Tight oil filter housing

My niece bought her 1999 Peugeot 206 1.6 three years ago ready for when she passed her driving test. The car stood idle in her garage in that time, apart from the occasional start-up every three to four months. She passed her test recently, so I was asked to get it ready for its MOT.

All the service items were bought and the service went well apart from changing the oil filter. The plastic filter housing would not undo, even when I used a socket and ratchet with an extension. I didn’t want to round off or break the plastic housing, leaving the car temporarily unusable. Do you have any tips to undo this stubborn plastic housing?

If I do break the plastic filter housing, will I need to replace the whole assembly on the side of the engine, including the plastic housing, to ensure that there are no issues with the proper sealing of the new filter or damage caused by removing the remaining bits of plastic?

The car passed its first MOT in three years with no advisories, so we have had some good luck with it! Graham Moore

One of the problems with the oil filter housing needing a large (27mm) socket to remove it is that the same large socket and often a long bar is used to refit it, sometimes far too tightly. In your case, the filter housing has not been undone for a few years and, probably as a result of this, is partially stuck.

The best time to attempt to remove the cap is after the engine has been run and is cooling down, so that it is still just slightly warm. Using a well-fitting socket and a long bar, the cap should come undone. I have come across quite a few tight ones in the past, but have never had one crack while undoing it.

If the worst did occur and the filter cover broke, I would not expect it to be a problem removing the broken parts safely. The filter cover does seem to be listed as a separate unit and the part number should be 1103 L7, although this would need to be confirmed with the dealer. The new filter housing should be tightened to 28Nm.