Hey guys and gals. I'm currently in the middle of my first oil change on my car and I ran into a little snag. I installed the new filter onto the car and used a filter wrench to tighten it down. I got it to 6/8 of a turn but had to put a little bit of force into it to get that last 1/8 turn. Sadly this dented the outside surface of the oil filter. I don't want to drive the car if this is going to harm the engine. Seeing as its almost 11 pm I'm kinda screwed at the moment. Could someone tell me if I can still use this filter or if I need a new one. Thanks very much!

 

Depends.

If the dent has warped the contact surface of the filter: NO

If the dent is deep enough to interfere with the insides: NO

If it is just cosmetic: Probably.

 

i think you'd probably be alright for a while.

just for clarification, were you using the metal "band" type filter wrench?

i honestly dont think you're going to hurt anything using that filter, but for peace of mind, you could change it.

when i change my oil, (paid for one oil change in that past 5 years, all others done by me. also changed oil at walmart for about 7 months), i usually just get it hand tight and give her a good turn from there. ive only used a wrench to tighten it once, and learned at the next oil change that it wasnt a good idea, as it was a PITA to get off.

not knowing your mechanical skill level or what parts youre using, make sure when you take the old filter off that the gasket comes off with it. its normally not a problem with honda filters, but with the ones we used at walmart (fram), the old gaskets would always stick to the block. if you put the new filter on with out checking, as soon as the engine built pressure, it'd leak like a siv.

also, if you feel the need to tighten the filter down with a tool, the filters k&n make have a hex head on the end for a 17mm wrench i think. that way you wouldnt have to worry about denting the filter. good luck at happy motoring!

PS
how does that test pipe sound?

 

This is why I use K&N filters. They have a 1 inch nut on the end and you use a wrench to tighten/loosen them.

 

Yea I got the old gasket off with the old filter. The dent doesn't seem like its hurting the insides. Well I didn't know the K&N filters were good enough cause I've heard the Honda filter is special in some way for the s2000. High flow or something, idk... I did use a metal band wrench, and the design of the K&N would have been very handy.

And the test pipe sounds awesome . The car sounds sorta like a G35/350z and it definately snarls more when hitting VTEC. I also really like the midrange power increase I got. From around 5k-7k rpms you can tell the difference.

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

Honestly i would just replace it, somethings are not worth the risk involed. if the structure inside the filter is damage it may internally collapse, preventing flow.

The damage may just be superficial, but who wants to risk a motor over it....

 

You should be fine, i'm assuming its a small dent, and the oil flows from the inside to the outside through the entire circle, not through specific passageways, and besides its on the very outer edge. Next time just get it as tight as you can with your hand haha.

 

It doesn't take much distortion or "denting" to begin to damage the filter media or effect the flow through the filter. I wouldn't drive it until you replace the filter.

I don't know what brand of filter you're using, but the OEM "PCX" filter should never be any tighter than hand tight. Once the seal seats - you hand tighten it until it stops - it's as simple as that. And for that matter - you should never tighten any oil filter with a wrench. If you have to use excessive force to seat or tighten the filter - there's something wrong with the filter threads.

Hand tight is all you ever need with an oil filter.

 

As was already stated, tighten a new filter by hand, no need for a wrench, you'll avoid problems like this in the future.

 

This has happened to me on 2 different cars, one of which was the S.

You'll be fine. I seriously doubt you dented yours more than mine was.