4.0L 1GR 2nd Gen Oil Change Guide

try sanding the oil dipstick with some 100 grit sandpaper or 60, then of course make sure you wipe it good before putting it back in. if still can't see it good, then just file it a little with a hacksaw blade, just a tiny bit so it makes scratches on it, this will help tremendously in seeing oil level. the dipsticks they use suck ass. too smooth at the end, should have used a marked plastic like other cars... oh well

and for someone that asked about leftover oil in the oil filter housing tray, cleanest is to use a big plastic syringe with a rubber hose attached and just suck that baby up nice and slow ;p

 

Thanks Chris for the quick reply - will do as you suggest !!!

 

Just did my third oil change and I still refer to this thread, great work on this Chris!

I put mobil 1 in my '09 v6 at 2800 miles, 7800 miles again, and today at 12,800 miles. I know I should probabaly have had one more change in there. It came out really black, should I be worried? I didn't think the mobile 1 would change color so much.

 

Thanks Chris. Know why I check this thread every time? Because of that guy that did the whole tranny fluid drain/oil in coolant job. No joke, I just ran out and double checked the oil drain net pic for the third time. My synth came out dark and a little reddish... Ill have to send some in to test sometime. Good idea. Thanks!

 

Well I did the 1st oil and filter change yesterday - used Mobil 1 5w-30 and

$17 Mobil 1 M1-102 / M1-102A Extended Performance Oil Filter

Mobil 1 M1-102 oil filter:

Things I noticed -

1 - 5 1/2 qts. Mobil 1 & filter with correct size filter cup wrench, about $70.00

2 - Mobil 1 filter about 1/2 inch shorter than stock Denso filter

3 - Denso filter had more holes in the base than the Mobil 1 filter

4 - Denso stock filter was not that hard to remove as some posts here have said, again, correct size filter cup wrench, short extension on a 3/8" drive - yes it was tight but I certainly did not need a cheater on the drive handle

5 - When removing the drain plug from the oil pan I was prepared for a huge gush of oil, per some posts here - not the fact, but my truck is only raised a little over 1"

6 - The filter drain rubber cap, I put a dab of dielectric grease in it - slides on and off now with no problem

7 - Also took out the AFE Pro Dry AF and cleaned it, still looked like new with only 2500 miles on it

8 - All in all, no big deal - now on to the "drive shafts" and greasing them, but that is for another "Thread" -

9 - I can see how one might possibly mistake the Transmission drain for the Oil Pan drain, just gotta remember the Oil Pan is under the engine NOT the Tranny

 

I just browsed this whole thread. Quite entertaining.



Anyways, here's my 2 cents:

I just did my first '07 V6 oil change (before you ask, yes, I bought it used 5000kms ago). What an easy change. I gotta say the first time I popped the hood before I bought the truck I saw that drain nipple on the oil filter housing and figured out what it was for. It works good, I want to install a permanent one. For the people wondering about the missing rubber cap I don't see it being a problem as long as you wipe that filter housing out when you finish draining so it doesn't drip oil on your belts.

For the guys spilling oil out of their drain pan are these all lifted trucks or what? I've never had that issue. My drain pan is a maybe 18" black plastic one, it's open with a bit of a hump in the bottom. The only spillage I get is when I position it poorly or when the oil drains down to a very fine constant stream towards the end and the breeze steers it out of the pan. I like to change hot or warm whenever I can too. Maybe the hump in the bottom is helping diffuse the splash back? Maybe a screen on some blocks, like a cookie cooling tray would help break up the steady stream and reduce that? Don't put it back in the kitchen when you're done though!

As for the guy cranking the filter on with a wrench, do not do that, ever! In one of my other cars some years have a sandwich type oil to water cooler between the filter and the filter housing, like what tow package Tacos have. I don't know about Tacos but on the other cars over time, when you over tighten the filter it crushes the cooler, which ruptures the lines inside and leaks oil into the coolant and vice versa. Also, this causes the oil filter to come loose and then back off and spew all the oil all over the car and the road.

I always ensure all the old gasket came off, always lightly oil the new gasket and always hand tighten the filter to contact plus a half turn or so and I've never had an issue. I've been changing my own oil since I started driving 10 or so years ago. Oh, I also oftentimes reuse the drain plug washer with no issues, I always wipe the plug and washer down while I'm waiting for the oil to drain then wipe off the pan before I screw it back in.

 

Oh, one thing I forgot, I didn't realize how handy those static cling reminders were. There was one on the truck from the previous owner's last change. Ebay to the rescue. I've got 100 generic oil change reminder static clings coming for about $10 shipped.

 

Why? Does the 5K dash reminder not work for you?

 

I suppose because I have yet to see it come on? *shrug* The guy I bought the truck from brought it in for an oil change and general mechanical inspection before he sold it to me, then I've put on 5500kms or so and just changed it because that's the standard interval. I imagine it will come on eventually. I guess if it's a 5k mile (not km) light it will come on in a few weeks.

At any rate, besides the Taco I've got 3 other cars including the wife's. I was writing mileage down on a white board in the garage but she's never out there to look at it so she never knows when it's time for an oil change. The stickers will be handy for those cars too.

 

Another boring oil change story.

Easy peasy !

The rubber oil filter drain cap was a bitch to take off, used an empty juice container jammed in against the rad hose to catch the overflow. Still had to use some shop rags to absorb a little bit of residual that refused to drain.. ...worked perfect.

Re-used the plug washer, it never came off when I removed the plug.

Oil drained out without splashing..~ 3 hours after running the motor..almost cold. I installed the new filter first (

$10 Fram xg3614 with SureGrip (Pack of 1)

Fram xg3614), then backed the oil filler cap off a bit before draining.

Used Castrol Syntec 5w30 synthetic.

yeah, that's about it.

Have a good weekend.

 

You, Sir are a gentleman, answering him like you did.

 

Eh? What's wrong with asking about the stickers? I'm sorry if I offended your delicate senses with a perfectly normal question.

 

Hey Guys ,

One think I've been doin' on all my vehicles for several years now is after I'm through with the whole process ,I
stick a couple of little but, strong magnets on the bottem & side of the filter body .

I'm not sure if they are doing any thing , but they might catch some metal traveling in the oil & hold 'em 'til the next oil change .

Big O

 

He was suggesting putting the magnets on the filter body...so I think the idea is it would hold the particles in the filter and gets discarded with the filter.

But I still agree your point's valid...any particles the magnet would catch, the filter would too and oil bypassed on cold starts doesn't even get that far. Just don't see the magnet doing much at all...but at least it doesn't appear to be harmful.

By the way, this reminds me of the aftermarket oil plug replacements with magnets in them that used to be someowhat popular. Wonder if anyone still makes/sells them?

 

Do you really have to use Toyota motor oil and filter or, you can use different kind.The truck is still under warranty and I'm noy sure what to do.