What to Do When the Oil Filler Cap Won't Open?
2 Answers
Solutions for when the oil filler cap won't open: You can use pliers or go to a repair shop to use specialized tools to open it. The oil cap may not open due to negative pressure or being screwed on too tightly. To add engine oil, the engine cover must be opened. Besides the oil cap being difficult to open because of the strong suction caused by the lack of air entering under negative pressure, it could also be that the oil cap is too tight. You can wait until the car has cooled down before trying to open it. Engine oil is the source of a car's power, playing roles in lubrication, sealing, cleaning, heat dissipation, buffering, and rust prevention within the engine. One of the essential items in car maintenance is changing the engine oil. By unscrewing the oil pan's drain plug, the old engine oil can be drained, after which new oil can be poured in.
Last time my car had the same issue, the oil cap wouldn't unscrew, usually due to engine thermal expansion/contraction or rust bonding. I first wrapped the cap with a hot towel for a few minutes to warm it up and expand, then wore kitchen rubber gloves to twist hard. If that didn't work, I lightly tapped the cap edges with a rubber mallet to loosen rust. Never force it with a wrench – damaging the threads means replacing the entire cap, which is costly and troublesome. During routine maintenance, apply some Vaseline or anti-seize compound on the threads to prevent bonding. This is crucial because a loose cap can leak oil and damage the engine. I always check it after oil changes and keep it clean, so now issues rarely occur. If all methods fail, I recommend driving straight to a repair shop for professional help – safety first.
