Hi guys,

Today I just did my first DIY oil change on my '11 IS250. I've read everywhere from the DIY guides that the required tools are the 14mm and 10mm socket. However, when I get to the oil filter, the bolt that open up the small o-ring and to insert the plastic piece is not a 10mm socket! It is a small square hole (3/8" size?) which I have to get for the next time. Most of the guides I read people just use a 10mm socket to open it.

Is it alright if I do not change the small o-ring this time? Any harm at all for not changing it? Or if it's possible, can I later open that bolt and replace the small o-ring after I get the 3/8" wrench.

Thank you guys!

 

You can use your 3/8" drive socket most likely.

 

Which small o-ring are you talking about.... Theres the bolt on the oil pan, and the oil filter housing you remove to replace the filter, and there is an o-ring on the oil filter housing you replace.

 

Honestly you can skip that step; jump straight to removing the entire canister using the Toyota-specific oil filter wrench.

 

@heyarms: Well, before you remove the whole canister out, there is a 3/8" bolt that you need to take out to change the small o-ring and pop in the plastic oil drain pipe. If you take the whole canister out then that is the large o-ring.

@Gville350: Thanks. I will make sure to replace it on the next oil change.

 

Its like you said, we take the whole canister out, there is no reason for us to replace the smaller o-ring unless its leaking.

Is your IS250 AWD? Mine is AWD and the oil filters I usually buy come with a small o-ring and the plastic tube thing, but we don't use it either, other Toyota/Lexus that use the same filter use the little plastic tube and the o-ring to bleed the oil out.

 

Yes, mine is a IS250 AWD. I guess not many people use the plastic pipe to drain the oil and replace the small o-ring. That is the method many some of our forum members say as the correct way to drain the oil by using the pipe.

 

I've tried getting to the small o-ring but never could, so i never changed it.....I hope its okay not to change it lol

 

I have an 07 RWD and I've never had to change out any O ring or ever used the plastic deal that came with the filters. not sure if this helped or not.

 

Go to AutoZone, Pepboys, Kragens and just buy the Toyota Oil Filter Socket. Connect that to your ratchet and you should be able to completely remove the housing for the oil filter.

 

I've been following this thread since it's inception and well, I'll add my two cents. First off, as you can see by my sig, we have two Lexus, my F and my wife's ES. My oil filter is mounted horizontally and the one on the ES is mounted vertically. The horizontally mounted filter doesn't have the drain piece with the small O ring, I sure wish it did. That little drain makes removing the filter housing a lot cleaner because all the residual oil from the vertically mounted housing is released through the small drain before you remove the housing. It just messy on the F. I'm old school and lubricate the gaskets with Vaseline rather than motor oil.

So yes, IMHO, the filter housing drain should be removed at each oil change and the small O ring lubed and replaced.

Lou

 

I guess my canister was just on super tight, but I broke 3 of these Autozone socket attachments trying to get this part open.

I first bought the plastic cheapo one; that broke within 10 seconds on my first try to turn it... just exploded.
I then got two more (one from Discount Auto) which were made of a thin metal (like $12 or so), and both of these broke. One shattered and the other stripped itself out.

I was able to return all three and finally bit the bullet and paid $40 at the local Toyota Dealership for the actual SST part. It didn't look much different from the other metal ones, but I'll be damned if I didn't put it on, turn it... and boom, the canister opened right up no problem.

That's my story

 

I have this one:


I have broken cheaper ones also, not on my cars, but on a friend's F. The dealer put his filter assembly on super tight and boom, the wrench fell apart. I have bolted on a socket to the wrench so it's always ready to go.

Remember, never tighten the filter assembly with a wrench, hand tighten only.

Lou

 

i've always wondered what the small ring is for. idk if all oil filter housings are the same because i coulda sworn mine doesnt have an opening for the plastic tube to go. i wish somebody can post a picture of what it looks like using that plastic tube

 

^ +1 I've never seen a place to put the small o-ring on my IS350 either. I always just throw it out.