A tip: buy the Toyota oil filter wrench

I got a $5 Walmart filter wrench that fits on the end of the filter with a 3/8 socket drive. If you don't jack the car, you have to kind of change it by Braille, but it works every time. I even use it to give it a little tug to snug it up, not trusting hand tight on something I can barely reach or see properly.

 

You didn't want to ram a screwdriver through it?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jeneric @ Apr 3 2007, 02:23 PM) [snapback]417123[/snapback]</div>

Screwdriver method always works.

 

10-4 on the screwdriver. Another possibility is to wrap duct tape around the base of the oil filter to inprove the fit of those 'oversized' filter end wrenches.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(etyler88 @ Apr 3 2007, 11:26 AM) [snapback]417128[/snapback]</div>

I have actually done that on a truck at work that the filter wouldn't budge. You'd need a very short screwdriver for the Prius, thus, no leverage advantage. Go to Wallmart, buy the tool.

 

I got one of the end-cap style wrenches and also found it a bit
loose, but two smallish strips of gaff tape fixed that. It's nicely
snug and holds itself on the filter once seated. On my first couple
of changes I got lucky and managed to get the filter loose by hand
and/or some simple grip tool or other, but decided to go get the
wrench on general principles since unless you're laying at just the
right angle under there it's kind of hard to get your hand in around
the back of the filter at all.
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hobbit @ Apr 3 2007, 09:10 PM) [snapback]417348[/snapback]</div>

OK, so now not only are we impressed with hobbit's Prius knowledge, we know he has incredible grip strength too.

I too couldn't get the OEM filter off, and ended up crushing it with the strap wrench before it would budge. And yes, I had to buy the new strap wrench because my oil filter wrench wouldn't fit the original one.

 

I got the filter off by hand the first time, but it took a lot of grunting and cursing.. I think the main problem is that you really don't have the grip or leverage when you're lying on your back under the car.. The second time, I bought one of those end-cap wrenches and they slip and pop unless you really get them on the filter (ie, get a hammer and give it a few taps so that it goes right onto the filter), and then they work fine, but it also becomes a real pain to get the wrench off the filter afterwards..

I saw an oil filter wrench set a few years ago that was a great idea, and I'm still kicking myself for not picking one up because they seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth... They looked like a set of plastic tumblers with grips on the outside, but on the inside, there was a metal insert that fit over the end of the filter, so they way they worked was that you'd pick the size of wrench you need, and the whole thing would slip over the filter and give you good grip to remove it, while the plastic cup would catch any oil spilling from the filter as you removed it, so no drips and no mess.. If anyone comes across a set like this in their travels, please, please, please let me know!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brick @ Apr 3 2007, 10:08 AM) [snapback]417084[/snapback]</div>

I purchased a plastic end cap filter wrench from Wal-Mart. Plastic was the wrong move. Striped in a heart beat. Went through my favorite list of curse words then purchased a metal one from the dealer for 8 bones. I could not believe how tight the factory put that thing on. I held my breath, broke a sweat and grunted that thing off. Took the fun out of my first oil change. Oh well...

 

Don't know where to buy one as my dad gave me a spare he had, but they make wrenchs that attach to the end of a socket and then when you turn it, it grips down on the filter not allowing it to slip.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BethlehemPrius @ Apr 10 2007, 04:47 AM) [snapback]420698[/snapback]</div>

I agree with the OP, I also bought the wrench direct from Toyota for a few bucks. Fits perfectly.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brick @ Apr 3 2007, 01:08 PM) [snapback]417084[/snapback]</div>

Are you sure you got the correct 65mm NAPA wrench? There are several different ones and some of the cheaper versions aren't very good. Autozone, in particular, sells a cheap, metal, 65mm end-cap wrench that is of very poor quality and has a lot of play. Likewise, the plastic, dual-use oil filter wrenches that places like Wal-Mart sells can have disasterous results, as well (particularly if the wrong 67mm end is used).

I test-fit an OEM Toyota filter with the specific wrench from NAPA below and the fit was perfect. In fact, it was the best of any end-cap wrench I had found:

NAPA Oil Filter Wrench

 

Any other opinions on the filter wrench that is sold by the dealer? Does it slip more or less then the alternative ones that people have mentioned?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bob64 @ May 12 2007, 02:31 AM) [snapback]440433[/snapback]</div>

I can't compare; all I've used is the Toyota wrench. But an alternative couldn't slip any less. As Brick and others report, it fits perfectly.

 

Haven't tried the Toyota wrench yet because I have the one that Bethlehem mentioned.

It works great so long as you get a good one.

http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Best-Universa...h/dp/B000M96RVA

Cheers,

 

You don't have to buy the Toyota wrench. Take the oil filter to Parts Plus and they have a metal cap that fits perfectly for about 4-5 bucks. Plastic is not a good choice since the square holes tends to warp.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ghostrider @ May 12 2007, 01:53 PM) [snapback]440642[/snapback]</div>

I agree, although it is possible to find a cheap metal end-cap wrench that is just as bad as a cheap plastic one. AutoZone sells a metal 65mm end-cap wrench that looks to be of very low quality and doesn't fit the Toyota OEM oil filter very well. NAPA also sells a cheap metal 65/67mm dual-use end-cap wrench (BK 7759010, $3.99) which I suspect is the bad NAPA wrench that's "just a hair too large" to which the OP refers.

However, NAPA sells another, more expensive, metal, 65mm only, end-cap oil-filter wrench (SER 3253, $8.79) which fits the Toyota OEM oil filter perfectly. In fact, it fit the OEM filter the best of any end-cap wrench I could find and I cannot imagine this particular NAPA end-cap wrench ever slipping.

In short, the OP just bought the wrong metal NAPA end-cap oil filter wrench.

 

How difficult is for a novice to drain and replace the oil and change the Prius oil filter? Does it do much to the warranty?