Tundra 5.7 oil change

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Joined
May 9, 2007
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31
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Location
Jemez Mountains
Just changed the oil for the first time on my 5.7. Wow, what a mess! I have always used on of those oil change tubs that is tapered down toward a hole in the middle. Never had a problem before. Opened up the drain plug on the Tundra and the oil is so thin (5W20) that it did not fall out, it shot out! It hit the downward slope of the change pan and spashed back up toward the right wheel and suspension. Had enough pressure to splah all the way through the wheel and on to the ground on the other side. Next time will use an open bucket sort of affair that has a vertical side that will force the oil down instead of letting it go everywhere else.

Cartridge filter is pretty straightforward. Undo the bottom plug with a 3/8 square drive extension. Push the plastic drain doohickey that comes with the replacement filter up into the bottom of the housing to drain the oil. When you pull the plastic doohickey back out of the bottom, it pulls the bottom "O" ring out with it. You can then remove the housing with a big filter socket. Cartridge comes with two "O" rings and the aforementioned doohickey.
 
with oil that thin I think you might want to get a sheet of cheese cloth or something and put it on top of a five gallon bucket. It should eliminate most of the splashing. I have one of the basins with a screen on top. It seems to do a pretty good job with 5-30, but I don't know if it would work with the thinner oil. IMO oil changes are one thing that toyota makes difficult. My 96 4runner is a PITA to do without making a big mess.
 
I just did mine for the first time yesterday. It was a PIA. I didn't use the plastic doo-hickey since the write up on TS said there was still a ton of oil in the housing. It seemed to be a waste of time.

The cap was HARD to unscrew. I even went so far as to call the dealer for the SST. He was good enough to tell me all their guys buy them from the Matco truck because Toyota's price is $58ish.

Neat little hooks on the skid plate to hold it in place while you take the bolt out.


Damned if I didn't HAVE to drop the 4 exhaust bolts and drive it around with no muffler. Gave me a little bit of a chubby. :o
 
I guess they do make the oil change harder than it needs to be. Took me a while to figure out the hook deal on the skid plate. The three front screws that hold on the front of the skid plate and bottom of the bumper plastic are a little cheezy and doodads they screw into won't stand the test of time.

I got the SST (aftermarket filter socket) at American Toyota. After my Mud discount (thanks cruiserdan)was less than five bucks. Pretty tight on the cartridge housing but worked fine for the money. Looks to be about 2 5/8".
 

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