Knucklehead Rookie Mistake (Oil Change)

i took my skid plate off because i dont plan to skid

 

Just ask any owner that is NOT daily driving it. Unless you did something weird....you are 100% fine to drive as a daily driver.

With that being said...do us all a favor and NOT take it on some hard trails.

To be serious if you are just removing the skid plate and just taking it on the highway/"mild" trails.....you will probably never need that skid plate.

 

Yea, I was actually surprised there was a skid plate on the TRD Sport...I expected only the TRD Off-Road to have one stock

Btw, the gaskets were actually on the filter housing when I took it off...the aluminum filter housing must have come with the gasket installed because I don't remember putting it on (matter of fact, the old o-ring was still on the plastic housing I took off and the gasket that came with the filter was still in the box, so it must have been installed on the aluminum housing out of the box)

Something that may have been different this time was when I was snugging the filter housing up it just stopped turning all of a sudden, a sudden stop without putting any muscle into it. I've been watching it and no leaks for the past couple days though...seems legit

Leaving the skid plate off until I have a chance to hit it with some rustoleum paint to stop rust.

 

Man I changed mine when I hit 500 miles and it was an epic fail w/oil everywhere because crap was put on so tight from the factory. Since then, I just take it in. On a side note, I bought a 11 civic si new and did the first oil change and the filter was on so tight I end up having to cut it to pieces to get it off and the filter is in a sucky area. Nightmares!!!!

 

Just my opinion but I would switch back to the plastic housing. You are never going to break it off as long as you have a skid plate on. However the consequences of cross threading the plastic are a new plastic housing for $40 vs cross threading the metal and God knows what it costs to replace that section of the engine. I heavily considered the metal housing but the Toyota engineers have it figured out, the plastic is plenty strong.

 

Kingair, I hear what you're saying, but that aluminum housing is an official toyota part, not aftermarket. Also, it is aluminum which is stronger than plastic but weaker than the metal the engine's threads are made of I'm sure. I could be wrong though.

And I didn't muscle the filter on, once it stopped with reasonable force, I stopped and didn't go HAM on it. Has anyone in Tacomaworld reported their aluminum housing stripping their engine's threads?

 

It is an official Toyota part but for a different vehicle not our trucks. Also I’m pretty sure the engine threads are aluminum as well. If you are going to do the oil changes yourself always, it should be fine. But with my luck that one time I have someone else do it they would strip the hell out of it. Lol

 

Get some kitty litter to absorb the oil. It's guaranteed to get everywhere you don't want it. Driveway and garage floor. Especially with the filter design.

And get a torque wrench from Amazon. It's a great investment and you'll use it on alot of things. Get one that gets to a minimum of 100 ft lbs.

 

It sounds to me like the o-ring was not on the housing when you installed it. The o-ring would have caused drag when you were screwing the housing back on. Then it would bottom out. Your description of it just bottoming out sounds like the o-ring was not present. I would definitely pull the housing and make sure the o-ring is installed correctly.

 

That was the reason I pulled the housing after doing the oil change, to ensure that o-ring was on the housing in the right spot. It was there and I double checked before putting it back on. I got the drag you're describing and then it just stopped. It may have spun more if I had muscled it but felt it was unnecessary and would have done more harm than good.

I have had no leaks for two days now and it seems solid under there. I'm guessing it would leak if there was no o-ring at all.

The wetness I initially felt that was one indicator I needed to pull the housing and verify the o-ring was there turned out to be a false-positive. It was probably residue from the change and the coolant I added the same day, which spilled a bit.

Definitely a learning experience and I'm thankful these trucks have so many loyalists.

I'm a motorcycle guy and never got into modifying vehicles but these trucks almost demand it...it's as if Toyota is in cahoots with the aftermarket industry.

 

i bought a spare plastic housing to have on hand just in case i crack the one on there while removing it. i feels like it is going to break every time when removing it doing a oil change.

 

Yeah the dealer broke one of the tabs on mine I complained and they gave me a new one no questions asked. I keep it as a spare. If you spend a little extra money and buy a quality filter wrench that fits properly you should have no issues.

 

You cant get skid marks if you dont wear any underwear mirite?

 

i have the wrench, loosing it is like loosing spark plugs in a aluminum head, feels like it was cross threaded. seems like 3 complete turns until it frees up.

 

I hear ya! I do my own changes always but the few times I’ve had the dealer do it it took an act of God to get it off. I now tighten it to a fingernail distance between the housing and the engine. Works perfectly. It always comes right off and has never leaked. If the housing is touching the engine aka no gap it’s way too tight.

 

Fyi there is no retainer clip or anything stopping the rotation of the filter housing. I thought the same thing on my first change.

 

Cracked mine changing it in the cold. It was 32ish out. The little ear that hooks into the filter cup tool broke and it started too ooze oil. Got the metal housing sold at Advance auto (I was changing oil at their lot) put it on. No leaks been good.

 

Does anybody know the part number for the plastic filter housing so that I can order an extra online? Thanks!

 

$31 Genuine Toyota OEM Oil Filter Cap (15620-36020)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BHQUEY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

FYI need to use the drain valve of the old one.
went back into old buys on Amazon to find i paid $31.

 

The plastic cap on my wife's FJ cracked after about 5 oil changes. I am OCD to use a torque wrench also to correct spec. Replaced with a metal cap and no issues since. Plan to do the same with my Tacoma when the first oil change comes up.

Found a Ebay seller selling OEM metal ones for $18 and change. Cheapest I found.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-OE...R-HOUSING-CAP-HOLDER-15620-31060/162725608928