2013 GTX S 155 Oil Filter Removal!?!

[Explorgm]

We have a new to us 2013 GTX with 21 hours on the clock. Have changed out all of the gas, plugs and now doing the oil change. (We did our recently purchased 2006 GTI, with 128 hours, also which was super easy) According to the CanDooPro, the last service was 2019, but hoping that they did an oil change more recently than that as the oil does not look to bad.

Things were going well until we tried to get the bolt out for the oil filter. Someone tightened that thing with a breaker bar! Kidding, but it is too tight to remove with the 1/4 ratchet and a brand new E10 Torx. Tried a 3/8 ratchet and 8mm socket as well as another E10 and no luck. I did a search and it looks like there was a post with this same exact situation in 2014, but no solutions listed.

There is what I think is an airbox mounted right over the filter which is making it hard to get in there with an extension and anything substantial. Can this airbox be moved or removed without taking off the entire engine cover surround? I did remove one bolt and it moved up a little but just not enough. I'd like to get my air ratchet in there with the E10 Torx but not enough room.

Any tricks to getting this filter out?? Our 2006 GTI filter was out in plain sight and we got that one done quickly, but I've got a couple hours into this one already and no luck. Was thinking about refilling it with oil and warming it up again to see if the bolt will loosen up with the heat...?

 

[xspook]

Gotta friend with a 2012 GTI 130 with the same problem. We ran it all day, so it was nice and warm...tried to remove the bolt and no go. Didn't want to push it too much in fear of breaking it. Still don't have a solution.

I'd recommend placing some penetrating oil on the top of the bolt for a few days in a row and see if that helps.

 

[Explorgm]

Thanks xspook. Thought about a penetrating fluid but the bolt threads at the bottom so the fluid would
have to go all the way down through the center of the fluid to get there leaving contaminants in the remaining oil...?

 

[xspook]

My guess is that it may be partially fused at the top of the bolt where it meets the cap...just a guess and I don't think a few drops of penetrating fluid could hurt. I'd still change the oil as usual, though.

 

[Ifonecapa]

I agree with xspook. That is exactly what ran through my mind.

 

[Explorgm]

Thank you both! I'll give it a try. I agree, a few drops would be fine. I was thinking of more to get it down to the bottom.
4 quarts of old oil is out and dropped off at O'Reilly's so new oil going in either way. If I can't get the bolt out I'll just go with it until the Fall and let a shop deal with it. Hate to spend the money at a shop, but not really looking forward to removing all of the plastic covering the top of the motor and filter!
Thanks!

 

[Explorgm]

No luck... Left PB Blaster on since Tuesday and the bolt is still stuck solid... Even tapped it to set up the sound vibrations that help the fluid penetrate but no luck... PB Blaster has always worked miracles for me in the past with stuck and rusted bolts... Bummer.

 

[skiasylum]

I have seen on the internet that there are machine shops that specialize in removing and repairing stuck and broken bolts. You haven’t broken or stripped the bolt yet, kudos. There main advice always seemed to be take it to them early in the removal process because if it strips or breaks it can get pretty expensive.

 

[Scriz]

I know this seems counter-intuitive, but have you tried slightly tightening the bolt and then backing it out? Sometimes going forward is easier at first and breaks up whatever is on the threads. The rubber o-ring on the top of the filter housing usually keeps the bolt head from fusing to the housing lid, so it shouldn't be stuck there.

 

[Explorgm]

skiasylum-​

The head of the bolt is slightly damaged at this point but if there was room to get an extension in there I think it would still come out. Unfortunately the problem is that the space is really tight both for hands and for rotation of the ratchet without taking out the entire top cover/suround over the engine and the airbox. I am going to try to loosen it after riding at some point to see if the heat helps... Thanks

Scriz​

I did try tightening to break it loose also... You are right, that can be an excellent way to get stuck bolts undone, but no luck here. Thanks.

 

[boatrboy]

Did you try an impact gun? On smaller bolts where I want less torque I use my cordless impact drill. Good luck

 

[Explorgm]

I wish there was enough room to get an impact in there! There's about 1-2 inches of space... Barely enough to get my hand in there. No way to get enough torque on it, especially being a torx bolt.

 

[ski-d00]

Just use a 12" extension on the socket and hit it with a good impact, will be off in 2 seconds.

 

[Explorgm]

Again, without removing the entire engine cover, there is barely enough room for a 3" extensions and my hand. ..