Oil Filler Cap

[sgtpeeper]

97 XJ 4.0 - Anyone had this problem... my oil filler cap won't come off. It's acting like a child-proof bottle cap when I try to remove it. It clicks and will not twist off. I know it does this when you tighten it, but mine is doing it when I try to remove it. The engine is slightly warm.

Also, if little bits of plastic from the cap are falling off under the valve cover as I'm doing this, will they necessarily cause problems when I run the engine? I hope I don't have to remove the cover.

Thanks in advance.

 

[kahaikapu]

hi..happens all the time..rip off outer cover from top and use a good channel lock to twist of lower part of oil filler cap..its two peice..youll need to replace cap....stan

 

[RichP]

Pop the top off then use the channel locks as suggested. Either buy a new cap or fill the old bottom part of the cap with epoxy and then pop it together. It won't ratchet after that but it will come off when it's hot...

 

[PornstaR]

Pop the top off then use the channel locks as suggested. Either buy a new cap or fill the old bottom part of the cap with epoxy and then pop it together. It won't ratchet after that but it will come off when it's hot...

X2........

 

[sgtpeeper]

Thank you so much for the responses.

 

[RyanM]

hi..happens all the time..rip off outer cover from top and use a good channel lock to twist of lower part of oil filler cap..its two peice..youll need to replace cap....stan

x2 been using this method for couple years

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

Been there, done that. Used a long flat head screw driver and worked it under the cap and pried up, as I was twisting. Took me damn near an hour of trying to get it off before I gave up and just took the stupid screw driver to it. Replacement from Napa was just a few bucks, and screws right on instead of "clicking" on like the OEM does. No problems in just over a year now.

 

[bizzo]

I ran into this a few weeks ago on my XJ. If the engine is hot wait until it cools down before trying the cap. If that doesn't work then bust out the channel locks.

 

[ren]

You can also pull the top of it off, then find a small rock to stuff in the cap. I did this to mine several years ago, and the cap still unscrews. The rock forced the "ears" on the cap to permanately engage, thus, no more clicking, or arguing with an inantimate object (at least this one).

 

[sgtpeeper]

Just as I was getting the pliers ready to rip the cap out, I gave it one last try. What do you know, it unscrewed right out normally! The engine was still slightly warm, but Bizzo might be onto something. I'm going to find a new, non-ratcheting cap this week, if I can.

Thanks for the help!

 

[lawsoncl]

Got the one in my ZJ epoxied for this same reason.

 

[rocknxj]

That happened to me must last week. I was buying a quart of oil at the local Autozone and could not get the cap off. 7 bucks later I had a new cap and a better understanding of how those things are put together and how they can fail over time. I never thought of the epoxy trick. I will do that next time.