Did My First Oil Change

The FJ, Camry, and some of the other V6s (maybe even the Tundra 5.7?) are using the cartridge, but the Tacoma 4.0 is still up front on the left side of the engine.
Easiest filter change EVAR!

0w20 synthetic is factory fill for the 2.7, with 0w20 and 5w20 being acceptable, but the 4.0 still specifies 5w30.
0w20 and 5w20 have been acceptable in the 2.7 since 2005, and 5w20 has been acceptable even in the 1st Gen.

 

Just curious, was the vehicle bought new? I was given 2 years or 36,000 miles free oil changes when I got mine. I went for my last freebee on Saturday and was pretty happy when they did over $1000 bucks of stuff for free. New heater box because it had a faint squeak you could only hear if the radio was off and the truck was idling. Brand new belts because they looked "glazed" and pads to quiet the squeaky leaf issue.

Will I go back to the dealer and pay $40 for an oil change which includes quality oem parts. Absolutely.

 

A good dealership makes all the difference I've got 3 years free service on my new VW Turbodiesel, and that includes an expensive Mann/Hummel fuel filter every 20k miles, you bet I'm gonna use it!

 

Fella's, believe it or not, on the 2012 Tacoma PreRunner 4 cyclinder engine the oil filter is basically hidden. It is 'old school' which means it is located way up underneath the engine's right side toward the back. So you have to 'crawl' underneath the truck inorder to remove and replace it, which sucks!

But, basically just about 'any' oil and oil filter brand is good for any vehicle make or model as long as it is changed at it's recommended interval time period (that is when your 'Maint. Required' light notifies & reminds you about it). Changing the oil and oil filter, air filter and spark plug's is practiced regularly then you won't have any engine problems as long as you own your vehicle.

For me using Mobil 1 oil and oil filter is what I've always used and I've been using it since I was 16 years old (back in the early 70's) and it has always worked excellent for me so I'm sticking with what has never let me down, has always worked for and has come through for me on every vehicle that I have owned and I'm not going to change now at my age.

Oh and by the way, I'm not trusting "anyone" or "anybody" to change the oil on our vehicles, whether it's 'free' or not. In my time I've heard to many horror stories of places not putting the oil drain plug back on correctly, not actually changing the oil, not fully draining the oil, people not knowning what they're actually doing, etc. etc. etc. fuck that!

 

That's some funny shit for real...

 

Hyuk, hyuk, chuckle, chuckle

The previous 3 oil changes were courtesy of the dealer. My 24 months/24K miles (whichever comes first) expired February 2013. This is the truck's 4th oil change.

My owner's manual indicated 0W20

 

Probably not a bad idea to change that filter yourself so you can see if you're getting any metal shavings in the fuel system. The fuel system in the newer common rails seems to be a weak link.

 

Same with the '08 and earlier.
But it's better than the 22RE. It was HORIZONTAL on the side of the block, and the mounting surface was not extended enough to provide any kind of drip-path for the oil... it simply ran down the side of the block.

True. Fram, and the new production Champion (E-Core) are pretty bad. The Champion E-Core filters include Champ, Supertech, STP, AC-Delco, and others.
Fram also does a lot of OEM including Microguard and Pennzoil.

Safe bet? Wix, Purolator, Bosch, Mobil-1, K&N, Toyota, Amsoil... I'm sure I missed a few on both lists.

+1
Too many horror stories and screwups witnessed. Dealerships generally aren't bad, but there are some bad ones out there. Quick-Lube places? Avoid like the plague.

 

Question: do the 4x4's use the same oil filter as the 2wd? The 4x4 motors have more engine oil. I've been using Amsoil filters, and they use the same filter for the 2.7l, the 4.0l, and my old Lexus GS300.

My old '97 2.7l the engine oil came out really clean, but with the GS300 and this 4.0l the oil gets dirty more quickly.

 

I always heard the napa gold and carquest filters were WIX filters as well. I try to run those in everything.

 

Oil capacity is spec'd the same... might be a slight difference in level on the dipstick due to differences in the pan to clear the front diff?

The V6 does specify a different filter, but they are compatible. The V6 filter is an inch or so taller.... most Toyota engines (that use the spin-on filter) take the same filter. Some of the 4 cylinder engines use one that is smaller... wife's Rav4 takes the same filter that her Echo did.

I haven't opened up the two different Toyota filters, but a common trick pulled by the aftermarket (including Amsoil/Wix) is to use the same filter element in multiple housings. Whether the can is 3" tall or 5" tall, they all get the same 2.5" tall filter element.

 

Well, the 2012 owners manual shows 6.1 qts for the 2.7l (with filter) and doesn't specify a difference for 4wd.

4.8 qt for the 4.0l 2wd with filter, 5.5 qt with filter for the 4wd. You'd think the 4.0l would have the larger oil capacity with the extra valve train and cylinders.

I think my old '97 2.7l 4wd had more engine oil capacity than the 2wd 2.7l.

 

4.8? Sounds low. Seems everyone is installing 5.5 to 6qts and it's looking good on the dipstick.

 

you realize the 4 banger taco's plugs are meant to be ran 100,000 miles between changes? 30k with the v6. you're throwing away money my friend. that, or driving A LOT.