Got the parts coming tomorrow and have read everything I can find on here about the procedure. I have a bent handle flex head Snap-On 3\8 drive ratchet with the 60 MM socket on it and have looked on top but it looks like from the bottom will give more room to break it loose. Will the 3\8 ratchet be able to withstand the force needed with a cheater on it?

 

Holy crap!..... You shouldn't need anything like that to break it loose. It might be tight... but that would damn near strip that bit right off.

 

I needed a cheater bar for my adapter bolt.

 

I believe the bolt is loctited from the factory.

Get the motor good and hot, and I still used a torch on it but it was the middle of winter so might not be necessary. I also used a cheater bar to break it loose, used a section of pipe slipped over a standard allen-key style T60 and it worked like a charm.

Make sure you clock the oil filter properly, there is a peg and I accidentally clocked mine slightly off and didn't realize it until I went to spin the oil filter back on. Unfortunately, the torx bolt was so rusted that it started to strip when I tried to remove it again so I just left it. No ill effects after 50K+ miles so I guess I am just relegated to using good oil filters with silicone anti-drainback valves on them...

 

You will for sure need about a 10 inch cheater. I was able to put one on just a ratcheting wrench, I think it was a 12, maybe bigger, to fit my cut-down T60 bit. You also need a hefty t60 bit. I too thought it might overwhelm the wrench but the 1" pipe section I used worked. I used a 1 inch electrical pipe they call EMT. Yes it is locktited. thats why it is such a bear. But even torque with the cheater, careful and straight, and it will POP and then spin freely. Worth the day and half and the 40$ in tool experiments tho, it did stop my leak.

 

Got under there with my flex ratchet and socket and used a long screw driver\pry bar I have that has the tip end bent up a little to hold the Torx bit in its hole and put a foot long cheater on the ratchet and went for broke. Glad I used force to hold the Torx in but it let go fine. Couldn't back it far out as room got tight so I mashed the torx out of its socket and then used a ratchet end wrench with the torx and finished removing the big bolt.
Easy to see why it leaked. The big O ring was flat on two sides and stiff.
While I was under there I used old T shirts to wipe things down, I was betting the pan was leaking also as it was washed clean right there at the rear bottom just like a rear main would do. Drove it about 20 miles and checked things out and so far I have dust now where I had a stream before.

 

GOOD job. HOPE mine goes that easy. Waiting for the O-rings to come.

 

Maybe I was just lucky with mine. Granted I had a little longer ratchet... and I guess the previous time it was either not torqued correctly or just where it should be. Because I didn't have to use a cheater to to get it off. I used the same trick of popping the bit out and putting it right in to a regular socket.