Changing Oil In The Rx350

[GMO]

Does anyone know of a web site where there is a picture manual of how to change the oil in a Lexus RX350. I saw it right after I bought my car six months ago and now I cannot find it. I thought it was on this web page. Thanks in advance.

[GDixon]

Try this link. It is in Lexus Maintenance > Tutorials

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=21979

The RX350 is the same procedure.

[Booyah]

Doesnt the 350 use a differant type oil filter--canister type? Im not positive on that though?

[GDixon]

Doesnt the 350 use a differant type oil filter--canister type? Im not positive on that though?

Yes, there is a removable/replaceable insert but when you go to buy the filter, that is what is in the box. The other procedures are the same and figuring out that the new filter goes inside the old cannister is not rocket science. :P

[GMO]

Unfortunately the picture manual for changing the oil on the RX330 does not work for the RX350. They have reconfigured the engine. Thanks anyway.

[GDixon]

Unfortunately the picture manual for changing the oil on the RX330 does not work for the RX350. They have reconfigured the engine. Thanks anyway.

Excellent! Now you know how to make the picture manual so we will all wait until you do the oil change manual for the RX350. :D

[neumannj]

Unfortunately the picture manual for changing the oil on the RX330 does not work for the RX350. They have reconfigured the engine. Thanks anyway.

Excellent! Now you know how to make the picture manual so we will all wait until you do the oil change manual for the RX350. :D

I have looked at all the auto part stores in town for a filter wrench to remove the oil filter cartridge on my RX350. I even bought the wrench from Sears, (three prong adjustable) but it is still just a touch to big to work on the cartridge cover. Where can I can a wrench to remove the oil filter cartridge on a Lexus RX 350?

Thanks,

Joe

[GDixon]

I am about to do my first DIY oil change on a 2008 RX350. The wrench that I plan to use is the chain/link style that fits around the filter housing and is adjustable for size according to what link is secured. There are also wrenches with plastic straps that are infinitely adjustable.

The fly in the ointment is going to be whether or not there is enough room to fit the chain around the filter housing and then enough clearance for the handle to rotate. It will only need to go an inch or so at a time.

I'll report back when it is tried.

[Charlie32]

Unfortunately the picture manual for changing the oil on the RX330 does not work for the RX350. They have reconfigured the engine. Thanks anyway.

Excellent! Now you know how to make the picture manual so we will all wait until you do the oil change manual for the RX350. :D

I have looked at all the auto part stores in town for a filter wrench to remove the oil filter cartridge on my RX350. I even bought the wrench from Sears, (three prong adjustable) but it is still just a touch to big to work on the cartridge cover. Where can I can a wrench to remove the oil filter cartridge on a Lexus RX 350?

Thanks,

Joe

[Charlie32]

Unfortunately the picture manual for changing the oil on the RX330 does not work for the RX350. They have reconfigured the engine. Thanks anyway.

Excellent! Now you know how to make the picture manual so we will all wait until you do the oil change manual for the RX350. :D

I have looked at all the auto part stores in town for a filter wrench to remove the oil filter cartridge on my RX350. I even bought the wrench from Sears, (three prong adjustable) but it is still just a touch to big to work on the cartridge cover. Where can I can a wrench to remove the oil filter cartridge on a Lexus RX 350?

Thanks,

Joe

[Charlie32]

Unfortunately the picture manual for changing the oil on the RX330 does not work for the RX350. They have reconfigured the engine. Thanks anyway.

Excellent! Now you know how to make the picture manual so we will all wait until you do the oil change manual for the RX350. :D

I have looked at all the auto part stores in town for a filter wrench to remove the oil filter cartridge on my RX350. I even bought the wrench from Sears, (three prong adjustable) but it is still just a touch to big to work on the cartridge cover. Where can I can a wrench to remove the oil filter cartridge on a Lexus RX 350?

Thanks,

Joe

[Charlie32]

Unfortunately the picture manual for changing the oil on the RX330 does not work for the RX350. They have reconfigured the engine. Thanks anyway.

Excellent! Now you know how to make the picture manual so we will all wait until you do the oil change manual for the RX350. :D

I have looked at all the auto part stores in town for a filter wrench to remove the oil filter cartridge on my RX350. I even bought the wrench from Sears, (three prong adjustable) but it is still just a touch to big to work on the cartridge cover. Where can I can a wrench to remove the oil filter cartridge on a Lexus RX 350?

Thanks,

Joe

I have the 2008 Lexus RX350 oil filter wrenches, $14.00 includes shipping. cfritz1@aol.com

[Booyah]

sent you a email

[timely]

I just finished an oil change on my wife's '08 RX 350. Your posts were very helpful; but, there are some significant differences all should know about. First, you don't have to remove the large plastic panels as described for the 300/330. Second, I only raised the vehicle 2" off the ground and was able to do all work by sliding under front of car. Third, make sure your drain tray can handle the capacity, 6.4 qt. are going to flow all over your driveway if you're not ready for it.

Ok, here we go. I bought a Fram CH 9972 filter over the internet, you may be able to find locally or buy the dealer part from Lexus. It comes with a drain tube and 2 required o-rings. Also an easy to follow instruction sheet that was a no-brainer, even if you've never changed a cartridge filter before. The drain plug is located on the rear of the oil pan, angled to the rear at a 45 degree angle. It is not covered by any panels at all. The drain screw did not have a gasket, it was metal on metal just like my ford escape hybrid (which also uses a cartridge filter). After draining the oil and nearly overflowing my drain pan, I replaced the drain screw.

The filter cannister is located about 10" or 12" forward of the oil drain, behind a small plastic panel. The panel is about 6" x 7", trapezoidal in shape (4 sides but not a rectangle) The panel is held in place by 2 - 10mm screws and a pair of !Removed!, remove the 2 screws and the panel drops right off. Looking straight up into the access hole, you are staring at the filter cannister. There is a drain plug on the bottom that is removed with 3/8" socket wrench and a 4" or 6" extension rod. You're supposed to remove the filter drain-screw, insert the drain tube that came with the filter and drain the oil form the filter housing, then remove the filter housing with an appropriate filter wrench (no room for chain or plastic strap wrenches). I inserted the socket wrench extension and instead of the drain plug loosening, the entire filter housing came loose, pouring 0.4 qt more oil all over me and my already full drain pan and dropping the entire assembly in my hand! After cleaning it up and using only my hand and the socket wrench, I removed the filter drain-screw and replaced the small o-ring behind the drain screw. The filter slides right off of a central core and the new one goes on just as easily. Next, you have to replace the large o-ring on the filter housing. It turns out there are two large tabs on the filter housing you can hold to prevent the entire unit from coming loose while removing the drain screw. They can also be used to remove the filter housing if it's not tight or too hot!, i.e., no filter wrench required. The housing has the "teeth" for the filter wrench to catch, I didn't measure it but it's about 3" in diameter. Next, I screwed the filter housing on by hand, using the 2-tabs for leverage, I was able to screw it all the way in to a hard stop (remember the o-ring creates the seal). Out of an abundance of caution, I gave it a good twist with my socket wrench, just in case... then put in 5 qt. of Mobil 1, drove to the store in my ford and bought 2 more qt. of Mobil 1, topped it off and reset the "service required" idiot light per the owners manual. The final step, as always, is to send your wife to the grocery store in HER car to buy a 6-pack for her hero.

[GDixon]

Thanks for the post and all of the detailed information and observations. It will help me and any others attempting this job.

I ended up buying an Assenmacher oil filter wrench (TOY640 or ASTTOY640) since it was cast metal and the NAPA plastic oil filter wrench looked like it would break too easily.

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/asttoy640.html

It should make the filter removal simple given the small oil filter access plate that you describe.

[GDixon]

Thanks again "timely" for the post. I was dreading the oil change on the 08 RX350 after reading how the whole of the underside panels had to be removed. The Lexus engineers must have been thinking for 08.

Only two 10 mm bolts had to be removed for everything to be exposed and serviced as stated in the post. The dealer had done the free 5K service and had torqued the pan drain plug and oil filter drain plug to the extent that I thought I'd have to use an impact wrench to get them off.

Indeed, the drain plug was so tight that the whole filter assembly came off and a half quart of overflow oil made a mess. It took some doing to get the oil filter drain plug off even at the workbench.

The plastic drain for the oil filter that was included with the new filter is interesting in that it also automatically removes the filter drain plug's O-ring. The plastic drain was not at all easy to insert into the filter. I'll have to figure out a way to make it easier for next time. Maybe it is easier with the filer on the car but it is not likely.

The pan drain plug did have a fiber washer that should probably be replaced. Next time I'm in the Toyota dealership ten washers, or so, will be purchased. That will be good for another 50K miles.

[Dick_Lake_Tahoe_NV]

Thanks again "timely" for the post. I was dreading the oil change on the 08 RX350 after reading how the whole of the underside panels had to be removed. The Lexus engineers must have been thinking for 08.

Only two 10 mm bolts had to be removed for everything to be exposed and serviced as stated in the post. The dealer had done the free 5K service and had torqued the pan drain plug and oil filter drain plug to the extent that I thought I'd have to use an impact wrench to get them off.

Indeed, the drain plug was so tight that the whole filter assembly came off and a half quart of overflow oil made a mess. It took some doing to get the oil filter drain plug off even at the workbench.

The plastic drain for the oil filter that was included with the new filter is interesting in that it also automatically removes the filter drain plug's O-ring. The plastic drain was not at all easy to insert into the filter. I'll have to figure out a way to make it easier for next time. Maybe it is easier with the filer on the car but it is not likely.

The pan drain plug did have a fiber washer that should probably be replaced. Next time I'm in the Toyota dealership ten washers, or so, will be purchased. That will be good for another 50K miles.

My 5,000 mile service was done by the dealer, and I did the 10,000mile Oil/Filter service myself. Again the dealer had tightened the filter plug so tight, the filter loosened when I tried to remove the plug. Then the oil leaked out down the side of the filter as it does with all my other cars that don't have the "little filter drain plug"--I guess it's there as part of the "Pursuit of Perfection", but pretty useless as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, after a small amount of oil ran down the filter, I just lowered it, with the rest of the oil inside and then dumped it into my oil pan. Since the bottom-plug was so tight, I could see no reason to remove it, only to replace the gasket and tighten it again.

[lightflick]

My 5,000 mile service was done by the dealer, and I did the 10,000mile Oil/Filter service myself. Again the dealer had tightened the filter plug so tight, the filter loosened when I tried to remove the plug. Then the oil leaked out down the side of the filter as it does with all my other cars that don't have the "little filter drain plug"--I guess it's there as part of the "Pursuit of Perfection", but pretty useless as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, after a small amount of oil ran down the filter, I just lowered it, with the rest of the oil inside and then dumped it into my oil pan. Since the bottom-plug was so tight, I could see no reason to remove it, only to replace the gasket and tighten it again.

That oil filter drain plug really doesn't need to be removed. It just gets rid of the over flow so you don't make a mess when you pull the oil filter assembly down. If you don't remove the oil filter drain plug, then you don't need to replace the o-ring that seals it either because you didn't disturb it.

Here's a tip to help keep your engine undercover clean if you don't want to remove that oil filter drain plug...

1. Loosen your oil filter assembly until you can loosen it by hand.

2. Slip a thin piece of cardboard (the size of a piece of paper 8.5"x11) up through the engine cover hole and around the back of the filter assembly so it forms kind of like a chute.

3. Loosen the oil filter assembly slowly by hand and let the oil drain down the cardboard chute.

4. Remove the filter cartridge and install new cartridge w/new gasket.

5. Remove the piece of cardboard and reinstall the filter assembly.

Hope this helps. :)

[GDixon]

My 5,000 mile service was done by the dealer, and I did the 10,000mile Oil/Filter service myself. Again the dealer had tightened the filter plug so tight, the filter loosened when I tried to remove the plug. Then the oil leaked out down the side of the filter as it does with all my other cars that don't have the "little filter drain plug"--I guess it's there as part of the "Pursuit of Perfection", but pretty useless as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, after a small amount of oil ran down the filter, I just lowered it, with the rest of the oil inside and then dumped it into my oil pan. Since the bottom-plug was so tight, I could see no reason to remove it, only to replace the gasket and tighten it again.

That oil filter drain plug really doesn't need to be removed. It just gets rid of the over flow so you don't make a mess when you pull the oil filter assembly down. If you don't remove the oil filter drain plug, then you don't need to replace the o-ring that seals it either because you didn't disturb it.

Here's a tip to help keep your engine undercover clean if you don't want to remove that oil filter drain plug...

1. Loosen your oil filter assembly until you can loosen it by hand.

2. Slip a thin piece of cardboard (the size of a piece of paper 8.5"x11) up through the engine cover hole and around the back of the filter assembly so it forms kind of like a chute.

3. Loosen the oil filter assembly slowly by hand and let the oil drain down the cardboard chute.

4. Remove the filter cartridge and install new cartridge w/new gasket.

5. Remove the piece of cardboard and reinstall the filter assembly.

Hope this helps. :)

Good idea.

[fj40dave]

I'm looking at doing this 10k oil change myself too....

One old "shade tree mechanic" trick I use is puting a baggie around the filter (or, in this case, the filter assembly) once I have it loose enough to unscrew by hand....the baggie catches the oil....wonder if this will work with the Mrs's RX?

[scottq60]

Just did the 10k mile oil/filter change on my wife's 09 RX350...couldn't have been simpler - thanks in part to the tips posted in this thread. I picked up a filter at NAPA a few months back so I'd have it on hand. I also bought an oil filter end-cap "wrench" at Walmart - with dual 67/65mm capability. Because someone posted this would be too deep, I cut off (with a Dremel cutoff wheel) the 67mm portion (the outer portion). This made it shallow enough to work perfectly. I didn't bother with removing the drain plug from the canister end...I just made sure I had my drain pain underneath and removed the canister slowly, allowing it to drain some of the oil over the upper lip before continuing. Installed new filter cartridge, new outer O-ring, then the canister, and the oil pan drain plug. Filled with 6.4 qts of Mobil 1 5W-30 and checked for leaks. Reinstalled filter canister access door and 10mm screws and reset the "maintenance required" light on the dash. I'm confident I could do it all in 10-15 minutes the next time around...piece o' cake!

[Chris Parker]

Filled with 6.4 qts of Mobil 1 5W-30 and checked for leaks. Reinstalled filter canister access door and 10mm screws and reset the "maintenance required" light on the dash.

Is that the correct oil? I thought at least synthetic oil was what would be required id the oil change interval is 5000 miles rather than 3000 miles.

[scottq60]

Filled with 6.4 qts of Mobil 1 5W-30 and checked for leaks. Reinstalled filter canister access door and 10mm screws and reset the "maintenance required" light on the dash.

Is that the correct oil? I thought at least synthetic oil was what would be required id the oil change interval is 5000 miles rather than 3000 miles.

Mobil 1 5W-30 is FULL synthetic oil...it's all I use in my vehicles.

[SmilingBoognish]

Filled with 6.4 qts of Mobil 1 5W-30 and checked for leaks. Reinstalled filter canister access door and 10mm screws and reset the "maintenance required" light on the dash.

Is that the correct oil? I thought at least synthetic oil was what would be required id the oil change interval is 5000 miles rather than 3000 miles.

I see absolutely no need for synthetic oil in a motor like ours - it holds 6.4 quarts and requires changing every 5k miles. It is not an extended drain interval by modern standards and the engine doesn't have to deal with the heat of a turbo charger. When I changed our oil last week, I used Castrol GTX 5-30. I think any quality dino oil would suffice.