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New V6 Oil Change Instructions (w/Pictures)

342K views 212 replies 83 participants last post by  Dim000h 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm sure most DIYers know how to change oil by now, but I figure I would take some pictures for those who may be interested in doing so themselves.

Filter element part number: 04152-YZZA1
Filter cap tool: Assenmacher TOY 640
A few people from the TN Highlander forum indicates Matco TOY110A may have a better fit. Given this is stated for a 4-cylinder, I don't know how it performs since the Assenmacher gave me no issues. The Matco TOY112A is stated for the 6-/8-cylinder, but again, I have no experience with either Matco products.

Tools needed: 14mm socket for drain plug, 3/8" wrench "square" for filter cap plug, 15/16" socket for filter cap tool, 3/4" OD tube for drain pipe (if needed)

Since my maintenance light started to flash a few days ago, I figure I would finally change the oil after reading about it.

Parts
  • Filter element with o-rings and drain pipe
  • 3/4" OD clear tube bought from local hardware store
  • Clear tube connected to drain pipe
  • Filter cap tool, fits very well with no movement, other tools that can be used if this one doesn't fit well
  • Direct fit funnel
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There is enough clearance under the RAV4 to drain the oil out without using ramps, but the ramps do help.

Loosen
  • Drain plug
  • Use a 14mm socket to remove the drain plug, have the catch pan ready.
  • Existing drain plug had a metal gasket, otherwise, use the new crush gasket.
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Drain
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Filter assembly
  • Use a 3/8" wrench to loosen the filter plug (add extension if needed).
  • If the filter housing starts to turn while loosening the filter plug, place a wrench between the body and housing to keep it stationary.
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Drain pipe

  • Push drain pipe (with tube) into hole and excess filter oil will drain out, the small o-ring will also come out when the drain pipe is removed.
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Canister


  • Mount the filter cap tool on and use a 15/16" socket and ratchet to loosen cap.
  • Dirty filter element
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Cleaning up


  • Remove the original large o-ring and dirty filter element.
  • Clean the inside of the filter holder.
  • Clean the engine side of where the filter screws into.
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New filter


  • New filter element with new large o-ring. Be sure to lubricate the large o-ring. Hand tighten the housing until snug fit. I used a 1/2" torque wrench with the 15/16" socket and cap tool to tighten to 19 ft-lb.
  • Lubricate the new small o-ring and insert in groove. It's a snug fit, so it shouldn't fall off. Install the filter plug and tighten to 9.5 ft-lb.
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At this time, if not already done, reinstall the 14mm oil drain plug (w/gasket) and tighten to 30 ft-lb.

New oil


  • Remove the oil fill cap. Once the oil fill cap is removed, there's a baffle inside, be sure not to damage it if using a typical funnel when adding oil. See here from JuneBug.
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  • Otherwise, use a direct fit funnel that attaches on so the bottle can rest on it.
Automotive tire Tread Motor vehicle Tire Bumper



There were about 6 quarts that were drained, but I've only added 5.5 quarts since the oil level at the dipstick was about 1/2-way between the 2 points. But check again and add if necessary after driving it.

It took me 1.5-hrs from start to finish, but only because I was taking pictures as well. I waited about 15 minutes for the oil to drain to a slow drip. I would say next time, it would take me only about 30 minutes to do.

One last thing, to reset the "Maintenance" light in the dash from flashing:

  • turn ignition to "ON," no need to crank the starter
  • push the trip button so "Trip A" is displayed
  • turn ignition to "OFF"
  • push and hold the trip button and turn ignition to "ON"
  • there will be a few dashes that will count down from left to right until all ZEROES
  • maintenance light is now reset
 
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#4 ·
Excellent job as usual, KTL! This tutorial has been needed for a long time on this forum. I think it will be just as useful for the 2.5L 4 cylinder owners. Another home run for you!

Many thanks!!!
 
#5 ·
It was my pleasure to document the steps and share them. Luckily, I have an understanding wife. ;)

@RTexasF, I'm trying something called G-Oil, which is "bio-synthetic," whatever that means. There's currently a promotion to get 5-qt free after mailing in a rebate. :mrgreen: Otherwise, I've used Castrol GTX and Mobil 1 in the past.
 
#13 ·
Just what I needed. Logged on to see how to reset the Maintenance light and found this.

As soon as my 25,000 mile "free" maintance program is up I am doing my own again. It is not unlike my Mercury Milan as far as filter removal and replacement.

Thanks. Already have it earmarked for future reference.
 
#14 ·
I, like every Toyota oil change tech, could never be bothered to pre-drain the filter canister. What's the point?
Just drop the canister, turn it upside down to drain, and you've saved 15 minutes of your DIY oil change.
Am I missing something here?
Great pictures and comprehensive instructions, BTW.
 
#18 ·
I, like every Toyota oil change tech, could never be bothered to pre-drain the filter canister. What's the point?
I just purchased a car that had religious 3k oil changes at a dealer. They did not pre-drain the filter canister (the plug may have never been removed). It took putting the canister in a vice (thank goodness Toyota put flats on the canister threads, made this easy and didn't mark or scratch the canister), but I managed to get the drain plug out.

What did I find? Well, the rest of the oil in the crankcase was a light honey-color... and the area between the valve and the drain plug had oil that was a fairly dark brown. It doesn't look like this is an area that sees a lot of oil circulation, but does accumulate grubby oil.

If you don't take the drain plug out and change the gasket every oil change, you may want to do it at some interval to get that trapped grubby oil out.
 
#20 ·
Whenever I do an oil/filter change I always pour oil into the filter cartridge before installing it to minimize oil starvation on start up. Seems like the right thing to do. :shrug:


Tom
 
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#21 ·
This was a great write-up. I just did mine yesterday and this helped out a lot. I added 6 qts of oil. Everything was seemless.

Thanks again!
 
#27 ·
I had no problems inserting or removing the drain pipe at all. Any reason why you didn't connect a tube to avoid squirting?
Forgot to get the tube before I did the work and, besides, I wanted to see how it went without one. Anyway the "squirting" appeared to come mainly from where the pipe is supposed to mate with the drain hole and it emanated from outside the pipe (i.e., a tube wouldn't have fixed this problem, though it might have helped). Hmm...all this talk about the finesse, strength, a tube...needed to make it work right definitely makes me wonder even more why Toyota ever bothered with this shoddily executed concept in the first place (fortunately I need not bother with it if I choose not to).:cool:
 
#29 ·
I guess I really am a mechanic at heart..... I have read parts of this post, and now I can't wait until my first oil change. I am thinking about doing it at 2,500 miles :). I changed my motorcycle oil every 2,00 miles; wished I could have gotten a rear tire to last that long (I like soft, sticky tires :twisted:)
 
#32 ·
That's an even better reason to change the oil :thumbs_up:
Although, if you really want to freak yourself out, drop the pan on an automatic transmission one day. It looks like the sweepings off a machine shop floor after the end of an 8 hour shift :eek:
 
#33 ·
rav-ra said:
Needless to say my first RAV4 oil change hasn't been the walk in a park like it was for you (or like any of the 100's of oil changes I've done over the last 35 years). Oy:doh:!
I guess I was quite lucky since I didn't run into any problems on working first time with this cartridge-type, since I came from one-piece types for the past 2 decades.

Carbon said:
Do you think 1/2" OD tubing would have fit onto the fitting easy enough?
I took the drain pipe to the hardware store to compare which tubing would fit and the 1/2" OD didn't, while the 3/4" OD did easily.
 
#35 ·
Just changed the oil in our 2009 RAV4 V6. Pretty easy. Draining the oil filter before removing it was somewhat of a pain, but at least the filter is really easy to access (unlike my RSX). We just got the car 3 weeks ago and I wanted to switch over to synthetic (Mobil 1) and see what it was like to change the oil in this thing. It's hard to read the oil level on the dipstick (especially with new oil), but I ended up putting 6 quarts in. I will check again tomorrow after driving around and letting the oil settle. Took me about an hour since it was my first time and I wanted to make sure I was doing it right. Awesome DIY guide! :thumbs_up:
 
#36 ·
Follow-up:

Checked the oil level again this morning (on a cool engine) after driving it for a few days after the oil change. It's a lot easier to read the dipstick now that the oil has "browned" a little bit. I put in exactly 6 quarts and that ended up being the perfect amount (right at the top line of the dip stick).

Has anyone ever had to put more than 6 quarts in? I let the old oil drain out for a long time and I jacked the RAV up pretty high to increase the tilt of the oil pan so I was expecting to put in closer to 6.4 quarts (w/filter change) like the owners manual states.

Maybe it's all in my head, but the motor seems to be running smoother on the synthetic vs. conventional :thumbs_up:
 
#44 ·
Don't know about mustangs, maybe these engines were crappy and poorly machined and produced lots of debris during break in?
I know my boat instructions required early oil change during break in at 25 hrs or so. That was an old GM engine design (very old: carburated).
 
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