General Oil filter cap broken and stuck on. How to remove?

[Tomgriddle]

Hey everyone. My oil filter cap is broken and stuck on my 2013 Fiat 500. You can see that the top part is broken, so you can’t grip it with a socket wrench.

I’m in a sticky situation because Jiffy Lube broke it and is fighting hard to not be held accountable, and the fiat dealership is quoting >$800 to remove the front of the car to get this cap off.

Does anyone have any tips/tricks I can use to get this off?

 

[Popitinpete]

Hey everyone. My oil filter cap is broken and stuck on my 2013 Fiat 500. You can see that the top part is broken, so you can’t grip it with a socket wrench.

I’m in a sticky situation because Jiffy Lube broke it and is fighting hard to not be held accountable, and the fiat dealership is quoting >$800 to remove the front of the car to get this cap off.

Does anyone have any tips/tricks I can use to get this off?

If jiffy lube broke it jiffy lube needs to fix it, take it back and demand they fix it, I know its not ideal
Otherwise it looks like a job for those big plumbers pliers

 

[Mike1alike]

Try using this and you put it on the outside round margine, not on the broken part.

 

[jrkitching]

The issue with those plumbers tools might be lack of access without dismantling quite a lot of the car.

I'm wondering if you might be able to get a strap wrench socket around the outside of the housing?

Something like this. What I like about this one is that you can use any 1/2" or 3/8" drive ratchet or fixed driver, or even a spanner on the end flats, and it can be driven from either end, so if you can get it on the housing and have access from one side, you should be able to find a way to turn it.

You're going to need a new housing anyway, so it doesn't matter if it gets (more) broken.

 

[Tomgriddle]

The issue with those plumbers tools might be lack of access without dismantling quite a lot of the car.

I'm wondering if you might be able to get a strap wrench socket around the outside of the housing?

Something like this.

You're going to need a new housing anyway, so it doesn't matter if it gets (more) broken.

Yes, that’s the main challenge. I might have to get creative with a strap in there because it is so tight. I see why they want to take the front off to get at it.

 

[chris3234]

6 point socket should still get enough grip on that by the looks of it

 

[Popitinpete]

Hey everyone. My oil filter cap is broken and stuck on my 2013 Fiat 500. You can see that the top part is broken, so you can’t grip it with a socket wrench.

I’m in a sticky situation because Jiffy Lube broke it and is fighting hard to not be held accountable, and the fiat dealership is quoting >$800 to remove the front of the car to get this cap off.

Does anyone have any tips/tricks I can use to get this off?

Upend the plumbers pliers, get them at 12 and 6 o'clock, good grip and start twisting, remember ; lefty loosie , righty tighty

 

[Ralf S.]

I would go with a chain wrench like the Draper 77592. They're just a few quid... and the advantage is that the wrench that is turning the chain/gripping part will be in a different horizontal plane from the filter, so nothing will get in the way. All you need is a wrench and an extension bar to operate it.

Failing that, if you can find a nut the same size at the inside of the plastic hex and stuff it in there, that might give the plastic something to lever against when you unscrew it (using a hex socket on the plastic).

I wouldn't blame Jiffy Lube too much... they probably just put a socket on the hex' part like you or I would have done. The filter housing can get stiff and in my experience the plastic does get brittle and so just crumbles under the pressure. I'd buy a new cap with every second oil filter if I owned one of those.


Ralf S.

 

[Mike1alike]

Yes, that’s the main challenge. I might have to get creative with a strap in there because it is so tight. I see why they want to take the front off to get at it.

What happened there, Tom? Did you manage to get it off?

 

[Mike1alike]

My Punto's oil cap did the same recently, broke off.
I managed to t it off using an oil filter chain wrench. First took the cap's top part off ant then it was pretty easy to get it off using the chain wrench. I think there is more space at Punto than the 500, but I think this can be easily done at 500 as well. To make more room I took the little part of the air filter case down. And there are some pics.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Or you can use a length of bicycle chain and a mini mole grip wrench if space wont allow the above suggestion. I think the dealer is a sick joker.

 

[Zardo]

Sacrifice the socket and glue it on the oil filter cap with special plastic glue (after cleaning the cap with acetone or brake cleaner)
Get a replacement cap and socket (or heat the glued-on socket in order to free it from the defective cap, once removed)

 

[varesecrazy]

Worth noting OP is in North America

So it's probably the "ratchet" type cap found on the Twinair,

Access may be quite different on the Multiair..

 

[Zardo]

Yeah, it should be this one if it's USA, shoudn't it?
https://eper.fiatforum.com/Part/SearchPartByPartNumber?Language=en&PartNumber=K04892850AA
https://produto.mercadolivre.com.br...do-filtro-de-oleo-fiat-500-10-k04892850aa-_JM

and it's 25 NM so you probably won't be able to undo it gripping it by hand