Freelander 2 (LR2) Stuck oil filter housing

Nyal · Feb 9, 2025

New to DIY and loving it so far. Managed to sort my faulty turbo actuator the other day (write up at the bottom of this thread) so full of confidence I attempted the annual service. Thought it’d be smooth sailing.

Sorted everything else fine, but for the life of me I cannot get the oil filter housing off. To make matters worse, in my efforts I’ve managed to strip the big 27mm plastic bolt on the top using my flexi-head ratchet. Tried this device to no avail, can’t get it tight enough it keeps sliding around.

Anything else I can try? Would be nice to avoid destroying the housing but am happy to buy a new one if required.

I’ve been turning it anti-clockwise.

Will swallow my pride and phone up the local garage at some point, but it’d be good to sort it myself.

GrumpyGel · Feb 9, 2025

Nyal said:
New to DIY and loving it so far. Managed to sort my faulty turbo actuator the other day (write up at the bottom of this thread) so full of confidence I attempted the annual service. Thought it’d be smooth sailing.

Sorted everything else fine, but for the life of me I cannot get the oil filter housing off. To make matters worse, in my efforts I’ve managed to strip the big 27mm plastic bolt on the top using my flexi-head ratchet. Tried this device to no avail, can’t get it tight enough it keeps sliding around.

Anything else I can try? Would be nice to avoid destroying the housing but am happy to buy a new one if required.

I’ve been turning it anti-clockwise.

Will swallow my pride and phone up the local garage at some point, but it’d be good to sort it myself.

Don't let it hit your confidence to do maintenance yourself.

I have a friend who is an aircraft engineer. His job is literally to make sure planes don't fall out of the sky.

He needed to service his car and came round to mine to do it and use the inspection pit in my garage.

He could not get the oil filter off!

mystery · Feb 9, 2025

had the same problem on what was once my Freelander 1 the daughters for the last 7 years ,had to weld a section of a cut off of a box spanner (did not want to damage plastic the box spanner was the same physical shape )the right size and weld it to a old 1/2" drive socket so a extension and ratchet could be used to clear the engine so as to hit the ratchet whilst pushing down on the plastic housing couple of sharp blows and the housing turned freely .the old filter was twisted probably due to tightening housing as far as it could physical go stupid really as the housing relies on a oil seal so do not over tighten

Hippo · Feb 9, 2025

You only take oft the plastic bell part. The filter clips into the bell bit.

Need to get better sight of it to see if its cross threaded. Get a camera on it. It shouldn't be that tight yer round oft the 27mm nut which forms part of the bell.

Arctic2 · Feb 9, 2025

You could try some mole grips if the plastic 27mm head as rounded off, failing that you could heat up a long screwdriver posi and push it through the head of the 27mm cap and try getting it turning that way.

It is a FL 2 Freelander right.

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Hopefully the photo will give you a little insight as to what you are dealing with.

J_D · Feb 10, 2025

Access is easier from under the car. Get something to lie on and something to rest your head on. As it's rounded off get another cap, 2nd hand if possible. Whatever additional tools, mole grips as suggested will add to your tool kit and hopefully still cheaper than a garage. Get decent quality tools, especially spanners and sockets. Plus you know how it's done, some garages don't change the filters.

Nodge68 · Feb 10, 2025

Did you use a 12 point spanner, or a hex? A hex will have a much lower chance of stripping the corners off. Oil filter sockets are hex for this reason. It's relatively easy to get to the filter cover from above, with a long extension and filter socket.

Freelander 2 (LR2) Stuck oil filter housing

Nyal

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GrumpyGel

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mystery

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Hippo

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Arctic2

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J_D

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Nodge68

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