Frustrating oil change experience

Moral of the story…change ur own damn oil.

Yes, posting to vent a bit, but not solely to bitch, also posting to commiserate, and as a cautionary tail to inspire others to do their own fluid changes.

Here we go:
Last oil change was done at a shop. Today i went to change my oil, i have full ARB skids. This time, (after the suggestion of a member), i tried to do the oil change without dropping my skids.

Draining was easy enough, gave the oil pan skid plate the ole reach around and got the hose on the fumoto (short nip) valve easy enough. But, i could not get the oil filter housing off without dropping the IFS skid, not enough room to pull the ratchet handle without bumping metal…

So, i had to drop the front skid. The mf’er who did the last oil change must have blasted the plate’s bolts on with an impact because low and behold, the welded nut that it bolts too (all the way up front) had broken it’s weld and was just spinning. I couldnt get pliers in there to hold the nut and to loosen the bolt. Was unable to get the skid plate off.

So after a while I had to just fill her back up and keep the old filter in place. Now i need to go to a shop and see if they will weld the nut back for me.

So…change your own oil, other people dgaf and will break your shit…

Also if you have an idea for a solution i am all ears. Thinking of having a shop weld the nut on but…they’d have to remove my steelie I’m sure…

I may just buy a really long handled ratchet and see if I can remove the filter and leave the skid plate there indefinitely

Or buy a hole saw so i can get to the filter using an extension through the skid….

Pic of the front end because…we all love pics…

 

Lets hope the Tech that did the last oil change remembered to put a filter element in the housing.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/no-oil-filter.748693/

 

If you never change your own oil, you never need to deal with the mistakes of the dumbass that changed it last.

 

Very sexy bumper man.




Thanks fuck i do all my oil changes... Gives me a chance to check the undercarriage for leaks too.

 

Most if not all of what we generously call technicians install and remove every fastener they can with a cordless driver, usually one of the compact impact drivers. ZFG about the fastener....because they don't plan on seeing it again.

If you rely on paid techs, the likelihood that you get on of the 5% that 1- know what they are doing and 2- give a shit is slim on simple service work

 

But that also works both ways.

 

I’m just here for the pic.

I have also had a bad oil change experience too, sorry to hear about it.

 

I have dealt with situations similar to this where the welded-on bolt comes off. The welded-on bolt is not always a hex head. Sometimes it's just a thick, round threaded tube that gets welded on.

Sometimes by removing some other stuff that's in the way, I can clamp a vice grip onto the nut that came off. When that has failed, I sometimes need to drill out the bolt from underneath, or grind off the bolt head. Grinding off the bolt head is relatively simple but tedious. Drilling out the bolt is a goofy process that requires clamping a vice grip to the bolt head, and then drilling thru the head with a bit about the same diameter as the bolt.

The next part is to replace the nut. Sometimes a steel rivet nut will work. In other situations, I have used a 1/4-ish inch thick piece of narrow steel bar that is about 3 inches long. I drill and tap the bar in the center in the correct size for the bolt. Then I clamp it in place temporarily while I drill in two places for 1/8 or 3/16 inch steel rivets. Then I clean up the mating part of the steel bar and the place on the vehicle where it will fit. Then I glurp up a spare bolt with oil or, better, anti-sieze paste. I butter the steel plate with a generous amount of JB Weld. Then I put in place, aligning the rivet holes and bolt hole. Put the oiled bolt in the hole to prevent the JB Weld from seeping into the threads. Then fasten the rivets.

This has always worked. It's annoying, but it works. There's a variation where I braze a nut to a thinner sheet of steel, then chase the nut's threads. I then drill for rivets and use a lubed bolt like the first method.

 

When I read stuff like this it makes me glad I do all my own service.

I never even took my truck in for the ToyotaCare free oil changes.

 

Oil changes are all about time and not quality for dealerships and shops

 

In northern shops, quickest way is to liquify the spinning bolt head with an acetylene torch. Then you replace either of the two frame braces that houses the broken weld nuts, P/N 5140304020 (RH) or 5140404020 (LH).

 

When I take mine to the dealer for oil changes(under warranty). I remove the skid plate that covers the oil filter housing before going. I replace it when I get home and check the torque on the oil filter canister. I bring the truck in every 10000 miles to comply with service manual and a I change the oil every 6 months or 5000 miles in between.

 

Unfortunately this is the type of shit the flatrate system dealer techs get paid on creates. All the places I worked at paid us 18 minutes (.3hr) to get the work order, find the vehicle, bring it into the shop, get it on the lift, change the oil, look the vehicle over, get it back out to the lot, fill out the paperwork, and return the keys.

I'm not justifying their shoddy work but I understand why.

 

The access panel on my Miata's splash guard is held up by a whopping nine bolts.

The first time I changed my oil on that one, I had to find an adapter to mate my 12mm with the breaker I use for my tire lugs. And then I had to find a way to mate the breaker with the 8mm allen key for the drain plug. And then again on the filter puller. Whoever had that car before me must have really loved their impact wrench, because there isnt a single thread on that car that yields without a massive fight.

 

My skid busted the same welds on multiple locations. It makes me wonder if the previous owner never took it off to change the oil...
Now I use wing nuts and it's fine

 

Hmm thanks for the responses gentlemen.
Wingnut with a lock washer might be a decent solution instead of welding it on.

If not i’ll try the lubed bolt and jb weld

First order of business is getting that dirty filter off. Figured it might be nice to have a 1.25” diameter access hole to slip an extension through for future oil changes so I just ordered this guy…long handled ratchet was more expensive so I went this route but we’ll see how this goes

 

Thanks for helping to reinforce my own theories and general stubborn-ness lol

The only oil changes I didn't do myself (ever, on any vehicle I've ever owned) were the first 2 free ones I got with the truck. And I 100% checked the oil level after...

 

Same here and they screwed one of those up (leak afterwards) and one of my tire rotations I ended up missing lug nuts

 

Most quick lube places or even dealers are all about getting vehicles in and out and this is surely the case with oil changes. Some places brag 10 minute oil changes, so fast you don't even leave you vehicle.

Realistically a 10 minute oil change anyone would have to cut corners. But most people who don't know how to do an oil change wouldn't necessarily know that.

I had issues with Valvoline and their oil change shops. They couldn't get the oil filter housing off. So I took it back to the dealer who did the oil change prior. Anyways I got the truck back and they recommend all these fluid changes for a truck with 30k miles on it. I got a second opinion and the guy basically said you don't need any of that. Well, ever since then I've done my own trucks oil. Like you said, change your own oil!

 

Where was the leak?

I forgot to mention (forgot it even happened), the last 'free' oil change they didn't tighten the lug nuts properly. I always go through and make sure they're torqued properly and about half of them weren't. Maybe this is what happened to you.

The ONLY other thing I had the stealership do was replace both front idler pulleys under warranty because they were squeaking. At 90k miles the squeak is back so I'm probably going to do that soon and replace the belt(s) while I'm at it.

This is why I never trust anyone else to work on my stuff. I trust a professional airline pilot to fly safely from point A to point B (sometimes C and D etc) but even then I have reservations, unless I meet the pilots beforehand (can happen when your flight is delayed significantly and they are in the same area you are in the waiting area). Very very few people in my life do I trust to work on my stuff, let alone random teenagers / strangers at a stealership or otherwise.

Engine oil is literally the most critical part of your vehicle. One young inexperienced or ignorant or dumb person could destroy your engine. WHY would anyone put that power over you into the hands of complete strangers is beyond me. I drive by one of those quick oil change places almost daily and there are lines of cars... People need to learn from their fathers / grandfathers how to fix and do things themselves and 90% of problems go away instantly.