Troy L

It's a pleasure to join this forum of proud Lexus owners. I have been reading your posts with great interests, and have learned some very valuable tips. I am about to embark upon my first Do-It-Yourself oil and filter service. I recently took a quick look underneath the vehicle, and noticed that the filter area is covered with a metal shield. Is this shield easily removed to gain access to the oil filter, or can someone simply walk me through the procedure for performing this generally simple task? Thanks for your help.

snhrph

Welcome aboard!

The "metal shield" is called a skid plate and it is easy to remove if you have your truck on the lift. Doing it "on the floor" is a pain-in-the-butt. Don't get me wrong, it can be done. I have done it myself once, after that I take it to the shop - not worth the effort for me.

Make sure that you have the right tools (you'll need a ratchet with a 4 to 5 inch extension to remove the skip plate) before you dive in.

Good luck.

Bob GX

I use some 2"X6" lumber to make some ramps to drive the front wheels onto - make a simple stair case two or three boards thick gives enough room to remove that plate. When you loosen the bolts the shield will swing towards the front of the car on some hinge tabs, and can then be removed altogether, or you can reach around and get to the oil filter. It's not a big deal to just remove it and then you can take a look at the bottom side of things - look for problems like leaks, clean up things a bit if you're so inclined, etc.

The car won't be sitting level when you go to drain the oil if it's up on the ramps - the first time I changed the oil I let the car roll back off the ramps to see if I got any more oil out that hadn't drained due to the slope - but no more came out. So you can drive on the ramps, drain the oil, replace the filter, refill the oil, and put the plate back all while on the ramps without worrying that you've left any dirty oil in the engine.

Don't nail the 2"X6" boards together or anything - not necessary, and they're easier to store for the next change if you can take them apart. You can also buy some commercial ramps made for driving up on, but they cost more, and raise the car more than is needed to just get that plate off.

Not a hard job - go for it!

Troy L

Many thanks to all of you for taking the time to respond to my question. I have changed my oil and filter many times on other vehicles, but wanted to check with others that have performed this task (involving a skid place) to make sure I don't overlook some small nuiance. I am going to a high quality synthetic (Castrol Edge or Mobil 1), and will be using commercial ramps with extensions for vehicle elevation. Again, your helpful thoughts will make the job easier to undertake. What a great forum!

jbdvm1988

i typically use the dealer for the major services (30K, 60K..) but change my own oil in between. i jack up the front end about 4-6 inches. the 4 bolts holding the skidplate are easily removed. i let the plate hang for the front metal clips and pushed towards he front until it allows the oil catch basin to rest below the oil filter. the oil filter has a handy little diverter just below it to direct the oil straight down. it takes a little finesse to get the skidplate lined up when reinstalling the bolts. the oilpan drain plug is accessible by removing a plastic access panel that is oval in shape and about 3 inches by 6 inches - its held in place by several plastic lips. have fun - it is fairly straight forward but does take longer than my other cars.

Turbinator

Reviving this thread to see if there are any other tips, hints etc, on the GX oil change.

Edited to add - here's a thread that walks one through the process of changing oil on the GX. Pretty helpful, I thought.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...-not-hard.html

And another thread - looks like this is a road well traveled:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...our-gx470.html

Thanks!
Turby