failed. He did manage to remove all of the oil filter except for the base plate which was still there. We used the three finger unit posted a few posts up to grab the edges of the base plate to remove it.

[OctaneMotorsports]

This thread jinxed me :( I have never once experienced a stuck filter I couldn't remove with my bare hands until today (15-20 minutes after reading this thread) until I went to do it for the first time on my new Chev Blazer... absolutely would not budge. Picked one of these up from a local parts store and it worked pretty good, but not without crushing the hell out of the old filter. Oh well, it was an orange can of death (FRAM) anyway.

[dilettante]

Octane. What did you end up using?

[krusty the clown]

Thats what I have 16" chanellocks for.


i used to use those until i bought these........and us made too

http://www.channellock.com/acb/stores/1/212_-_12_inch_Oil_Filter_Plier_P20C5.cfm

[Uncle Buck]

This has come up before. As I recall Elroy was the only other guy than me that gave their thumbs up endorsement to the band/spring compression type filter removal tool. I would put it up against any of them!

I cannot find an image to attach, or I would.

[krusty the clown]

This has come up before. As I recall Elroy was the only other guy than me that gave their thumbs up endorsement to the band/spring compression type filter removal tool. I would put it up against any of them!


they don't work on every application although they are my first in line:thumbup:

[Frank Elson]

I also use this version. I think its a Craftsman but I am not even sure. It works great. I find fuel filters on diesel engines to often times get stuck. I guess due to the fact they stay on longer than the oil filters typically 2 to 1 on some pieces of equipment. I prefer this over the screwdriver method mainly becuase I dont like to wear diesel fuel all day.

you have diesel fuel in your engine oil? You have a problem...

[gofastman]

In all my years I've done thousands of oil changes. All different sizes of filters, no room, crushed and crossthreaded filters, etc. I've used many types of filter wrenches. This is by far, the best! Head and shoulders above anything else I've ever used!.................http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02820523000P

I have that, its really nice for super stuck filters, but its a pain because you have to hold the jaws in place untill you tighten it down, these are far easier to use because they are spring loaded and will loosen most filters. http://www.mactools.com/product/tabid/120/p-319637-of63600a.aspx

[Stephenw]

I went out to check what brand I had. Mine is Blue-Point...

[txz28]

In all my years I've done thousands of oil changes. All different sizes of filters, no room, crushed and crossthreaded filters, etc. I've used many types of filter wrenches. This is by far, the best! Head and shoulders above anything else I've ever used!.................http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02820523000P

Really? I have one of those and it is the biggest POS I own. I use a cup-style oil filter wrench/socket, or the big-toothed pliers for the stubborn ones.

I have one and do not really like it for regular oil changes. It is too clumsy for that. I prefer a usual end cap cup style. I only use this if the filter is really stuck. Since I only wrench on my own cars and cannot remember the last time someone besides me changed my oil, I don't have stuck oil filters.

The locking pittsburg style above is good if you have good side access, but if you do not have good side access, this is a good too.

I have that, its really nice for super stuck filters, but its a pain because you have to hold the jaws in place untill you tighten it down, these are far easier to use because they are spring loaded and will loosen most filters. http://www.mactools.com/product/tabid/120/p-319637-of63600a.aspx

I would really love to try this style. I have seen them by people other than mac.

[krusty the clown]

I would really love to try this style. I have seen them by people other than mac.

they are made by lisle.........i have one for twin cam 88's

[Uncle Buck]

they don't work on every application although they are my first in line:thumbup:

Are you sure we are speaking of the same device? The one I am referring to looks just like an overgrown coil spring that covers most of the length of the filter and has a hex wrench point on the very bottom of the filter.

[krusty the clown]

Are you sure we are speaking of the same device? The one I am referring to looks just like an overgrown coil spring that covers most of the length of the filter and has a hex wrench point on the very bottom of the filter.

no i guess were not.......i was talking about the band style but i do know what you're talking about now.

[Uncle Buck]

no i guess were not.......i was talking about the band style but i do know what you're talking about now.

I thought the band type might have been what you thought I was talking about.

Heck of it is, I cannot even find a vendor selling that type of oil filter wrench anymore so I can post an image. :wtf:

[krusty the clown]

I thought the band type might have been what you thought I was talking about.

Heck of it is, I cannot even find a vendor selling that type of oil filter wrench anymore so I can post an image. :wtf:


and i don't think they have been made for years......i haven't seen one since high school

[ImportTuner]

Are you sure we are speaking of the same device? The one I am referring to looks just like an overgrown coil spring that covers most of the length of the filter and has a hex wrench point on the very bottom of the filter.

We talked about it in August of this year ...

[Uncle Buck]

We talked about it in August of this year ...

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbup:

[Elroy]

This has come up before. As I recall Elroy was the only other guy than me that gave their thumbs up endorsement to the band/spring compression type filter removal tool. I would put it up against any of them!

How the hell did Elroy miss this little piss match ??

If you have a "bitch" filter then this little jewel will flat take it right off:

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/Snap-On/Picture001.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/Snap-On/Picture002-1.jpg

they don't work on every application although they are my first in line:thumbup:

The Krusty man is correct. The "band" needs to fit the OD of the filter. This particular wrench only fits the old time full size filter cans. Like a PH8A or other similar size "can". Elroy can assure you though, if it fits, the filter is coming off!

and i don't think they have been made for years......i haven't seen one since high school

Yep, these have been discontinued for several years. Make that a few decades. Actually Elroy broke his at one time. Presented it to the Snappy man and he just laughed real hard. Long discontinued.

Elroy didn't pay attention using it once. Didn't have it fully pushed up on the filter can and twisted the spring and broke it. Elroy fixed it with some rivets:

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/Snap-On/Picture005-1.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/Snap-On/Picture004.jpg

I can tell ya, that blue tempered spring steel was a bitch drilling. It's good to go now but most vehicles today have the small filter cans so this tool now see rather limited use. When it fits the can, this wrench has NEVER failed :thumbup:

[tatra]

i also had one of those , elroy and mine was branded hastings, with the hastings oil filter logo guy on it...............worked great except that the nut on the end came off..........don't bother doing my own oil anymore as the local lube shop has an old[ er] guy that let's me down in the pit to do a visual and chew the fat with him............i worked out what my time is worth and the cost of them doing it and not having to deal with the mess and disposal , it's not worth the effort..............course if and when he leaves and they deny access, i may do it myself again, or when i get my ultimate lift..............

[Elroy]

unnecessary comments deleted

[Uncle Buck]

Thanks for posting the great pics Elroy! Mine looks the same as yours and was handed down by my pops. I still have 3 daily drivers mine fits, so it still sees plenty of use.

[ImportTuner]

Here's the one I just won off of eBay ...

[Uncle Buck]

YOU LUCKY DOG! Is it sized to fit the smaller late model filters like it looks to be?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[ImportTuner]

The guy who sold it said it fits a coors beer can perfectly ...

[Moose-LandTran]

For the times my Spider and cup wrenches don't work i've found that hammering a screwdriver through the filter to turn it works great, or my 20" slip joints handle most filters when you can get them on it, they'll crush it flat with ease and being 20" long you get plenty of leverage. Other times i've just cut the filter apart with a Dewalt recip saw and chiselled off the base.

[Elroy]

So simple a Caveman could do it.

[Uncle Buck]

So simple a Caveman could do it.

Most of us prefer more polite references that mention the sloping forehead, dab of drool running out of the corner of the mouth and the knuckles that invariably drag the ground as we shuffle about like overgrown sloth's!

:lol_hitti:lol_hitti:lol_hitti:lol_hitti:spit:

[oldtools]

I have the Crapman filter remover. That thing just doesn't work for me. I finally got a cup style filter remover (at HF). Work great.

[bushhawg73]

This one is a deal. Watching to see if anyone buys it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-512bb-365-GT4-412-Tool-kit-oil-filter-wrench_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ42606QQihZ006QQi temZ160306105523QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

[Uncle Buck]

This one is a deal. Watching to see if anyone buys it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-512bb-365-GT4-412-Tool-kit-oil-filter-wrench_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ42606QQihZ006QQi temZ160306105523QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

OMG! A tool for someone with far more money than brains! Yup, he definitely got de dane brammage fer sure!

(Not you bushhawg, the buyer!)

[Adam McLaughlin]

What kind of tools do you think that Ferrari Techs use? Hazet from their neighbors to the north?

Adam

[WVU Tuba Dale]

Those are made by Stride Tools.

http://www.stridetool.com/tools/autospecialty/oilwrenches_01.html

I have been meaning to get one of those.

I have a Blue Point one, works great. :)

[eschoendorff]

What kind of tools do you think that Ferrari Techs use? Hazet from their neighbors to the north?

Adam


Beta, I believe. And before that, I think they had some sort of a contract with Facom.

In reality, you will probably find Facom, Beta, Snap On and other brands in a good Ferrari tech's box...

[Elroy]

This one is a deal. Watching to see if anyone buys it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-512bb-365-GT4-412-Tool-kit-oil-filter-wrench_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ42606QQihZ006QQi temZ160306105523QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

OMG! A tool for someone with far more money than brains! Yup, he definitely got de dane brammage fer sure!

(Not you bushhawg, the buyer!)

Wonder if for that price you get that cool little sticker??

[Elroy]

Elroy literally picked this filter wrench up a few days ago. It seams that one of our more brilliant former employees at work decided to "break into" the plant one weekend so he could change the oil in his POS truck. We understand that he used the fork lift to get under it. What a complete dumb ass!

Anyways, That coming Monday there was the "vice president of paint" on video letting himself into the plant with out authorization. He was promptly shown the door.

As a result, this filter wrench ended up on the foreman's desk. Been sitting there a good two years. Recently, Elroy asked the foreman what he intended to do with it. He responded that he was going to give away and wanted to know if Elroy knew anybody who would be interested in it.

Are these things worth a crap? We haven't tried it yet

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/KD%20Filter/Picture004.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/KD%20Filter/Picture003.jpg

[old salvage]

Beats the crap out of driving a screwdriver through the oil filter and trying to remove it that way! Old mechanics trick, but makes one helluva mess
I've done this; its effective but just a little messy.
I'm also a member of the club.



i used to use those until i bought these........and us made too

http://www.channellock.com/acb/stores/1/212_-_12_inch_Oil_Filter_Plier_P20C5.cfm

Also good for removing that big nut beneath toilet tanks.

[nate379]

Used to work in a lube shop a few years ago as a 2nd job and all I ever used were the pliers. Did 10-15 cars a day and there weren't many it didn't work on.

[2barevo]

got this set off of ebay just for the coil type oilter wrench. now what am i going to do with the rest :)

http://i5.ebayimg.com/05/i/001/30/e1/7aa1_1.JPG

[ahaidet]

For my cars I have typically always used this type of wrench:
http://images.orgill.com/200x200/6289458.jpg

Inherited from my dad I have two that fit most cars. But my brother had a filter really stuck on his Honda one time right after he bought it.. so I went and bought one of these:

http://www.thetoolchest.com.au/assets/images/engine/2-Way-Oil-Filter-Wrench.jpg

(not the same brand, mine came from autozone so probably branded duralast but made by someone else.. )

It worked like a charm, it can be a little clumsy but when you get it on the filter it locks on good and will pull it right off. You can use a big breaker bar and extensions on it to get it where you need it and really torque on it.

I have used it a few times since because it fits a pretty wide range of filter sizes. I know I can take it under a car I have not worked on previously and it will fit. That way I don't have to crawl back out to get another.

[Moose-LandTran]

So simple a Caveman could do it.

If you want to watch a neanderthal at work, come to the shop i work at on a monay morning. :lol:

For my cars I have typically always used this type of wrench:
http://images.orgill.com/200x200/6289458.jpg

I've never managed to get one of those band-type filter wrenches to work. I have had good luck with "spiders" though.

[baucom]

Sorry to drag up such an old post. I found this style filter wrench for sale today and wanted to post up a link to it for anyone who might be looking for one. I don't know what brand it is, but when I saw it I thought I remembered some discussion on them being discontinued and/or hard to find these days.

http://www.atlweldingsupply.com/Oil-Filter-Wrench-Coil-Type-3-58-inch_p_593-3336.html

How the hell did Elroy miss this little piss match ??

If you have a "bitch" filter then this little jewel will flat take it right off:

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/Snap-On/Picture001.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/Snap-On/Picture002-1.jpg



The Krusty man is correct. The "band" needs to fit the OD of the filter. This particular wrench only fits the old time full size filter cans. Like a PH8A or other similar size "can". Elroy can assure you though, if it fits, the filter is coming off!



Yep, these have been discontinued for several years. Make that a few decades. Actually Elroy broke his at one time. Presented it to the Snappy man and he just laughed real hard. Long discontinued.

Elroy didn't pay attention using it once. Didn't have it fully pushed up on the filter can and twisted the spring and broke it. Elroy fixed it with some rivets:

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/Snap-On/Picture005-1.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/Snap-On/Picture004.jpg

I can tell ya, that blue tempered spring steel was a bitch drilling. It's good to go now but most vehicles today have the small filter cans so this tool now see rather limited use. When it fits the can, this wrench has NEVER failed :thumbup:

[woody 73]

Beats the crap out of driving a screwdriver through the oil filter and trying to remove it that way! Old mechanics trick, but makes one helluva mess

You are so right!!! This trick was taught to me as a teenager it works but it sure is messy.

[camaross]

This is my favorite oil filter wrench. The design is one step forward compared to the Craftsman and Blue-point version. This one provides the maximum grab no matter how big the oil-filter is. In contrast, the Craftsman and Blue-point ones can do this only for the largest oil filter that they can possibly fit.


Elroy literally picked this filter wrench up a few days ago. It seams that one of our more brilliant former employees at work decided to "break into" the plant one weekend so he could change the oil in his POS truck. We understand that he used the fork lift to get under it. What a complete dumb ass!

Anyways, That coming Monday there was the "vice president of paint" on video letting himself into the plant with out authorization. He was promptly shown the door.

As a result, this filter wrench ended up on the foreman's desk. Been sitting there a good two years. Recently, Elroy asked the foreman what he intended to do with it. He responded that he was going to give away and wanted to know if Elroy knew anybody who would be interested in it.

Are these things worth a crap? We haven't tried it yet

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/KD%20Filter/Picture004.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/EllisofRoy/KD%20Filter/Picture003.jpg

[00S4Boy]

^those one's the teeth bend, the blue point and the craftsman don't.

[Mickey O]

Beats the crap out of driving a screwdriver through the oil filter and trying to remove it that way! Old mechanics trick, but makes one helluva mess

I've had to use the screwdriver method a few time back before all these fancy pliers and "spiders" were around. One time the filter was so tight (cross threaded) we had to essentially cut it off in pieces and chisel the area (split it) right up to the threads.

[quneur]

I once watched a mechanic taking off a stuck oil filter (crushed by the owner with a screwdriver) with a simple screwdriver and hammer. He placed the screwdriver tip (standard) above the rubber on the filter and gave it a light tap. Then he tapped the screwdriver around the filter in various degrees, ie. 12 o'clock, 2 o'clock, etc. separating the rubber on the filter from the engine. The filter came out without effort. He told me the rubber on the filter melts and bonds to the block.

[flyingvette]

The spider type is by far the best oil filter remover I have ever used. The only problem I've ever run into with them is if the jaws are too big to fit between the structure next to the oil can and the oil can itself. Love em.

[MattT]

Beats the crap out of driving a screwdriver through the oil filter and trying to remove it that way! Old mechanics trick, but makes one helluva mess

I used that method for years until I discovered proper filter wrenches. Now I use the spider type most of the time.

[BrokeEF]

Having managed a quick lube in my past, I have used them all. They have all worked great, and they have all failed miserably. It mostly depends on how much room you have around the filter to decide which tool to use. I would probably agree that the "spider" type is the most useful since it gets tighter the harder you turn it. Just remeber to use a little bit of NEW oil on the gasket when you put the new filter on and hopefully you wont need to use any of these tools :)

Sean

[camaross]

I do not understand why so many people like the spider type. Requiring two hands in a tight area is a PITA. My favorite oil filter wrench is the cup style.