oblivionlord

Ok I got around to doing the oil change and thought I'd post a tutorial to a degree. Kind of odd why no one is participating since this is supposedly a large community. It really is a simple procedure which is far easier than my previous civic.

This is the tool to get...

Without that tool then you'll risk possibly damaging the filter cover by some means. Although there is a drain plug on the filter itself that you first have to take off, but twisting it in no way allows you to take off the initial filter cover. So get that tool.

This is the product once you receive it in the mail...


Ok first things first. Get a container of some sort to capture the oil as it drains. The Oil Pan drain plug is 14mm. The Oil filter cap drain plug is a quarter inch insert. The Amazon Oil Filter Socket Wrench requires a 15/16 socket. You can use 24mm, but it's not as tight as the 15/16.

Drive your car around or just idle for awhile so the engine can get to normal running temps. Now turn the car off and raise the car on jack stands or however you feel comfortable working underneath. Open the hood and take the oil cap off the valve cover.

This is the underside of the car showing the oil pan, its drain plug and the oil filter. The oil drain plug is circled in RED and the Oil Filter is Circled in Blue...


You'll want to first drain the oil out from the pan by taking off the drain plug with the 14mm socket. Let this run for awhile till it starts to make tiny drops into the canister. I then put the drain plug back on and move the canister under the Oil Filter and proceed from there.

This is the bottom side of the Oil Filter Cover...


Essentially you will want to use the quarter inch driver to take off that plug. A tiny amount of oil will come out from it. You will then want to get the plastic pick thing that Toyota provides within the filter box.

This is the pick thingy....


When you are ready, you'll want to push this plastic pick piece into the hole that the oil filter drain plug came off from. Once you push this into the hole, the oil from the filter will start pouring out from it. This plastic piece isn't a requirement since all it's doing is just pushing the metal inside the cap upwards so the oil can escape. This plastic piece is just so the procedure is cleaner.

After the oil drains from the cap. You will want to use the Oil Filter Socket from Amazon or whatnot to take off the oil cap itself. Essentially from here on you just throw the filter away, clean the inside of the filter housing with a towel and put in the new filter.

The filter box comes with 2 rubber seals. The Large seal ring goes around the outside of the oil filter cap and the smaller ring goes within the oil filter drain plug. Both sections should already have the seals present in which case you simply change them out.

For the sake of the matter I found an online diagram to give a visual to the procedure of where the rubber rings should go...


When you are through admiring the beauty of the assembly, you will want to reinstall the oil filter back onto the engine in the same way as it came off.

Reposition your oil canister back underneath the oil pan drain plug and take it off again to let the remaining oil drain from it. Once that is done, clean the drain bolt and screw it back onto the pan.

Now add the 5 quarts of 0w20. Put the oil cap back onto the valve cover. Close the hood and that's it. Just let it run for a little while, check for leaks and bam!

biglilsteve

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the pics and writeup!! Though there are many in this community, most of us are probably within our 25k mile free service from Toyota. I'm at 29k so the next thousand miles will mark the first time I actually have to change my own oil.

oblivionlord

i bought my car used and according to the 36mi warranty, it only works for first hand buyers. Therefore I would have to pay for the service being a second hand owner

KidJustin

awesome!

i'm in the same boat as Stephen as well...i got about 6k more to go, but i will definitely revisit this.

i nominate it to be stickied

biglilsteve

iTrader: (2)

+1

Blackedout011TC

iTrader: (2)

Good work, I def. appreciate the write-up. This answered all my questions having never seen this type of oil filter setup. I still don't like it though! I'll take the regular style oil filter over this any day.
Is it possible to put oil in the filter cover to help with dry intial starting of the engine? Which reminds me, add a step where you lube your new O-Rings with oil prior to install. Unless it will not make a difference due to the O-ring's location.

oblivionlord

Yea it really made no difference pre-lubing the orings since the entire inside of the cover is already saturated with excess oil. The same goes with the oil filter drain plug section where you insert the small oring there.

I also like the traditional oil filter far better than this. The procedure in replacing it is far less time consuming although in a business standpoint it has to be far more expensive. With the new filter design they aren't spending excess money in manufacturing costs to make the traditional filter. The cover is always reusable and the only things you are changing out are the oil seal rings and the filter itself.

It's really not that bad once you understand how it works. What was a pain in the ___ was to change out the oil filter in my 6th gen civic. You had to get under the car and reach way up behind the engine just to grab it and twist it by hand. You couldn't even fit a tool in there to unwind it. If you put it on too tight on your prior oil change then it becomes a major _____ to take off when you have to do a new oil change after leaving it on for a year. At least with the scion, the filter is clear in the open and you can easily fit the socket on it to get it off. Makes it soo easy it's a joke.

russiankid

Figured I would chime in. If you buy the oil filter tool/socket from an auto parts store or Walmart even, they work but they need modification. The tool accepts two different sized oil filters, if you look at the tool the first set of hexes accept a bigger filter than the ones closer to the base of the tool. I cut the part that accepts the bigger filter right off and it fits perfect without issues. I have 3 Toyota's in the family that require this tool and work perfect on all.

If you cannot remove the oil filter drain plug no worry. You can loosely tighten them and they will stick. My parents have had Rav4's and Venza's that have the exact same setup and the plug always gets stuck. If it gets stuck just unscrew the oil filter housing and let it drain out like you would with a regular metal cased filter.

I also have the free oil change service, but I personally do not trust mechanics and or dealers. I already changed the oil at the 1k mark and used regular dino oil. Not sure how Toyota expects a motor to go 10k miles on an oil change when the motor is breaking in.

oblivionlord

Initially I took off the oil filter housing first without realizing the drain plug had a purpose. Oil went all all over the place. With that in mind, you'd need a large wide floor pan to catch oil instead of the typical small canisters.

Rob2012TC

Crap, looks like the same thing that was on my Son's Mazda 3 which means I can't take it to the local Penzoil place to have them change it because I can't trust them to get the o rings sealed and back in place properly, so that means I have to take it to the stealership to have it done. Give me the standard oil filter canister that you just take off and replace... GRRRR.

kada90

I got a question. Do you guys used the specified oil grade 0W20 or something else? In my opinion, the oil looks a bit too thin.

StatuSCheckA

iTrader: (1)

I kept pondering the same question because I was used to 5W30 in my 2006 tC. Finally I ended up using whatever it says on the Oil Filler Cap. 0Wsomething. Don't put too much thought into it. What do you think Toyota puts in when you get a oil change?

kada90

Thank you. For future oil changes I will be getting that Oil Filter Socket. It was a real pia to get that thing off.

noskatehate22

As far as oil viscosity goes, I heard the reason they use 0Wxx is for the VVT-I. VVT-I has oil in the system to work. I have no idea how it works, and I don't even know for sure if thats why! lol But thats what I heard.

KILLER

I doubt I'll break anything when the time comes to doing the oil change on my car but
This thread needs a detailed video for those who are not very good at DIYs

oblivionlord

I'll see if I can add a video since I'm nearing the 31k mark.

KILLER

I just placed the order on that Oil filter tool. I will also make a video. I have always done my own oil changes on my previous cars so im sure this will be a breeze.

Dalton_Chaotic

Ok. Oil does not turn dark as soon as you put it in. If you have neglected your oil changes it will because of the excessive dirt/grime/fuel that the oil you neglected wasn't able to pick up and left in the internals. A properly maintained engine should have like new oil when you change it and dark oil when you drain it. If it is always dark you haven't taken care of your oil changes well enough. I have had cars/and trucks for well over 100,000 miles that the oil is so clean it's hard to see on the stick after an oil change. One of the oil's main jobs is to pick up and hold onto "dirt" throughout the oil change life, however it can only hold so much.

The break in additive is bs these days. I am pretty sure there is no such thing anymore due to the design of the engines. The only reason they want you to go 10,000 miles is due to government mandates. The government wants to save oil. The "synthetic lasts longer" argument is somewhat valid but not the real intentions of the higher powers. You want to make your engine last? Check your oil and get it out of the pan before it gets black. It doesn't matter how many miles. How you drive it and where you drive determine how fast it needs to be changed. My two cents.

dc42nr86

Cabbie,

I got that noise too when I first started my car after filling it up with oil again. Is that normal? It sounds disgusting. Anyone else experience that or just Cabbie and I?

Dalton_Chaotic

Yep. It sounds horrible.