Paid $60 for a used oil filter cutter and man did it save me

I picked up one of those Lisle filter cutters at a swap meet a couple months ago. Needed it to check for metal in my 5.3 after a ticking noise started. Cut open two filters so far and found nothing scary, so I didn't tear down the engine for nothing. Saved me a weekend of work and probably a couple hundred in gaskets. Anyone else use one of these things or just send it on oil changes blind?

2 comments

2 Comments

baker.phoenix6d ago

$60 for a swap meet Lisle cutter is a solid score, I see those go for way more online. I picked one up last year after my buddy found glitter in his oil and it saved his whole rebuild. Its one of those tools that pays for itself the first time you use it, especially if you got a high mileage motor you're paranoid about. Cutting filters on my 3.6 Pentastar gave me peace of mind without having to pull anything apart.

nora_wells585d ago

And that peace of mind is honestly worth way more than the $60. I've seen guys pull engines apart just because they heard a tick or found some sludge, when a quick filter cut woulda told them it was fine. The Pentastar's a good example too because those engines get a bad rap sometimes but really it's about catching problems early before they snowball. Cutting filters lets you spot the difference between normal wear and something actually going wrong, like bearing material versus just carbon bits. Once you get used to seeing what a healthy cut looks like, you can spot trouble signs real quick the next time. Saves you from tearing stuff down for nothing or worse, missing something that's about to let go.