Anyone do an oil change on a '09 V6 Toyota Rav4?

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Y I K E S !!!
 
Originally Posted By: Tonystewart
My wife's 06 Avalon Limited has 62k on it without any issues with the filter or housing. I have never changed the predrain o ring. I like the simplicity with nothing but a paper element to dispose of.

In south florida I run 5w50 castrol syntec 6.5 qts. Or 5 qts 5/30 Mobil 1 & 1.5 qts of 15w50 Mobil 1.


Well again, owners are free to NOT change the pre-drain O-ring, but must do so at their own risk. The engineers who specified the materials from which it is made assumed it would be changed with every oil and filter change. . . O-Ring failure not a possible issue??? Think Shuttle Challenger. . .
 
They provide it with the oil filter... How would they know if you skipped changing it here/there or ever? Would be hard to prove in court no?

Not being a jerk, just curious...
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Originally Posted By: INDYMAC
If you have a Toyota with the 2GR-FE engine, then here is something more to worry about than the canister oil filter. If your vehicle was made before Aprill 2008, then pay attention to this thread from a RAV4 website:

http://rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20014


If you dig through the thread, and the current TSBs, you'll see that this is an early 2GR-FE issue. Something to be taken seriously, for sure, but for most of us, a non-issue. My car has the new metal tube installed, and it's a two year-old 07 Model.

Not a problem for most of us. I'll just keep worrying about the O-rings. . .
 
Does your Avalon have the solid metal tube?
I change both oil filter o-rings on the Rav regularly and can't figure why people would not do that. Convenient or not, who would want an exposure to an oil failure? Staggering.
Your Challenger analogy is spot on.
 
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
[ I'll just keep worrying about the O-rings. . .


The VWs have been using them for over 10 years with no failures that I know of. And that group is anal and vocal, so if there was an issue, believe me you'd have heard.
I'm thinking with proper lubing and installation, they should be a non--event. Don't know about shelf life of that rubber.
 
Originally Posted By: ChiTDI
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
[ I'll just keep worrying about the O-rings. . .


The VWs have been using them for over 10 years with no failures that I know of. And that group is anal and vocal, so if there was an issue, believe me you'd have heard.
I'm thinking with proper lubing and installation, they should be a non--event. Don't know about shelf life of that rubber.


If I couldn't see the thread's topic I would think you were talking about Condoms.
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Originally Posted By: ekpolk
Originally Posted By: INDYMAC
If you have a Toyota with the 2GR-FE engine, then here is something more to worry about than the canister oil filter. If your vehicle was made before Aprill 2008, then pay attention to this thread from a RAV4 website:

http://rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20014


If you dig through the thread, and the current TSBs, you'll see that this is an early 2GR-FE issue. Something to be taken seriously, for sure, but for most of us, a non-issue. My car has the new metal tube installed, and it's a two year-old 07 Model.

Not a problem for most of us. I'll just keep worrying about the O-rings. . .


I recommend that you check your oil line a little closer for peace of mind. Your car was made before 04/08, so it is early enough to have the acrylic rubber insert (good for oil but not fuel) as part of the oil line. This thread has a good picture of what the line looks like on the engine:

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/rav4/158882-07-rav-4-v-6-lost/
 
Originally Posted By: ChiTDI
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
[ I'll just keep worrying about the O-rings. . .


The VWs have been using them for over 10 years with no failures that I know of. And that group is anal and vocal, so if there was an issue, believe me you'd have heard.
I'm thinking with proper lubing and installation, they should be a non--event. Don't know about shelf life of that rubber.


Alas, I wish I could take comfort in that thought, but there are a couple unstated assumptions that leave my uneasy. First, we can't be sure that the VW O-rings and those for the Avalon are made of the same materials. On the other hand, we can be sure whatever the engineers specified, they chose with the knowledge that they were disposable, one use items. Obviously, they're delicate enough that the member who posted above was able to break/tear one while trying to install the canister housing.
 
Originally Posted By: INDYMAC
I have a 2009 RAV4 V-6 and have changed the oil twice already (600 and 2000 miles). I wish all my cars were this easy and I really like the cartridge filter for easy observance. Although the TSB says you can use some 20wt oils, the manual says 5W-30 or 10W-30 in a pinch. I've been using 5W-30 Valvoline with 3 ozs of ARX for break-in. You don't have to remove the skid plate. Everything is very accessable without lifting. A couple of lessons learned:

1. The little drain plug plug on the filter canister may not loosen with the 3/8" drive (overtorqued from factory). This is no big deal. It's only there to drain some oil before loosening the canister itself. Just loosen the canister itself slowly (with 65mm oil wrench) and it will drain from around the circumference of the canister (you'll get some on your hand so be prepared). Once the canister is removed, you just take the filter element out and replace it with the new filter element and O-ring. Observe the position of the old O-ring and just replace it in the same position with-out any twisting. If you do happen to get the little drain plug out (either with the 3/8" drive or a vice), don't forget to replace the small O-ring too. I haven't bothered with this drain plug yet.

2. The manual calls for 6.4 quarts on a oil and filter change. 6.4 quarts will overfill on the dipstick about 1/4" though. I would recommend starting with 6.0 quarts and then slowly top off. The fresh oil is tough to see on the dipstick though.

Here's a link to a more thorough discussion on the subject:

http://rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4195

I'm confident that you will consider this easy when you are done. Have fun and good luck!


Thanks for the awesome tips! Changing my gf's Camry V6 this coming wknd so I have been soaking in all the info on the net.
Your tip about the little drain bolt is VERY helpful knowing I don't need to unscrew it to get the entire housing off.
My mazda3 has the same Filter housing setup vs. a spin on, I do feel we are helping out a little with the environment vs. throwing out tinned spin-on's.
Of course oil soaked paper cartridges are better how?
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Originally Posted By: ekpolk

I too have given up on bothering with the "little cap" but I wonder how long its O-ring will last, given that Toyota presumably designed and spec-ed it with the assumption it would be changed out at every change.
interesting point.

Originally Posted By: ekpolk

Also consider the irony of oil filters within the GR family. The 4.0L 1GR, found in a variety of the trucks, has the best filter setup I've ever seen.

In regards to truck- probably. But the BMW's up top filters are second to none in ease & cleanliness.
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:)

Originally Posted By: ekpolk

I really don't see ANY advantage to a setup that requires that you carefully position O-rings every time you change oil, when by contrast, a spin-on has the sealing ring pre-positioned, and allows you to visually, and by feel, confirm that the seal is intact. You can NOT confirm seal integrity with the canister. That linked thread, above, shows how easy it is to damage the O-ring, with the obvious attendant danger.

Point taken.
 
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Originally Posted By: INDYMAC
...

I recommend that you check your oil line a little closer for peace of mind. Your car was made before 04/08, so it is early enough to have the acrylic rubber insert (good for oil but not fuel) as part of the oil line. This thread has a good picture of what the line looks like on the engine:

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/rav4/158882-07-rav-4-v-6-lost/


Good point, and well taken. This is a strange issue. I have a subscription to TIS (Toyota Tech Info Service), which provides on-line access to virtually all Toyota/Lex/Scion service manuals, TSBs, owners manuals, and so forth for more than 20 years back. Oddly enough, the subject TSB does not show up on the 2007 Avalon list. Not trusting that, though. Perhaps this evening, I'll pull the big plastic sombrero off of our 2GR, and have a look. Might be just the job for my new See-Snake tool ( click here for a jump to the Tools sub-forum ). I'll see what I've got, and report back. FWIW, our 'lon has not to my observation, consumed or lost so much as a drop of oil so far.
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The suspension is a little soft for my taste (those automotive writing pros who say Toyota was aiming at Buick aren't kidding...), but that's the only complaint I have about the car (other than it's annoying oil filter setup).
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OK, I think I'm moving over to the ekpolk camp.

While changing the oil and filter in my garage last night, I didn't have the large O-ring positioned correctly. After starting the car and backing it out into the driveway, I lost almost the entire sump of fresh oil!

Bring back the Spin-ons!!!
 
INDYMAC,

I could see how this can create a problem... But like I said above, what I did was make sure it was seated properly and well lubricated with engine oil. I then proceeded to screw on the canister slowly and with even turns so as to no disturb the "o" ring.

Worked just fine and I had never done it before... I think it just takes some getting used to.
 
There is no doubt that a spin-on is easier not to cause this type of problem, but seeing as I never had done it before and did it successfully it can't be that bad IMO.

I have had Spin-On filters leak on occasion because of the gasket moving out of place.
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