I made the DIY because I couldn't find one specifically for the RX330. Lexus also apparently think no RX330 owner would ever change their own oil because they don't tell you how to locate the oil dilter and drain plug in the owner's manual. I hope others find this useful. Please comment.

I have a 2004 RX330 and after 23,000 miles, I've decided I'm going to do minor maintenance myself.

You'll need:
- 5qts of 5w-30 oil
- oil filter (see info below)
- drain plug gasket (see info below)
- 10mm socket wrench
- 14mm socket wrench
- oil catch container
- oil filter wrench (I used the nylon strap which seems pretty versitile)
- either jack stands or ramps
- funnel
- rags to soak up dripping oil

Part numbers:
Lexus parts:
90430-12031 - Gasket Oil Drain Plug
90915-YZZD1-01 - Oil Filter - 6 Cylinder

Toyota equivalent:
904-3012028 or 3012031 drain plug gasket $1.04
089-2202011 oil filter $4.99

1) Jack up the front of your car on stands or use ramps. The RX330 weighs 3850 lbs so make sure your ramps/stands can handle it. You might be able to get away without raising it if you slide on the floor, but it's tight.



2) Pop your hood and unscrew off the oil cap. I stuck a yellow funnel in mine. Notice the yellow dip stick on the left.



3) Lexus put some cosmetic plastic panels to make the "less car savy" believe the car is a magic transportation pod with no ugly mechanical internals. You'll need to remove two of them to access the filter and drain plug. The orange highlight is the panel that hides the filter, and the purple arrow shows where the panel that hides the drain plug is.



4) Get under the car to look for the drain plug panel (purple arrow in above picture). The panel will look like this. Remove all the 10mm bolts.



...

5) With the panel removed, the drain plug is revealed. Get a 14mm socket wrench and loosen the bolt. Position your oil catch container and remove the bolt. Lexus engineers did good.. they designed the bolt angle so the oil shoots down instead of to the side. Very nice.

Remove the drain plug bolt AND its gasket. If the gasket is not on the bolt, it's probably still stuck to the oil pan. Remove the gasket and discard.



6) As the oil is draining, work on removing the panel to the oil filter (orange). Remove all the 10mm bolts (red arrows).



7) There are two plastic clips (green arrows) also holding this panel on. Using a flathead screwdriver, carefully pry up the center part of the clip just a little. This will loosen the clip and the whole clip can be pulled out.



8) Pull off the panel. The other panels will be overlapped over it, but they flex enough to allow you to remove it. This is what it looks like without the panel.



9) After the oil is done draining, put the new gasket on the bolt and replace the bolt. Tighten the bolt for a good seal but don't over tighten. I don't know the official torque yet. Wipe up the oily bolt.

UPDATE: I got the Lexus service info... Torque the drain plug to 33ft-lbs (45Nm, 459 kgf-cm)

10) With the panel off, you can now see the oil filter (orange) and a nice gift from the Lexus engineers: an oil catch (green). Loosen the filter, and residual oil will drip out. The oil catch will guide the dripping oil out the oilpan/drainplug panel so position your oil catch below the catch.



11) On the new filter, dab a layer of fresh oil on the O-ring (the rubber ring around the outer lip of the open end of the filter). Align the threads of the new filter and spin it by hand onto the engine where the old filter was. When it makes contact, tighten by hand another 3/4 turn. Don't over tighten.

12) Wipe up oil drips. For me, even though the catch was there, some oil still dripped all over the exhaust pipe and panels. Wipe this up.

13) Fill the engine with 5w-30 oil, 5 qts. A funnel is helpful here.



14) Replace oil cap.

15) Replace both plastic panels.

16) Shut hood and drive around the block. Park the car on level ground and wait 15 minutes. Check for leaks and oil level.

I hope this is helpful to someone.

That's an AWESOME post!! Great photos and editing!!

Great thing to ref the oil filter / drain plug part numbers too!

Thanks!

Did I miss it or did you suggest running the engine for a few minutes before draining the oil so much of the sump "debris" is held in suspension within the oil for draining away?

Thanks for the detailed information and the visuals.

Good point. And interesting feigned altruism.

Great post. One question. can i buy the gasket at checkers or it is only available at the dealership.

We don't have a Checkers out here so I have no idea.

However, I can't imagine it being a problem getting the gasket anywhere so long as the size is correct. I just stock up on dealer filters/gaskets.

I got the torque specs for the drain plug. Torque the drain plug to 33ft-lbs (45Nm, 459 kgf-cm)

out of curiosity, what if i dont replace the drain plug gasket with a new one? Ive never done this for my past toyota cars.

It'll probably be ok. You just increase your chance of leaking oil through the bolt, but it's not a given. If you don't have a gasket, I wouldn't worry about it. Just get one next time.

Thanks for the post. It will come in handy when I attempt to change the oil on my 2005 RX. Just a couple of questions, what is the recommended oil change interval stated in the manual ? And how long (in time) did it take ?

I'll check and get back to you. Memory says 5000 miles. At least, that's what our Nav system (which has the automatic service computer in it says).

Since I had to discover stuff, it took me almost an hour, but that's because I had no DIY or service manual to help me. Now that I've done it, it can easily be done in under 30 minutes. I've found it's the "snags" that take up most of the time. Snags like:

- stuck oil filter
- misplaced bolts which have rolled into some unknown place in the garage

Thank you for the excellent post. I will certainly use it. Did you replace the cosmetic panels? An ancillary question for you.

In May I bought my wife the RX 330. She drives around 2-3000 miles per year. The service manual recomends an oil and filter change every 6 months/5000 miles, whichever comes first. I sent Lexus an email about a month ago asking if it was really necessary to change the oil and filter every six months on my wife's RX 330, or in the alternative would once a year suffice, and not invalidate the warranty. I've had no response from Lexus other that their intial computer generated response which said "we will be back to you asap", or words to that effect. Any thoughts from anyone. Thank you.

The 6 month, 5,000 mile service interval is the recommended MINIMUM allowable service interval required to keep the powertrain warranty in effect. It's an adequate interval to follow for owners who plan to sell / trade by the time the 6 year / 70,000 mile powertrain warranty expires.

However, owners who desire a troublefree Lexus for alot more years and miles should change the oil even more frequently.

Lots of first time Toyota / Lexus owners have unrealistic expectations. They expect a Toyota / Lexus to be troublefree for many years even if they do not keep up with the recommended MINIMUM allowable service intervals. These owners risk setting themselves up for a big dissappointment.

Great DIY set of instructions! I followed them step by step, and easily changed the oil. Thanks so much for posting such a comprehensive "manual," which made it so easy to help maintain my "magic transportation pod."

Sorry to bug you all - after 20min of searching - is there a similar post for the 2002 RX300? Thanks -Dave

Good job with the photos and stuff.

Has anyone figured out to clear the "service engine" light that comes on to remind you to change the oil? Mine is on and is annoying. This is not the check engine light that tells you the trouble codes.

Gary
'05 33

To reset that light, take your keys out of the ignition, push down on the button that select between odometer and trip meter on the dashboard. while the button is still held down, put the key in the ignition and turn it to on (do not start the car). after that maintenance light turn off, you can let go of the button.

bumpity because I'm using my own DIY.

moved to tutorial section for safe keeping.

steviej

This is an awesome DIY.. I should say, it's better than having a Lexus oil change manual.

Bump because I'm using my own DIY as a reference.

Just what I was looking for...and with pictures? Wow. Thank you very much.

Jim --

How close are these instructions/photos to a 2005 RX330? ?

Wanted to add my thanks for your taking the trouble to post a detailed set of instructions with pictures. Recently purchased a 2004 and after getting the first service done for free, it was time to DIY. I did note the following:

1) the ground clearance was sufficient that I did not have to raise the vehicle.

2) while I did follow the instructions exactly, it is possible to access and remove the filter from above if you have the correct size end cap oil filter wrench for your socket set. I didn't but will get one for next time. Has anyone else done this and have any comment? I can't recommend this way yet since it might be necessary to remove the panel anyway to clean up oil that drips when you remove the filter. In a few thousand miles I will let you know if this was a good or bad idea.

Again, Thanks.

Thanks for an excellent post!

Great post...just exactly what I was looking for.

I did take off the wrong panel under the engine and should have taken off the smaller panel in front of the engine.

I would suggest that when re-installing that front engine panel, you should install the two forward bolts first which will help line up the other panel holes and makes it easier at least on my 2004 RX330. Mine wouldnt line up installing the bolts on the rear of the panel first. I wasnt really sure where the two sheet metal screws went as compared to the bolts. I put the screws on the very outside edge of this panel near the headlights.

What surprised me the most was the color of the engine oil when I drained it after 5,000 miles. It didnt appear that dirty on the dipstick but came out pretty dark in the catch pan.

I would have never found the oil filter without this posting. Even the owners manual didnt show it on the front side of the engine.

Keep up the great work with even greater photos.

MoMiner

This is great info for RX330, but what about RX350's ? They use a cannister filter instead of a spin on. Info is not readily available, but the panels should be a least similar. I'm about to do mine, so we shall see?

Great job ChimChim! My first time to work on a car and this was a breeze. Just can't understand of why I had been paying Lexus ~$75 for a basic oil change, when the best oil and filter and a half hour of work costed me no more than $30 bucks! Thanks for the great description & pictures, the level of details was -just- perfect!!! If you are doing more work on your Lexus, do keep all of us newbies in mind; looking to read more from you.

With my recent experience, my next DIY project is changing brake pads and rotors, any advice folks?

Cheers'
AB

There is a guide on edmunds.com

I've never done this(brake job), but I want to try.

Great Post.

The one thing that I found was that previous to me someone had over tightened the bolts on the panels... so after I was done, I put the panels back on and set sail on to a 4 hour roadtrip. But I soon found out while doing about 90 m/h and the panel came loose, and there was a rather lound sound of plastic rubbing blacktop under my truck . I was SURE that I had tightened them. but sure enough the bolts had come loose on there own. Luckily I had a coat hanger, that was able to temprarily secure it with until I hit civilization, and then I ended up having to find a slightly larger set of bolts to hold it up.

But moral of the story, travel with a coat hange... jk, be aware that this may occur.

This is fantastic! Hopefully I will able to put it all to use tomorrow night. A super tight oil plug has suspened tonight's attempt. :( Thanks for putting this together.

Thanks for the hard work. You kept it very simple for those of us who are not very mechanically inclined.

Brake job on an RX is a piece of cake... All you need is a socket set, and at least a 6 inch C clamp to depress the calliper... If you've done any barake job b4 you'll be pleasently surprised... Losts of room to work makes it easy peazy...

Thank you very much for such great post. I'll definitely use it. I'll do the next oil change myself

This might be my first post. I can't remember. We recently purchased my wife's '06 RX330. I'll try to find a "new members" forum to say hi...

Since this thread seems to have been revived recently... Has anybody used a Fumoto Quikvalve drain valve on their RX? I love the one I have on my Tacoma, and I'm considering getting one for my wife's RX. I just need to know if there is room under the panel. It appears from the pictures that there is... anybody know for sure?

If you're wondering what I'm talking about, you can find the product here: http://www.qwikvalve.com/home.php

All Lexus engines (and all Toyota engines since 1993) take part # F103

Great write up on the oil change, btw. Thanks to the OP.

There's an easier way to get to the oil filter. I just took the heat shield off the exhaust manifold and then I could access the filter from the top of the car- three 10mm bolts and it was off. If you don't take the shield off, the filter won't fit between the shield and the cooling fan to get it out.

Also put some paper towels under the filter to catch any dripping oil. So much easier than removing that access panel under the car.

Very nice instructions.

Just curious, does anyone know why there are two different part numbers even when both are from Toyota?

Part numbers:
Lexus parts:
90430-12031 - Gasket Oil Drain Plug
90915-YZZD1-01 - Oil Filter - 6 Cylinder

Toyota equivalent:
904-3012028 or 3012031 drain plug gasket $1.04
089-2202011 oil filter $4.99

Excellent writeup. However, why would you want to change the oil while the car is on the ramp? I guess you would want the car to be ground level so all of the oil get out.

You're right, preference is to not drain while on ramps. However, I can't reach it otherwise. Plus I don't think it's that bad because the plug points to the rear.

Excellet post and with the pictures its very instructional.

I have a couple of comments. I dont think its necessary to replace the drain plug gasket everytime you drain the oil. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and in 10 years only replace the gasket once. It depends on the condition of the gasket so its up to the owner to inspect and replace if necessary.

Also in my MX-5 I replace the oil drain plug with a product called Fumoto Valve. This is use to replace the drain plug. The nice thing about this is to drain the oil you dont have to remove any drain plug. You just slide a small lever to open the valve and oil drains out. There is no need to replace any drain plug gasket either. I bought this thru the internet and it cost about $30. I believe there are similar products in the market now. (I am not associated with Fumoto or anybody). I will be using the fumoto on my 2010 RX 350 after the 25,000 free maintenance period.

What do you suggest? every 3000 miles?