4.0L 1GR 2nd Gen Oil Change Guide

Thanks DoorDing. That's kind of what I figured. Thanks for confirming that's the case!

Are most people doing this without a ramp or jacks? I have a stock OR, but am pretty skinny so am thinking it won't be an issue for me to get under there.

 

FWIW My dad was a Caterpiller mechanic and he swore I should never be one. So he never really taught me much, kept me out of the garage

As I hit my late 30s I took my own interest in truck repair, bought a Model A, and found mechanic work to be fairly fun and money saving. Additionally, YouTube and these forums have helped immensely more than reading a Chilton's book alone in the 80s. There is a wealth of information out there if you are willing to learn.

I also have a great deal of respect for real mechanics who do this day in and day out. Like farmers they don't get the respect they deserve and bust their ass and damage their hands all day long.

I met alot of good folks through old car clubs. Anyways. It's always the child's option to learn, and it's never too late. It may also not be failed parenting, but a different plan.

 

thank toyota for there stupid ass filter location

 

#4cylProblems

 

Thanks again to all for the good info. Completed a successful oil change tonight.

 

Great info, finished my oil change in no time

 

Thanks for the write up. Thought it was time for the first oil change since I'm at 110k miles and have the TRD sc. couldn't have done it without this. Oil didn't look too bad, but thought is be safe and change it.

 

So, I am now a little worried that I overfilled.

When I changed the oil yesterday I put back in ~5.25 quarts of Mobile 1. However, when I transferred the spent oil from the catch pan back to the 5 qt bottle I noticed it didn't even quite fill up that bottle, much less need to go to the next bottle. I did spill some in the transfer process, but not enough to make a huge difference.

I was thinking about this today at work, so checked the oil level again after I got back home. The results are inconclusive in my mind. Although the new oil is difficult to see on the stick, what I see is that on one side of the dipstick it looks like oil goes way above the top notch, whereas on the other side it appears that it stops right at the top notch.

Should I be worried? I really don't want to have to go through draining again if I don't have to.

 

Sounds like you are fine. Something in the tube seems to smear oil along one edge of the dipstick so that seems normal. The other edge being at the top notch sounds correct. You can sand the dipstick to make it easier to read in the future.

Coming in a bit under from the drain is normal. Some is left in the filter you took off. Some is left in your drain pan. The truck burns a tiny bit too of course.

 

Thank you for the reply. This makes me feel better.

 

I’ve changed mine with out jacking it up but I usually do anyway. Oh and +1 on a little dip stick sanding.

 

i didn't see it mentioned anywhere in this thread , has anyone ever cut open the Toyota filter to see how the element compares to others like Wix, Mobil1, Fram, etc?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/toyota-oil-filter-made-in-thailand-vs-the-competition.123608/

 

No disrespect for Chris4x4, but time flies!!!

 

Unless girls suddenly got taller, there's still a lot of phone books being kept in the bedrooms of America!

 

I used a POM 48oz bottle under my oil filter fits perfectly all I had to do was cut the bottle at an angle and place it directly under the filter.

 

Hi everyone, I recently bought a new 2019 4 cylinder short bed Tacoma. I hit the 5000mile mark and took it to the dealer for service. Once there I was told that the engine oil wasn’t getting charged because it was factory recommended at 10,000 miles. Guy said it is synthetic oil and that Toyota recommendation was to change it at the 10,000 mile mark. Is this really true??? I’m new at this with Toyota. Any feed back is great, thanks

 

Yes. 4cyl uses synthetic. I believe all 3rd Gens do. Welcome to the site.

 

But at how many miles do I change the oil? the Toyota dealer said, “ oil change at 10,000 miles”

 

Should be a little booklet called "Warranty & Maintenance Guide" in your glove box. Has answers to all those wonderful questions. Should be a big booklet called "Owners Manual" that shows you everything about it. Both can be downloaded off the Toyota Owners website in PDF.