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Doing first oil change - need help

15060 Views 12 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  DeltaViper
- 2010 Corolla S 1.8 liter engine

Will be doing the first oil change at 5000miles this weekend, can anyone for the love of God tell me which cap cover tool to use for the removal of the oil filter cover?

I have been reading around, so I don't want to pay $65 to the sealer for it. And I have heard that some generics don't fit well. Can I get one from Advance Auto, Kragen, etc? Any tips on the oil change? I've been doing them my self for the last 10 years on my Nissan, but never did one with the cartridge style filter.

Also, any links to the oil changes steps with pictures would be great!
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search and u shall be rewarded....but here u go http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244334 i bought the oil filter wrench at kragen on the 4th oil change it was too worn out to grip ne more so i had to use rubber bands to do it but now i bought the generic one at autozone (its metal unlike the kragen one) and seems to work great
ill be doing my oil change in 2 weeks if you wanna wait. lol

but the correct tool is the AST - TOY640

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Assenmacher-AST-Toyota-Filter-09228-06501/dp/B0015PK3AG/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285655097&sr=8-1[/ame]

you can probably get it somewhere else for cheaper though. if you happen to see the matco truck anywhere, you can order from them.


i ordered the set for 55bucks.
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I bought the universal one from Autozone for $10. Just be careful and not strip the cap.
search and u shall be rewarded....but here u go http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244334 i bought the oil filter wrench at kragen on the 4th oil change it was too worn out to grip ne more so i had to use rubber bands to do it but now i bought the generic one at autozone (its metal unlike the kragen one) and seems to work great
Can you please tell me the size, specs, or part # for the cap that you got from autozone?
I purchased a couple different ones from Autozone/Advanced Auto and none of them seem to fit well or grip enough to loosen the cap. I always felt like I was going to strip the cap if I tried to force it off. I ended up going with a strap wrench and that worked just fine.
for those who got they toyota's recently..why are you doin your own oil change lol...isnt your oil change included in the finance/lease agreement for the first 3 years lol
Didn't finance or lease my car so therefore my post still stands...
Didn't finance or lease my car so therefore my post still stands...

I paid cash for mine and I bought the wrench. I do my own oil and filter changes. My wrench measures 2.5 inches across and is 16 sided.

Dave:welcome:
Can you please tell me the size, specs, or part # for the cap that you got from autozone?
the one i bought was made by OEM Oil filter "F" cap wrench part number 25404

for those who got they toyota's recently..why are you doin your own oil change lol...isnt your oil change included in the finance/lease agreement for the first 3 years lol
It dosent imply to me but even if it did i would still b doing it myself because its quicker than bringing it to the dealer, i take the time to let the oil drain instead of waiting till a slow drip then put the plug back on, i also know what kind of oil is in there, and i prefer not to let random people drive my car unless i have to
they only give 2 year free maintenance to people who bought their car after the little fiasco with the gas pedal UA and brakes on the hybrids.
AST - TOY640 in post #3 is available from tooltopia.com. My set was $42.75 total delivered. Now I have the tool for my Corolla and 95.5 Tacoma.
I work at a Jiffy Lube and I have done a lot of oil changes on cartridge filters. I have also tried all the different types of tools for the filters and for the Toyota corolla 1.8L they changed the removable portion of the canister from aluminum like the 3.5L Toyota v6 to a plastic one which I don't like. Early on I did not have any special filter tools when they first came out because they really weren't available. so I used filter pliers, very dangerous. It would sometimes crack the small extra pieces of plastic but I never had the integrity of the cap damaged. I would never recommend doing the oil change that way. I then tried the really cheap cap removal tool designed for this they are usually black and fit a 3/8 in. drive ratchet in the middle and you will notice that the tool will have several tack welds around the ratchet hole they break very easy especially on the first oil change. For some reason I can not understand why manufacturers, (and this applies to all cars) they either over tighten oil filters or the dry gasket them. So the first time with those plastic filter caps is very dangerous. I again have never had one actually break but I have had to put a lot more force into loosening the filter than I would have liked to. The good filter cup tool is the one [URL="http://about<b></b>:blank#"]flamedrgn[/URL] has in the picture a wrench or socket fits on it and the longer wrenches give you more of a advantage of leverage. Leverage is everything when your on your back under a car and you have about 6 inches of space to work with. The first one of those we bought still is in use today which has done hundreds of oil changes as where the cheap filter tool would break on the first oil change.

A little advice with canister filters make sure you change out the gaskets and seat them properly or they can leak. do not over tighten them its not necessary. after you add oil start the car up let the oil pressure light turn off, rev the car up to 2500 rpm or so and hold it there for 30 to 60 seconds. then just let the car idol of 3 min or so and check the filter for leaks. if you do it that way I guarantee you will never have a problem with a leaking filter, which is very common with canister filters.

If you have trouble loosening a oil drain plug or taking that filter off a good technique is to put your non-dominant hand around the wrench/ratchet. Then take your dominant hand across your body, make it into a fist and tap the non-dominant hand with the bottom of your fist. use the meaty part of your fist not your fingers that would be painful. if you have the space you can interlock open ended wrenches to give you more leverage.
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