Change your oil, part II

[JaxJohnny]

As y'all know, I'm having a bit of drama associated with getting my 1k mile service done. ( http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14764 )

As it looks like it's going to be another week until my dealer is up to speed and I have 1200 miles now, I decided to just go ahead and change my oil and get that much of it done. The rest is no biggie, but the oil concerns me.

So, I changed my oil today. It's super easy. Here's what it all looks like:

First off, back the car onto ramps. I saw another thread that said to jack it up and take off a wheel or some other madness, but it's not necessary. Just back it on your ramps-

[JaxJohnny]

OK, you're going to need a few things:

An oil filter - I went to the Toyota dealer and got the normal old YZZA1 (now superceded to YZZF1) filter. I'll order the JDM filters for future use.

6 quarts of 5W40 Synthetic oil (5 go back in, 1 spare)

Metric wrenches, metric sockets and metric allen sockets (or metric allen keys). I used an air-wrench to speed up the removal, but always tighten stuff by hand.

I used a strap-type wrench to remove the old filter.

[JaxJohnny]

The most time consuming part is removing the undertray. You'll need your 8mm socket for the small bolts around the sides, and a 6mm (I think) allen for the two socket head cap screws in the middle of the panel. I took all of the smaller bolts off first, and then the two bigger ones. Take the panel down and slide it up toward the front (middle) of the car to get it out of your way-

[JaxJohnny]

It's all simple now- Use your 14mm wrench to remove the drain plug. Careful, the oil is (should be) hot. Let it drain and then replace the plug. Look at the gasket on the plug and make sure it's cool before replacing it. Then remove the oil filter, again watching out for dripping oil.

[JaxJohnny]

OK, now fill the new filter with oil, and smear a little around the rubber seal. Install it medium hand-tight. Put the undertray back in place by hooking the front edge under the middle tray's back edge, and then loosely install the two center bolts to loosely support it. Put all the edge bolts in loosely, and then tighten them up, along with the center bolts.

Go up top and pour 5 quarts (including the oil you used to pre-fill the filter) into the oil filler. Start the car and take it off the ramps. Shut it off, clean up your tools, and then check the dipstick. Adjust as necessary, but in my case 5 total quarts was the joint.

Finally, there really is a huge difference between the nice JDM filter the car comes with (on the left, dented from removal) and the "regular old Toyota filter" on the right...

Anyway, this is most definitely something that anyone with even minimal mechanical skills could do. Took about 30 minutes, not including an hour of bull****ting in the middle with fellow Elise Talker "JD".

Hope this was helpful.

Cheers-

Johnny

[JaxJohnny]

Yes, there is a washer under the drain plug. Probably a good idea to grab a few spares from the dealer to keep on hand (if you plan to do your own changes...

And really gang, lets Man Up a little on this ramp thing. I've never had any problems putting any car on any ramps. Just be mindful, and if possible keep the door open so you can see exactly what's going on, and you'll be fine.

Cheers-

Johnny

[JaxJohnny]

Originally Posted by apkom

Medium hand tight only?! I beive you need to turn it with hand until it becomes somewhat tight and then turn with oil wrench another 270 degree. That's what instructions say at least on Toyota filters.

That's news to me, and I've been at this Gearhead thing for a long time. AFAIK, all oil filters are installed by screwing them down until the rubber gasket contacts the seat, and then another 3/4 turn or so by hand (although I just tighten by hand to a "Medium Grunt".) Any more torque than that and you can crush and tear the sealing ring, or possibly even strip the threaded parts..

Furthermore, I can't imagine a manufacturer advocating the use of tools to install a filter, considering the damage I did to the OE filter above with my strap wrench. I think the "finger holds" stamped into the end of the canister would tend to support my contention. In my book oil filter wrenches are, like air tools, for removal only. But hey, if it works for you..

Cheers-

Johnny