easy change

John Deere Easy Change oil system

Today I tried to change the "Easy Change" oil filter on my cute little John Deere E120 lawn tractor. I am supposed to easily remove a canister that contains the filter and about a third of the engine oil and replace with a fresh unit. No need to drain the oil, they say. Cost locally at Home Despot is C$70. They call it Easy Change. First time I have tried it. It was anything but easy.

 

Normally, an oil and filter change takes about a hour if done carefully and costs about $20 with good quality oil and filter. Virtually all of the engine oil gets replaced with new, not just a portion.

 

But I am stuck. The old canister came off with some effort. Push and turn counterclockwise they say. Difficult to remove but it seemed to come off OK.

 

The new filter did not lock into position as it should. It is in the middle and it is really stuck. There was a click but I cannot remove it or force it to the fully locked position

 

In a conversation this morning with my local JD dealer 1 hour away they say "put the tractor on your trailer and bring it in. We will get it off for you while you wait". Thanks. I don't have a trailer.

 

<more conversation with the dealer>

 

I am going there tomorrow to get the parts to remove the "Easy Change" oil filter system and replace with a conventional filter and drain port.

 

JD equipment with an Easy Change oil system can be fixed. 

 

It is a bad idea that can be retrofitted for less than the cost of one canister.

 

Big Thanks to <my local JD dealer> for help.

 

Thanks for your interest.

George Plhak
Lions Head, Ontario, Canada