I tried... to do an oil change and after three trips back and forth from autozone, walmart etc because the dealer's parts dept wasn't open, I ended up having to put in a lot of money of Mobil 1 Green Economy Oil (or something like that) with an old oil filter. I got the car with just over 10k miles, so I assume the dealer changed the oil recently, then I put about 7k miles on it before doing the oil chage today. I tried everything, and pieces of that damn cartridge cover flew off and still couldn't get it off. So hopefully the toyota filter wrench doesnt break like the last two I tried from autozone and Walmart. I have never had one stuck on there this hard... Almost forgot. When I get the toyota wrench, can I just change the cartridge or will all the oil fall out as I yank it out? I dont want to waste the 40 bucks in Mobil 1 in there already.
Yeah, I had to go to the dealer and pay his price for the wrench myself. We still don't know if you can remove the cartridge without draining all the oil. Please let us know if you try it.
If you remove the oil filter without draining the oil, the only oil you'll lose is the amount in the filter, and a bit more---probably about a cupful or so total. This is because the oil pan is located well below the filter. So...just go ahead and unscrew the filter, replace with the new one, and add the necessary amount. But, be careful not to overfill. It's better to have the level a bit below the full mark. (car on level ground with cold engine).
That would be great if in fact true. I am not sure how the GII motor compares with the GIII but the filter housing is very low on the GIII motor... I suppose too that the oil can only flow one direction? Anyway, if anyone tries it on a GIII please post the results.
I took mine off once, Derkraut is correct you only lose a small amount of oil. Filter cap shouldn't be tight the O ring creates the seal. Torque for the filter cap is 18 ft lbs, drain plug is 27 ft lbs.
We have 33,000 miles on our prius. When I change the oil and filter I only use 4 quarts of oil. So, if you have put in 4.4 quarts as the manual states you can just remove the filter and replace with a new one. Your oil level should be still in the operating range. Anywhere around half way or a little over halfway is OK. alfon
Tom, You are correct that the filter should not be tight. 18 ft lbs is not very tight. I changed my oil at 15K after the dealership changed it at 5 and 10K. I ended up having to use a 6" pair of channelocks to break it loose. I have no idea why they tightened it so tight. Thanks for verifying that you can remove the filter without losing any oil except what is in the filter. Dwight
That right there is the key. The O-ring gets squeezed as the cap is screwed in. That crushed o-ring is the seal, not the edge where the cap flange touches the aluminum housing, nor the threads themselves. Screw in the cap until the flange just touches the aluminum, then stop. Do not tighten at all past there. The other pitfall is that the cap needs a 64mm wrench. Autoparts stores will try to sell you a 65mm. That one extra millimeter will add more slop than you think because the flats are so small. Then it slips and rounds the corners of the plastic cap...and you're in trouble.
I heard the Toyota tool sucks, not really worth the extra $$$. A new cap from Toyota is $35, in case you are wondering
Is the dealership the only place to get the oil filter wrench? I already know the part number 00113-30359-91016. I am in the exact same situation. Put in new oil but I can't change the filter because every wrench I've tried can't get it off. I've even duct taped it up and used a 65mm but it's on there way too tight. When I asked the dealer they said they don't sell it but wanted me to bring it in instead so they could change my oil. I've tried amazon, snapon, etc.. but nothing. Any ideas?
The one I got from the dealer was not in fact a Toyota built part. I can't remember the name just now but was available online. Will look for the other post to find out. You could also use that part # at parts.com and order other parts like filter elements to offset the shipping cost... P.S. Welcome aboard! Founds it... Search for: Assenmacher (ASTTOY640) on Amazon, Google... Also, if you haven't read over this thread.
Thanks spiderman! According to Amazon the Assenmacher (ASTTOY640) works on the Prius 2001-2008 model. Is it the same size for the Gen III prius's?
Same story for me - had all I thought I needed to do the change, and couldn't budge the filter. I guess it's fine just to do the oil, as the dealer wouldn't even change oil at all at the first 5K service. Couldn't help thinking some black thoughts about Toyota while I was doing this little job. They surely haven't made it easier for the "shade tree mechanic" to do an oil change, have they? Grrrr..... And the dealer said they get an extra 90 bucks for those synthetic oil changes - I bet. Nice work, if you can get it. When I went by yesterday they had a gazillion smiling faces on their big photo spread in front, which would include the four different folks I saw just receiving all the customers for service, another couple to handle the payments, etc. Musta been 30-40 people there, including the salemen, and nothing moving. I guess I can understand why it's so hard to change the oil now. Job security for many people. Easy to see where the money is made, lol.
Back in the day, if we didn't have a oil filter wrench, we'd get a screw driver and jam it all the way through the oil filter to leverage the oil filter loose. I'm not sure whether that would work on this problem and if you try this and it doesn't work, then you will be in a world of hurt. Dumb Mike
Old school (non-cartridge) oil filter tightening procedure: 1. Hand-tighten to when you just feel contact. 2. Tighten 1/4 of a turn more. 3. Done. I can't imagine the Prius filter procedure to be any different, since it was noted that 18 ft-lbs isn't very much. I'll be changing my oil in another month or so, using the above procedure. I don't expect any leaks. As for removing the cartridge cover, has anyone used a strap wrench? Is there enough clearance to get one on?
I tried my old strap but it was too large around and didn't get a good grip. If you can find a smaller sized on it might work. Best to get the wrench though so as not to round off the edges since you will be reusing the cap over and over.
It's really to bad they (Toyota) didn't put a large hex head thingie on cap so we could just use a big socket to get it off. My BMW had a 24mm hex head on the cap so all I had to do was buy a big socket, guess I could have used a crescent wrench.
I bought a filter wrench from a seller on eBay called rooprict - he sells a very nice 64mm/14flute oil filter wrench that fits on a 3/8" drive extension and it fits the '10 Prius perfectly. Easy to get on and off the filter housing with no jamming up or looseness. It is around $15 including shipping and it came fast when I ordered it in January. If you're interested, look up eBay item #360290248728, or search rooprict's inventory. He sells others for varying $$ amounts, but this is the one I have experience with. Very nice wrench. It looks like this:
