Just thought I'd give a heads up to other rookie tuners out there. The oil filter union (the screw that you twist the oil filter onto) has very soft threads and can strip easily. Today I was trying to tighten my AC Autotecnic oil filter block adapter and I ended up stripping the threads of the union adapter. I was not turning that tightly either. Well obviously it was too tightly. :oops: Needless to say my xB is out of commission until the am when I can go to a dealer with my tail between my legs and get a new one. Anyways, I thought I'd give the heads up so that anyone putting one of these adapters on (or just tightening a new filter for that matter) doesn't make the same mistake. BTW you can not get one of these "unions" at car parts stores (Pep Boys, Auto Zone etc) I checked them all. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one of the dealers near me has one in stock. Crazy how one little 12mm screw thingy can keep you off the asphalt. IMO Toyota needs to put a little more back bone in these type of parts (or maybe I just need to be more careful ).

 

Good info. Thanks for the heads up.

 

ouch

 

Sorry to hear about that little mechanical mishap ... If it helps I have the factory service manuals on PDF and paper ... if you need any sections out of those I can try to e-mail them to you.

Oh, BTW, the manual say oil pressure is supposed to be > 4.3 psi @ idle and 22-80 psi @ 3000 rpm. The stock oil pressure switch is supposed to trip @ 2.8 psi.

 

Thanks. I actually have the service manual in PDF as well. I got a month pass and I'm downloading a few sections every night till I get the whole thing. Nice of you to offer though. I'm not sure what the problem is with the oil pressure gauge. I think it might be a defective gauge because the alarm keeps beeping, but the oil pressure never reads above the trigger point. Oh well, I guess I need to get my filter back on there before I can start farting around with the gauge again. I'll call AC and Scionfx in the am.

 

Good news is that a new oil filter union is only $15. The bad news is that it might not be here till Thursday am. That sucks. FYI for anyone foolish enough to make the same mistake that I did. You need a 12mm hex wrench to get the sucker out. Sounds like cake, right? Well it is if you have a 12mm hex wrench. Getting one (at least in Hollywood) is another story. Home Depot...nope. OSH Hardware... nope. Auto Zone... nope. Sears... Nope. Pep Boys... nope. It appears that 99% of applications requiring a hex wrench in the city of Hollywood require a 10mm hex wrench or below. This must be the case otherwise every ____ing hex set in a 5 mile radius wouldn't end at 10mm. Yes there are much larger, non metric ones, but nothing that would fit into this miserable little union. Just when I was plotting to sneak into the dealership, clunk the obnoxious fat ___ who works in the parts department over the head and jack them for the 12mm hex wrench a MATCO tools truck pulls up to the side of Pep Boys. I kid you not. The guy has a cash register with credit card machine in the truck . It was even air conditioned in there. But best of all he had like every wratchet attachment ever conceived of for sale. Anyways, $12 later I got the thing (expensive for a wratchet attachment). Apparently this guy just drives around Hollywood in his tool truck and sells this stuff outside car parts stores and the like. Saved my careless ___. Anyway, I guess I'm only half way home as my xB is still filter-less and sitting limp in my driveway, but at least I got the stinking union out in like 5 seconds. Now I can't wait to hear how all of you have 12mm hex wrench attachments sitting in your tool boxes.