Would you please elaborate on this as I'm not following the logic behind it? Where would the extra oil remain? Why wouldn't it just gravity feed out of the oil pan plug hole or the oil filter location to begin with?
DIY Oil Change Observations
- Thread starter ColoradoOutdoors
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He's saying a vacuum is behind the oil in the galleys leading to the filter which will keep the oil in the galleys from draining.
Maybe. But opening the oil fill cap should vent the crankcase and allow the oil to flow out. But most crankcases are not that air tight.
Just did my 10k mile oil change - I've got a little learning you can hopefully benefit from.
Looks like the oil cap actually requires a pretty meaningful amount of torque - more than I was expecting. I noticed a small amount of oil has been blowing out of my oil cap, likely creating a vacuum leak in my engine. The cap is mighty difficult to remove if you overtighten it, but boy does it take more tightening than I expected. I don't think I did a ton of permanent damage, but I did probably suck some dirt into the engine that didn't need to be in there.
I'd suggest popping the plastic NVH engine cover ~1000 miles after an oil change to look for any oil mist around the filler neck and make sure your cap is sealing as it's supposed to.
On the plus side, now that my oil cap is tight, my car idles like a dream. I was having some rough idle situations where I could physically see the passenger seat vibrate, and today - nothing of the sort. I guess this engine is very sensitive to small crankcase vacuum leaks. It will probably be a bear to undo the oil cap next time I do an oil change, but I guess that's just what I'll have to live with. Wish Toyota had an oil cap with positive stops or that clicky torque mechanism I've seen in some cars.
Looks like the oil cap actually requires a pretty meaningful amount of torque - more than I was expecting. I noticed a small amount of oil has been blowing out of my oil cap, likely creating a vacuum leak in my engine. The cap is mighty difficult to remove if you overtighten it, but boy does it take more tightening than I expected. I don't think I did a ton of permanent damage, but I did probably suck some dirt into the engine that didn't need to be in there.
I'd suggest popping the plastic NVH engine cover ~1000 miles after an oil change to look for any oil mist around the filler neck and make sure your cap is sealing as it's supposed to.
On the plus side, now that my oil cap is tight, my car idles like a dream. I was having some rough idle situations where I could physically see the passenger seat vibrate, and today - nothing of the sort. I guess this engine is very sensitive to small crankcase vacuum leaks. It will probably be a bear to undo the oil cap next time I do an oil change, but I guess that's just what I'll have to live with. Wish Toyota had an oil cap with positive stops or that clicky torque mechanism I've seen in some cars.
I'm skeptical, but will test that theory at the next oil change, assuming that I remember to do so.
This is an interesting observation. I've had the oil cap off 15 or more times in the seven months of ownership. But as you point out, I have not looked closely (i.e., inspected) under the engine cover for any spray. But now I will.
I have not noticed any unusual tightness in mine.
Years ago I remember reading a description about how oil fill caps have a tapered thread for 1/4 of the first (if you are removing) turn, or 1/4 of the final turn if you are securing, and parallel threads for the remainder. That's what makes the familiar tight feeling for the first 1/4 to 1/2 turn when you are unscrewing. People mostly don't notice, supposedly.
I have a habit of always placing the thread end of the oil cap in a cupped paper towel/shop rag when it's removed. And then wiping the threads before reinserting.
The first time I undid the cap (factory installed), I nearly had to get a crescent wrench - it was so incredibly tight. I think it's just the rubber gasket sticking to the filler neck, but man did it take some finger strength to unscrew.
So I tried to tighten the cap less, but it looks like it wasn't quite tight enough. Looks like I'll have to tighten it a good amount and just live with the fact that it'll be hard to undo, as I don't regularly remove the cap the same way you do.
So I tried to tighten the cap less, but it looks like it wasn't quite tight enough. Looks like I'll have to tighten it a good amount and just live with the fact that it'll be hard to undo, as I don't regularly remove the cap the same way you do.
Well, I changed my oil today for the first time ever, and the most difficult part was removing the skid plate because the bolts were screwed in so tightly. That made me think about the dealership—whether they actually changed the oil filter or not—because the bolts looked almost new. I’m 99% sure they had never been unscrewed before. If they were never removed, then there’s no way the oil filter could have been changed—it’s just impossible. Also, after 5,000 miles, the oil was very black. I’m not sure if that’s normal or not, but when I took it to an oil change shop for recycling, the mechanic asked how many miles were on the oil. When I told him only 5,000 miles, he was surprised by its condition. That’s another red flag about whether the dealership is actually changing the oil.
I don’t put a lot of stock in the color of used oil. Twin turbos are hot and I’d imagine they make the oil look dark quicker than non turbos. I change the oil myself so I don’t have to worry about what the dealership may or may not have done.
Perhaps they used an impact driver to tighten them? It wouldn't be a good practice if they did.
They could have reached it from the top. Was there any evidence of oil on the skid plate?
How many miles were on your GX when the dealership was supposed to have changed the oil and how many miles were on it when you changed the oil?
I did not notice any oil spots on skid plate, but to be honest i did not look at it closely
I had Service at 10k when they changed oil and using service schedule, the next oil change at 20k (10k interval), but i changed myself at 15k. So ~5000 miles
A little off topic - I marked my tires early on so I could keep track of where I moved them. I took my GX in for the 5k checkup a while ago and the write-up summary mentioned rotating the tires. I checked them when I got home and surprise - they were never rotated. You could use a paint pen and mark the filter to ensure it was changed or mark one of the skid plate bolts and see if it's position changed. I don't trust dealers.
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- #93
This is exactly why DIY oil is so satisfying. You know it is done and done right. I did have the dealer do the "free" oil change and at least I got a video summary of the GX, including the oil being drained and he specifically mentioned putting on a new crush washer. Nice. But a couple of the skid plate bolts were only hand tight.
Agree with the tire paint marker approach for rotation, and I always mark date/mileage on my oil filters for "proof of change" by dealer if need be. A little challenging on black Lexus filters and much easier for blue AC Delco filters for the GM trucks!
Agree with the tire paint marker approach for rotation, and I always mark date/mileage on my oil filters for "proof of change" by dealer if need be. A little challenging on black Lexus filters and much easier for blue AC Delco filters for the GM trucks!
FWIW, I use an orange paint marker acquired from Harbor Freight.
I get everything being said here. They don’t make money on warranty work. I specifically requested my tire pressures be set to 34 psi at my last service. I know they are low profile. I know you get longer life from tires kept at higher pressures. But I prefer grip and smoother ride over longevity in a tire, without getting dangerously low on pressure.
I checked them shortly after leaving the dealership. A 37, two 38s, and a 39, with the spare still set on the 42 psi I had set it to several months ago.
I hate being old and broken down. I always enjoyed doing my own maintenance work. I always used their filters, brake pads, and specified oils. But I find myself forced to trust in the flakiest aspect of servicing my vehicles—labor.
I checked them shortly after leaving the dealership. A 37, two 38s, and a 39, with the spare still set on the 42 psi I had set it to several months ago.
I hate being old and broken down. I always enjoyed doing my own maintenance work. I always used their filters, brake pads, and specified oils. But I find myself forced to trust in the flakiest aspect of servicing my vehicles—labor.
It's hard to find a good dealership service center. Most are doing good just to find bodies that come to work most days. Labor is not what it used to be.
Oddly enough I have a great experience with my local Ford dealer and my heavily modified Bronco. I do most of the work myself but still need them to do some of the computer modifications and updates. I had it in this week for a TSB software fix for a timing issue. While there the service manager saw all my tires at 28psi and told the mechanic don't touch them. That's were I want them so leave them alone. They've been genuinely interested in some of my mods that required bypassing Fords programming restrictions. Not from a you can't do that perspective but from a learning perspective on what's possible. I think it helps the owner is a small town local guy whose family has been here for many generations and not a corporate owned dealership.
Great tip. And timely, too.
I was browsing through Home Depot yesterday and saw a Milwaukee brand paint pen. In the interest of not walking out empty handed I grabbed one and marked my tires today, purposely inconspicuous. I have the 5K service appt tomorrow and I'll see where the marks are after the work is done.
Make sure they swap your spare in when your tires are rotated, too! Especially if you pay for a tire rotation; it's part of the benefit of having a full size, matching spare tire.
I know there are sometimes differing opinions about that, but I for one want to get every usable mile out of these expensive tires before buying a set of 5. Plus - I don't want to cause any weird differential issues from running tires with mismatched diameters if I ever need the spare, though the factory Dunlop GrandTreks don't really have a ton of tread depth even when new.
I know there are sometimes differing opinions about that, but I for one want to get every usable mile out of these expensive tires before buying a set of 5. Plus - I don't want to cause any weird differential issues from running tires with mismatched diameters if I ever need the spare, though the factory Dunlop GrandTreks don't really have a ton of tread depth even when new.
Did my first DIY oil change this past weekend at 2,700 miles and was super easy. The little oil filter drain pan is a very nice touch and appreciate the note for the tubing size in the OP. I don't plan on cutting my filter open, but the oil still looked pretty good. I followed the breakin procedure per manual for the first 600 miles, but have done a few hundred miles of towing since and definitely wanted to knock this first one out. I also like that they made the oil life monitor reset process easy enough within the settings vs some random convulated process.
I've not had a chance to use it yet, but I did buy this little 3d printed doo-dad to avoid having to deal with a hose, per a recommendation in a Care Care Nut video: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1710626570/new-tundra-sequoia-oil-filter-drain-tube
It's kind of crazy that Toyota designed and implemented a little funnel that drains oil onto the frame of every single vehicle the engine is installed into. It's not like they designed this funnel for another vehicle and simply didn't bother with a new part for the GX - every truck with this configuration of v35a that has the funnel drains the oil straight onto the frame (to my knowledge, anyway). Why, Toyota??? Why????
It's kind of crazy that Toyota designed and implemented a little funnel that drains oil onto the frame of every single vehicle the engine is installed into. It's not like they designed this funnel for another vehicle and simply didn't bother with a new part for the GX - every truck with this configuration of v35a that has the funnel drains the oil straight onto the frame (to my knowledge, anyway). Why, Toyota??? Why????
📷 Lexus GX 550 Random Images
📷 Lexus GX 550 Random Images
