# Ha, still have three other vehicles with screw on oil filters.



## BU54 (Nov 24, 2014)

Probably because of the o-ring. But then again a steel housing for a threaded filter should cancel out the cost one would think? An o-ring that size for the cruze shouldn't cost more than $1.50ish.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Not only a new gasket on the spin on oil filter, but a new canister as well.

Ha, one of my son's said, why should I change that O'ring with his cartridge filter, only had 4,000 miles on it. He does make a point with other vehicles he has owned. Like loosing all of his refrigerant due to failed O'rings, or all of his engine oil with a remotely located oil filter, or burning engine oil due to poor O'rings used for valve seals.

Latest are all these plastic fuel and coolant lines dependent on a cheap O'ring for a seal. Assemblers can't use a wrench anymore, just snap things quickly together, but talk about users problems later. Can't even pull these apart without breaking something to replace a defective O'ring. They get baked on solid.


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## Beelzebubba (Apr 3, 2015)

Both of my cars use a cartridge filter.

Oh well, at least I don't need another elbow in the middle of my arm like I did to access my Honda filters and it's not literally in the middle of the front catalyst like the Ford/Mazda. I don't even have to take the beauty shroud off of the Pentastar. It has a little access hatch.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Beelzebubba said:


> Both of my cars use a cartridge filter.
> 
> Oh well, at least I don't need another elbow in the middle of my arm like I did to access my Honda filters and it's not literally in the middle of the front catalyst like the Ford/Mazda. I don't even have to take the beauty shroud off of the Pentastar. It has a little access hatch.


On my car, you remove a 15" square aluminum panel on the engine room underbody aero panel with four screws to reveal the oil filter can, the oil drain plug, and the transmission drain plug. All are right at the bottom of the area. I can reach the oil filter with my hands and the wrists are still outside of the aero panels. The one on my '03 Mazda is a bit farther up on the back side of the block, but still easily reachable with my hand.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Boat and motorhome are easy, can't say much good about the 88 Supra, buried under the exhaust manifold with all the turbo stuff. Uses the smaller diameter one, so use an oil filter wrench with most of the handle cut off. Only way to remove it, is to turn it sideways where all the oil inside spills on the under engine cover. So I have to clean it off.

Never though too much about this until I got a Cruze where they wanted to butcher my engine under cover because of inadvertent oil spillage. Since day one, have been changing the oil in this thing myself.

Ha, worse one was in my old 72 Ford E-300 motorhome, PS pump was under the oil filter, had to be removed that requires removing the drive belt first. On accessible through a very narrow hood way down between the engine and the radiator. And needed a pry bar with three hands to adjust the belt tension properly. 

Around here a screw in is around 3-4 bucks, but the Cruze runs around 12-13 bucks, so order on line, see I have only one left from a pack of six. Time sure goes by fast, time to reorder. Of course, only use Delco to keep the PT warranty guys happy.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

sorta like some V8 Fords from the '60s. The rearmost spark plugs were up under the firewall and were only accessible if you dropped the rear cross member of the transmission support and swung the whole thing down on the motor mounts enough to get a long ratchet on them. Yes, you had to remove the drive shaft also. Needless to say, most tune ups only changed 6 plugs (and likely charged the owner for 8).


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## Beelzebubba (Apr 3, 2015)

Jim Frye said:


> On my car, you remove a 15" square aluminum panel on the engine room underbody aero panel with four screws to reveal the oil filter can, the oil drain plug, and the transmission drain plug. All are right at the bottom of the area. I can reach the oil filter with my hands and the wrists are still outside of the aero panels. The one on my '03 Mazda is a bit farther up on the back side of the block, but still easily reachable with my hand.


The older B-series and D-series filters were on the back of the block directly under the intake manifold and over the catalyst.

The Mazda MZI 3.0 literally wraps the bank 2 catalyst around the filter


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ford's had a long time reputation for not being maintenance friendly, not sure about lately, but had that crazy subframe design. Didn't cry when my kid got rid of his 2000 Taurus, had to completely remove the upper intake manifold to get at the rear plugs.

Occurred to me at one time to find a shop with old mechanics, ha, like old, being over 40 years of age. Now I hear Chevy mechanics complaining about working on these things. Ha, use to be able to change a clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing in less than two hours and only be ten bucks poorer. Today can fight for over two hours just trying to remove on half axle that is rusted in solid to that hub bearing. Would frequently make the comment, just want to remove it, not wreck it. Have you priced a clutch kit lately?

Cars are designed today to get down that assembly line as quick as possible with all this snap together crap, and a heck of a lot easier to snap two new parts together, than to unsnap them. Never had a problem snapping two electrical connectors together with one hand, but try to unsnap them when you can only reach them with one hand!

How about using CRS unplated bolts in aluminum, if you don't break the head off first, the aluminum threads come out with it. And have to be very careful working on these things, if wrench slips and hits a 60 buck plastic sensor, you are out 60 bucks.

Practically all parts were rebuildable, but now, most are throwaway. In my PT days after my accident, met a lot of mechanics with physical problems. Talking about kids in there 20's.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

I remember my 1981 + 84 Pontiac Grand Prixs 3.8 L V-6. Spin on oil filter(PF-47/Fram 3389) was on the front and the oil drain plug was in a place and the car was so high that I did not even need to jack the car up to change the oil and I did not need a filter wrench since I always put them on my hand. 4.5 qt. of oil. Then my 79 AMC Concord PF-25 on the side of the engine. and back then we put oil in a container and threw it in the garbage or pouring the oil next to my detached garage. no ideas of recycling back then! 

Now all my cars since my 2002 Alero have been cap filters and they all seem over priced compared to the spin on. But manufacturing on the filter location is much cheaper to have the cap filter and an internal oil pump. Pass the cost of parts off to the consumer and tout the ease of access for the filter locations.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

If you want a regular oil fitler just buy a 2016+ cruze, looks like GM went back to this design after using the cartridge style for 14 years on their compact cars. Look closely at this image on the website below, you can see the spin on filter hiding behind the AC compressor. If you look around there are other better images of this change as well. 

Official: General Motors reveals new Ecotec engine family for the world - AutoNation DriveAutoNation Drive


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## BlueTopaz (Aug 25, 2012)

Here is a cool build animation. Looks like a spin on is what will be next and at least easy to get to.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

BlueTopaz said:


> Here is a cool build animation. Looks like a spin on is what will be next and at least easy to get to.



Not only easy to get to, its makes the oil filter location uniform for allot of current GM cars(passenger side front corner of engine).


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Sure looks like it that Blue thing sticking out of the bottom, enlarged photo. 

Just changed the oil in my motorhome, scary down there. Filling it is kind of a pain, bringing the oil filler tube way to the top under a tiny hood. To reach it, needed a three foot long hose with a funnel attached to a skyhook. This time, removed the engine cover and air cleaner, and put a funnel in the PCV hole. So I could sit in the passenger seat and pour in comfort.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

It looks like the good old PF47 again? Or is this going to be another unique overpriced filter just like the one for the 1.4 + 1.8 instead of reusing the canister filter from the 2.2? I know new oil pump design!


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Could also ask, exactly what does an oil filter filter, but won't get an answer.

Can see chunks of engine parts, but certainly not carbon nor acids. Took one of my old Cruze filters and dipped it in solvent, looked good enough to put it back in again. But didn't, was just curious. 

As I recall, oil filters were added only to post WW II vehicles.


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