Ok so most of you on this forum don’t know me and that’s fine, and some of you do know me from the Ferrari list. I recently purchased a 2003 575 with 26k on it in may of this year, zero timed it, clutch, the works, all fluids, power steering hoses etc. I just went over 32k with it so this will be my first oil change on the car, with me doing it. I have a big drive coming up New Jersey, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania this November, yes I know it might snow, rain, sleet, etc Will report back how it does, have a big slot car race to go to and people to see. Anyway back to the topic at hand. You hear all kinds of things with reference torquing the oil filters on the car. Well I’ve owned a 512 TR since 1996 it has 109k on it of which I put 100k, and have done everything on that car and never torqued the oil filter, and never had a failure of any kind, and that oil filter has no engine cover to protect it like the 575 does. It’s out there in the open. Here is my take on this, so take it for what’s its worth, if you can open up a vacuum sealed jar with your hands, you can use that same amount of torque to install you new oil filter! Now you if your a WWF type this does not apply! That’s my only caveat ok. I plan on doing this and taking pictures this week, and trying to post them if I can figure out how to do that on this forum. Look for my post this week I hope on this project Until then Go drive your car !!! clyde
Clyde watch the oil level at the oil change the manual I believe is incorrect in the amount of oil it takes, resident 575 experts can chime in .....
Clyde- All our professionals say to torque them, so..... Note they are a different filter from a 512 TR. Need to get that crush washer just right so it does not back off and leak. Ferrari learns things as they go along, so if you look at a 550 WSM, it says hand tight on the oil filter. The 575M and 612 WSMs says torque it after a bunch of failures on 550s. Same thing on F1. Early WSMs say just check the fluid level in the F1 system. The last F1 recommendation from Ferrari, though, calls for changing out the F1 fluid and everything that goes with that (bleed, self test, PIS check/optimization) every 3 years.
Are there any cheaper versions of these Hills Engineering oil filter wrenches? https://www.ricambiamerica.com/oft-04-456-550-575-oil-filter-wrench.html Do they use the same 25Nm as the mid-engined cars? Don't forget to lube the rim of the filter before fitting.
Recommended torque is 21 nm. There probably is a cheaper one out there, but I have not seen it. Here is a quote from Brian Crall from an old thread: The torque difference between too loose and risking blowing the seal out and too tight causing structural failure of the filter is small. When removing over tightened filters on 550/575/456 the can comes loose from the base plate. At that point you wind up ripping the can and internals off and using a hammer and chisel to get the base plate off. Big job, lots of work and expense not to mention you end up risking a very expensive engine component all so $86 dollars can be saved. One of the dumber decisions I see commonly made and too often by the guy you pay to fix your car.
Hills Engineering makes great stuff ....I don't think $86.00 is expensive , but I don't do any of my own work, I have my ferrari dealer change all fluids every Jan. so if you change it once a year wouldn't it be worth it ?
Depends where in the world you live. If you lived in Australia, ordering it from, say, Ricambi with P&H, it could cost $A300. There are cheaper options for F355's, I just thought there might be some for the V12's. e.g. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/142137205/ Different size, unfortunately.
Hill engineering too fits the filters really well like a glove. Well worth the extra cost. I must admit I hand tightened my filters on the 456. Will double check torque asap.