www.iFourWinns.com

Either I'm turning it the wrong way or my filter is stuck. The engine is a Volvo Penta 5.0 Gi on a 2001 Vista 298. The filter mounts with threads facing up. Per the manual the filter unscrews counterclockwise. So...is that counterclockwise looking down at it (which would make it reverse thread) or traditional counterclockwise which means you turn clockwise when looking down at it. It won't budge a millimeter in either direction and I put enough force on it to start to collapse the filter. Anyone have any experience with this?

_________________
'01 Vista 298

Looking down at it from above, it's clockwise. There are a bunch of different types of filter wrenches available.

_________________


Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

That was my assumption since the fuel filter turned the same way....at least now I have some reassurance I'm turning it the right way. Just a frustrating day overall. Time for a beer and wait for daybreak to tackle it again.

_________________
'01 Vista 298

Par for the course for it being "stuck" (and it doesn't matter if you or your tech put oil on the gasket prior to screwing it on). Time to get the screw driver out and punch a hole in it and turn counter clockwise. LouC will chime in here and tell you how to get it off. PITA.

_________________

Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY

Previous owner....either him or his mechanic. I don't like either one of them right this minute....well, they did keep the boat in great condition so I'll give them that much.

_________________
'01 Vista 298

Well if you can get a oil pan under it and you can't get it off with the filter wrench you are using, ( if you are using one) you can get a big slot screw driver and drive it through. That will get it off but that is the last resort it is a little messy!!
Good Luck

_________________
2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

It took me two days to get my oil filter off last year and it didn't even look like one after I was done with it (I had crushed it, poked holes in it, etc). However, after trying every trick in the book, sandpaper inside of the oil change wrench worked like a charm. Put the sandpaper side out against the filter. It was like the thing wasn't stuck at all.

I remember it was was a horrible two days stressing out about it, especially after I had the thing crushed with holes in it, and it was still attached. Try the sandpaper and good luck!!

_________________

http://youtu.be/-4ckF7u1iNk
2003 PowerQuest 260 Legend SX
2014 Lund WC 14

2007 H210 Volvo 5.7 Gi/SX (sold in 2012)
2007 H180 Volvo 3.0 (sold in 2009)

LOL. I know what you mean. I made sounds that I never knew a human could make trying to pry mine off. I felt like an idiot when my tech punched a screw driver thru it and got it right off. I wouldn't sweat the bit of oil that goes into the bilge either. If BP got away with spilling 30 million gallons into the ocean, I guess we are allotted a pint or so.

_________________

Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY

The sandpaper trick (I discovered this about 35 years ago) works great on filters that were put on too tight and/or with no oil on the gasket. I have NEVER had a problem removing a filter I installed myself, with oil on the gasket, and tightened by hand 1 turn after the filter contacts the mounting base. The only tight filters I have come across have been on new vehicles on the first oil change. Same goes for fuel filters....

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Well, it's off. My buddy who is much more mechanically inclined than I am came by with a much better filter wrench and managed to get it off. He's also about 40 pounds lighter than me and was able to really squeeze himself between the engines to get a good angle on it and the right leverage. Both engines now have new oil, new oil filters, and new fuel filters...and it only took about 8 hours of my day. I sure hope the fresh water system goes better....

_________________
'01 Vista 298

Hey you're doing great, it's always a good idea to get help when you need it and then when you take em off next year it'll be easy because you did it right this time....
I have about 4 different kinds of oil filter wrenches that I've accumulated over 38 years of oil changing, strap wrenches, cap wrenches and a cool Lisle wrench that grips the filter with 2 clamping jaws that works when all else fails....
I am of the belief that you can never have too many tools....

ask away if you have any problems with the rest of the job...

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I've never found an oil filter that I could not beat since getting a pair of these. If you've got room to turn them they'll do the job.

_________________
Former owner of:
1996 Four Winns Horizon 200 5.8L VP
2006 Four Winns Horizon 260 8.1L VP
2007 Sea Ray 290 Sundancer

Current boat
2004 Sea Ray 290 Sun Sport Twin 350 Mags

If it happens again. get a very large hose clamp. Tighten around filter and then hold a screw driver on the screw part of the clamp and hit it with a hammer. Will loosen right up

I know your pain! Two years ago I went to the local dealer to get a Volvo oil filter only to find that they were out of Volvo filters but had a Mercury filter that would also fit. So I installed the Mercury filter being careful to put oil on the gasket and not over tighten it. When it came time to remove it, it would not budge. I know that I was trying to turn it the correct way. More force with the oil filter wrench quickly crushed the filter. More brute force with a vice grip only tore the filter to pieces. Now oil is dripping into the bilge. Step two was to remove the oil hoses and the bracket the filter was mounted on and take the entire mess into the workshop. I put the filter bracket in a large vise and used a hammer and punch on the filter inlet plate holes. Getting a good angle on a filter inlet hole I could hit the punch and put tremendous torque on the filter. It would not release even though the punch was starting to tear through the filter inlet plate holes. Step three was to use a Dremmel tool to cut all of the filter inlet plate between the filter gasket and the filter threads (i.e., cut the metal plate between each of the oil inlet holes). This released the pressure between the filter threads on the gasket and the two pieces were easily removed. The filter remains are now permanently mounted in the wall in the workshop as a tribute to how badly things can go wrong.

Lessons learned: 1) buy Volvo oil filters because the metal exterior is apparently much stronger, and 2) use a red magic marker to indicate the direction to rotate the filter to remove it and include large letters that says OFF (this removes any doubt about which way to turn the filter while hanging head down in the engine compartment, 3) removing the oil filter hoses and exterior mounting bracket is a easy job and should be considered before performing violent actions in a confined space containing fragile wires, hoses, and sensors.

Good luck, you are not alone.

_________________
2006 Sundowner 255, 5.7 GXi, 320 hp
"Simply Irresistible"

Violent actions, LOL been there nearly done that many times. I hope there are no impressionable young children outside when I do some of these jobs, some of the cuss words I manage to string together!!
BTW, I have used Sierra oil and fuel filters and have never had trouble getting one off. Also I've used Purolator filters on my vehicles for years, never had a problem. Oil the gasket well, 3/4-->1 turn after the gasket contacts the base, never had one that I couldn't get off in 38 years of driveway oil changes....oh yeah....never say never....

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II