[cos]

1. What works best to loosen the plastic housing? I've heard a strap wrench works but not that well.

2. If using a strap wrench, does the entire engine cover need to be removed or is just dropping the "trap door" give you enough room to work in?

FYI: Advance sells Purolator filters for the 2.3 4 cyl. $5 for the Premuim and $8 for the "Pure One". I bought one of each and they both come with new O-rings.

 

[Cross Bolt]

I used a Snap On 1/2" drive band wrench, for oil filters. It's not perfect but it worked. Just drop the trap door but you might want to check the bolts all the way around the splash shield. Mine were all loose.

 

[cos]

Do you a pic of this Snap On 1/2" drive band wrench?

Thanks for the tip on the cover bolts - I'll check 'em.

 

[Showtime]

I think that's what he's talking about.

I used a towel and a lot of F words to remove mine. I think they have He-Man putting on the caps at the factory. After the first time you take it off it's a lot easier the second.

 

[cos]

Ya, that's what I was thinking/hoping it was. I have a few of those, I sure hope one fits.

 

[Cross Bolt]

That is the tool. As I remember, I used a 3" extension with a 1/2" breaker bar and I used my left hand to keep a constant band pressure on the filter housing. Going back in, I used some anti-seize on the housing threads and O-ring, with only minimal hand tight pressure. Good Luck.

 

[Shomare]

Just did my first oil change (actual first oil change was done by the dealership) and have some feedback for owners of the I4.

Steps are as follows:

Remove plastic splash shields. There are two to be removed. One covers the oil pan and the other the oil filter access area. The oil pan shield is a simple twist to remove. The oil filter shield has two 10mm bolts that need to be removed.

Drain oil from oil pan as you would normally.

Oil Filter removal requires that you remove the oil filter drain plug with an allen wrench. Note that this drain plug has a rubber gasket / O Ring that must be replaced.

Removing the plastic oil filter housing wasn't that difficult. I used a strap wrench purchased a Home Depot in the plumbing section to get a grip on that plastic housing. It applies sufficient grip to turn and loosen the housing without crushing it. Once loosened, I used a standard open ended oil filter wrench to further loosen the housing as it was still too tight to turn by hand. Note that this housing also has a rubber gasket / O Ring that must be replaced. The ones from the dealership were a whitish color and easy to spot but the ones that came with my FRAM filter are black and might be missed against the black plastic of the housing.

Assembly is easy as everything goes back on a lot easier than it came off.

My first time and it took me all of five minutes to get the filter off thanks to the info on this site. Things sounded a lot worse than they actually were. It wasn't any more messy than a typical oil filter and in fact, with the drain plug at the bottom of the housing, it wasn't messy at all.

 

[cos]

I bought the Mazda cap wrench - fits the filter housing like a glove and there's no chance of crushing it.

 

[TheUkrainian]

My dad had an old strap wrench and it didn't work well at all, so I took our old cap wrench which was a tad too big for my Fusion and put a shop towel in it and it worked amazingly. I'm probably going to end up getting the "B" size or whatever cap they sell at Advance Auto for it so I don't have to play around with shop towels. After looking around for oil filters, I actually found that my dealer was the cheapest... :shock: I think I paid 4.25 or something and advance auto only had the more expensive brands that were like 7 or 8 bucks. I was totally surprised by that.

 

[07BronzeFuz]

[quote author=Shomare link=topic=47654.msg3224815#msg3224815 date=1247481289]
Removing the plastic oil filter housing wasn't that difficult. I used a strap wrench purchased a Home Depot in the plumbing section to get a grip on that plastic housing. It applies sufficient grip to turn and loosen the housing without crushing it. Once loosened, I used a standard open ended oil filter wrench to further loosen the housing as it was still too tight to turn by hand. Note that this housing also has a rubber gasket / O Ring that must be replaced. The ones from the dealership were a whitish color and easy to spot but the ones that came with my FRAM filter are black and might be missed against the black plastic of the housing.


[/quote]

i cant figure out where to put that little black o ring at. does anyone have examples? Do the cartridge come apart or something.. I thought it went on the oil drain plug. The 13mm bolt?

 

[eiching1]

The bottom of the cap has a silver bolt that uses an allen wrench . Unscrew the bolt and you will se the little black "o" ring on it.

 

[07BronzeFuz]

[quote author=eiching1 link=topic=47654.msg3234550#msg3234550 date=1247923157]
The bottom of the cap has a silver bolt that uses an allen wrench . Unscrew the bolt and you will se the little black "o" ring on it.
[/quote]
ok mine would not budge.. if I take out that will all the oil drain out? I just changed it. Is there any harm on not replacing it? I put that washer on the drain plug at the oil pan... What Do I need to do. Thanks

 

[eiching1]

THe oil will drain out. That is what the silver screw (plug) is for, so you can drain the filter canister before you remove the black cap. One or two oil changes without replacing the little "o" ring is probably not a big deal. However, I would not leave that "o" ring on the oil pan drain plug. I wouldn't trust it to keep the plug tight.

 

[riceca]

Hey guys,

I work at a Ford Dealership and do this everyday. And the best way to remove the 4 cylinder plastic cap for the catridge filter is a metal cap that you use a 3/8" rachet on. I have a complete kit of caps for all kinds of catridge filters like on Volvos and VWs and other stuff. But this works the best and you dont have to worry about messing up the cap or possibly breaking it. If you would like some more info on this cap let me know. Mine came in a big kit but i am sure you can get it seperatly.

lata.
chris

 

[eiching1]

I have the same thing. I bought mine at Advance Auto or Pep boys. The size is 74/76 mm Mine is made by Ampro. Like riceca said, works perfect.