Oil Change. How can two Toyota's be so different...

Without trying i ended up owning two 2004 Toyota with V6 engines. Both with similar miles. One a Sienna, the other a Tacoma Double Cab. Changed both oils last weekend. How can one V6 do everything right and one get everything wrong......

The Sienna was done in 20 minutes with not a drop of oil spilled. The Tacoma.... 2 hours later, an Exxon Valdez spill clean up and i was done. There has go to be a better way to get at that filter...... Went in thru the wheel well this time with a milk carton below it to catch oil and still made a mess.

Anyways.... My rant is over....

 

For starters, it's not "one V6" ...

Two entirely different engines (VZ versus MZ series), different layouts, and different vehicles.

 

Yah, I know they are different. Transverse vs straight mount and likely do not share any parts except the oil filter but man are they different.... Just had to rant.

 

I put a plastic bag under my oil filter and that does a good job for me to keep the oil from making a huge mess.

 

Good tip. My 2.4l filter is in a bad place also.

 

You are one year too early, the 05+ have filter access from up top looks easy dealers still doin mine for free so cant say for sure though.

 

Drain oil. Once it stops dripping, slide the catch can over so it's under the filter.

unscrew filter with hand in plastic bag, drop filter in plastic bag. If there are drips, they'll go into the catch can.

 

x2

 

Easy for me because I have access to a lift, but all I do is drop the skid plate and the oil from the oil filter drains straight down to the catch pan, as as cake.

To the O.P. you must have a newer 1MZ-FE or 3MZ-FE because the first 1MZ-FE motors did not have oil drain funnel thing and it spilled all over the engine mount and to the subframe etc what a PITA.

 

Easiest way to get an inverted (i.e. most of them) filter off is to put a catch pan underneath the mounted filter and unscrew the filter very slowly. Once it's about halfway or so unthreaded, oil will leak out and run down the side of the filter, dripping off the bottom. Leave it like this with the catch can underneath until it stops dripping, then finish unscrewing the filter and place it face down in the catch can to continue draining.

No mess, neat as you please.

 

is it just me or does anyone else not find the oil change on the 3.4L to be that much of a hassel?

Sure I had to turn my wheel to the left and rip off the fender shield, but it was pretty straight forward changing the filter...

 

I was wrestling it from the bottom thru the skid plate until I found this forum. Talk about a face palm moment.

 

how do you get a catch pan up under the filter? there's just enough room to get my hand in there. ..much less anything else.

 

agreed....

 

Im sorry, that was hilarious since that seems to remind me of my first oil change on the tacoma.

I now go through the driver wheel well and remove the skids to let the oil drain out of the filter a little better and cleaner.

 

I only spilled oil because my clumsy ass bumped into the filled oil catch pan... not from the filter placement.

And I sprayed oil during the front diff fluid change because the cheap a$$ harbor freight fluid pump I was using blew up in my face because I was pumping too fast.

 

i take off my wheel

 

I'm speaking for my Matrix. I have not yet had a vehicle with an inverted oil filter that didn't drain directly "to the ground". Is there something under the oil filter of the 5VZ?

 

lol, you could just drive the passengers front tire up on another car to get the clearence!