[GMINI]

i've spent over an hour and a half trying to get this damned thing rethreaded and it's a fricking largh.

it's dark now and out i go for the rest of the night trying to change my own oil.

i would kill for my old 900 at this point.

[spanky]

I just changed the oil this past weekend for the second time and thought it was harder to thread the canister than the first time, maybe because I was expecting it to be so hard last time and was relieved when it went on without too much knuckle scraping.

I think it helps to screw the canister on without the filter element just to get a feel for it. Also, seat the filter element on both the engine and the canister to create an initial set. After that, it felt like I needed to apply more pressure to the canister toward the rear to get it started straight. With my fingers, I gauged the gap all around and thought the back was larger with straight on pressure.

The rubber o-ring creates a surprising amount of resistance and I may have mistook it's resistance for cross threading a couple of times.

While tightening, the 36mm socket fell into the oil drain pan which brought out a few choice words and added 10 minutes or so to the process.

[GMINI]

ty spanky. yeah - that o-ring makes it tricky. I got it shortly after posting my frustration. Not a jiffy lube, that's for SURE!

[JohnWB]

Sometimes if a thread is hard to get started, it is worth rotating the item backwards ie anticlockwise slowly and you will feel it just click slightly when it passes the start of the thread, then turn it clockwise and it should engage ok without cross threading. Worth a try
Regards, John

[GMINI]

Here's my helpful hint: There is a seam on the outside of the canister where the thread begins. It lines up at about 6 o'clock radiator side to catch. The seam runs on two sides. On mine, the top is "marked" on one side of the seam, one on the other. The marks are raised on the surface of the canister top and can be mistakn for aberations. I wonder if other cars have these marks on their canisters. I noted the side of which the seam (right) fell on the seam I was watching, and focused my attempts. Still frustrating. I'm off to get my 36mm socket machined for next time. Just not enough clearance down there.

cheers!

and keep turning.