First Oil Change - Questions and Problem

[934x4]

Yesterday I got under the Mighty 4R for the first time. It's coming to 5k miles, and I want to change the oil and filter. So here's what happened;

First of all, I see a small hatch in the 2nd skidplate. Is that for access to the sump drain?

Second; I start to investigate, and when I try to pull the front skid plate off, a front bolt is so tight my body is spinning on the garage floor trying to move it. Naturally the socket slips and I end up stripping the head of the bolt. My problem is the bolt is in a recess, and I can't get at it without an extension. Do I drill it out? I'm hoping there is just a nut welded on the back of the plate that would be easy to replace.

Third; Once I get the frickin' thing off and get to the filter, do I need the Toyota SST (specialty service tool) to get the filter apart? The whole process looks pretty straight forward, but I think the filter shell is plastic, and I sure don't want to snap anything there.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Antman]

Let me save you before someone on here clubs you to death with the "search" function... :bash:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/59549-anyone-changed-oil-yet-5th-gen.html#post492226

That will get you through the process, and there are plenty of other threads out there.

As far as the bolt goes- here is what I would do if it's stripped. Find yourself a socket that is slightly too small for the bolt head ( maybe an SAE size). Heat the bolt head with a torch until it glows red. While it's still glowing, hammer the socket onto the bolt head so you can remove the bolt. Either use an impact wrench, or just brace your feet on the tires so you don't spin around down there! Then buy a new bolt.

 

[offroadingatc]

If you can weld, just weld some scrap steel to the stripped bolt head, then use that to unscrew it. The heat should help expand everything a bit and help break it free too (just wait for it too cool so the bolt itself shrinks back down)

 

[gwcpa]

Do you have the ToyotaCare service? Just wondering why you'd bother changing yourself. Maybe take to them now and act like nothing happened?

Now I know you may have 0W/20, so you'll have to wait another 5k.

I thought all 2011's had TC, but maybe not? Or not in Canada?

 

[harper7]

IMO....It sounds like you need to take it to the dealership or a mechanic.I have no clue how you could strip it if you were using a 12mm six point socket as required.

To do it yourself.....And since your talking about one of those bolts that are recessed up in the skid plate a torch will do you no good,it will need to have the head drilled off with a cobalt or equivalent hardened drill bit to remove the skid plate to get at it.
Remember....Drilling hardened steel like these bolts is low rpm's and high pressure on your drill motor or your burn the bit up in 2 seconds. Drilling aluminum,soft metal,plastic, ect and it's high rpm's ,low pressure.

Then when you can get to what's left of the bolt,see if you can grip it with vise grips and if not, a "easy out" can be tried next.If that still doesn't work then you'll have to drill it the rest of the way out starting with smaller diameter bits and working your way up to the size in a "heli-coil kit" for the size bolt needed.The nuts are tack welded in the frame and not easy to change.

 

[934x4]

Thanks for all the advice men. I answered all my own questions and problems today. I should have given it another shot before I came here.

Anyhow, with the bolt; I ground down a 12mm socket to get the 6 corners flush with the face of the socket, instead of the slight bevel it had. I bopped the socket onto the bolt head with a hammer and it gave after that. Maybe the hammer shot loosened it up, I don't know. The trouble with the bolt is the head isn't very deep, and this baby was in there tight.

The biggest hassle of the filter change is that skid plate. It does hang from a couple of hinge clips that hook into frame. I decided to take the plate completely off because I wanted to do the work from the front. I really don't like having my entire body under a vehicle. Call it claustrophobia, or whatever the phobia of being crushed is - squishophobia? (and yes, it was on blocks, with jackstands and a pair of cut tree stumps for backup. That's how phobic I am)

Anyhow, to get that plate off, instead of trying to get the clips out blindly, I just took off the plastic deflector in front of the plate. 3 more bolts to get that out, and it really made things alot easier than trying to work around a hanging plate

As for the filter change itself, pretty darn easy. I went to a local shop and the guy there was nice enough to lend me the 65mm cap socket (the Toyota SST). Everything came out and went in easy. That 0W-20 oil is so thin it runs like water, so it drains quick.

So now that I know what I'm dealing with, future changes will be a piece o' cake. And I wouldn't trust a quickie lube place to do that work. I can see them easily over-tourquing the filter cap. I would barely trust a Toyota dealer. I've always changed my own oil/filter so I know the work is done properly.

 

[NHinAK]

Thanks for all the advice men. I answered all my own questions and problems today. I should have given it another shot before I came here.

Anyhow, with the bolt; I ground down a 12mm socket to get the 6 corners flush with the face of the socket, instead of the slight bevel it had. I bopped the socket onto the bolt head with a hammer and it gave after that. Maybe the hammer shot loosened it up, I don't know. The trouble with the bolt is the head isn't very deep, and this baby was in there tight.

The biggest hassle of the filter change is that skid plate. It does hang from a couple of hinge clips that hook into frame. I decided to take the plate completely off because I wanted to do the work from the front. I really don't like having my entire body under a vehicle. Call it claustrophobia, or whatever the phobia of being crushed is - squishophobia? (and yes, it was on blocks, with jackstands and a pair of cut tree stumps for backup. That's how phobic I am)

Anyhow, to get that plate off, instead of trying to get the clips out blindly, I just took off the plastic deflector in front of the plate. 3 more bolts to get that out, and it really made things alot easier than trying to work around a hanging plate

As for the filter change itself, pretty darn easy. I went to a local shop and the guy there was nice enough to lend me the 65mm cap socket (the Toyota SST). Everything came out and went in easy. That 0W-20 oil is so thin it runs like water, so it drains quick.

So now that I know what I'm dealing with, future changes will be a piece o' cake. And I wouldn't trust a quickie lube place to do that work. I can see them easily over-tourquing the filter cap. I would barely trust a Toyota dealer. I've always changed my own oil/filter so I know the work is done properly.

That's the same reason why I do my own (simple) maintenance. I sleep better knowing that the work was done to my standard; not a strangers.

I had a hell of a time doing the first change on my T4R. I had oil all over the garage floor because I couldn't get the filter housing drain tube to stick into the housing. Now, I just unscrew the housing and let it drain as I unscrew it.

 

[sandwich]

That's the same reason why I do my own (simple) maintenance. I sleep better knowing that the work was done to my standard; not a strangers.

I had a hell of a time doing the first change on my T4R. I had oil all over the garage floor because I couldn't get the filter housing drain tube to stick into the housing. Now, I just unscrew the housing and let it drain as I unscrew it.

That sounds like it would make a huge mess, unscrewing the housing without draining it. Doesn't the oil just fall all over your arm and skid plate?

 

[NHinAK]

That sounds like it would make a huge mess, unscrewing the housing without draining it. Doesn't the oil just fall all over your arm and skid plate?

It doesn't make as much of a mess as you would think. There's a little oil that drains down the filter housing without draining it, but the oil catch pan catches it all. I get just as much oil on my arms when I use the plastic drain tool. If Toyota would come out with a specific tool (SST) it would probably work a lot better.

I remove the skid plate to change the oil.