Knucklebus

Anyone have any experience with a spin-on conversion for the GS? Surely they cannot be that hard to find/make?

I do all my own maintenance and have a fleet of five vehicles and a mower. I sold a 2003 Tundra last year that used a spin-on oil filter and assumed every vehicle in the world used a spin-on. Much to my surprise, my first Lexus GS350 uses a cartridge contraption.

I've been changing oil in mine and other people's vehicles since I was 15, that is probably 1,000s of spin-on filters in my 40 years. I pre-fill my spin-ons to reduce dry run time and have never had an oil or filter related engine failure. The few cartridges I've dealt with were nasty affairs and slowed things down with o-rings and extra stuff.

er34

I prefer the cartridge type actually especially if you get the TOY640 tool. It gives a much more firm and reassuring grip when you remove and install the filter housing. The O rings only take a minute extra to change out.

I wished more manufacturers started doing the top mount oil filters though.. it makes things so much easier and 0 mess if you combine it with a Fumoto Valve. Not even a drop of oil on your hands.

drgrant

The cartridge design is used in a lot of Toyota products (Camry, etc). its absolutely nothing to worry about, really.

-Mike

Knucklebus

Spin-on filters are so much more convenient and easier. I do ALL my own maintenance. I build/swap motors, transmissions, rear ends, suspensions, recover seats and about anything else except paint because my body work doesn't suit me.

I believe in the fewest moving parts necessary is the way to go. I've found one for $200 but that is ridiculous! There has to be a less expensive adapter. It is a simple piece of metal with threads on the big side, a threaded tube on the small side and a gasket area for the seal. I've converted every old Chevy engine I've come across to spin-on filter. Luckily, I don't run across one of those very often any more.

I may have to invest in a remote setup.

charley95

You may not have clearance to put an adaptor on. I'd personally just stick with the factory set up. I had a 91 Old's years ago that had the same open element filter set up as the GS, got 220k out of the engine on that car using an open element filter from AC Delco. It is messier working with that type of filter but not worth the hassle to me to do a conversion. Plus, your not changing oil & filter as often as we did years ago on the Dino oil cars. Lexus recommends oil change every 10k miles anyway which isn't that often to some drivers. Personally I change every 5k because oil and filters are cheap considering it's a $60k car.

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

if i had the choice.. it's spin-on type all day... faster and cleaner.. I used to pre-fill it a little, too.

Cartridge is probably about 48 times better for the environment, though.

I agree with the idea of having everything on top of the engine so we can use extractors..

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

cartridge is the new wave as stated is better for the environment. newer cars will have them so it's best to get used to them. I'm surprised an adaptor is even available as it is risky if not installed correctly.
I do hate the fact that you cannot stab a stubborn filter to break it loose on cartridge type cars (this shows you my age and old school technique).

er34

The spin-on filter shells are thin metal and if they're stupid tight, the "flutes"(keys) start getting stripped and that's when you have to resort to the screwdriver stab technique. But that's exactly why I think the cartridge is better because it's solid aluminum and provided you have the right tool(it's only $20 on Amazon, so really you must have it), you practically won't have to worry about it getting stripped.

er34

If you have to worry about the dealer or oil change shop not doing the work you are paying them to do, then you should really be taking your business somewhere else, or better yet, trust no one and DIY!

Knucklebus

Not risky at all. This is simple plumbing 101, not quantum physics. I've not changed my oil yet since it still has 2,000 miles to go but I was planning ahead when I discovered the canister contraption. I used to never buy a car unless I could find the oil filter within 30 seconds. I got lazy on the GS, lulled into a sense of same-same. That's the only thing I didn't research about the V6 motor before I bought this one.

I've been a DIY guy for 50 years. I used to work on my tricycle. Mom showed me pictures. By getting under and around your vehicle, you learn it intimately. I like getting my hands dirty, to feel the wrenches in my hand and the elation of accomplishing a task. Quality bonding time with the cars.

Paying to have stuff done that I'm fully capable of is like paying someone else do hot laps in my car so I can brag about time slips. Where's the joy in that? I could make other metaphors about other things being serviced but that's as far as the innuendo will go with me.

charley95

In my 53 years I've never had anyone change my oil for me. I always fear the guy that would change mine would be fresh out of McDonald's and just started changing oil at a dealer. I could just see that scenario. The day I can't do it or ever drive again just shoot me.

Knucklebus

I have had that same fear! I was always careful when changing oil at the shop to never put the filter on until AFTER I was ready to pour oil in the crankcase. I had to drive a screw driver through so many filters it wasn't funny. Nobody knows what 3/4 turn after gasket contact is any more.

I've let my wfie take her Honda HR-V in for oil changes when it was under warranty because I figured it would be supporting evidence if anything did go wrong. I bought the '13 Lexus GS 350 AWD for less than we paid for her HR-V EX AWD.

On another note, we traded our '12 Civic EX to our daughter and got her '99 LX back in trade. The year it spent in Texas and the subsequent 2 years in Florida under the supervision of random oil change and tire outfits is still being discovered. After having trouble getting one wheel off I decided to check torque on the other wheels. I kept adjusting my torque wrench up until I could get them to loosen before the wrench registered. 185lb/ft! Well over 100 above spec! The professionals at that place obviously didn't use torque sticks. They just rammed them on there at full pressure.

And that is why I do all my own work when time permits.

charley95

You know your Lexus is 76 foot pounds on the torque for the wheels?

drgrant

IMHO It's different for everyone- when you work 50-60 hours a week everything changes (at least for me it did). I don't like being bugged by minutae. I'd outsource
going to the grocery store if I could, all of that domesticus stuff generally annoys me. It's all about the time value equation. Back when I had my Camry I damn well knew how to change the oil but I never did it, because I had a local car wash lube place that I trusted, and one of my friends there usually worked on my car 9 out of 10 times... and that car went 260,000 w/o issue with 5-6K intervals... first 100K on dino and the last 160 was on Mobil 1...

It just wasn't worth it to me to do it myself. I could pay them pretty much peanuts to do it in 10 or 15 minutes tops- if I did it between buying the oil, bringing the used **** back, and all that crap, It'd waste a better part of an hour at least... and drop on about 5000 miles on the odometer every 3 months at the longest.

Back in the day when I had my first car, and 89 ford tempo, I changed the oil literally 60% of the time on that car, because I had a lot of time on my hands and not a lot
of money. (I did a lot of the work on that car myself out of necessity) .

Will I ever go back to changing my own oil? Maybe, after the CPO maint runs out on my GS, which at the rate I drive will probably happen by June, lol. I want to
get a beater like an 2005+ camry or corolla to supplement this car (mostly use it for my side business and commuting... ) and ironically enough while I will probably do my GS's maintenance I'll job out the oil changes on the beater because of the mileage BS... and because doing oil changes in the winter in MA without a heated garage is a HUGE pain in the ***. (I recall my fingers going numb a lot of times in my youth while wrenching on that POS tempo in my parent's driveway in the dead of winter... never again. ) When I get the 2nd car I'd only ever have to change the GS's oil during the warm months because It'd stay garaged during pure hell/garbage time (which is like December till April 15 or so in the northeast)

-Mike

Knucklebus

Agreed, everyone's situation is different. I'm blessed to have grown up in a dealership and have no fear of mechanical things. I also have a heated/air conditioned garage with a full bath and shower so I can live out here if the wife gets pissed at me. It is where all my other GS's live, the really old ones made by Buick.