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How To: 2011 Oil Change

174K views 269 replies 122 participants last post by  ElegantSplendor 
#1 · (Edited)
OK, I just finished my first 2011 FJ oil change at just over 1,200 miles. Not being familiar with the FJ or its cartridge-style oil filter, it was an ordeal, but the first time is the hardest. Now that I know how to do it, it will not be so bad in the future. For anyone who has not done it yet, here is how, with pictures attached.

Step 1 - Remove the front skid plate. It is held on with four 12 mm bolts. You will need a socket wrench and a short extension. Break all four bolts loose at the locations shown in the attached pic. Toyota had torqued these to some ridiculous torque, but I finally busted them loose. The front of the skid plate has hooks to support it so take out the front two bolts first. Then support the skid plate as you remove the two rear bolts. Lower the back of the skid plate to the ground, and the front hooks should then release so you can remove it and set it aside.

Step 2- Remove the oval shaped metal plate covering the engine oil pan and drain plug. It has two 12 mm bolts. See attached picture.

Step 3 - Remove the metal bottom from the filter assembly using a 3/8" drive socket wrench extension. A little oil will drip out so you may want to cover it with a paper towel. See attached picture with the brass threads exposed.

Step 4 - Attach a foot of 5/8" fuel line to the plastic filter draining tool. Push the draining tool into the filter hard, and the oil will run out through the hose. When you pull out the draining tool, the small O ring should come out with it. If not, use your fingers to remove it - do not use any type of metal object because you may damage the sealing surface of the filter.

Step 5 - Use a 65 mm 14 flat cap style oil filter wrench to unscrew the plastic filter housing. Toyota had torqued this filter in place so hard I could not believe it. I am not sure if the 65 mm is too small or if mine is just a crummy tool, but I had to tap it onto the filter by force - very, very tight fit requiring a lot of force to put it on and take it off - be careful. It worked though. Difficult to get on and off the filter. Brand: Performance Tool part #W54074 from Advance Auto Parts - $5.99. See pic of the metal filter housing that remains attached to the engine.

Step 6 - Remove the old filter element, remove the old large O ring at the top of the plastic filter housing (fingers only!), lubricate the new O ring with clean oil, and place it on the plastic filter housing. Insert the new filter element. Clean everything up as best you can - it gets messy - 0W20 is thin and runs everywhere. Reinstall the plastic filter housing with the new filter element inside. I am not accustomed to tightening O ring seals and plastic parts until they bottom out, but that's the way Toyota did it, so that's the way I put it back. I did not tighten it to the insane torque of the factory though. I tightened it firmly after it bottomed out, but not insanely hard. No leaks - yeah!

Step 7 - Lubricate the small O ring and reinstall the metal filter housing bottom with the new O ring behind it using a 3/8" socket extension. Again, it bottomed out, and I just tightened it firmly after it bottomed out, and I have no leaks.

Step 8 - Remove the oil pan drain bolt with a 14 mm socket. I wasn't prepared for the torrent of oil released by my FJ - my pan was about to overflow. Note to self: get bigger oil drain pan.

Step 9 - Do whatever it takes to get the fiber drain plug washer off. That thing was stuck on there so hard I was almost thinking it was part of the metal drain pan. A wooden dowel and a whack knocked it loose without damaging the sealing surface. I used a ribbed (for my pleasure) nylon washer that I hope will not stick like that. No leaks - yeah!

Step 10 - Put in 6.4 quarts of Mobil-1 0W20 oil. Geez, the Japanese shure like to torque stuff - I could barely get the oil filler cap off!

Step 11 - Start the engine and check for leaks. If there are none, reinstall the cover over the oil drain pan. Any reason not to just leave this off? Ideas? The oil pan would still be well protected.

Step 12 - Reinstall the front skid plate. Let it hang by the front two metal tabs as you put in one of the rear bolts. Don't tighten the bolts until you have all four of them in because it takes some moving around to get all four holes aligned.

Repeat every 5,000 miles - I don't care if Toyota does say 10,000 is OK - I am not going that long.

Note: at 1,200 miles the oil was much more dirty than I expected. It wasn't jet black, but it was very dirty. A close inspection of the used filter element revealed several flecks of metal in each of the filter pleats. That's just what was visibile to the eye - who knows how much microscopic metal was stuck in it?

It could be psychological, but I swear the engine is quieter than I ever have heard it at idle after the oil change???

OK everyone with a 2011 - go change your oil with confidence. I hope this saves everyone some time and effort.

See second part of this post for the rest of the pics and a little additional information.

-FJ Florida-
 

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#90 ·
Step 9 - Do whatever it takes to get the fiber drain plug washer off. That thing was stuck on there so hard I was almost thinking it was part of the metal drain pan. A wooden dowel and a whack knocked it loose without damaging the sealing surface. I used a ribbed (for my pleasure) nylon washer that I hope will not stick like that. No leaks - yeah!
What are the specs on this washer? size? Is changing it required? I have a 2010 but I assume it is the same as the 2011
 
#92 ·
Not sure why Toyota went with this type of fiber gasket. I just got used to having the copper crush type sealing washer on the Nissan Coupe and they work great. People have reused those as well, But I just buy a bag of them and install a new one with every oil change.

I recently received by bag of 10 gaskets from Sparks for the oil changes on the FJ...
 
#93 ·
Thanks guys! Someone turned me on to the Fumoto valve so I ordered one of those hopefully alleviating the need for the gasket. I'll probably pick up a few just in case anyway. Decided to do the oil change next weekend if the valve is here by then! :bigthumb:
 
#102 · (Edited)
I have the regular fumoto valve. There is not really a need for a nipple with the FJ. It's a straight shot from the valve to your drain pan. You guys need to keep in mind that its protected fairly well by the skids, so the concern with dirt may be overstated. Plus only dirty oil passes through the valve, so who: cares if it gets dirty?? :thinkerg:
 
#107 ·
On the subject of dirt and the Fumoto valve nipple, I agree that it's not that big of a deal but why not put something on there if it's easy? I went to Home Depot and picked up some screw protectors. They fit perfectly. Nice and snug

 

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#112 ·
You'll have to tell me if those little screw covers you got from HD melt. They look like they're made of some kind of vinyl rubber. I have a bunch of those, but they usually get soft under heat and oil exposure, or worse. :cry:
 
#109 ·
I planned on using the supplied washer. I just looked and the supplied gasket is pretty much the same size as the OEM one (slightly smaller outer diameter on the OEM gasket). Different material. I'm not really sure of the material of the Fumoto washer. It's blue, kind of a plastic or fibrous material.

They say to tighten it by hand then turn it one quarter turn with a wrench. Attached pic of little sheet of paper that came with it.
 

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#110 ·
Adding some pics of the washer for Pale Rider (and anyone else interested)
 

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#115 ·
I found something reading JP Magazine (I know, blasphemy. My subscription hasn't run out yet) that's a different design and has a nice brass cap to seal things. It is a bit more expensive than the Fumoto valve though.

It comes with a threaded hose fitting tool that you screw on that opens an internal valve when you want to drain the oil and a brass cap that you put back on when you're done to keep things clean and doubled sealed. They make ones for trannies too! :rocker:

Femco No Spill Engine, Oil and Fluid Drain Plug & Valve System - Femco No-Spill Systems
 
#117 ·
Question to all 2010-2012 FJ's:

Just finished my second oil change and tried the TRD oil filter. Looks wise, it appears more robust and has better end seals than the original filter.

But heres my question: after changing the oil and filter I screwed the plastic filter housing on with the new o-ring supplied. I snatched it down pretty tight to the exact spot it was previously. I Could tell by the metal "pointer" thingy on the cap. I did not use a torque wrench. I soon (within 50 miles) got a very small leak, seepage is better word. Resulted in a lone (please don't laugh) drip on the filter housing. Probably not enough to qualify as a leak. But still I'm a believer that if something is designed not to leak ........it shouldnt. So, I got the special wrench back out and really put some more muscle on it and the filter housing moved maybe 1/8" tighter. It stopped the leak,drip,seepage whatever. That housing however is now super tight and probably not designed to be that tight.

Has anyone else gotten any seepage with this new filter element system? I'm actually contemplating using 2 oil o-rings and see what happens. This current system is such a PITA. What was wrong with the old spin on metal filter?

I realize that this leak was very minor but just interested if I'm the only one that noticed this.

Any thoughts appreciated...............
 
#118 · (Edited)
You might not have even had to retighten it.

If youre the kind to prefill oil filters (i do it to prevent dry starts) when changing them then you might have just had some oil left in the threads of the filter housing that eventually ran down the housing.

Personally I ALWAYS use a torque wrench on the filter housing and the metal plug in the bottom because I've screwed similar delicate connections too many times in the past using "elbow grease" torque ratings.

If it's not leaking anymore youre probably fine.

I wouldn't recommend using 2 o-rings, You don't need it. Heck I've changed my filter twice already and am still using the original o-rings. If they aren't damaged when I take them off I leave them on and kepp the new ones that came with the filter as spares.
 
#119 ·
Iqdchkn,

Thanks.....all good points. The oil may very well have been residual oil on threads. I usually clean them up however. I AM going to invest in a torque wrench (since its painfully clear Santa did not bring one this year). I too have always gotten along on carefully applied "elbow grease", but no more.

Thanks for your response........Have awesome New Year !!!!:cheers:
 
#120 ·
Well finally got my oil change done. What a PITA! Though I suspect next time will go much more smoothly now that I have done it once.

Regarding the Fumoto valve, I think I am going to switch out for the non-nippled version on the next oil change. The nipple does not stick down below the skid, and when I get my Ricochet engine skid installed it will be better, but it is pretty close. And as someone previously said (either here or in a fumoto valve thread), the valve points straight down so it's a straight shot to the drainage container.
 
#121 ·
Practice makes perfect...:lol:
any details? tightening the filter housing?
did you use the plastic thingy that came with the filter to drain the housing etc?
I have 2K to go before the first change, the wait is killing me, lol, watch it wind up in Feb when it`s 11* outside...
 
#123 ·
I had a b1tch of a time getting the adapter. First thing I got was a 67/65 mm wrench. well, since it was two sizes staggered, the 65mm part could get a good lock on the filter. Then I went to Autozone and they had cap wrenches but the were not marked for size, just cap wrench A, B, C. I was about to take one and fit it in the parking lot when some little Asian dude recommends this other wrench, says he uses it and it works for all filters. Ok, cool, I'll try that. Get it home and tried it and the filter was on there so tight I wasn't comfortable muscling it off with this particular style of wrench. So.....now I go to Advanced Autoparts and they have the 65mm wrench. I called Toyota to ask if they sold their tool and it was 80 frickin' dollars!



Practice makes perfect...:lol:
any details? tightening the filter housing?
did you use the plastic thingy that came with the filter to drain the housing etc?
I have 2K to go before the first change, the wait is killing me, lol, watch it wind up in Feb when it`s 11* outside...

I tightened the filter housing manually, to about where it was before (little metal pointer-like thingy that is on the filter housing). Then I tightened the filter drain plug with a torque wrench.

Yup I used the plastic thingy with some hose attached. That worked fine but not a whole lot of oil came out.

I think in the future I will do like the article for the 2010 that was linked a little ways back. Drain all the oil via the drain plug (now Fumoto valve) first, then do the filter. I kind of mixed both ways, drained the filter (then tested my filter wrench by slightly loosening the housing cos I wanted to make damn sure it was going to work before I drained all the oil), drained via the plug, then changed the filter. But when I pulled off the filter housing there was quite a bit of oil that I guess had flowed back into the filter. So...that made a mess lol.

This whole cartridge system just seems so ruh-tarded.
 
#124 · (Edited)
Anybody know what the torque spec is for the oil pan drain plug on the 2011? Since I own several torque wrenches, I always like to use the factory torque setting for installing the plug. Helps to avoid stripping the threads. :cheers:

Edit: Oh, I think I found it. 30 lbs-ft sound about right?
 
#126 ·
Fj Florida... Thanks so much for the post. I just changed my 2011 TT. Would have been a real pain without your help. Sad part is I changed our other FJ, the 2008 TT, in 15 mins... I hate this new system! Pics were a big help too. Thanks so much!!!!!
 
#127 ·
Holy crap that was the longest oil change of my life.

Part of the problem was my fault. The 12mm socket I grabbed to take the skid plate off was worn and it rounded a bolt head so bad that a good 6-point socket wouldn't even grab it anymore. Had to drill the head off. Stoopid, stoopid, stoopid. Now I need a new 12mm socket and a new bolt for the skid plate. Used a bolt from the oil drain cover and left it off temporarily.

Also, someone earlier mentioned the AutoZone 65/67 mm cap wrench (size F btw). Well, that's all they had so I figured I'd get one. Short story is it won't really work easily because the 67mm part keeps it from going on far enough. I didn't feel like returning that wrench and running around looking for a plain 65 mm so I cut the 67 mm part off and that worked.
 
#128 ·
Short story is it won't really work easily because the 67mm part keeps it from going on far enough. I didn't feel like returning that wrench and running around looking for a plain 65 mm so I cut the 67 mm part off and that worked.
See you figured it out :D
 
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