Oil filter torque ?

[starfighter]

Howdy
My first oil change on my, new to me, 2011 RT Sm5
All seems pretty straight fwd. except : I cannot find the torque setting for the oil filter.
Searched this site and cruised owners manual and nada...
appreciate any help
Thanx

[Jeriatric]

Howdy
My first oil change on my, new to me, 2011 RT Sm5
All seems pretty straight fwd. except : I cannot find the torque setting for the oil filter.
Searched this site and cruised owners manual and nada...
appreciate any help
Thanx

Filter caps = 80 inch pounds > or Hand tight - just not too tight. All you're doing is seating the "0" ring so it will not leak and tight enough so the little bolts won't back out.

Tighten them up evenly too. A little on one then the other(so the "0" ring squishes evenly). Until you're satisfied they're tight enough. Again, not to tight. Just tight enough.

[starfighter]

Thanx, I appreciate the help

[BoilerAnimal]

Tighten them up evenly too. A little on one then the other(so the "0" ring squishes evenly). Until you're satisfied they're tight enough. Again, not to tight. Just tight enough.

Remember, you are tightening bolts on an aluminum engine block.

[BajaRon]

Just my personal opinion. But I cringe when someone asks me about torque values on tiny bolts into aluminum threads. I echo Jeriacric's & BoilerAnimal's comments.

The O-Ring does all the work. It just needs 2 things to function flawlessly. A moderate amount of pressure, evenly distributed around the circumference. I feel that these 2 things can best be achieved by snugging each bolt (tightening each a little at a time) by hand. This way you get a good feel for what is happening between the bolt/thread interface.

Torque wrenches can be out of adjustment. Do you really know that setting your wrench at x-amount will render that exact value? Even high end wrenches have a margin of error. For most assemblies, achieving an exact torque it is not all that critical. So, if your wrench or tightening method is a bit off, it's not a problem. But the oil filter caps on the Spyder do not fall into this category. Just a bit too much and you'll start to stretch those aluminum threads. Once this process starts, it's just a matter of time.

What usually gets DIY'ers on this little project is that they tighten one side down and then try to get the other side tight. This will get you almost every time. At a minimum you will probably pinch or slice the O-Ring.

The oil filter cap assembly is extremely effective and trouble free if done correctly. Some people feel that if snug is good. Snugger is better. Not the case! You can always give the 2 screws a bit more twist if you get seepage after snugging them down. But any leakage at all is highly unlikely. If you get a real leak, you've definitely done something wrong.

I don't mean to scare anyone with all of this. An oil change is easily done, and easily done without incident.

Use a torque wrench if you must. But I highly recommend a short wrench and the excellent sensors in you hand. A much more sensitive and expensive tool!