hurricanes99

Just purchased the 4 runner back in September and took it to the dealership for the 1st oil change. I have owned numerous sports cars and suv's, but I have never seen an oil filter so hard to get to. Any suggestions on the filter change? Do you guys go through the fender well? I can't get to it with my arm from under the vehicle.

I am also a little low on tranny fluid. Is it dex 3 in the 3rd gen? I plan to do a few drain and fills to get some fresh fluid in there, but I am hesitant to do a complete flush at 113k because I don't have the history. Should I still drop the pan and change the filter?

Thanks for any info..

osker fenix

ya i was shocked when i first changed my oil and to this day the oil changes still suck. What i do is reach thru the fenderwell to access the filter...but...i have a body lift so it makes it way easier, im not sure how you can get to it without a BL, sorry. I would go get a complete flush, i didnt have the history either when i bought my 4runner at 101k but i went ahead and got the full flush and no problems or worries and im at 106,200 now.

Get a BL it helps sooo much when changing the oil filter and rear shocks, you have no idea

Nuthuts96

iTrader: (1)

I deal with the filter through the wheel well (the only way you can get to it reasonably). I don't have a body lift, and I can reach it with the driver's wheel locked to the left or with it straight. Locked to the right may prove difficult, but I haven't tried.

The biggest hint I can give you is to only tighten it "hand-tight" with a little oil on the seal. My first change was a PITA because the previous oil changer torqued the heck out of the filter.

Tranny- i have a stick, but from what i've read, you'll want to be cautious in that arena.... good luck!

Quattro15

As for the oil change...

Go through the wheel well but use a piece of sandpaper to get a good grip on the filter. I do this every time to take my filter OFF...put the filter back on with your bare hand as tight as you can and remember to put some oil on the gasket. I'd guess you know where the drain plug is? If you have skid plates there is a hole towards the back of the first plate...closest to the front of the truck...that allows you access to that bolt. It's in the direct center of the truck if I recall.

For the Trannie....

Do a search for my posts, I just started a thread a few weeks ago about a trannie total drain and refill. I dropped the pan, put in more powerful magnets (I have some left, if you want them email me), changed the filter (mine looked quite clean but better safe then sorry), drained all the fluid and refilled with Amsoil Universal ATF.

My transmission is incredibly smooth now, feels brand new! I suggest you do what I did. Don't take it somewhere to get it flushed if you can help it. It only took me a few hours total to do my transmission. Cost was like 150 bucks all together, that is how much you'll pay for labor if you take it somewhere.

Let me know if you need any other help with the trannie...the procedure is still very fresh in my mind.

hurricanes99

I didn't have time to fool with it today...so I took it to the Jiffy Lube up the street. I watched as the guy used a filter wrench to loosen up the filter by way of reaching down from up top and going under the alternator. Looked like a pain in the a##. They installed the new filter thru the fender. After replacing the oil and filter they used a hose to try and rinse the old oil that was spilled out of the filter from the skidplates, but damn if they didn't miss a bunch. After sitting at the house later I went out and noticed a good bit of oil on the garage floor. Skidplates are great for offroading, but they sure make a pretty good mess when it comes to oil changes. The dealer obviously has this figured out because when I took it to them for the first oil change there was no residual oil anywhere. It kind of maid me wonder if they changed the oil at all....

eightnine

i have an auto 4runner but it is an 89 and its a 22re and the tranny was flushed for the first time in at least 17 years and 200k. The fluid was nasty and old but the tranny has been running perfect ever since. Maybe i was just lucky?

pat161

As others stated, go through the wheel well for the filter, I usually cut a small plastic container in half and wedge it under the filter to catch any drips, it doesn't get everything, but most of it. As for the skid plate, yes there is a hole, but as soon as it stops pouring fast the oil ends up running under the skid plate, I just remove the center skid to change oil, its 4 bolts and takes 2 minutes.

dirtoyboy

Thats because they take off the skid plate...unlike the monkeys at jiffy lube

hurricanes99

Thanks for all the info guys...I will remove the skidplate nextime when I change the oil. I would assume they don't have to be torqued to a certain amount. I am going to drain and fill the tranny today. What are good intervals for doing this to really get it cleaned out? 5 - 10k miles?

hurricanes99

how many quarts of atf do you get out on a drain and refill? Manual shows around 2, but i just put in 3 1/2 and I am still low. I initially refilled with 2, but it was way to low...any thoughts.

Quattro15

Didn't you drain some ATF?? I'd measure how much you got out and put that much back into the pan.

I think I got around 4 or 5 quarts out of my pan though...that was with what came out of the filter too, I don't think you'd get that fluid out with just a drain though, unless you had the truck up on ramps in the front only so the fluid would seep out of the filter.

hurricanes99

I wasn't sure how much would drain....so I used a container that I use for regular oil changes. It already had a few quarts of old engine oil in it so I was out of luck when it came to measuring.

I was on flat ground when I drained...no ramps. I have put 4 quarts back in and its on the full "cold" mark. I will check it again later today after driving and top it off. I just wonder why the manual states around "2" quarts on a drain and fill when its actually double that.

becaron

First of all, you need a haynes manual.

Second, use a filter wrench or strap wrench. On my T-100 I use a strap wrench to loosen the filter from underneath after removing the skid plate. Once it's loos I just spin it off.

I probably have a lot more room on my T-100 than the 4-runner does.

mkgarrison5

tips-- drain the atf when its hot and let it drain for as long as you can stand it.. usually its between 4- 5.5 qts.. if i were you i would do what Quattro said. we helped him "flush" his own tranny and its very very easy to do just time consuming. i think he did his in like an hour..IF you dont want to do that route then do drain and fills every few hundred miles.. about 6times would be sufficient THEN after that do a drain and fill after every other or every third oil change.. yes its DEXIII for 2002's and older. maybe even 2003 but dble check that..

tip- when you check your atf level when the motor is hot and been driven atleast 15 mins or more check it on level ground with the motor running to get an accurate count of atf

Wantsti

It is interesting how different people get different amounts of ATF to drain. I drain and refill mine every other oil change or so and I only get out about 2.25 quarts.

Like others have said, the oil change is way cleaner if you remove the rear skid plate. I just wipe any oil that is on the inside of the front skid plate off before I replace the rear one.