The overtight oil filter catridge cap......It's not the dealer's fault.

Gotta chill out man.... It's just a photo! There are 20+ brands of that type of filter tool. I just picked that one.
Prices range from about $7-50.00.
I'm not forcing you to use any of them. Spend $200 and change the housing to use a spin on filter.
I can get 25-30 filters for that price.
It's JUST an oil filter tool!

 

The Dorman 917-016 is the wrong thread for the Prius. They do make the phenolic cap, part number 917-039, but there are no plans to make it out of aluminum “at this time” as I was told when I called customer service today.

I took the original filter adapter from my failed engine to work and checked today. I was shocked. The filter housing and filter were full of metal shavings from when my original engine let go. But the filter did its job, for the most part.

 

If you get a chance, could you do some careful measurements (say with a caliper) of the old and new filter caps. What I can think of:

1. face-to-face of the flutes that the socket pushes onto.
2. the diameter at the bottom of the O-ring groove.

This would really help, to see what if anything is going on with the cap, is it swelling, over time.

Up here, the costs I've found for a replacement (genuine Toyota) cap:

McGeorge Toyota (online US retailer, who doesn't ship to Canada): $33~ (US) <non starter
Amazon.ca: $50~ (CDN), with free shipping <best deal
Local dealership parts department: $76 (CDN) <ugh

 

Would you be willing to send the old cap to someone interested in measuring it?

 

I'll have ours off for an oil change, maybe this weekend, or in the next week or so: will measure. I've never noticed the socket I'm using get tighter; it was very snug from the get go: a Honda socket. I'll measure the face-to-face where the socket goes on. Also, will measure the diameter at the bottom of O-ring groove.

@Georgina Rudkus : you're in an ideal position to measure the new and old caps, please do.

 

Mendel, might be interesting if you measure each of the 7 face diameters. My tool is the same as Georgina’s and it’s always been snug from the car’s 3rd oil change that I did, onwards....

 

Measured today:

1. face-to-face of flutes: 63.92 mm
2. diameter at the bottom of O-ring groove: 70.85 mm

This is with 77K kms, and there's been maybe 15 oil and filter changes.

 

My cap hasn't swollen. The cap wrench still fits the same as ever. No difficulty removing the cap with a cheap stamped steel cap wrench. Maybe off-brand caps are made of inferior material?

 

When removing/installing mine this last time, I paid special attention to how much it resisted. It's hard to say how it compares to when it was new, with (possible) changes being so gradual. What I did find: once the O-ring was into the barrel I needed to use a ratchet, it was fighting a bit. Also, even though I oiled the new O-ring, about halfway in it started making a bit of a chirp sound with every slight rotation.

Perhaps @Georgina Rudkus can dig out the caliper, make those two measurements on the new cap she's got. Resolve this question.

 

Where did you get that after-market cap? I couldn't get the existing cap off even with the correct wrench and now my mechanic says the fins are rounded and the cap may need to be replaced.... at a cost of $81. for another plastic one!

 

Sorry, I asked where you got the after-market cap but failded to specify I have a 2011 (gen 3?)

 

Through Amayama that cap is $24.30 CDN for me, plus $19.01 shipping (from UAE). That's roughly $32 USD, all-in:

https://www.amayama.com/en/catalogs/toyota/prius/3-hatchback-right-xw30-2009-2830/engine-fuel-system-and-tools-1/oil-filter-17

So far through them, the part cost and shipping charge are all I've been charged. No extras. I was told here, by @Elektroingenieur , that there's some threshold; more expensive purchases you will be dinged, and the shipping would likely be prohibitive as well. But for small items...



You might consider conversion to spin-on too. Parts for this through Amayama are significantly cheaper than through US online retailers:

Spin on oil filter | Page 2 | PriusChat

By comparison, parts.toyota.come shows nearest to me US retailer (Foothills Toyota in Washington State) at $38.30 USD, prior to shipping charge, and likely taxes.

 

Thanks for the quick reply Mendel. However, I would really rather get a metal housing and continue to use the paper inner filters for the sake of less metal waste going to the landfill. I've combed the threads and am not finding it available anywhere. Do you know a current source?

Thanks for your help!

 

No, sorry.

 

Here you go, this is the correct one that is made for the Scion IQ:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115072311697?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=BvjJGdZSQ3e&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=lgL0ua8ZQBW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

You will need to also get the small plug that screws into the top of the housing as well.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Thanks xliderider, but I have a 2011 Prius. Looks like the ones on Ebay are some unidentified metal and painted. If that is what you got, how have they held up so far?

 

Did you look at the link? It's a Toyota part and it is made out of unpainted aluminum alloy of some kind.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I'm terribly sorry for my haste in replying. I hadn't clicked the link because you said it was for the Scion and, judging from reading your previous posts on the thread about the ones you had purchased, you had said something about their coming from China (and I had seen some metal ones from China on Ebay). Mainly I was replying to ask about one for the Prius, since you had been discussing 3 different Toyotas. Now I have clicked your link, and asked the seller if this one will fit my Prius. Is that what you intended (that the Scion and Prius take the same size)? This has been a couple of hours I have spent on this thread today and the sunshine here in upstate NY is calling me!