5VZ Oil filter close to motor mount?
 

Hi. Here's a dumb question:

I recently have started my 5VZ swap. While trying to drop the transmission, I noticed that the oil filter is almost hitting the motor mount. In fact it looks likes it is touching.

Q: Are they that close together? This was a wrecked vehicle. (99; rear-end body damage, but doesn't look like frame was bent. I did start it before I bid on it last year. It does run, and drive.)

I just thought it was fairly odd; and may not have gotten a good look from below. TIA

EDIT: Hubby and I looked at his motor mounts vs mine this evening....I didn't notice that his mounts are angled differently from mine, so that accounts for some of the difference in the pics. Looking at part numbers- they did change the mounts and brackets for 99+ (7/98)
https://toyota-usa.epc-data.com/4run...ne/1107/12361/

They are close, but not that close....bad or broken motor mount is a possibility.

The 96 with oem mounts I installed last year fits this craftsman wrench sideways between the motor mount and the filter:
Attachment 208078

And the 99 with oe mounts w/228,xxx miles on them can only fit the craftsman wrench skinny-ways between mount and filter. I can't even get one of my scrawny fingers in there....
it should have clearance similar to the '96's, both with the 3.4
Attachment 208079

Attachment 208080

HA! Looks like you've just found a job for the husbandio. :laugh:

Hey Hab. My apologies to him.
Seriously though, thank you. It doesn't look right from below. I reckon I will find out more when I get around to pulling motor.
Certainly can't fit a wrench in there. Feeler guage? Maybe...

Hopefully just broken mount. It seemed like a well taken care of 135k tho. Oil was clean and drained oil from xfer and tranny, they looked golden, like fairly fresh.
Did I dump it into a clean container?? What did we learn? Moving on.

I've seen it as bad as up against the mount (post long ago from someone attempting to change his oil) so I'll cross my fingers it's so simple. Seems low miles for a non-accident fail.

Hey Coopster-
My husband and I were going over the motor mounts in our trucks his 99 appears to be different from my 96....he pointed out that the bracket attached to the engine would not move in relation to the oil filter....and he's right. I have seen issues with bad mounts and oil filters, but I am probably entirely wrong-
now you have to satisfy my curiosity at some point and pics.
https://toyota-usa.epc-data.com/4run...ne/1107/12361/

It seems like the arms that reach out from the engine block to the mount are somewhat prone to being bent. I guess a hard hit on either end of the car can cause the engine to move around hard enough to bend them?

engine mount bent?
 

Finally got a chance to pull the motor. Apologies for everyone waiting with bated breath.
I suppose I will post the obligatory motor-out shot?

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...10c48923ca.jpg
Filter so close there is little clearance
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...7a0707170f.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...2be7c2f09d.jpg
Doubtful those holes are expected to line up, just a perpendicular reference.

Need to dig back thru others' how-tos. Again. If the 3.0 mounts work, I will try to dig those up and compare anyway.

Forgot to note in the blurry pic, there isn't even room for a skinny-ways wrench to fit.

Oh, yes. A bit of add'l info. So the 99 got smacked real hard in the rear. Crushed in tail gate, but doesn't LOOK like the frame got bent. Any one reckon that could have bent the mount? Drive shaft, etc seem okay.

I just noticed the same thing on a 4runner I just bought and a search brought me here. My mount is actually touching the filter. Mine was also hit hard in the rear. Did you ever figure out if the mount was bent.

Yes, it was the mount bracket itself. I used the 3.0 motor mounts, they're fine. I can get a pic maybe later if you need to see it in vehicle.

So it was the part that bolts to the block, searching online seems common on these engines. A few places making beefed up mounts but its like $500.




https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...fec67ee42e.jpg
Mine is hard up against the filter.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...5c1817b194.jpg

This thread made me really curious...I know I've never noticed my filter being inconveniently close to the mount.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...b16923639b.jpg

What Zack 83 said. My mount looks like his. A good 1/2" or better between filter and mount now.

I'd not be so sure that's a common issue, other than from unintended co-location with other user's space LOL.
As in Hard. My 99 (where I got the motor) was so jacked nobody wanted to buy it to drag back to Juarez and fix. common repair along the border, for things that never happened.
In fact, it broke the back of drivers seat. And whomever was driving likely did not come out so well either. Which is why I went ahead and rebuilt the motor (Had machine shop check the block, crank, etc).

Yeah, I have to guess that they rolled off the factory floor looking like mine, not like some of the photos I've seen here. Otherwise there would be regular "how do I change my oil filter when it's so close to the motor mount I can't get my hand on it??" threads here.