I changed the oil but not the filter

I follow the Toyota Maintenance Manual instructions. If I were you I would do the same but that it is your decision.

 

It probably isn't that big of a deal, you only put 2100 miles on the car since the last change. Changing the oil is just fine.

Why aren't you taking part in the Toyotacare, free service for the first 25,000 miles?

 

no big deal, all that's offered in the first 25,000 are oil changes and tire rotations.

 

If it were me, I'd schedule the next convenient date to get the filter changed at the dealer. Which will probable be about a month from now meaning I would've put 2000 miles on the new oil and old filter. So yeah, I'm with you. Get it done in 2015.

Pure speculation here; Toyota recommends 10k or 1 year OCI. The reason is because the oil may get old or contaminated. The filter? Well it didn't get to filter 10k miles worth of oil. Is it still spent? I'd argue no, it's only served a portion of its useful life. But I am not a mechanic.


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Oil filter for 2K miles, not really a big deal. Just change it next time. 4 quarts does seem a little much for a non-dry engine without changing the filter. After letting it sit I would double check the dipstick. It is easy to overfill these little cars.

 

How long was the ratchet or bar you attached to the filter cap wrench? 8 inch? Add an 18" to 24" length of pipe to it and that filter will easily break free. You can also buy an inexpensive (under $20.00) 18" long, 1/2" drive, torque wrench that will get the filter off and also allow you to torque the new one on at 18 lb/ft and prevent the problem in the future.

I suggest you at least replace the old filter, and to be thorough the oil too because the four quarts you put in were contaminated by the old oil remaining in the unchanged filter.

If you can't do the above, take it to the dealer and have them do a proper oil change. It pays to do things correctly.

 

The OP has only gone 2100 miles since his last oil change and it's a fairly new car. There is no harm in changing his oil and not his filter with 2000 miles worth of use on the filter. I doubt there was even reason for him to do the oil change in the first place (other than the time specified in the manual), if he tested the oil that was taken out, surely that oil would've tested fine and not contaminated.

 

You are dead right. My Dad has always changed the filter every second oil change. He changes his oil every 5k Kms as he tows 3-5 tons almost everyday. He has been doing for this for probably millions of miles/kilometres with no hassle. If you saw the length of some of the service intervals on some cars (20-30k miles) it'll be grand

 

A torque wrench should not be used as a breaker bar. Especially if you want it to function accurately as a torque wrench for much longer.

 

Depending on how honest the dealer will be, chances are, they would want to part your money from your wallet.

 

Did you disengage the metal clip before trying to remove the filter housing?

 

Only 2100 miles driven in almost a year implies short trip driving which can be severe service. The OP could have waited until June, but he chose to unnecessarily change the oil sooner. Had he done a proper oil change, he would be OK now, but he didn't. The recommended safe OCI is 10,000 miles on a new filter and fresh oil, NOT an old filter and contaminated oil. What is the safe OCI for that? No one can say. He needs to get the job done correctly, not be penny-wise and pound foolish, or delude himself into thinking that its OK to do things halfway and not expect problems in the future. Its easy for you to say he doesn't need to do a proper oil change because it is his car at risk, not yours.

 

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The metal clip on the oil filter housing is a very frivolous little bit of metal. I don't think it's effective (at whatever it's supposed to be effective at, lol). I've had the housing off on ours maybe 1/2 dozen times now, don't pay it much attention.

I would not ask the dealership to "hand tighten" the oil filter. I would ask them to tighten it "to spec". That's somewhat more than hand tighten, using a torque wrench. Haven't got the value handy, could post tonight. It's something around 15 ft/lbs I think. They should know. Speaking of which:

Were they the guys that spun it on last? If so let them know about it!

Regarding your original question, leaving on the filter with an oil change:

This is the norm with Honda Civics, for one. The Maintenance Minder alternates between oil change only and oil and filter change. So no big deal. The only thing: the dealerships go squirrely if you ask them to follow Honda's guidance, pretty much insisting on changing the filter every time, and/or calling the customer an idiot on the bill.

What I did with our Civic when I got fed up with the dealership and started doing my own oil changes, and it seemed a good compromise, was: at an oil change only service, I would remove the filter, pour out the contained oil, then re-install it.

 

It will not hurt a 150 lb/ft rated torque wrench, even a cheap $20.00 torque wrench, to loosen an oil filter cap that is over-tightened to probably less than 75 lb/ft. It is unlikely that the cap is tightened to anywhere near 150 lb/ft because that would probably be destructive to the cap, but even if it is the wrench would still not be damaged in this instance. Who cares if a $20.00 wrench is damaged?