Favorite Oil Filter Wrench?

[Notgrownup]

I have too many types and need a bunch of different ones.

 

[skruft]

I have changed my oil for a long time and have all the styles, but if the filter is the standard design, I almost always use the regular strap wrench.

One time in all these years I could not get a filter off with any wrench I had then, and had to bore a hole through it and put a prybar through. Someone had tightened it with a tool of some kind.

 

[Plump]

Went through a bunch of cast cup wrenches that sucked. Same with the plastic ones. Strap wrench was impossible to get to on my GMC Sierra (and would usually get slippery trying to fit it in). Finally settled on a Channelocks as it seems to be the most universal way to reach various cars/trucks.

 

[matt_i]

I made my own for the 2.4L ecotec. A CNC project, milled the internal hex, touched up the corners with a small diameter cutter, milled a hex-shouldered fixture/post then clamped it to mill the OD round. Bent a Z shaped handle, welded, and its worked for ~50 ish filter changes just great.

For everything else I've used the metal strap wrench. Had to buy a different size for the 454 oil filter though.

 

[Kenskip1]

Myself like others have mentioned with various wrenches but in a pinch I have used "ready for this" my belt! Yes this has come through more than once. Also, if I am able to get my hands around the filter, I have had great success with just my hands.

 

[Bubba Fett]

I just picked up a claw-style oil wrench from an auto parts store. I can't remember the brand, but I figure most of those are all the same anyway. Yes, it does deform the filter, but I don't care. It's getting replaced with a new one at each oil change, and won't be re-used.

 

[Slednut]

I use a large pair of Channel Locks that were in a shop that burnt.

 

[Bogie1632]

Myself like others have mentioned with various wrenches but in a pinch I have used "ready for this" my belt! Yes this has come through more than once. Also, if I am able to get my hands around the filter, I have had great success with just my hands.

Had to do that once when I was in NV. The older BDU belts and buckle worked out well. Had to get a new belt for my uniform but it saved me about 4 hours round trip for anything else that would have worked.

V/R
Bogie

 

[nikerret]

 

[Badgerstate]

So aside from truck-brand stuff, what do you love for stubborn oil filters?

See below...it's in there somewhere I promise...lol

I love my Craftsman oil filter pliars. They are adjustable to fit any size oil filter and you can really bear down on them and get any filter off.
I use to strictly be a 3/8" ratchet and cup wrench guy but Ive learned that oil filters should really only be hand tight anyways, so now I just mostly need the pliars for when I cant get the filter off by hand.

 

[Jlarson]

I use the Lisle swivel grip band wrenches, the ones with the gripper patches on the bands and then of course a 1/2" drive strap wrench when Hulk put a big hydraulic filter on an aluminum base or something lol.

 

[redragoon]

I've had good luck with some oil filter pliers. Same ones that many have already posted.
Strap wrench for ones with enough room.

On my car, it is a small filter in a tight spot. I use a Husky auto adjusting at the end of a ratchet. Takes a little fiddling to get a bite started, but always works. I also like that I can put it on an extension to get the ratchet clear of the subframe.

 

[blazemaster83]

I will also recommend the motiveX tool. I was working on a large gen set one day and the filter was in a very awkward spot, it was stuck, and I didn't have the correct size cup wrench. I tried a strap wrench and any other oil filter wrench I had, nothing worked. Went in the house and looked up some filter wrenches, turns out the main office for motivex tools is about 20 mins from me. I drove up to their shop and bought the last remaining set of the grip style filter wrenches they had on the shelf, which also happened to be the last day they had em on sale. Once I got home, it took about 4 seconds to get the filter off with the motivex tool.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

normally use a rubber strap wrench, but swear every time.

I am watching this tread and will likely invest in a few of these well liked models... Channellock & MotiveX seam to be the top of my list currently.

I have a "FULL" set of stamped cup sockets and they are 100% garbage.

 

[bassJAM]

I get by fine with a pair of these, more for the heat protection than the grip:



If you only tighten the filter about 1/2-3/4 turn after it makes contact, you don't normally need a wrench to remove it. For the first oil change on a new-to-me vehicle I'll use a strap wrench or large set of channel locks if I need a tool and there's room. But I'll admit to driving a cheap screwdriver through the filter before when there wasn't room for that and some ***** must have put it on with an impact tool.

The molded cap style do seem to be the best overall, but like some have mentioned you'd need a drawer full of them to cover everything.