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dlindzey
Samba Member
Joined: November 01, 2016
Posts: 13
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 Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2025 2:48 pm Post subject: stuck oil strainer |
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| I am changing oil and the oil strainer is stuck. I got the outer piece off. The center bolt is really an odd nut and now a stud is sticking out of the center of the aluminum inner piece of the oil strainer. I removed the outer paper seal but I can't get the inner piece of the oil strainer to budge and don't want to break anything. Anyone know what to do in this case? I can always just put it back togeter with new outer seal and crush washer and call it a day |
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raygreenwood
Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2008
Posts: 23434
Location: Oklahoma City
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2025 5:41 pm Post subject: Re: stuck oil strainer |
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| dlindzey wrote: |
| I am changing oil and the oil strainer is stuck. I got the outer piece off. The center bolt is really an odd nut and now a stud is sticking out of the center of the aluminum inner piece of the oil strainer. I removed the outer paper seal but I can't get the inner piece of the oil strainer to budge and don't want to break anything. Anyone know what to do in this case? I can always just put it back togeter with new outer seal and crush washer and call it a day |
Ok...slow down.
There is SUPPOSED to be a stud sticking out. You should have an outer nut with a crush washer (usually aluminum). The outer plate and under that is a strainer.
This is what happens when someone glues the inner seal to the case.....or it can simply be the aluminum bottom of thestrainer is gripping the stud too tightly.
Do this first. Put the plate and seal back in and find a spare strainer before you proceed further.
Once you have a spare strainer and gasket kit just in case you screw up your strainer.....
Do this....with the plate and nut off, look carefully around the step in the bottom of the strainer. You should see several slots around around the circumference. Get a long handled, very wide tip screwdriver and a block of wood.
Put the tip of the screwdriver in one of the slots, put the block of wood under the engine and lever the screwdriver against it slightly. If the strainer moves a little...Switch directions. Move to another slot. Either way this WILL get the strainer out.
The proper way once you get thestrainer out and clean away any stuck gasket...is to take some good oil proof RTV. Permatex ultra gray, copper or black. Put a thin layer on ONLY one side of each of the two gaskets.
Face the RTV side of the gasket to the strainer. One on top and one on the bottom. Line them up....place the assembly back in the engine and put the plate on with the nut ONLY finger tight.
Leave it alone to dry for 8 hours.
Then take the strainer and gasket assembly out and peel away andclean up up little strings of RTV from the inner and outer edges of both gaskets.
What this does is make the two thick gaskets whose faces are varnish coated...nearly permanent. They compress to seal.
They will never leak and every oil change you simply pull the strainer out with the gaskets attached, clean it and put it back in. I typically get 70k miles on a gasket set like this with oil changes every 3000 or less.
There is a picture of it in this thread of mine
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=645213&highlight
BY the way.....
DO NOT...DO NOT.....DO NOT....TORQUE THAT NUT THAT HOLDS THE OIL STRAINER PLATE ON WITH MORE THAN....9 fT LBS OF TORQUE. That is factory spec. Too much and it Will....199% detsroy the engine case....no kidding. Many threads and warnings on this.
Ray |
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dlindzey
Samba Member
Joined: November 01, 2016
Posts: 13
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| Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2025 6:16 pm Post subject: Re: stuck oil strainer |
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| thanks for all the advice, it was stuck and I was in middle of oil change and rain is coming so had to get out of driveway so I just put new gasket and crush washer on it and never got the strainer out. I guess I will purchase a spare and take another run at it in 3000 miles |
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raygreenwood
Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2008
Posts: 23434
Location: Oklahoma City
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| Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2025 6:13 am Post subject: Re: stuck oil strainer |
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| dlindzey wrote: |
| thanks for all the advice, it was stuck and I was in middle of oil change and rain is coming so had to get out of driveway so I just put new gasket and crush washer on it and never got the strainer out. I guess I will purchase a spare and take another run at it in 3000 miles |
Yes....and heed the torque on that nut. No kidding....9 foot lbs. Yes you could go as high as 10-12 ft pounds if you are doing it without a torque wrench and be ok. But if you over torque that nut....it WILL destroy the engine block. Ray |
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zerotofifty
Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2003
Posts: 4148
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| Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2025 11:03 pm Post subject: Re: stuck oil strainer |
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A razor blade may be used to cut thru any glue used on the strainer that is preventing its removal. I like ti add magnets to the sump plate for better protection of ferrous bits in the oil.
Go easy as stated by others on the torque that stud is fragile, also go easy on prying That stud is attached to a fragile arm that is part of the engine block casting, break it and the engine becomes junk.
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