Oil change disaster advice needed

I've been wrenching for close to 20 years. I used to trust myself and tighten things by feel. A lot of things I still do.

Now I use a torque wrench for engine oil drain plugs, diff drain plugs, most suspension, etc. I especially use it for the 18 ft lb on this weak canister on the 3rd gen Tacoma.

 

Sorry, just getting back online. All my reading says 25Nm, or ~18ftlb.

 

I torque the canister to 216 inch pounds.

 

I agree, most surfaces that gall together are different metals. Like aluminum vs steel. Or stainless steel vs aluminum. The threads on the housing and cover are very large. The aluminum cover has been used by Toyota for years without problems. The composite cover is cheaper to manufacture it’s all about money

 

Thinking about this, rannyhill said he made it about 4 miles and heard a knock then at about 5 miles it started knocking horribly and warning lights popped up. The way the oil filter housing is designed, it has a flange that mates up to the engine, almost creating an added safety seal to prevent or slow down an improperly installed or missing seal.

I would be curious to see how fast that much oil could leak out completely with no seal at all. And if the O-ring was installed but cut, it still filled 95% of the O-ring groove, it would be that much slower.

This thought supports the idea maybe something else was the cause and they are indeed using the O-ring as an excuse. Maybe someone else could test this theory for us? If each member following this thread pitches in $.10, that would more than cover a new engine for the tester.

 

How many people do you think are following this thread? For the bargain basement price of $5k for an engine you'd need 50,000 followers to pony up $.10

 

Do you mean the "MX" thread in my sig?

*MX=Maintenance

 

What if the o ring becomes dislodged or damaged while turning the cap? It is a tight fit. Of course it should be lubed with oil before install. Just a thought.

 

I'm going to test that o-ring fit within the next couple of months.

If the o-ring is lubricated with oil prior to placement on the housing seal ring, it should adjust to the twisting threads and seat properly.

Of course, this is just speculation right now until I actually do the oil change.

I'm not anxious to do the MX but each day, more questions come about this seemingly simple process.

 

The conclusion is canister style oil filters are just too difficult for the dealer techs to handle. Too many issues with over tightening and leakage. Toyota surely recognizes this, and has returned to the regular spin on filter as seen on the new Tundra.

 

I agree with the sentiments above tenfold. If you have to refer to the book on how tight a damn bolt needs to be, you are either a novice who does not understand how to wrench by feel, or someone who has no business wrenching under the hood of a vehicle (unless you are okay with paying after the fact to undo the damages you did).

I don't know. People will disagree with myself and the folks who wrote the statements above, but years of experience has taught me how to wrench properly, use common sense, proper judgement, and when to or not to consult with the book on things.

 

What do you work on mostly ?

 

Now 90% Tacomas. I do lift kit installs/maintenance on them weekly. Also am a personal mechanic for a guy that owns 40+ cars. 30 of them being Corvettes.

 

Sounds like a nice gig.

 

Nice! In 40+ years of turning wrenches I have worked on everything except Boats and Planes.
I will send you a PM tomorrow with a lift question on my Truck

 

What did it for me was my previous job. Was a body shop estimator for some time. Went to the Mercedes dealer to pick up a car we sent there for clearing/resetting codes. The most experienced, highest paid service tech at the dealer went around each wheel with his torque wrench to tighten lug nuts. He did that shit so fast. Didn’t have to think about it, Feel the click, next.

Yes an experienced mechanic can and should be able to do it by feel. A quality mechanic is not ashamed to pull out the torque wrench for critical components.

 

Good Labor is NOT cheap!
Cheap Labor is NOT good.

 

I believe it all boils down to "Training" and attitude.

What kind of leadership at Toyota is in-place that focuses on training?

I know you can train someone and sign them off but at the end of the day, does the employee take pride in ownership of a job process?

This kind of activity seems to be prevalent at a small percentage of locations. Are these incidents reviewed/elevated to Senior Leadership for improvement to prevent mistakes?

These are the kinds of issues that require a "Root Cause Analysis" to familiarize technicians regarding scheduled maintenance processes.

 

Lets see some pics. Ideally of C2s...

 

Yep!