Careful ,Changing oil

I wish my oil cap was stuck... I could just spin the filter canister off using the 3/8 drive instead of a stupid adapter then.

 

I never use the plug. Maybe dunk the threads in PCV glue and you might be on to something..

 

I’ve had this same problem and can back what OP is saying. The plastic canister can absolutely get stuck, even when properly torqued. Using a heat gun on low will help loosen it and then it comes off easy.
I think the issue has to be related to the heating and cooling cycle somehow making the cap or housing itself expand and shrink, tightening it inadvertently. I’ve done all my own oil changes and has this happen twice. I always torque to the correct spec so it isn’t that. I also know I’m applying enough force to get it off the times it was stuck.

 

OP's brought up the issue with the drain plug on the canister which is torqued to 10 ft lbs and was unable to remove with the impact

 

I don't anymore. Actually had a plug failure (on an aftermarket canister). Developed a pinhole crack at one of the inside corners of the 3/8" drive indent somehow and started leaking oil. Decided its messy either way, I'll just leave it be and have to do one less step.

 

I've been changing oil for years and never once used an impact wrench to loosen or a torque wrench to tighten. And I never broke anything doing an oil change and they never resulted in oil leaks. If you are breaking stuff then you are doing something wrong.

 

Or maybe it was...aliens

 

I did my first oil and filter change at 1,400 miles.
Glad I did.. because the 12mm bolts that hold the skid plate in place were apparently installed with a hefty impact gun.
The bolt heads were rounded over, and it took a big breaker bar to break them loose.
I just don't want that amateur rack monkey crap on my new truck.

I bought a nice brass drain kit that screws into the filter housing drain when the plug is removed.
Very clean and tasty way to drain the filter.

I use the Motive-X tool and 24mm socket to remove the filter housing.
Walmart sells the proper Toyota filter kit.

I prefilled the new filter with Moble1 and oiled the new o-ring.
Hand installed and after it seated, torqued down to 18 ft lbs.
Installed a new drain plug gasket, and torqued to 30 ft lbs.

I can see where a breaker type torque wrench is easier to use instead of a beam type, but I made do.
I parked the truck up on the sidewalk, with the other side on the street.
We have a handicap break in the sidewalk which affords easy access without jacks and stands.

The dipstick is impossible to read with fresh oil.
I plan to stop at ACE and pick up some clear tubing, and mark for the correct oil levels.
This was mentioned either above, or in a different thread, and seems like a great idea.

A bag of cheap cat litter is good to have on stand-by.

 

I use this to for antiseize that i found in my dads shed so it won't drip between oil changes.



wait, crap that's the silver stuff.


Sorry but this has gone on to long, hit the fucking thing with a 3lb sledge. knock out the pieces and put the aluminum one on.

 

I must admit I am amazed how complicated these oil changes are. Changed mine yesterday as I have done 100s of times and did none of that stuff and so far after all these years none of my engines have seized up or blown up etc.

 

really?

my previous experience is with ford 3.0 or 4.0 v6's. on those, the filter comes out horizontally, and the only way to reach it is past a hot header. they even had a little drip tray underneath the filter to try to guide the filter contents away from anything important. it doesn't work, and oil gets everywhere, to either smoke off for the next 2 weeks, or drip off for the next month, making you question if the plug was properly tighten...

but this 3.5 with the motivx drain kit is almost mess-free. i'm down to 2 paper towel sheets for the entire process. the rangers were closer to half a roll, and still ended up coating far too much other things with oil.


the only easier oil change is my brz, with a top-mount filter...

 

I have not done an oil change myself in probably 15 years or more.
A close friend has a shop... he services my cars, I service his computers.
Life was good... but he retired and sold the shop.

Other than being old and sore, laying on my back, and stupidly kicking over a fresh bottle of Mobile1, it all went well.
Due to driving few annual miles, I only have to do an oil change once a year, and then during the good weather.

I am especially happy the 3.5 is a bottom mount filter.
This means it does not drain down and have to refill each time the engine starts.
When I wrenched at Toyota, I always prefilled those filters, even the awful side-mount types on the 2TC and 18R engines. Some oil was better than none at all in a new filter.

 

I am kind of a klutz anyway so when I take out the oil pan plug it splashes a little into the pan and I always get some on my hand and arm - not too bad but it happens every time . Then when I get the filter loose and and remove it by hand the oil comes gushing out and some goes down my arm and all over my hand. I never remove that little filter drain plug thing. But not getting some oil on my hand and arm that I already got from the oil pan plug removal I guess is not worth the extra step. But I never torque anything never have and I never need to do anything special to get the drain plug or filter loose - I have been changing oil the same way for 30 years and never had any issues so I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

 

All of us "self-help" oil change doers learn/have our own methods of this task...completing an oil change.

I've learned that a "Fumoto Valve" is golden and I pre-drain the filter housing to prevent oil spillage.

I utilize a "Lift" by having access to Base Facilities on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware which makes this task simple.

I'm all about "Simple" and making this duty worry-free.

Call me the "Mayor of Simpleton", if you may...lol!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6FObPezIAk

 

I hate to admit it but I take mine to the dealer. Now I've been changing my oil for 60 years but I simply don't like the looks of what could go wrong with these canisters and I live many miles from town if anything goes wrong.
Saying that I do fear that maybe the Toyota workers may mess it up, I imagine it is a starting-out job and may just skip replacing the filter if they can't get it loose,costs me about another $20 but I go by discount tire same day and get a tire rotation.

 

Yeah that's the problem I have - how easy is it to just skip changing the filter especially if it will not come off easily. I just do not trust dealers and it seems, at least with my wife's car - that they always find something additional that need attention that costs more than what you expected. I take my truck to a mechanic I know and actually watch what he is doing as we shoot the shit. But I would would trust him even if I was not watching it's just I like catching up.

 

Dealership service advisors or whatever you call them are terrible. They love to prey especially on ( I know this is politically incorrect) seniors and women. I know first hand. My wife has a perfectly fine vehicle but it has to be taken to the dealer for oil changes because of all the bs shrouding underneath. They always talk her into spending several hundreds every service for things they deem necessary despite my explanations that they aren't. Brake service, battery service, multi point inspection, etc, etc . Gimme a break (not a brake).

 

The last guy that used an impact wrench to round the 12mm bolt heads holding my skid plate (20 ft lbs is spec), is another reason for DIY.
I don't want rack monkeys working on my rigs anymore.
They just don't give a shit.

 

I am kind of fuzzy on this but I think a mechanic once told be years ago that dealer mechanics get paid by how much time the "book" says the job takes. I may be completely wrong on this because this had to be at least 20 or more years ago. But I think what they try and do is book as much time as they can so if a 2hr job can be done in 1 hour they can get paid for 2 hours and move on to the next job. I think it's something like that - maybe a real dealer mechanic on here can explain it. Or maybe it's the service managers who get extra pay for getting the customer to agree to all kinds of extra shit - like to get a real explanation of that as well.

 

This is a “flat rate” shop.
A fast (or sloppy) tech can make more than an hourly wage. Conversely if he gets a stinker problematic job he can lose his ass.

I worked flat rate rate back in the day. One side effect is it turns you into a pushy asshole who is always trying to beat the clock.

I suspect the Boeing problems are flat rate related.