HarrierRX300

I was cleaning my car tonight and as a safety checkup, I wanted to make sure I had oil in the car. When I removed the oil cap, I noticed something black inside. I couldn't see through it. It's black dirt inside. Has anyone taken off their oil cap and look inside? When you change your oil, does the oil trickle into the engine? I'm scared!!! I only change my oil through the dealership and I do it every 3000 miles with them.

Help!!

HarrierRX300

close up shot. It looks like metal cover?

TunedRX300

You can not see inside the engine because it is an oil baffle. There is no oil circulation so oil is cooked here. Need to pull the valve cover to check for sludge for sure.

bob2200

What you see when you look into the oil filler opening is the fabric? oil baffle. Check out another RX300 at the dealer or with an RX300 owner you meet at a aparking lot if you need to be further convinced.

If you change your oil regularly (i.e., every 5,000 or less) at the dealer, from what I've read, you have virtually no chance of oil gelling.

anulex

I thought so. Y people have gelling issues is beyond me. How often does one expect to change their oil. Every 2 years?

toy4two

oil gelling is so over blown, if you change your oil regularily it will not happen.

If you run cheap-o oil, run only short distances, and do a lots of towing, then you might need to worry about changing it more often.

HarrierRX300

Thanks everyone. I couldn't sleep last night so I went straight to the dealer this morning and asked them. It's some cover thing you guys are mentioning. I also checked another RX300 in the service area and he also has that cover plate. I feel so much better. My oil level is fine too. They wanted $350 just to look at it, but since I change every 3000 miles from only them, I think there is no oil/gel/sludge. Much thanks guys... That plate just looks weird. How do people who change their own oil put a funnel to pour the oil? I seeps in slowly...

TunedRX300

Check you oil dipstick and see if you have hard carbonized deposit on the metal stick.
A kind suggestion, you need to stop going to dealer and overpay for bulk oil. There are dealers (not sure your Lexus dealer) use recylced cheap bulk engine oil that has minimum additive package.
For the same $, I would go for Castrol Syntec 0w-30, made in Germany. Its base oil is 100% synthetic and can be bought at Autozone. Lexmex has used it and loved it.

Lexmex

I can't begin to tell everyone how happy I am about the German Castrol. Absolutely no consumption issues after 1,000 miles of use and compression and MPG is up. I should make everyone aware of this, I paid just under $30 USD/liter for this stuff down here. It ain't cheap, but it brought nearly $200 USD in prize money in a bracket championship by keep everything very consistent in terms of times, and it probably by now has paid for itself in terms of MPG and dollars pesos saved. In the states it is much, much cheaper on the order of $5 to $6 USD at AutoZone. My father has two little 190Es that he is also switching over to German Castrol from Mobil 1.

Fern

So I guess you discovered the baffel, waffle, whatever its called. Can't think of any good reason to have it there, other than prevent large items from accidentally falling in when the cap is removed.

I also noticed mine was unusually carbon caked when I purchased my car with 80,000km and documented oil change every 6000km

Guess the bulk oil the dealers are using just doesn't cut it. You would think when someone is purchasing a premium brand and paying $100+ /hour for labour that the dealer would have the common sense of putting in something a bit better than the stuff that comes out of a steel drum... specifically when my Lexus dealer wanted $87+ per oil change.

BTW my local Toyota dealership regularly stocks Mobil 1 and will glady use it on your Lexus for the price that lexus charges for an oil change with ***** oil .

HarrierRX300

Is this baffle like a trap door? How do people pour new oil into it with a funnel?

Fern

Inside the oil filler area where the so-called baffle is located you should see enough clearance to hold the funnel.

I lean my funnel to the right so that the oil drains to the left in the filler area where the clearance is located.

Easier understood when looking at the part in question, than reading a post.

Not as difficult as it seams..

You might want to take your fingernail and gently scrape the top of the baffle. Mine had all kinds of crusty stuff on it (scarey to think of whats inside).

Thats why I went to synthetic oil shortly after purchasing the vehicle and added an engine flush the first couple of times prior.. to get out as many pre-existing deposits as possible.

My oil does stay cleaner (in colour) throughout the oil change intervals as a result.