pic request- oil filter housing BEFORE 1st oil change

looking for how the clip relates to the filter housing on the 3rd gen 3.5. i just changed mine and the clip doesn't seem to be in any position to do anything. removing the filter there was some resistance but i could not see why.

pics of untouched housings with the clip in place from factory are appreciated- closest dealer is 20 miles away and i dont want to have to make that 45 minute trip each way.

LOL.

thanks!

 

I don’t have a 3rd, but I know what you are looking for, (mechanic)

The clip you refer to is supposed to prevent the filter housing from unscrewing due to vibration. It is the same as putting a hose clamp at the base of a “regular” filter ad setting it agains the pan or other metal protrusion.

Yours has no resistance because it is either broke or bent. If it is bent you attempt to straighten it, rarely do they straighten.

Or buy a new one.....IF you want it there.

If you did the change and install correctly then you don’t need to worry. Plenty of yotas runnin round missing this piece.

Plastic filter cup torque 18 lbs ft

 

yes, i torqued the housing to 18 ft lbs. i did the housing drain plug to 10ft lbs first. i read that the motiv tool (what i bought especially for this housing) moves the clip out of the way as you loosen/tighten. I could not see up in there well enough to confirm that. I watched a few videos and in one, the guy had the same experience backing it out. Kinda some resistance but not alot- you could not use your hand without the ratchet for a few turns. so does that clip hang vertically with the little "foot" facing downward and closer to the housing? is it in a fixed position meaning it just either comes down/off or up/on and does not rotate? what is the toyota procedure in dealing with that clip? remove it then re-install? I could find this information anywhere before i did mine so i thought it wasn't relevant and would just land in place properly with the RIGHT tool.

where is the clip supposed to land in relationship to the housing? I would figure if torqued properly it would be right near one of the plastic fins on the housing so that the clip would rest against a fin if it loosened a little, but it is not. I cannot tell if it would stop the housing from loosening up if it did get loose because the nearest fin counter clockwise to it is at least 1/2 turn or 180degrees. i did try to bend it towards the housing but am not sure if it did or not. seems to be thicker metal. i will try it again with the skid removed later.

i just want to make sure this is done right.

i have done scores and scores of oil changes in all my vehicles over the past 20 some years and never had an issue with a filter backing out- i always did the good and tight method there, then used a ratchet for 1/8 to 1/4 turn more. never had a leak or an issue removing filters. this is my first cartridge type filter and plastic to boot.

 

It sounds like you made it more difficult than it needed to be. That clip can be taken on and off. It has a spot on the housing it’s supposed to align with. The reason you get resistance is because the housing expands with heat and over time it’ll get really tight. The clip is there to stop it from coming off like stated.

Look at the housing and there should be a mark, I believe on the drivers side of the housing if I remember correctly. I’ll take a picture later on today of my housing to give you an idea if still needed.

 

so here is a pic of mine. you see the clip at 45 degrees. the nearest fin if it were to break loose is at about 60 degrees so at the bottom of the pic but closer to the clip. the tool has zero effect on moving that clip out of the way. so i suppose you should really either remove the clip- i tried but cant get a screwdriver up in there on the other side to pry it off- or bend out of way as you loosen filter. i was able to slightly bend the clip inwards towards the housing but am still not sure if this is enough or not.

 

The big hunk of plastic in the 11 o’clock position, that goes where the clip is. I could pop my clip on and off, I believe it just slides, and the filter should be able to thread in to where it aligns with the metal clip.

 

well the thing is, i torqued to 18 ft lbs. it seems like it's quite tight on there now. i really don't want to over tighten. i suppose what's the point of having an exact torque spec if it's going to have to rest in that position. i suppose my torque wrench could be a hair inaccurate but i have used it for everything from spark plugs to trans pan bolts with no issues.. what to do......

as far as the clip, i can't budge mine. i have tried some various screw drivers of various length and i can get the tab in the rear to lift but i cannot get the whole thing to slide off. i will try again later with some gloves on for better grip/less fear of getting a cut.

 

Honestly, I didn’t torque mine. I tightened it enough to where I can get the clip and filter housing to align together, and use good judgement in how tight it is. Are you trying to pop it off sideways instead of sliding it up? Once you tighten the filter in you shouldn’t struggle to get past the clip and it’ll just pop over the plastic piece in the housing.

 

Honestly, I wouldn’t worry bout the clip, just don’t over tighten the plastic cap.

Now if I was still working at a shop, yeah it would all go back in and be functional. Liability reasons.

The clip is kind of a pain to remove, a few I used to work with would pull em with vise grips or cut em off.

As far as being a little hard to get off,
Lube the o ring with grease instead of oil and a very small amount of anti seize on the threads helps. No, it will not cause the cup to back off. You would not be coating the full threaded area. Only a light coat.

 

i was trying to pull the clip down in order to try to then bend the little foot so it's closer to the housing just in case it loosens. it's hard to see but i believe all the fins are flush with the edge of the housing so they won't catch against the clip any more than the housing itself unless that clip's foot is bent closer towards the housing. i think i am good to go if i could convince myself that the foot is closer to those fins and would stop after the filter loosened that 15 or 20 degrees- if it ever did which is doubtful. i am not going to loosen the filter housing to test as once i do that, i'd want to replace the oring and then that opens up the can of worms on oil level etc... i have seen some other posts on here with pics. some have the clip near the large single fin, others have it like mine and not close to either set of fins but none show the clip among the 3 fins...


a pic of a from the factory taco before it's first oil change would go along way. i may need to go to the dealer to snap a pic if i can't get someone on here with a new taco to take a pic.

 

Just for your peace of mind, on my old 2011 4Runner that uses the same oil filter system the metal fin broke off and I couldn’t put it back. I would just tighten it down a decent amount and poke my head down every few weeks. I drove it like that for quite some time with no issues.

 

yeah. i mean i have 2 other cars and have had many more other cars all with the normal spin on filters and i just always tightened as tight as i could with my left or right hand then used a wrench to go another 1/8th to 1/4 turn and have never had an issue with one leaking or getting it off at the next oil change. all those other cars didn't have this clip thing like the taco does.

i will just check time to time between now and next oil change- in 6 months- at least i can check it easily without taking the skid off.

 

In Robert stack voice. Update!!!!

Went to my dealer. Looked at 2 brand new trd or 4x4 tacos. The clip is oriented further away on the news ones than mine is by a few degrees which means I snugged it up a tad more than the factory did. I took some pics. The clip aka retainer tab was nowhere near any of the fins. Just how mine is after my oil change. Spoke with the lead diagnostic mechanic and he said they really don't do anything and that he thinks they may have been put on just for ease of assembly at the factory. Anyhow, feel better now.

 

And here is mine.

 

Now you know that it ain’t no big deal and that some ASE mechanics are not all that.

The clip is there to prevent a turn back of the canister, lots of the higher end cars have some sort of safety feature like this.

Honestly, don’t worry bout it.

(ASE.....Ain’t Smart Enough)

 

well if a seasoned toyota tech doesn't know what the clip does, and it's not anywhere in the owners manual, how are us DIY'ers supposed to know?

looking at the "cap" (what the tech called the housing) on the pre-1st oil change taco and mine, they are very much the same. The tab on theirs rests about the same as mine does- it barely crosses over the plastic housing rim but hard to tell due to angles. But based on my pics, i was ok before i tried bending it inward and am def ok now.

 

I understand your concerns; I'm quite OCD myself, going so far as to safety wire my conventional filters, and oil drain bolts.

My 2016 4Runner would always be nice and snug, with the clip just clicking over the "retaining bump"... secure enough to satisfy even me.

I'll crawl under my Taco (~1,100 miles now) and see where the clip lies. If it's not where I want it, I'll adjust it or use some other method to secure it (and post pics).

ALSO... What is the thread measurement on our oil drain bolts??? I know I can look it up, just asking while I'm here. I need to order a pre-drilled bolt from probolt-usa.com

 

My is350 has basically the same 2GR under the hood. The filter is in the same spot, Lexus has the metal can instead of the plastic one, it’s the same size (use the same filter wrench), however the Lexus has no clip. Same 18 ft-lb spec, I do 20 since that’s the lowest my torque wrench goes. If you break it off, bend it, or whatever position you leave it in I highly doubt it’s going to matter.

 

You are not supposed to know, you are supposed to question your skills and what looks funny, then take it someplace to get the truck serviced.... it is a way to get asses in the doors of dealers and fast lube places.
I’m not surprised the Toyota “Tech” has no idea of what this is. ASE books don’t talk about this kind of stuff which is an adaptation from racing.
It is rare that you find an ASE mechanic who has worked in the professional racing scene.

If you can find one, he is the one you stick with. At least now you are smarter than the “lead tech”

 

the tech i spoke with when asked about the metal "caps" and changing them from our plastic "caps", said that toyota wouldn't care if i changed it and wouldn't deny a claim or anything. to me though, i'd rather just use the oem plastic and snug it right and it "should" never break.