Please don’t over torque your oil filter housings

Just a PSA and friendly reminder. I bought a 2017 Tundra a couple weeks ago and am doing my first oil change on it. Whoever installed the housing prior to me completely ham fisted it on. I put a new aluminum replacement housing on order right before I got the breaker bar out since I had a feeling what path I was about to head down. Anyways, got it off but broke the housing and put a hole in it. I guess the truck will be sitting for a couple days.

Pics of the carnage:


Happy Sunday everyone!

 

Nothing new.....been there and done that lol.

 

Yep. But man, it’s just been one of those days.

 

The dealerships use an impact wrench to put them on.

 

Eastern Shores Toyota in Spanish Ft. Alabama did me right when they did my first oil change. I did the second expecting the worst but was pleasantly surprised to find the oil filter was easy to remove. My third will be done by them and I hope I get the same experience.

 

I assumed as much. Took at least 100ftlbs to get it off.

 

Very nice. I wish I had a shop I trusted.

 

Shit just changed mine last night 18 Ft Lbs and 9 for the center cap. Get yourself an aluminum cap. search Amazon

 

Ha! Yep, made sure to get it on order right before I broke this one.

 

I contacted @Bakershack about finding a decent dealer when I came down here. He's from that area. I had a bit of a problem with the tire rotation since they didn't adjust the pressure leaving me with fronts overfilled and rears a bit low. Easily remedied. Went back to them for the steering rack recall. Mine wasn't one of the bad ones but they did treat me right.

 

After having the dealership do the free changes I also had the same problem on the first one. I used a 2' cheater bar and my neighbor had to hold my legs. I am guessing 130 ftlbs and maybe more. Fortunately I had a metal cap ready to go but broke filter wrench and had to get a better one. I gave the dealer a 0 on survey and manager called me. Not only was the cap way over torqued but also missing a skid plate bolt and one was not OEM. I went to pick up the new bolts and the manager offered to install and give me a new cap. I said hell no you are not touching my truck. He told me he held a meeting with the techs and they all had torque wrenches. Do you think they started to use them?

 

Yep, I never broke a tab off but I fractured one. Ironically it was when I decided to use a torque wrench on it.

I'd always just done it by feel, but it always worried me that I was either going to break it or not tighten it enough for fear of breaking it. So one change I borrowed what turned out to be a pretty crappy torque wrench from my dad. Tightened and tightened and tightened, never felt the click. Finally decided something had to be wrong, I backed it off and tried again. That time I felt the almost imperceptible click very early on.

Finished and fired it up, heard a gushing sound, shut it down immediately. The cap was fractured and was spewing oil everywhere. I was lucky that day I was able to get a replacement from the dealer that day minutes before they closed.

After that I started using an aluminum cap, and also bought some good torque wrenches. I could probably just go back to going by feel, but it's good peace of mind to just torque it to spec. You don't see too many parts out there that have the torque spec embossed in raised letters right on the part, but that's one of them, so I imagine they had some issues with it.

 

when you get the new metal housing, make sure to swap the metal insert.
I also recommend the Motivx kit below for oil changes

$75 Motivx Tools Oil Filter Wrench, Drain Tool, and Advanced Engine Oil Funnel Set for Toyota & Lexus 2.0L - 5.7L Engines With Cartridge Style Systems

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0791MWXDC

 

Yep, already swapped the filter tube and installed the aluminum housing on the truck. Thanks for the recommendation on the kit. I’ll check it out.

 

I swapped to aluminum housing.

 

I bought my metal housing off Scamazon and noticed does not have Toyota cast into the side like the one pictured. Wonder if I got a counterfeit one

 

I did this recently.

 

Yes. It may be a simple Amazon warehouse picking order mistake too

It should look look like this. Mine came from Megazip as it was the cheapest shipped to Canada.

 

The bottom is exactly as yours but does not say Toyota on the side. Also noticed it does not seem to engage the spring clip like the plastic one did but I’ve done 3 oil changes on it and no issues. Just did one last Saturday so might be a couple months before I see it again

 

My buddy destroyed his the first time due to his tool not being the toyota tool. So when I did mine I made sure to have the correct wrench. It came off without destroying it but it was tight. I find this stupid filter to be the most disappointing thing on my Tundra. I have a Pontiac G5 car that has a paper filter. It comes out the top of the engine and is never hard to get open. I also never spill a drop of oil. The Tundra oil is changed in the rocks because there is going to be a mess.

 

Same, it's really stupid. My 2nd gen Tacomas had one of the easiest oil changes I've ever had. Cannister right on top, real easy to access. No special tools. No extra effort. Couldn't have been easier (except maybe on my Subarus where the oil seemed to drain out of the filters eliminating the need to drain oil from the catch under the filter).

Then Toyota went to this system (Tacomas too). Need special tools, several steps, a cover that's plastic and a little fragile, couple o-rings, two separate pieces they recommend torqueing, etc.. Really dumb.

 

Probably right.

That’s one more reason why I do my own oil changes. My original to the truck plastic oil filter housing is still perfectly serviceable after 15+ years of use.

 

Denso makes them. on my 2008 I bought one at Napa that was Denso brand at it fit/functioned perfectly for at least 225k miles. I wouldn’t sweat it…

 

Changing the filter on my Tacomas was easy. I had a small plastic coffee can to put under the drain. Only problem was the goons at the dealer would just let it drip onto a rag on the skid plate.

 

I would sometimes stick a hose on the drain nipple on that catch basin and run the hose down to the drain pan. Other times I used a cup to catch it. Sometimes I'd pull the filter, the oil would drain into the catch, then I'd hold the filter upside down under the catch drain and drain it into the filter. Only problem with that was the filter was usually kind of hot to handle.

 

Hmmm… I didn’t notice a “Toyota” on the side of the new aluminum filter housing, but I didn’t look for it either and I don’t really feel like pulling the skid plate to check. It came in a Toyota box and installed easy enough.

Anyways truck is back up and running. Crisis averted.

 

Dealer, Walmart, Jiffylube, all seem to use largest impact wrench possible.

 

Upgraded my oil filter cap a couple years ago and just did an oil change recently. I still really hate the process and how messy it is. I'm seriously considering upgrading to the Baxter performance adapter so I can use canister oil filters vice these stupid paper cartridges. I may even go so far as to get their remote adapter and inverted oil filter mount. I have 4000 miles to make a decision on yet another expensive upgrade.

 

Yup. I own all lf those things and have done all of that. What little mess there is, is still an inconvenience and waste of time and paper towels. Toyota could have at least chose a location under the hood and still went with the oil filter cartridge like they do on some of their other vehicles.