I was changing the oil in my 95 ls400 today and when I went to tighten the filter, I had my wrench around the center of the filter instead of the end. As I was finishing, I noticed the filter start to cave in slightly. I readjusted my wrench and finished tightening it correctly.

I only made a slight dent in the filter but I am curious if this will lead to problems.

 

i don't see a problem just as long as the dent is mild. the filter is baffled on the inside so you most likely did not dislodge anything. next time just hand tighten it.

 

Thanks for the quick response and thats what I suspected.

My dads toyota highlander's engine blew up because the oil filter was "hand tight".
Needless to say, it came off while driving.
Ill continue to use the wrench. Ill just put it in the right place from now on..

 

np and maybe my version of hand tight is 50ft-lbs or more .

 

a dent wont cause damage, and yeah it should be hand tight and then some, lol.. the tighter it is just makes it harder to remove...

 

you're fine. i've actually done this a couple of times haha. good rule of thumb is to tighten it by hand as tight as you can and give it 2-3 more small turns.

 

Thanks everyone. One less thing to worry about.

And I hand tightened it. then was less than half a rotation with the wrench when I noticed it denting.

 

Why didn't you buy a new one when changing the oil?

 

The filters can take a good beating, the filter media inside will deform if you crush it significantly. It will still filter but in that one section it will not flow as efficiently. I hand tighten to snug then less than 1/4 turn with the wrench.

 

Im talking about the new one...

 

just so you will know: when the canister collapses, it COULD damage the pleated filter area by knocking a "hole" in it.... and then 90% of your oil would flow thru that hole, rendering your filter useless.

 

If an oil filter does not have a torque specified, or you cannot access it with a torque wrench, do this: Tighten by hand until the gasket just makes contact. Then 3/4 to 1-1/4 turn more. That's it. It sounds like you are over tightening.

 

take the filter off and put in a new one..secondly..u only need to tighten it by hand. seriously? a torque wrench? wow!

 

Oil filters can be defective.



Exactly what I do.

Over tightening a oil filter can destroy the O-ring on the filter and your oil will leak out. I've seen it happen. (worked at a shop and someone made a newbie mistake)

If you cant hand tighten it by hand maybe you shouldnt be changing your oil might save you a few thousand dollars one day.

 

just use OEM filters....