Question about using a heat gun on a stubborn oil filter

I was totally convinced using heat on an aluminum housing would warp it, but after a customer's 2018 Silverado filter wouldn't budge in our Chicago shop, a tech showed me how a quick 30-second blast with a Milwaukee heat gun on low at the base gets it off every time without damage.

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_burns81mo ago

That "quick 30 second blast" is playing with fire, literally. You got lucky once, but heating aluminum that fast creates hot spots that absolutely can warp or weaken the housing. The right way is a proper filter wrench and maybe some penetrant, not a shortcut that could cost you a whole oil cooler.

jenny_carr521mo ago

Oh man, my buddy tried that on his truck. Warped the housing so bad it started weeping oil. Cost him way more than a filter wrench would have.