Can I change just my oil filter? 2.4L

[05MNTH]

I went to change my oil today and drained the oil and then could not get the filter off. Its probably the easiest to get to, but hardest to get off filter locaion in the history of cars. What do you guys use? A plastic filter socket wrench? I had one and it was not working. Anyways I had to fill it back up with oil and all I had was the Mobil 1. I now need to take it somewhere and get the filter off.

Can I just change the filter? It seems like its high enough up that not much oil would come out.

What do you think? Otherwise I need to drain out the $25 of Mobil 1 I just put in.

Thanks!

[soulstalker]

Sure, in your case it'll be fine to only change the filter.

Also, Don't worry about oil spilling out from the oil filter. The oil that leaks out from the oil filter hole comes from the oil filter itself; there isn't a single car out there that will drain oil (from the oil pan) out of the oil filter hole.

One last tip, if your oil filter was so tight that you couldn't get it off with a wrench, then it was probably due to tightening the filter with a wrench during the last oil change, which is a big blunder. Once the oil filter gasket makes contact with the engine block then hand tightening another 1/4 turn is enough; never tighten a new oil filter with a filter wrench.