lefty loosy, righty tighty?

[8 lives]

Do gorillas work in the motocorsa service department or am i just inept?  I am bringing my bike in on Tuesday for maintenance and decided to keep some of the cost down i would change my own oil.  The oil drain bolt was on really tight so i had to use a pipe on my Allen wrench to get enough leverage to get it off.  Next i attempted to remove the cap over the oil screen and started to strip the bolt off because once again it was on super tight.  I figured i could probably fudge cleaning the oil screen and moved onto the oil filter.  Using a oil filter wrench i tried to remove the oil filter but i prove to be no match for king Kong.  I broke the handle on my oil filter wrench and somehow managed to make a small puncture hole in the filter which is now slowly oozing out oil.  I think it may be a good idea to just let them change the oil before i mangle something else.  My question is this, is the oil filter under pressure when bike is running?  The oil leak is so minor i would have no problem riding it in if the leak doesn't increase.  Should i attempt some sort of homemade patch? 

update:  i attempted to remove the oil filter some more and now the hole is a bit bigger.  I question if a patch will work.  May have to load it into the back of my truck somehow and bring it down. 

[Visolara]

I don't even tighten those "that" tight, and I've been known to tear a bolt or two off its threads. 

[bnbmike]

The oil in the filter is under pressure.  Don't start your bike with a hole in it.

I have had my share of tough oil filters.  The best way I got them off was to drive a screwdriver through the center of it and twist it off.  A messy job, but it works.  I have also found that what's holding it on is the rubber seal is stuck to the case.  A shot of WD-40 to the seal may work.  I always lube up the seal when I replace a filter and then only hand tight, no tools!

It sucks that bolts get tightened too much!

I switched to WIX filters years ago because they have a 1/2 inch square drive on the bottom of them.  I don't know if they make filters for Ducati's.

[8 lives]

i will look around and see if i have a screw driver long enough to put all the way through the filter.  I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot because if the oil is under pressure riding in is not an option anymore. 

[Bendy]

It's not worth the risk in losing your oil or oil pressure. I bet these engines make 80 PSI at high revs, and there are plenty of opportunities for that. Truck it down, or sacrifice a filter to replace it if you're gonna let them change the oil. Try a big set of channel locks, perhaps. And lefty loosy, righty tighty, as long as you're not standing on your head.

Some folks just don't trust filters to seal for some reason. Just last Friday I changed the oil on an International that let me spin the filter off by hand with zero effort. The punch line being that it hadn't leaked. Filters that do leak tend to weep a little, and stop. If it's spewing, it ain't even on. It's always regarded as accepted practice to wipe the seal down with oil before installation--something I never do, and I've never seen a filter I've installed leak. Complacency kicks ass. Regardless, as tight as you can go with your hands is still easily removed with a filter wrench, barring the fact that you're the Space Cowboy, the Gangster of Love, Maurice.

[Buckethead]

Your oil filter is most definitely Under Pressure. Cue Queen and David Bowie.

Under Pressure

Ducati actually has a torque spec for your oil filter that is much beyond "hand tight."

Hand tight oil filters on a Duc are prone to a slow drip while parked and will lose more oil when the engine is on. Still just dripping, but more quickly. AMHIK.

[8 lives]

That is such a awesome song.   

So now that i know the filter is most definitely under pressure i have to find a way to tear it off.  Trucking it in will not be a easy task to do by myself. 

[Visolara]

Where do you live?  I have a couple filter removal tools and a big ass pair of channel locks.  If they cant get it off, it aint commin off.

[Mother]

as has been said, dip a finger and lube that seal, hand tighten the filter, and then bring the bike up to running temps, it will seal. as to the OP, you don't want an oil leak directly under your rear tire, that is not a good thing

[duc_fan]

OP:

+1 to the screwdriver through the oil filter (only as a last resort... but it does work).

+1: No running the engine with a known hole in the filter.  It's "under pressure"... to quote Queen.

The oil filter screen on my 900 was the same way as yours... tight little wanker.  One of the guides on the interwebz said that it could be tricky to remove.  The biggest things to be aware of: try to clean it off/out so that you don't have grit between your tools and the aluminum, use properly-sized tools, and make sure they're all the way in/on.  On mine, there were two nuts to be removed when changing the screen, and IIRC, one was external hex, the other was an internal hex.  Can't remember which was which, but one of them was a total bugger to turn, the other was a little stuck and then broke loose all at once.  Just clean the outer cap off so you're not dealing with grit, use a snugly fitting tool, and make sure it's seated all the way.  Be especially careful when using allen keys (hex drive bits)... if you don't have the tool seated all the way, you're liable to strip the plug.  If it really won't turn, then leave it to Cheshire or MotoCorsa.

[SaltLick]

last time i tried to change my oil filter i gave up and left it on. Im changing it though in a few weeks. It has that built in nut on the end of the filter, i stripped that all to hell so now its round trying to get it off. Ill have to go for the screwdriver through the body of it idea i think this time.  I agree with the bolts. First time i tried to tighten my chain after having them put a new one on i had a hell of a time loosening up the axle nuts.

[8 lives]

OK i think i have to give up on getting the oil filter off.  I can't use my filter wrench to get the filter off anymore because the filter caves in when i try to use it.  I attempted the drilling a hole through the filter and using a screwdriver method to find out after the fact i didn't have long enough of a screw driver.  So i believe i am down to trucking it in unless someone can find a way to get it off.  Does anyone live in the gateway/mall 205 area that wouldn't mind giving swinging by to help me load the bike up.  I believe two people could accomplish this task.  my number is 50-730-6489.

[SaltLick]

Remember that the filter is not stuck on the threads, its stuck on the compressed gasket between the filter and the block. If you can break that bond the filter will spin freely. Take a single edge razor blade and work it between the gasket and the block and slide it all the way around the gasket. You might need to use a screwdriver instead but be carefull. You dont want to scar up the machined surface the gasket goes up against. 

[8 lives]

you evidently haven't seen my handy work with a screw driver to suggest something along that line.  I don't have the best track record or luck when it comes to fixing stuff.  What i lack in skill i make up with desire.  Besides i wouldn't be able to get a razor or a screwdriver around the seal.  The filter is screwed into a cup shaped area under the bike.  There is about a inch and a half at best of filter peaking out the bottom. 

[SaltLick]

good point okay then try this, guaranteed to work its recommended for bike filters the harder you turn the more it bites into the filter. You can get one at possibly NAPA or harbor frieght or

http://www.mactools.com/Product/tabid/120/productid/319637/variantid/310396/Default.aspx