Doing My First Is300 Oil Change..need Help

[03GraphiteIS300]

Need a good write up with pics..

the engine is so clean you can eat off it and i dont want to spill a drop of oil on it.

Also i would like a recommendation of good brand and weight regular or synth oil for these motors..as well as a good filter

I live in AZ (temp for viscosity)

I believe it has been running regular 5W30 its whole life..51,000 miles on it right now.

Thanks!

[smooth1]

There is a "How to" thread right at the top of this forum with links. Just go there and click on oil change. :)

[03GraphiteIS300]

There is a "How to" thread right at the top of this forum with links. Just go there and click on oil change. :)

Thanks..i am going to go with a K&N filter from Autozone and Mobil 1 5W30 syntheitc. Does this sound good?

Also do i HAVE TO buy a oil drain plug crush washer? Can i use the old one? Thanks

[smooth1]

The parts you have listed are fine. And no, you don't have to replace the crush washer, so long as you don't have a leak. It is a good idea to replace that regularly though.

I haven't read the oil change how to, but just a note, make sure you do put some oil on your fingertip and run it around the lip of the filter, and I aslo like to add about a 1/4 quart of oil to the filter and "swish" it around in the there real good before installing it.

[03GraphiteIS300]

I am just scared of leaking oil all over my clean engine when i remove the filter since it is in such a weird spot. Im used to my LT1/LS1's and its a breeze. seems the angle of the filter though will just have oil dripping everywhere...? I know about putting oil on the filter gasket but why do you swish oil around in the filter before install? Do you drain that oil out before installing? Thanks

[bartkat]

Put a plastic bag around the filter before you pull it off.

[03GraphiteIS300]

Will do thanks..

So i bought a K&N oil filter and oil pan crush washer now im deciding on the oil

Seems the previous owner was putting in Chevron premium oil 5W30 for the first 50K of its life.

I was thinking of switching to Mobil 1 5W30 synth.

heard good things about castrol 5W30 too.

Any help/recommendations? Thanks

[flop170]

amsoil :D

[03GraphiteIS300]

Ya i used to use AMSOIL 5W40 Euro formula in my TA WS6 LS1..have a QT in my garage..too hard to come by.

I got MOBIL 1 5W30 Extended Life. SOund Good?

I saw MOBIL 1 5000 Clean...ridiculously cheap? whys that? must be junk huh?

[izzy300]

Ya i used to use AMSOIL 5W40 Euro formula in my TA WS6 LS1..have a QT in my garage..too hard to come by.

I got MOBIL 1 5W30 Extended Life. SOund Good?

I saw MOBIL 1 5000 Clean...ridiculously cheap? whys that? must be junk huh?

Stick to Synthetic, lasts longer and helps keep the running temp of the engine down a bit. Also I've heard it's kinda hard on seals to go from synthetic back to conventional, just in case they did synthetic before. Yeah the filter is a pain to get out between the intake and wheel well. Never have really figured that out yet

[Parking17]

Amsoil. Also, if you use their filters, you can go 20k or 1 year between intervals.

[spyshot]

probably a little late for this post...

yes, a plastic bag is the best idea. i could not in anyway get the filter out from the top. i tried forever. i ended up going down with it after removing the bottom engine cover. what a pain!

[lexuseng]

probably a little late for this post...

yes, a plastic bag is the best idea. i could not in anyway get the filter out from the top. i tried forever. i ended up going down with it after removing the bottom engine cover. what a pain!

The secret I found was to remove the single bolt that secures the transmission oil dipstick. Once that is loose you can maneuver the filter past the tube. A minute to remove the bolt saves 10 minutes trying to figure how the hell you got in the the last time! The effort to remove and replace the bolt is well worth it.

I also cut and shaped some scrap tin metal I had to catch the oil from the oil filter and direct it down behind the engine where it drains into a second pan. Obviously the wide part goes under the filter. If I had to make another, I'd make it a couple of inches longer. Hopefully I don't screw up the attached picture.

[IndyKen]

Heck, if you're gonna go to that trouble, why not just disconnect the plastic air dam underneath the motor? It's only 8or 10 nuts and it'll allow you to get right up in there to access the filter from below. I've always ran 5W30 Mobile 1 in all my vehicles since day one and the lifters look new after 90K in the vehicles I've had in the past. Commend you for wanting to keep the oil change clean. Something else I swear by is the "Sure Drain" plug from FRAM. You can usually find them on ebay pretty cheap. That way you never have to worry about a crush washer.

[brosnibean]

i've been away for a while, but this monkey is back...got a question on the Maint Reqd light....last time i changed my oil, i reset the light and reset the B tripmeter...the light came on yesterday indicating it's time to change the oil, but it's only been 3180 miles by count of the tripmeter....wtf is up with that? thought it was set for 5k miles?!?

[smooth1]

I thought it wasa 3500 miles on the IS300's and the warning light came on at 3100 as a prewarning time.

[brosnibean]

I thought it wasa 3500 miles on the IS300's and the warning light came on at 3100 as a prewarning time.

manual says pre-warning is 4500 with light on 5000...stupid light

[smooth1]

Hmm, I never really paid attention to that light. I allways just reset it as soon as I see it.