DIY Oil change question (1 Viewer)

[Murckman]

Quick question for the DIY oil changers in the group.
Just did my first oil change on my new to me 08 Land Cruiser. When I wrenched on the drain plug the whole housing loosened and I just did it that way. After everything was out I had use a pipe wrench to hold the housing and crank down pretty hard with my 3/8 socket wrench to free up the drain plug. All new o-rings along with new filter were installed, and everything was installed to correct torque setting. Put in exactly 7.4 quarts per manual.
Started it up, ran it for a few minutes and pressure was fine.
However, after I checked the dipstick it is approximately 1” above the fill line.
Anyone run into this issue, and could it possibly be that all the old oil didn’t drain out because the drain plug was stuck and I couldn’t drain it that way?
I drove it to the store and back and rechecked the dipstick a dozen times with the same result.
I don’t mind draining some oil out but I’m curious why it’s reading high. On my 02 100 Series I drain and put in exactly per the manual and it’s always spot on the correct amount.
Any ideas??

 

[bloc]

Are you certain about that 7.4? Not 8.4?

Not being able to remove the oil filter drain plug shouldn’t have any impact on oil volume if you did remove the whole oil filter cover and drain that housing.

I had a friend who’s Cherokee would only drain 2qts and it turns out there was a lot of sludge in the pan. If your truck used synthetic 0w-20 this is very unlikely.

Is it possible to measure how much old oil came out?

 

[OregonLC]

Mine is 7.8 with filter. 7.4 might be w/o filter.

If you're a full inch above the full line after pulling, wiping, reinserting, and then checking then something is wrong. Either you miscounted or something was blocking the oil from draining.

You didn't buy the 5 qt Mobil One container thinking it was 4 qt did you? I've done that before, perhaps when IPA's were involved.

For the longest time I pulled the entire housing without draining and just put up with the mess, but recently have been using the plastic drain nipple and it makes a big difference in the mess.

 

[Murckman]

I’ll check the levels again in the morning and drain some if it’s still high. There was no sludge and the oil that came out was still fairly clean. I bought two 5 quarts and used just slightly less than one and a half. Next time I’ll measure how much comes out. The catch pan I used had some previous oil in it so I couldn’t measure what came out today. Checked again on the capacity on the 08 and everywhere I check says 7.4 with new filter.

 

[OregonLC]

From the 2013 OM.... maybe 08 has a smaller pan?

Even with that there's still something wrong if you're at 1" above F mark on stick. That's a LOT of excess oil in the pan. If accurate that is enough that I'd advise draining down to the F mark. You're at risk of frothing up the oil from crank splash.

Are you certain that it's the correct stick? Possible at some point a shop put the wrong one back in? Anyone with a 200 you can compare it with? Something isn't adding up. You're on level ground, correct? And is it an OE pan or was it perhaps swapped out at some point?

 

[Murckman]

I thought about the dipstick too. It appears to be correct, but I’ll have to look into that to be sure. I would doubt a smaller pan would have been installed, but it is odd it’s reading so high.
08 OM below

 

[OregonLC]

That's crazy, would have never thought that the 3UR would have had different capacities over its life. Learn something new everyday.

If the 08 has a more shallow pan than the later 200s then it would make sense that a stick from a later 200 would read higher if used in a shallower pan...

 

[Murckman]

It’s a possibility that the dipstick is wrong. Maybe an oil change at the dealership by the PO the dipstick could have been lost or damaged, and they grabbed one off the shelf of a later model thinking it was the same.
It looks correct, it’s the standard yellow handle I see in pics. Maybe I can find some info on the correct length for the 08.
Any 08 owners out there willing to measure theirs?
Guess I won’t be draining any oil yet till I figure this out.

 

[Murckman]

Well there are different part numbers between the 2008-2009 dipsticks and the 2010 on.

 

[hankinid]

200 series diy oil change thread indicates...

"According to 2010 LC Owner's Manual, the oil capacity, with the filter changed, are: 7.4 quarts for vehicles with blue-markered dipstick handle, and 7.9 quarts for vehicles with green-markered dipstick handle."

Not sure if that affects your issue...I fed mine 8 quarts (green mark on dipstick) yesterday and dipstick shows maybe 1/8" below the full mark after starting the truck for ~ 5 minutes and checking level after shut down.

 

[gaijin]

You could measure your dipstick.

Mine is from a 2013 LC with a max (with filter) capacity of 7.9 quarts:

It measures 27" overall and 26.5" to the "Low" mark

If yours measures the same, then it is most probable you have the wrong dipstick.

HTH

 

[OregonLC]

There is also a difference in the oil pan part number. 12111-0S011 Through the 2011 and 12111-0S021 from 1/2012 on. Wonder what and why the change.

 

[JohnJB]

@Murckman you're not crazy, there is a difference. On my 09 I've also learned that the 7.9 capacity will overfill according to my dipstick. I about drove myself nuts my first few oil changes as I had other owners tell me they throw in 8 quarts and it fills it right up. They all had MY10 or newer trucks. I now throw in 7 1/3 quarts, let it run and top off accordingly.

Edit: I also just messed around on the Amsoil website and their capacity note changes from 08/09 to 10, to note the oil change with filter goes from 7.4 to 7.9
Also of note, the Tundra has the same capacity change at that MY change. Plus it changed again 17 -> 18 up to 8.5 quarts but not for LC. Perhaps they got a newer, larger oil cooler and that changed the capacity, but that's all an aside.

 

[Murckman]

Just measured the dipstick and it is 27” overall, and 26.5” to the low level just like the 2013 measurement above. Also, no blue or green line on the yellow pull handle. Going to see if the Toyota dealer has mine in stock. Thanks for all the help.

 

[OregonLC]

Crazy trying to think of the circumstances in which that could happen. I would think that Toyota had a mixup of parts during the transition, but with this being an 08 that's not possible. Maybe a ham-fisted tech at one point bent the original one and they just put a Tundra one in as a quick replacement thinking it was the same (I would have too).

 

[Murckman]

@Murckman you're not crazy, there is a difference. On my 09 I've also learned that the 7.9 capacity will overfill according to my dipstick. I about drove myself nuts my first few oil changes as I had other owners tell me they throw in 8 quarts and it fills it right up. They all had MY10 or newer trucks. I now throw in 7 1/3 quarts, let it run and top off accordingly.

Edit: I also just messed around on the Amsoil website and their capacity note changes from 08/09 to 10, to note the oil change with filter goes from 7.4 to 7.9
Also of note, the Tundra has the same capacity change at that MY change. Plus it changed again 17 -> 18 up to 8.5 quarts but not for LC. Perhaps they got a newer, larger oil cooler and that changed the capacity, but that's all an aside.

JohnJB,
Do you mind measuring the dipstick you have in your 09? It should be shorter than the 2013 picture, otherwise the markings may be laid out differently with the low mark higher up than 26.5”.

 

[Murckman]

Crazy trying to think of the circumstances in which that could happen. I would think that Toyota had a mixup of parts during the transition, but with this being an 08 that's not possible. Maybe a ham-fisted tech at one point bent the original one and they just put a Tundra one in as a quick replacement thinking it was the same (I would have too).

It does seem odd, and your likely right. They probably just grabbed what they had off the shelf not bothering to look it up. That’s why I prefer working on anything I’m able to do myself. So many times in the past after bringing to a mechanic or dealer I found hose clamps weren’t put back on or there were missing bolts or clips.

 

[bryson]

I think you are all over-thinking this...

Sounds to me like the OP drained the oil via the filter housing ONLY, and NOT via the oil pan drain plug. That means there was some oil (a couple quarts?) still in the sump of the oil pan that never got drained.

Oil needs to be drained from here:

As well as the filter housing here:

Pics taken from this thread:

Oil & Filter Change for LC200

2010 URJ200 3UR-FE 5.7L V-8 gasoline engine I did an oil/filter change on the LC200 today, at 1175 miles, and thought I'd share the experience. It was more complicated compared to all my previous vehicles due to having to remove a skid plate and deal with the cartridge type of filter...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[OregonLC]

It does seem odd, and your likely right. They probably just grabbed what they had off the shelf not bothering to look it up. That’s why I prefer working on anything I’m able to do myself. So many times in the past after bringing to a mechanic or dealer I found hose clamps weren’t put back on or there were missing bolts or clips.

Could not agree with you more. I saw a major overland vendor once return a truck to a customer once with the passenger seat completely unbolted and with an array of shop tools on the floor. If you want a job done right... well, you get it. The trouble is we've developed a generation of techs who aren't real tradesmen. And a generation of owners who can't mow their own lawn, let alone maintain their vehicle.

Okay, stepping off soapbox.

 

[Murckman]

I think you are all over-thinking this...

Sounds to me like the OP drained the oil via the filter housing ONLY, and NOT via the oil pan drain plug. That means there was some oil (a couple quarts?) still in the sump of the oil pan that never got drained.

Oil needs to be drained from here:
View attachment 2124126

As well as the filter housing here:
View attachment 2124127


Pics taken from this thread:

Oil & Filter Change for LC200

2010 URJ200 3UR-FE 5.7L V-8 gasoline engine I did an oil/filter change on the LC200 today, at 1175 miles, and thought I'd share the experience. It was more complicated compared to all my previous vehicles due to having to remove a skid plate and deal with the cartridge type of filter...

forum.ih8mud.com

I probably should have did some more research before I just assumed all the oil would come out the the drain plug of the filter housing. Damn I feel dumb. Been changing oil in my vehicles for years and I shouldn’t have made a rookie mistake.
Thanks for your help!

Still curious though on the difference between the two dipsticks.