Oil change nightmare

Haha. OCD is a quality to be sought in the owner of a used car one is considering buying.

 

man that sounds horrible! I’m curious, did you make the same mistake I did of not having beer before and during the operation??

 

Just sold my 2014 FJ. Handed the new owners 2 bags of used oil filters with the mileage marked on them. I originally kept them as proof of oil changes incase I had a motor warranty issue. They were shocked and then offered me my full asking price.

 

That's what I've used in the past, to prevent myself from damaging the mating surface on the oil pan. I used the trim tool in conjunction with a hammer or something to tap it off. They definitely get stuck on there good.

AFAIK it should be a smooth surface. The previous pics in this thread that has two oil pans looks like the washer is still on there.

 

Should be smooth is correct. I have a bag of the rubberized drain plug gaskets, some are blue and some are black.

I have always rubbed a small amount of oil on the washer prior to reinstall and torqued to 30 ft/lbs. Washer is always stuck on the pan but comes off easily with a fingernail.

 

Wow - I applaud all the honesty going on here which I'm sure many of us can easily relate to. Yeah it's funny now but probably not so much at time of event. For what it's worth, the older you get the easier it is to laugh at yourself. Me? I'm hilarious.....

 

LOL. I’ve been noticing I’m also getting more opportunities to laugh at myself!

 

Yup - all those years we spent being frustrated with ourselves we coulda turned it into personal entertainment

 

Oil drain pan should have no "flange". That thing is a stuck washer. It happens in new vehicles because paint is still new and soft on the pan, thus washer gets pressed in and glued after prolonged contact while paint cures completely. That is one of many reasons you do first oil change earlier than recommended 1 year or 12K interval.

 

Great minds think alike. When I sold my Defender I included a cardboard box with all the nuts, bolts, and little trim pieces that had fallen off.

 

Hahaha

 

I had loose nuts and bolts and who knows what rattling around inside the driver's door of my Land Rover. The dealer called it "surplus." That thing was also delivered to me with the shipping blocks still installed in the rear springs. I drove it around like that for awhile. And it had vapor lock after fueling up in hot weather. Would not restart for about 5 minutes. Yes, this was a fuel injected vehicle -- 2008 model.

 

Just an FYI but I have two 5th Gens purchased brand new and both had the stuck aluminum/blue crush washer from the factory. Couldn't get them off with a fingernail. Had to pop them off with a small putty knife and a quick whack. They are actually indented into the pan about .5 mm.

 

Mine was like that, too. I torqued properly when I put on the new washer, and had no problem at all with the next oil change. My filter housing was also considerably over-torqued before the first change.

 

Figured I would add to this older post also. Crush ring was indeed stuck and also required additional force to initially remove on the first oil change.

 

I ran my original stuck washer on my sienna for 15 years and it never leaked lol. My 4runner is still on it’s first one too. I think as long as you clean the grit off the washer and lap it a few times, it seals fine. As long as you don’t over torque it.

 

I have never seen the point of a crush washer. My two free oil changes came courtesy of putting my oil filter housing on so tight that I had to use a 1/2" impact to get it off

 

This should be a wake up call for all of us who do our own work. When you get distracted, complacent or hurried you are playin' with fire.

Seriously, check out the safety triangle.

You start by having minor accidents. Then accidents get more serious. Eventually, if you don't modify your behavior you WILL have a major accident.

And I do not mean only accidents that cause injury. I'm including accidents on the vehicle, like when you break stuff, forget stuff or just nut sumthin' up by pullin' the bonehead play of the year.

"I do this maint/repair stuff all the time, nuthin's gonna happen..." Famous last words...

We always did toolbox talks before we started a task. We'd take a minute or two to think about what we were going to do, how we were going to do it and any hazards that might be present. It was more than worth the time.

So give it a think before you start. If one of your methods/ideas makes you wonder, take a closer look...

Accidents don't happen. They are caused. And can be prevented...

 

You don't have to take that off. We never did. Still same mess either way. You don't have to tighten the filter housing. Just screw it until it stops and your done. Lube O ring. That's all that has to seat. No tighten. Use Toyota plastic original and not Chinese metal because you worry about tearing it off. 5 minute oil change boys break the plastic housing. They don't fall off. Also plastic and alone don't gall against each other like aluminum on aluminum. When I did oil changes at Toyota nobody tightened a filter more than hand tight and nobody ever needed a wrench to remove. O ring has more pressure per surface area and seals better. I doubt the housing would leak if it wasn't completely seated because O ring is in place. If it's leaking when you start it up you will have a couple quarts in the floor just starting and shutting off. At dealer it happens getting busy. I liked the one on top when 4th gen came out. If you had to do oil changes it was easy but must have been a problem with oiling.

 

I just don't understand it. You only have to screw it in until it stops. No torque, no tighten. I don't know if it's don't know or don't care. NAPA messed up threads on his Lexus oil pan, but somehow it wasn't their fault. He had to buy a pan and have it replaced. That's just not taking time to tread bolt. Probably starting with a wrench and can't feel if it's in threads. This is why at my age I still want to do everything just slower.

 

I love the "hold my beer" oil change adventure stories.
Here's mine.
I have access to a lift.
Put the 4Runner Limited up there right at 800 miles to do the first oil change.
I removed the drain plug and watch the oil pour out.
Hmmm...that's strange...
It has a red hue to it.
Perhaps Toyota uses a break in oil with a red hue?
Took a closer look...
Oh no!
Yep. I did my first drain and fill for my transmission ...and after a ride to the dealership and back (for Transmission fluid), my first oil change.
It will never happen again as I installed a fumoto valve on the oil pain with 18" of fuel hose that rides above the RCI armor.
It has made the next four oil changes at 5-6K intervals real easy...clean and event free .
On the plus side, I know it will be real easy to drain and fill the transmission fluid at 40K miles and future 40K intervals.
Chris
in Colorado!

 

Help us out here. What does the OP's post have to do with injury, major accidents, prevention, etc?

 

Complacency leads to accidents. Why get hurt or damage your truck because you've "done this before and nuthin' happened"?

The smart money is on thinking things through before you act and ALWAYS keeping safety in mind.

Me? 50 years working as an electrician, electrical tech and professional engineer with ZERO health, safety or environmental incidents during my career. And I never ran oil all over my garage floor either...

That is the point.

 

Common with the OEM washer. I find sticking a pocket screwdriver in the washer ID and giving it a flick removes it with the least effort.

 

The year was 1969. While in college, a friend of mine went to automotive and diesel mechanics school. Most everyone in the class was about his age, 19-20 years old. He related this story to me that part of their exams was working as a team to rebuild an old Inline-6 engine from a (then) AMC car. They even went to the extremes of line boring the crank main bearings and balancing the weight of each piston. With the class and instructor gathered around to start the engine, it started right up - and immediately started clanging and smoking like a SOAB. Of course, they immediately shut it down. Turns out in all the haste and excitement of starting the engine that no one remembered to put ANY oil in the engine. He said the instructor was so pissed off, that he gave the class a choice. Rebuild the engine again, and the class pay for most of the new parts, or get an "F" grade for that part of the course. Everyone chipped in for new parts and spent time after class rebuilding.

 

I have been using this for many years, and people say it will not extract all, I don't know what they saying if I take out 6 quartz and fill 6 quartz then I believe it's extracted all. I have done most of my vehicle easily and quickly. Here and there I do open the nuts to check if any thing sucks to the bolts. It is always cleaned.

Acymner 7L Oil Fluid Extractor Changer | Manual Oil Extractor Pump for Automobile Fluids Vacuum Evacuation with 4 Hoses (7 Liter)

https://www.amazon.com/Acymner-Extr...fos.d977788f-1483-4f76-90a3-786e4cdc8f10&th=1

 

I made the transmission fluid mistake with a Tacoma. It was getting dark outside, so I didn't even pay attention to the color. I added oil thinking I had drained it properly, but the dipstick read extremely high. Removed the same drain plug to drain more and nothing came out. That's when I realized what I had done. I had to take the next day off to go to the dealer for fluid (75 minute drive each way).

 

First oil change was awful. Stuck crush washer, had to be pried off. Oil filter housing was severely over tightened, had to get my oldest son (he’s a Certified Toyota Master Tech) under there to get it off, heard a lot of profanity under there. Small flecks of metal in oil filter pleats (common occurrence). First oil change at 700 miles, I’m into overkill, haha. Toyota OEM oil & filter.

 

^But @rickystl's friend paid tuition money for that course. Getting an -F would have been money wasted.

Probably a NAPA-associated repair shop displaying the NAPA logo above the bay doors.

 

Yes, that does seem rather harsh on the class. No doubt the parents of the students were the likely ones to have to cough up the money. That's the story as I remember it 50+ years ago. LOL I remember soon after he graduated he took a job in AZ, and I lost touch with him. But in a way, it does seem comical in that no one remembered to add any oil.