Changing Oil Filter

[oxfordlexusman]

Recently bought a 2001 ES 300.

Changed oil for the first time today, and what a mess when taking off the oil filter!!

Oil went everywhere.

The old filter was from a Goodyear Oil Change Shop.

Installed a Toyota filter.

Will I have another mess when I change filters again?

Never had a car with the filter in a location quite like this one.

[CUMan]

You are so right. What a mess!!

I wad up newspaper and place it all around the oil filter before I remove it. This helps some, but it doesn't catch all of the escaping oil. I also put newspaper under the car.

Some folks on this forum have suggested placing a plastic bag around the oil filter before you remove it. I have not tried this, but it sounds like a good idea.

[lexusk8]

Changing the oil filter in the ES will create a mess almost every time unfortunately just because of its location. I usually place an oil catch pan directly underneath the filter, with newspaper also placed around the pan, and I usually remove the filter at a slow pace so that the old oil drips straight into the pan. Not a great technique, but works for me ;)

[Lexusfreak]

Changing the oil filter in the ES will create a mess almost every time unfortunately just because of its location.  I usually place an oil catch pan directly underneath the filter, with newspaper also placed around the pan, and I usually remove the filter at a slow pace so that the old oil drips straight into the pan.  Not a great technique, but works for me ;)

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I will be changing my own oil eventually & have to concur with lexusk8's suggestion as that's the way I will be doing my oil filter change.

I'd like to sit down with the engineers that were responsible for Toyota/Lexus 3.0L V6 & ask them of all places you could put the location of the oil filter, why there? :chairshot: It almost seems like it was an afterthought & they forgot to include the oil filter until after the engine was designed! B) :whistles:

I've heard all the Toyota 3.0L engines that date back all the way to 1992 are like this. :(

[ford212.809]

Don't get so uptight, fellas. MANY autos I have owned over the years have the same senario - foreign and domestic. The thing is, you can have the SATISFACTION of a messy do it yourself job, or let someone else do it with THEIR "products". Personally, I prefer the mess at home and KNOWING it was done right. ;)

[exdotcomer]

Don't get so uptight, fellas.  MANY autos I have owned over the years have the same senario - foreign and domestic.  The thing is, you can have the SATISFACTION of a messy do it yourself job, or let someone else do it with THEIR "products".  Personally, I prefer the mess at home and KNOWING it was done right. ;)

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what a mess is right! I changed the oil yesterday with mobil 5000.

how often are you supposed to change the oil nut washer?

[Lexusfreak]

Don't get so uptight, fellas.  MANY autos I have owned over the years have the same senario - foreign and domestic.  The thing is, you can have the SATISFACTION of a messy do it yourself job, or let someone else do it with THEIR "products".  Personally, I prefer the mess at home and KNOWING it was done right. ;)

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I agree ford. B) However, I do trust my independent mechanic & and he does the oil & filter change (& washes the area where the old oil filter spills the oil out). But I do enjoy doing the job myself & will eventually.

exdot, I change my oil plug gasket (or washer whichever you like) every other oil change. As an example, I had my oil changed a month ago but in that time I drove to Florida & back on vacation.......I changed the plug gasket then & today when I changed the oil again, my mechanic looked at it & he said it's still like brand new so I did not change it this time around. I get the plug gaskets from my Lexus dealers parts department. They are the metal ones & are dirt cheap. I bought a dozen of them for less than $3.00. ;)

[Neo]

Some folks on this forum have suggested placing a plastic bag around the oil filter before you remove it.  I have not tried this, but it sounds like a good idea.

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Yes this will help.

When working with the car, I always expect some mess. I usually save large boxes that I get stuff shipped to me or from things I buy. Instead of recycling them, I keep a few to use for oil changes. They are thicker than newspaper. ;)

When the filter comes out, it will start and end dripping in different places so there will be some residual oil here and there. At the end of the work and with the cardboard still in place, I spray the surrounding area with brake cleaner. This usually drips off a lot of the oil/grease onto the cardboard. I then wipe down the area with paper towels and one last spray. Throw away the cardboard and you are done.

As long as you wipe down any area that may have "standing" oil from the drip, the underside should be cleaner after the oil change than before. ;) No drips. I can't trust many oil change places to be as diligent. If you have a trusted tech that will take care of the car, that is different.

BTW, I don't have an ES but have done this with success on all the cars I've changed oil on.

[monarch]

Avoiding the mess and burned arms is easy:

1. Let the engine oil drain for 2 hours or overnight, then most of the oil in the filter will have drained back into the engine and not spill out when you remove the filter

(if you use a Toyota 90915-YZZD1 or 08922-02011 oil filter)

2. Waiting 2 hours or overnight also eliminates the problem of burned hands and arms, plus more dirty oil will flow out of the engine.

3. Use a cap type oil filter wrench attached to a 3/8 inch ratch and then attach it to the oil filter by feel from the top of the engine compartment. Turn the filter counterclockwise with the ratchet handle to remove.

[exdotcomer]

those are real good tips.

I'll be ordering a dozen washers soon!

In my opinion- there are not alot of people who would do a better job than an experienced/somewhat handy owner.

One oil place put a ding in my car door- all i did was ask what was the name of the brand of synthetic oil they were filling my eclipse with. The manager got insulted somehow, and when the car came out of the bay- there was a present- a new DING.

needless to say , I never returned there.

Another story- I went to the stealership Lexus of Westport in Fairfield, CT.

They give you a lunch voucher for the diner next door. I walked over for some food, and notice my CAR driving away from the dealership.

To my surprise= this 14 bay service dealer sends it's oil change to a local garage down the road to change the oil. they charge me 50+ dollars for this.:chairshot:

I stopped going there too, and now I change the oil myself, like the old days with my camaros. My dad helps out and "supervises" which is a bonus ...some dad/son bonding. I don't mind getting my hands dirty now and again. and besides, this is fun...but you'll never catch me changing the tranny fluid and filter.

Lastly- purchased 4 fram oil filters (with the grip top) for 9.99 at BJ's wholesale club. it's fine for me considering I change the oil every 3 k miles.

[GrayES300]

those are real good tips.

I'll be ordering a dozen washers soon!

In my opinion- there are not alot of people who would do a better job than an experienced/somewhat handy owner.

One oil place put a ding in my car door- all i did was ask what was the name of the brand of synthetic oil they were filling my eclipse with. The manager got insulted somehow, and when the car came out of the bay- there was a present- a new DING. 

needless to say , I never returned there.

Another story- I went to the stealership Lexus of Westport in Fairfield, CT.

They give you a lunch voucher for the diner next door. I walked over for some food, and notice my CAR driving away from the dealership.

To my surprise= this 14 bay service dealer sends it's oil change to a local garage down the road to change the oil. they charge me 50+ dollars for this.:chairshot:

I stopped going there too, and now I change the oil myself, like the old days with my camaros. My dad helps out and "supervises" which is a bonus ...some dad/son bonding. I don't mind getting my hands dirty now and again. and besides, this is fun...but you'll never catch me changing the tranny fluid and filter.

Lastly- purchased 4 fram oil filters (with the grip top) for 9.99 at BJ's wholesale club. it's fine for me considering I change the oil every 3 k miles.

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If you can change the oil in your car, you can change the tranny fluid too. It's really easy. All you need is a 10mm Allen Wrench and a bar (or a deep socket and extension) for leverage and the bolt will break free. If you at least change the fluid every once in a while on your own, you'll save some money. Dropping the pan is easy too if you want to change the filter. Just 12 or so bolts and the pan is off. The trickiest part is getting the new gasket to stay while you bolt the pan up. Don't over tighten the bolts or you'll regret it. Trust me, I know!

[GrayES300]

I don't think the oil change is that messy. My wifes Chrysler Sebring has the oil filter laying vertical under the engine. Not a lot of oil drips on the motor, but you can't get the filter off without having oil run down your arm! I'll change the oil in my Lexus over the Chrysler anyday!

Instead of newspapers, I get some absorbent pads from work and use them under my catch pan. I jack up my car from the driver side so more oil gets out of the pan. Under the filter is a bracket that collects a lot of oil. I use some paper towels and engine degreaser to mop that up.

Changing the filter on a 2001 is a lot easier than on a 1992. The 2001 has more clearance by the filter. On my '92, I was constantly scratching up my arm getting the filter on and off.

[Lexusfreak]

Changing the filter on a 2001 is a lot easier than on a 1992.  The 2001 has more clearance by the filter.  On my '92, I was constantly scratching up my arm getting the filter on and off.

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I agree Gray, but bottom line however, someone in the Toyota/Lexus stable had to many 'wobbly pop's' when they designed those engines & they could have changed it at least on the 1997 re-design. It's a plain bonehead location for the oil filter to be :chairshot: . My previous GM products (91 Olds 88 & 91 Buick Riviera were a snap) as was my 2001 Nissan Maxima.

[sunman]

can we not add a filter relocation unit such as the amsoil unit?

[steviej]

take a plastic 20oz soda bottle and cut off the top part about 2/3 to 3/4 the way up. Place it down under the filter to catch most of the oil that flows out of the filter.

When you remove the filter, the oil flows into the bottle, then you can pull the bottle back up when the filter is empty and out of the way.

steviej

[Lexusfreak]

take a plastic 20oz soda bottle and cut off the top part about 2/3  to 3/4 the way up.  Place it down under the filter to catch most of the oil that flows out of the filter.

When you remove the filter, the oil flows into the bottle, then you can pull the bottle back up when the filter is empty and out of the way.

steviej

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Sounds like the most painless way to avoid a huge mess Steve......wise idea. B)

[ford212.809]

Stevie, You should acquire a PATENT on that priceless tip. :D

[exdotcomer]

Stevie, You should acquire a PATENT on that priceless tip. :D

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yeah, you can sell it for $5.99 or if you put a "L" on 'em, you can sell it for 29.99!!!

[mikek753]

I think that is Dealer/service center req. to put oil filter and etc. to such inconvenient places that customer comes and pays for service - IMO. That's all about $$$.

As more labor time req. more customer pays for it - as simple as is :chairshot:

Any one uses SureDrain? And which one SD2 or SD3 or?

[steviej]

Stevie, You should acquire a PATENT on that priceless tip. :D

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I couldn't do that. I am only passing on to you what I have already read here.

(sometimes it sucks to be honest).

steviej

[SnesleyWipes]

You are so right.  What a mess!!

I wad up newspaper and place it all around the oil filter before I remove it.  This helps some, but it doesn't catch all of the escaping oil.  I  also put newspaper under the car.

Some folks on this forum have suggested placing a plastic bag around the oil filter before you remove it.  I have not tried this, but it sounds like a good idea.

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I usually take off cap, remove bolt, drain oil for about 30minutes, then start car for 3 seconds and that pumps all the oil out of the filter then remove filter without a drop of oil in it. There is enough residual oil to not cause any harm to the engine.

[amf1932]

I usually take off cap, remove bolt, drain oil for about 30minutes, then start car for 3 seconds and that pumps all the oil out of the filter then remove filter without a drop of oil in it. There is enough residual oil to not cause any harm to the engine.

Bad Idea!!! By doing this you're causing extra air into the oil filtering system which in turn prevents the new oil from circulating immediately.

I just take an old towel and lay it underneath the filter to catch the spilled oil. There really is not that much oil that spills anyway. ;)

[camlex]

if somebody read all this, he will be scare to do oil change, its 4-1/2 minit work.

[sunman]

I just changed mine with Amsoil 5w30 Synthetic. What a mess! *& Filter!!!!

[Ricky]

The cleanest way to change the filter is to stuff paper towels under the filter by the drip area. Loosen the filter, allow towels to absorb oil, hand tighten filter then remove dirty towels. Repeat this process until no more oil in filter. Usually takes 2-3 times. As far as the drain plug, I have replaced mine with a swivel valve. Works like a champ and I never have to remove the drain plug or replace the gasket ever again. Stay away from the FRAM SURE DRAIN systems. If anyone interested, I can provide name and number where they can get these valves. I've used on 4 vehicles and never a problem.