Oil Change Worker Lost a Part

Last night I took my 2017 with 5.7 to Valvoline for an oil change. Some time near the end the manager let me know that the "canister filter spigot" was not with the oil filter assembly. They also told me the truck would function fine without it....or to just bring in a replacement next oil change and they would put it back on free of charge.

My assumption is that they in fact lost this piece as it has not been mentioned before. I plan to not drive the truck as I'm skeptical that any piece of the oil system is something to take lightly. The part they appear to be (?) talking about is not sold separately and I'm guessing is the metallic cylinder that comes with the oil filter housing as available here:

https://parts.josephtoyota.com/p/To...Filter-Housing-Cover/62994601/156200S010.html

I'm planning to purchase this part, park the truck till it comes in, and then them have install before driving the truck anywhere that isn't Valvoline. Am I being overly paranoid here? Do I have the right part? Is there a way to buy just the metallic tube? I think this community is the one to turn to for guidance.

 

You did the right thing IMO. Without the center part, the filter can collapse or get deformed.

 

Get a new filter cannister which will come with a new stand pipe. See car care nut vid who is a toyota master tech starts at 11:30>>>
https://youtu.be/G_vl2AYe7Yg

 

Sorry that happened.

I'd have said, you lost it, you bought it.

 

Your dealer may have it in stock and many will price match. Are you the original owner? That just doesn't disappear. Someone took it out.

 

If it is the perforated metal tube in the filter housing cap, then a couple of things.

1) Do not drive the truck. The filter WILL collapse and cause oil starvation. I just saw video online where a RAV4 was getting a new engine due to the same situation.
2) They did not lose it, they broke it. That part is "non-serviceable" and does not come out unless you bend the retention tabs back or use excessive force to rip it out.
They should be paying for a new cap.
3) The shop is clearly incompetent, free or not, I would not trust them with your truck.

The video linked to the car care nut covers this stuff. These filter housing do not break if you know what you are doing, clearly Valvoline does not.

 

Could this "spigot" be the small plastic piece used to drain the filter housing before removing the filter?

 

That's what I was wondering too until he said that they told him that the truck would function fine without it.

 

I would take these images to the lube shop and ask them to identify EXACTLY what they lost.

I would use this opportunity to upgrade to the metal housing:

$20 Toyota Oil Filter Cap - 15620-31060

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008BHP68A?_encoding=UTF8

This replacement housing does not come with the spring-loaded center mesh cylinder, you would need to either take the one from your existing housing or get a new one if that's the part that was lost.

 

This piece?


It probably got unseated when they pulled out the filter and it was wedged inside the filter and they threw it away.

I would call them and have them look in the trash. There can't be that may cartridge filters in the trash compared to the spin on metal filters.

BTW.... Welcome from NY.

 

The piece I wrote of snaps into the bottom of the filter after the center bolt is removed. A section of hose is attached to the lower end. My filter came with this. Technically he was right that it would function fine without it but why even mention it in the first place?

 

Several similar experiences over the past 40 years are what led me to changing my own oil. BTW, Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)!

 

Sorry to hear about this. After two bad oil change experiences I change it myself, something you might consider.

 

Fast oil change places are the absolute. last. dead freaking last. LAST. people you want touching your vehicles for service. Catalytic converter crackhead thieves have spent more time under Tundras than a lot of those "service techs" employed.

I'm with the party that says they broke it or lost it through sheer incompetence.

My favorite horror stories are the Subaru guys that take their vehicles to these places. There, the "techs" drain the CVT transmission fluid, overfill the oil by double, and the car permanently becomes a paperweight pulling out of the parking lot.

 

Need more info from that crap shop. No part of that filter assembly can be left out during the installation. It's not 'all good' until it comes in. He could have sent an employee to any auto parts store to get a suitable replacement.

 

I just thought about something. The last time I changed my oil, the first filter's center hole was too small to go over the perforated metal tube. I used my wife's car to take it back and exchange it, because I called it defective. If that oil change shop had a filter like that and forced it on in your previous oil change, that could be why it was pulled out of the housing with the filter this time. Yet one more reason to change it yourself. The lowest job in any shop is changing oil, and it draws the lowest IQ and the lowest motivation to do it right.

 

one of those places did that to a friends Audi, she got a new engine.

 

You might just have to crawl under the truck and take a good look. Maybe drain the oil and remove the housing to make sure of the part that is missing. You're not driving it. I'm not sure those DBs at Valvoline know what they lost.
I had an incident 20 years ago and that convinced me to change my oil myself. I second the metal housing, much better than that plastic POS. Toyota did a free first oil change on my '19 Platinum and tightened the plastic housing so tight it broke my filter wrench trying to get it off. I took it back to Toyota and they had to cut the housing off. I subsequently replaced it with the metal housing.

 

good stuff there.

 

At least they told you about it.

 

Lots of good advice here. Worth noting that in what would be a worst case scenario, it actually was lost on my prior oil change and they just pointed it out. Hopefully no damage was done to the engine if that's the case. On watching a few videos, I might actually be brave enough to remove the oil canister and take a look to make sure that is the missing part in question. Am I understanding right that I could remove the filter assembly without the entirety of the oil draining out. My understanding is that I'd only lose what is in the canister and could add a little extra later. I'm hesitant to trust any sort of ramp with that much weight over my head, but it looks like learning to change the oil myself is not all that complicated. Thank you for everyone's advice. Let me know if you have any additional thoughts (that don't involve me spending thousands on a lift kit so I can change my own oil).

 

Just have the oil changed again and replace the missing piece. Don’t need to over complicate something that’s already being over analyzed.

 

Yes, you can just remove the canister and you will only lose what oil is in there. Having a filter in there with no pipe is not doing anything to filter the oil.

 

You'll either have to have the special "socket" that fits that filter housing or get creative with another method.

 

I'm not a small guy, but I can change my oil without lifting it or riding up on a ramp. 5' 11" 230 lbs, with thick chest. You might be able to get under there as well. The worst part is getting the skid plate off and on if it doesn't have a door to access the filter. Better yet, get a ValvoMax kit and make all your later oil changes MUCH easier and cleaner. I can almost change my oil without using rubber gloves or having to wash my hands afterward.

https://www.valvomax.com/

 

DO NOT DRIVE IT ALL. The filter will collapse and then oil starvation. You probably caused damage driving off from the shop, x fingers. Another reason I do my own work and maintenance.

 

Reading this thread over I think what was missing is the oil filter housing drain plug.
https://parts.sheehytoyotafrederick...71/1564331050.html?clickSource=relatedProduct

 

If that's the case a simple visual inspection would confirm.

 

FWIW, I bought my car used and drove it home 200 miles. Did an oil change the moment I got home and found out the center piece of the oil filter housing was missing. The paper filter has collapsed. I’ve done a couple of oil analysis since then and all have came back pretty normal.

 

OP, where do you live? If you're around Birmingham AL I'm happy to help you out.