Location of engine oil grain plug? I know, this is dumb.

[tk45s]

OK, I'm a newbie. I did the search in the forum, and found many things like what kind of mistakes to avoid. But I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out the location of the engine oil drain plug. I found the coolant valve behind a round plastic cover, the oil filter behind a piece of metal cover, but where is the oil drain plug? There is a round hole right under the engine, with no cover. My hand barely reached inside and could tell a screw was there. Is this the thing I'm looking for?

Thanks for any hints!

 

[Wellcraft19]

Yup, but the opening is more like oval.
There should be cover plate for that opening in the underbelly splashplate, but my guess is that many shops take it off, and simply forgets to put it back. The owner will, in most cases, never know.

 

[84CRUISER]

not to be a jerk at all, but if you dont know that, pay someone to work on your ride

 

[tk45s]

Thanks a lot!

I will find out tomorrow if a shop fits me better.

 

[Jim_Chow]

OK, I'm a newbie. I did the search in the forum, and found many things like what kind of mistakes to avoid. But I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out the location of the engine oil drain plug. I found the coolant valve behind a round plastic cover, the oil filter behind a piece of metal cover, but where is the oil drain plug? There is a round hole right under the engine, with no cover. My hand barely reached inside and could tell a screw was there. Is this the thing I'm looking for?

Thanks for any hints!

I think you're referring to that big silver bolt with the circle around it that bolts the front center of the large plastic skid plate to the IFS crossmember. No, that's not it. It's about in the middle of the big plastic skid plate. It's oval, less than a foot in length, and, IIRC, is attached by two 8mm bolts (it's a smaller size than the 6 bolts that attach the big plastic cover). If you plan on doing your own wrenching, I'd recommend you drop the big plastic skid plate and take a look at everything underneath.

 

[NMuzj100]

There is a plastic access plate with the small bolts Jim mentioned. It is generally rectangular with rounded corners. The round metal ring with a bolt in the middle is a jacking point and the bolt just holds the skid plate on.

Don't get discouraged by small stuff like this. Lots of guys who have been doing vehicle maintnence their whole lives forget that the first time they did this stuff either someone showed them what to do or they did as you have been doing.

The great thing about the 100 is it's such a nice vehicle that it is worth working on yourself. We get a lot of guys who never cared about maintnence before and outsourced to Jiffy Lube now want to do some of the work on the 100 themselves.

None of it is rocket science and you can figure it out with time, a little blood on the knuckles, the FSM and some MUD.

Never noticed the Coolant access until this weekend when I removed the skid plate for a better view while replacing the front diff lube so you are already ahead of me.

 

[100 TD]

OK, I'm a newbie.

Everyone was once!

You have to start somewhere and if you do your own maintenance (with the help of others advice and FAQs on the forum) you will learn the ins and outs of you vehicle and understand how it works better. This will hopefully will be of benefit to you in the long run.

 

[mdenman]

new land cruiser

Just received my copy of Motor Trend and they have an article on the LX 570, also noted the new land cruiser will be following soon. By the way this is my first post although I've been reading for about a year since I purchased my LX 470.

 

[pint]

Definitely get the FSM. Much of the maintenance on these trucks are pretty straight forward. Good luck and welcome!
Tell us about your rig?

 

[NMuzj100]

tk45s and mdennan - Welcome!

Once you've done a job once yourself you'll always feel better even if you pay someone to do it. You'll know what you're paying for and how much it's worth to you.

and get some truck info in your siglines already - sheesh

 

[tk45s]

Thanks for all the suggestions and encouraging!!

I did not check the thread again before I started the work. So I broke the connector between my wrench and 12mm socket, when trying to unscrew the bolt that holds the metal cover. Of course I only found dusts coming out from the hole.
I found the rectangle/oval plastic door and the two tiny screws only after I removed the plastic cover -- I was a bit desperate and was willing to unscrew anything to find the oil plug. Then I spotted the plug immediately.
The job is not done yet. I bought a "fit-all" type filter wrench and it did not work for me. So the rig is sitting there. I did not put back the plastic cover, hoping finding some time later this week to take a look at everything underneath, as Jim suggested.

 

[NMuzj100]

tk45s - filter wrench note - the wrench that fits an OEM Denso will not fit most of the aftermarket filters so buy a few of them and return the ones you don't need. I bought three for my first 100 oil change.

Another advantage to doing the oil changes yourself is proper torquing of the filter. I swear the quick lube/ dealer techs have a 500 lb gorilla with a four foot breaker bar cranking these things down. They are worried about the filter becoming loose and leaking oil because it will come back. When I do my own they come off by hand at the end of 10k and never leak.

Make sure you check your old filter when it comes off to ensure that the old gasket is not still attached to the truck. Lube the new gasket with oil and clean the gasket mating surface on the vehicle.
Some pairs of disposable Nitrile (or latex) gloves are great and safety glasses required.

 

[farinvail]

In the glove box is an owners manual. Read it. Crawl under your truck and identify stuff. Buy a $100 set of Craftsman metric sockets and oil filter wrench like eveyone else said. The best part about changing your own oil is oil running down your arm and into your arm pit. Next time you'll wait for the engine to cool down so it doesn't hurt. By the third time it probably wont run down your arm. Have fun, good luck and RTFM.

 

[tk45s]

Thanks again for the generous tips! I will get the right tools, and study as much as I can -- I have been reading the big ASE textbook for some time.

I drained oil yesterday. Tomorrow I shall replace the filter with the right wrench and finish the job. Maybe this sets record of time span for one oil change.

Just a short description of my rig: it is a dark green 99, bought one month ago at 100K miles. All factory except customer sound system. I really like it.

 

[Wellcraft19]

tk,
When you're at it, and since the truck has some miles (I have a '99 with just under 85K) take time as others have suggested and really get to know it.
Since you're already there, I would remove the metal "skid plate" that sits under the engine as well. Blow out and remove/flush out sand and mud that might have been accumulated over the years. Do the same with along/on top of frame members, the tray that protects the fuel tank, etc. (lots of dried mud caked in there if car has been off-raod and not cleaned out).
With skidplate out of the way, you can easier inspect coolant lines, a/c lines, take a peak at the power steering, etc. Check rubber boots and CV boots that there are no cracks/tears.

In most places here in the U.S. it might not matter, but where I'm originally from (Sweden), having cavities (like the LC does have) underneath that can accumulate mud/sand/salt and hence retain moisture, will only lead to significant rust issues down the road.

I bought the LC not only because it was a "Dream Car" at the time, but also because it is a relatively easy car to work at. On my 300ZX, you could not even fit a regular shop jack underneath, here I can easily slide in w/o even lifting the car, or drive it up on ramps. Such ease of access
But, I still miss my 300ZX... :-(

 

[tk45s]

Wellcraft,
I will. I already noticed some grease on a CV joint of the left front drive shaft (the joint closer to the differential). If my skills improves as I'm hoping, I shall be working on it early next year, repacking the wheel bearings at the same time.

I bought the LC100 for the same reason. My other car is a 90 BMW 535i, 5 speed maual, 200K miles. It is still an awesome driving machine, but got a blown head gasket. I also plan to work on it, but have a lot to practise before that...