For Those Doing Their Own Oil Change - $5 Tool - Pics - Benzworld.org

slownrusty · 05-18-2004, 07:54 PM

Hi Gang - Well I spent a good half day and I was determined to get the right tool to remove the oil canister top and I did not want to pay the $30 at the Benz Dealer for a tool I know I could get cheaper!

Anyway I checked Walmart, PepBoys and finally Advance Auto Parts had the right tool. The guys was nice enough to let me carry out a bunch of about 5 filter wrenches to the parking lot to try them out.

Well I got the right one, works perfectly too and fits snug. I paid $6 plus tax for it and its metal, not the cheaper plastic versions.

Here are the pics of the tool:

I know that a 74mm tool is specified from the factory but this one works perfectly.

Hope that helps you guys out in the future!

Regards - Yasin

Kestas · 05-19-2004, 11:06 AM

Does this fit all canisters for MB engines, or did MB use different canisters for the different engines they produced?

threepoint1415926 · 05-19-2004, 01:33 PM

For my old 230, I used the oil filter socket from my BMW K1200 bike. It is an exact fit... Also pretty cheap, about $8. This seems like a better deal though.

Jon-Michael

Uboater · 05-19-2004, 04:28 PM

I second the Metal filter tool, all the straps / plastic / one size fits all tools, won't work.
Its best to get ramps / two cheap floor jack & stands, to get it high enough .

Buy the higher priced filters as the cheap ones are from india and look like it. I go by mileage and color of the oil , mine is 7.5 quarts so its say 30% more than a similar size engine .

Kestas · 05-23-2004, 02:12 PM

$2.99 at Murray's, our local auto supply store.

Tubs300E · 05-23-2004, 02:55 PM

I use the same one Kestas just picked up. Been using it for a year now, works great.

-Tubs

Kestas · 05-23-2004, 07:11 PM

I just reread this thread and find that the exact fit should be a 74 mm cup, not the 76 mm cup. Murray's has a selection of roughly 10 similar cup wrenches. Even though this tool fits, I'll see if they have something more exact.

Kestas · 06-10-2004, 02:07 PM

Nope, they only have the 74 mm with 15 flutes. Gotta have the 14 flute for our oil canisters. 76 mm works fine.

catboy · 06-11-2004, 05:45 AM

never thought about that before... ...always use a long screwdriver and a hammer [:)]

gregs210 · 04-01-2005, 10:06 AM

Coming late to this thread but was directed by the other forum, so here's my 6 cents worth (inflation, you know).

Just by way of introduction, I have in my life worked for a time as a professional mechanic and I tend to factor in a consideration for the least damage I can do when I'm working on a car. The medical rule -- first do no harm -- applies here as well. That said, I buy and use quality tools, but within that context I strive to select the best tool for the particular job; for example, you don't use a 1/2 drive rachet with a reducer on 5mm fasteners.

With a spin-on disposable oil filter, it doesn't matter how much you damage or distort it pulling it off, since it's going in the garbage anyway; thus the (joking) reference to the long screwdriver and hammer in this thread. However, since the oil filter housing is part of the car -- it's not disposable as with a spin-on filter -- you want it to last. Thus it's better not to use things that have the potential to damage the cover, so that excludes the tools that are universal in nature, such as those clamping filter pliers, compression wrenches, etc.

And since the MBZ cover is composite, which would you rather potentially have to replace, a $5 composite cap-style wrench or a very pricey MBZ oil filter assembly? Yes, the metal wrenches are very nice and will last for centuries, but they're overkill just like the 1/2 rachet on the 5mm fastener. And the composite wrench will absorb and distribute forces over a greater area than the metal, since the metal wrench has no give. (Think of it this way: in a battle between metal and plastic, which yields first?)

That's the basic reason I don't recommend the metal cap-style wrenches for the casual user. Of course, if you don't overtorque the filter cover, the composite cap-style wrench will last the life of the car (and if you were to overtorque, you're more likely to break the composite wrench before you damage or destroy the cover). And one other quick FYI: overtorquing the cover may also distort the sealing o-ring.

Bottom line: whichever material you choose for the wrench, make sure it fits the filter cover properly; no "all purpose" or "universal" styles. Second, be sure to torque it using a torque wrench to the factory setting, and convert the Euro NM to Lb/ft if your wrench doesn't have both settings. (No, I'm not particularly anal; I don't use a torque wrench on conventional filters but think it's wise in this context for the reasons described above.)

The only exception I would make is if you are a professional mechanic, so you are using the wrench virtually every day. In that case -- since the wrench has to last the equivalent of several car lifetimes and since you're intimately familiar with tightening the filter housings to their proper torque even without a torque wrench -- the metal tool is the one to choose. On the other hand, if you're a professional mechanic, you're not seeking advice on this forum. :)

Take care and when you're finished with the maintenance, enjoy the ride.