Oil Change 5th Gen: How To- LOTS of PICS!
- Thread starter Antman
- Start date
sandcrawler
Senior Member
read the thread and find out!
Cheers!
Member
One tip...
to get the skid plate off you need just a tiny bit more clearance than what a stock ride height 4runner has.
Antman suggests grinding part of the tab off of the factory skid plate. I'm being one for not wanting to cut or pernamently change a brand new vehicle I decided to just get more space.
Just drive or jack your car onto two 2x6s stacked on top of each other. This gives you an extra 4" to be able to tilt your skid plate and unhook it from the cross member.
to get the skid plate off you need just a tiny bit more clearance than what a stock ride height 4runner has.
Antman suggests grinding part of the tab off of the factory skid plate. I'm being one for not wanting to cut or pernamently change a brand new vehicle I decided to just get more space.
Just drive or jack your car onto two 2x6s stacked on top of each other. This gives you an extra 4" to be able to tilt your skid plate and unhook it from the cross member.
Attachments
Cheers!
Member
Also anyone try the K&N filter cartridge?
K&N PS-7023
PS-7023 - K&N Performance Products, Oil Filter
K&N PS-7023
PS-7023 - K&N Performance Products, Oil Filter
Actually 3 inches. Thanks for tip - haven't done 1st change yet and was wondering if I wanted to grind on skid tabs.
ggunn9
New member
I use the K&N filter on my 4runner.
Holy shit. I just returned to this website after a two year hiatus and read this whole thread...AFTER I bought all the materials and AFTER a dramatic discussion with my wife about her 4Runner being past the free dealership changes and she wanted to take it to some shit quick lube. ("I have a Groupon" were her exact words. Of course this prompted a puffed up macho caveman rant by me...( something like "we change our own oil in this household dagnabbit...")
But...What a capital-'C'-friggen-'F' the Toyota engineers cooked up on this one! I'm seriously considering driving back over to the dealer where I bought the genuine Toyota oil (because of course I am a good American and always follow 'the rules') and pluck down the cash to let them deal with the frustration while I drink their coffee and laugh judgingly at every person who walks in excited about driving a Corolla.
Of course, I will do it myself out of sheet pride and stubbornness. But the whole time I will be asking myself is this shit really worth saving $100 a year?
But...What a capital-'C'-friggen-'F' the Toyota engineers cooked up on this one! I'm seriously considering driving back over to the dealer where I bought the genuine Toyota oil (because of course I am a good American and always follow 'the rules') and pluck down the cash to let them deal with the frustration while I drink their coffee and laugh judgingly at every person who walks in excited about driving a Corolla.
Of course, I will do it myself out of sheet pride and stubbornness. But the whole time I will be asking myself is this shit really worth saving $100 a year?
Lester Lugnut
New member
If you are 100% sure they are going to do it correctly EVERYTIME you come in for this service, then by all means, let them do it for you.
Baba Booey
New member
I am considering a new 4Runner to "supplement" - not replace- my current 4th Gen, and I came across this thread regarding the oil change. This is definitely not something I am looking forward to considering how easy it is for me to change the oil now.
One thing I have not seen mentioned is whether the 5th Gen requires lubing the driveshaft like the 4th Gen does. Does the 5th Gen driveshaft require grease like the 4th Gen or is it sealed like on many other vehicles?
Lubing the driveshaft probably takes more time than changing the oil on my 4th Gen, especially because my 4th Gen's ground clearance keeps shrinking as the vehicle ages .... as measured by the distance between the vehicle and my stomach....
One thing I have not seen mentioned is whether the 5th Gen requires lubing the driveshaft like the 4th Gen does. Does the 5th Gen driveshaft require grease like the 4th Gen or is it sealed like on many other vehicles?
Lubing the driveshaft probably takes more time than changing the oil on my 4th Gen, especially because my 4th Gen's ground clearance keeps shrinking as the vehicle ages .... as measured by the distance between the vehicle and my stomach....
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Has anyone had any issues with stepped bolts in changing their oil? I have three bolts that have been stripped as a result of oil changes or other maintenance. The dealer has stripped two, and I just stripped one this evening during an oil change. I think the bolt I stripped may been due a bad torque wrench, but I have never had a vehicle where so many bolts have been stripped during normal maintenance.
Baba Booey
New member
From the photos I have seen in this thread, my guess is that these bolts are not really bearing any significant loads, and so Toyota may use inexpensive (i.e. chitty) bolts in these particular applications.
If I buy a 5th Gen, I would consider taking many of the bolts removed during my first oil change to a good hardware store and replace them with stainless or Grade 8 bolts.
If I buy a 5th Gen, I would consider taking many of the bolts removed during my first oil change to a good hardware store and replace them with stainless or Grade 8 bolts.
Lester Lugnut
New member
I'm not a bolt expert, but I've seen worse than what Toyota uses.
The big metal pan that has 4 bolts - weighs right at or slightly over 15 lbs.......
My guess is people hate wrestling with it and go about getting the first 2 bolts to anchor. The pan starts getting heavy on the arm and the guy turning that bolt may not be as patient as he should about being sure the first couple of turns by hand are going smoothly. The impatient diyer. Right leg does a better job of initially anchoring that plate.
The dealer has better equipment; guess their trying to beat the clock. Flat rate or not, the sooner the lube tech gets done, the sooner he gets another job.
Yeah, one of the bolts that are stripped does secure the skid pan. The other two include one of the bolts securing the plastic fairing to the front of the skid plate and of the two bolts that secure the drain plug cover. The latter one is the bolt that I stripped with a (assuringly) bad torque wrench. I have tap and die kits to correct, but what a PITA.
sandcrawler
Senior Member
yes, 4WD models still require driveshaft lube in 6 locations: 2 slip yokes and 4 u-joints.I am considering a new 4Runner to "supplement" - not replace- my current 4th Gen, and I came across this thread regarding the oil change. This is definitely not something I am looking forward to considering how easy it is for me to change the oil now.
One thing I have not seen mentioned is whether the 5th Gen requires lubing the driveshaft like the 4th Gen does. Does the 5th Gen driveshaft require grease like the 4th Gen or is it sealed like on many other vehicles?
Lubing the driveshaft probably takes more time than changing the oil on my 4th Gen, especially because my 4th Gen's ground clearance keeps shrinking as the vehicle ages .... as measured by the distance between the vehicle and my stomach....
Last night I successfully performed this for my first time. I'm proud to say it took me exactly 1 hour and 11 minutes...not bad. I think I can cut it down by at least 20 minutes next time.
Antman, great writeup, thank you. I have a few additional observations/suggestions.
-Sometime between Antman's model and my 2013 model, Toyota changed the design of the skid cover and skid plate. My cover is attached to my plate. I unscrewed the 7 bolts of the cover and four bolts of the plate and it all comes down together.
-I didn't bother removing the skid plate. I can get at the filter with the plate swung down. It was a little annoying having to swing it back up every time I moved in and out of the workspace, but I figure this is less frustrating than trying to unhook the skid plate and reinstall it when completed.
-Popping the 'filter tool' into the existing filter doesn't just spray a little bit of hot oil. It completely drains the filter! So be sure you move your drain pan from the oil reservoir to the filter before you pop in the tool, or you'll have a big mess!
-Don't buy a cheap 64mm filter wrench. Mine got stuck to my filter housing, and I had to go caveman on it with a hammer to get it off. Also, you don't need to use it to tighten the filter back onto the truck. Just hand tighten the filter, and then when you put the bottom plug back on the filter you can use your 3/8" socket to tighten the whole filter.
-Don't mix up the two bolts that hold the cover plate for the oil drain plug with the four bolts for the skid plate. They are all 12mm bolts but are slightly different. The bolts for the skid plate have a slightly wider washer than the bolts for the oil drain cover plate.
-That anti-seize stuff is nasty. Wear gloves or you're hands will look like the Tin Man.
Antman, great writeup, thank you. I have a few additional observations/suggestions.
-Sometime between Antman's model and my 2013 model, Toyota changed the design of the skid cover and skid plate. My cover is attached to my plate. I unscrewed the 7 bolts of the cover and four bolts of the plate and it all comes down together.
-I didn't bother removing the skid plate. I can get at the filter with the plate swung down. It was a little annoying having to swing it back up every time I moved in and out of the workspace, but I figure this is less frustrating than trying to unhook the skid plate and reinstall it when completed.
-Popping the 'filter tool' into the existing filter doesn't just spray a little bit of hot oil. It completely drains the filter! So be sure you move your drain pan from the oil reservoir to the filter before you pop in the tool, or you'll have a big mess!
-Don't buy a cheap 64mm filter wrench. Mine got stuck to my filter housing, and I had to go caveman on it with a hammer to get it off. Also, you don't need to use it to tighten the filter back onto the truck. Just hand tighten the filter, and then when you put the bottom plug back on the filter you can use your 3/8" socket to tighten the whole filter.
-Don't mix up the two bolts that hold the cover plate for the oil drain plug with the four bolts for the skid plate. They are all 12mm bolts but are slightly different. The bolts for the skid plate have a slightly wider washer than the bolts for the oil drain cover plate.
-That anti-seize stuff is nasty. Wear gloves or you're hands will look like the Tin Man.
SKINUM
New member
No joke! Perhaps they wanted more people to stop in for oil changes? Seems like a bunch of useless steps to over complicate an oil change & offer no real benefit.
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