Diy Rx330 Oil And Filter Change

[chimchim]

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.

...

[chimchim]

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)

[chimchim]

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.

[Rx-Fan]

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

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

Thanks!

[wwest]

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?

[kh046]

Thanks for the detailed information and the visuals.

[chimchim]

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?

←

Good point. And interesting feigned altruism.

[phxlibra]

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

[chimchim]

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.

[chimchim]

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

[pushatam]

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.

[chimchim]

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.

[stonecutter]

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 ?

[chimchim]

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

[zmanfrnk]

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.

[monarch]

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.

[doc777]

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."

[Dave_02RX300]

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

[Grumpa72]

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

[docfnky]

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.

[chimchim]

bumpity because I'm using my own DIY.

[steviej]

moved to tutorial section for safe keeping.

steviej

[Kutten]

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

[chimchim]

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

[Jhall143]

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

Jim --