Oil change with ramps?

My plastic/foam "Race Ramps" are 8" lift and are just enough to allow full opening of the access flap. A floor jack under the front jacking point (an added wood block may be required) and a pair of jack stands lets you go higher.

 

Yes. The cover that you will need to move back is somewhat flexible, so you can bend it and fold away, opening the access to the filter and drain bolt.
- Alex

 

Yes, as stated above, you will need to bend the access door back in order to be able to clear the ground and get the access door out of your way. It is flexible enough that I just push up on the back of it (hinged part) and then bend the access door slightly to clear the ground.

Once the access door is out of the way there is adequate room to complete the oil drain and oil filter removal and replacement. It is tight working quarters but it is adequate. A floor jack and jack stands would give you additional room but it is not necessary.

 

I always use ramps for changing the oil, but I prefer to remove the entire bottom cover. I like to make sure things are ok under the car.

 

+1 I remove the entire bottom cover every other oil change. I change my oil every 5k miles.

 

Yup I have those Rhino ramps and I can change the oil with no problems. I would agree with other posters that it is better to remove the whole plastic undercover. When I tried to just open the little square "door" for the oil area it ended up ripping off...bad design.

 

I've been having a similar issue with previous (non-Toyo) vehicle of ours, still in the family. I think the culprit is the new-fangled drain bolt washers, the kind with some sort of plasticized layer. Every time I re-install it I know it's torqued, and every time I go to remove it it's nearly free-turning.

I think the plastic layer shrinks/contracts somehow. I miss the plain Jane flat aluminum washers, more dependable, easier to remove from the bolt and/or never stuck to the oil pan.

 

Noticed the same thing. Some oil around bolt so I re-torqued. I bet it is the washer material.

 

Actually not creep (constant stress with strain increase) but relaxation (constant strain with stress reduction).

 

With an oil/change/door that could have been designed by a 10 yr. old & the "Scary" engine "Hammering" on cold start/up......makes me wonder "What the he!! is going on over at Toyota! .....

 

The Toyota Repair Manual says to take the whole cover off (and a couple more in the vicinity. LOL). That said, the flap seems purpose-built for oil changes. I used ours once, but never again, it didn't seem to like bending.

Part of the issue: Toyota says NOTHING in the Owners Manual on the subject of basic maintenance like oil changes. My only other experience is Honda, they've invariably included oil change instruction in the Owners Manual.

 

I agree. The flap is the right size and location for an oil change. If you can get the car up 10 inches, it works quite well.

Toyota does not include oil change instructions because they want the dealer to service the car. The oil change is just a portion of the entire service.

 

The flap is for access to oil changes, but it falls off from use.

 

There's actually two hinges in the engine under panel. There's a larger, full width hinge, but it would require the car to be raise much higher than a typical ramps or floor jack lift.

Funny, we've got an 06 civic hybrid with similar under panel. It's got a hinge as well, but the plastic on that panel is about 3 times the thickness, and you could flex the hinge 'till the cows come home, it's softer plastic, more durable. That said, it's almost unusable for DIY, requires a very high lift to swing it right down.

Here's the second hinge on the Prius panel (highlighted in yellow):

 

I do not disagree that the oil drain cover could be better and heavier. I have folded mine back many times in 4 years and it is still in good shape with no signs of stress at the hinge.

Thanks for pointing out the second hinge, I have never noticed this.

 

Ramps work fine.... Here are photos of my first oil change, last year...

 

Do you use any clips removal tool or just flathead? How many clips are there to remove the whole thing?
Thanks.