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Quick question about the wisdom of changing my own oil...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Julia2001, Aug 2, 2012.

  1. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    I very much appreciate all of the posts detailing how to change one's own oil.

    I have a Gen2 (2007) Prius and wish to change my own oil.

    The only question I have is whether in doing so I might miss something important that could be found at the dealer if they were doing the oil change. For example, looking at boots or joints or this thing or that, none of which I understand or know how to evaluate.

    Would I be giving less care to the vehicle by conducting my own oil changes for this reason?

    Thanks so much for any thoughts or guidance.

    Love this forum!

    Julia
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Julia,

    1. You could, over time, learn how to do the under-chassis inspection. See this thread for an example:
    DIY visual inspection for dummies | PriusChat

    2. Suppose you drive 10K miles per year and thus need to have your oil/filter changed 2x per year. You could perform an oil/filter change once during that year, thus saving some money and gaining experience in this area, while having the dealer service dept or another reputable servicer perform the other service as well as the annual inspection.

    3. Presumably no one cares more about your vehicle than you. If you focus on doing a good job, have the correct tools so that you are not frustrated by the experience, and pay attention to the process, then your car will benefit from your good care. Good luck with your decision.
     
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  3. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    Thank you very much, Patrick.

    I really appreciate this great advice, as well as the very valuable link you have kindly provided.

    Thanks so much for taking the time.

    Julia
     
  4. Jim Porta

    Jim Porta Junior Member

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    A good compromise would be to do 2 oil changes then have the dealer change and check every 15K miles.
     
  5. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    Thank you very much for this good idea.

    Do I need to change the oil every 5,000 miles if I use Mobil 1 synthetic oil as recommended elsewhere n the site?

    Thank you again very much.

    Julia
     
  6. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    I suppose another idea would be to request a "full inspection" every year when I have the snow tires put on?

    Would that be reasonable?
     
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It would be reasonable to request an inspection when the snow tires are put on, if the person putting on the tires knows how to do that.

    If you care to keep your 5 year/60K mile powertrain warranty in effect then you should observe the required 5K mile engine oil change intervals. Once that warranty has expired, if you decide to observe a longer interval such as 7.5K miles, that is your business.

    I would also encourage you to check engine oil level at every other refueling stop - to make sure your engine oil level does not drop to a dangerous point.
     
  8. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    Thank you. I have a 2007 Prius so that warranty is loooong gone.

    Thank you very much, though...that was an important point.
     
  9. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Julia it is perfectly safe using synthetic oil to do oil changes at 10,000mile intervals. This is the interval that Toyota recommends to the rest of the world from day one for the Prius, apart from the US and Canada. The gen3 Prius in the US started with a 5000mile change interval but this has now been changed to 10,000miles even for those vehicles with 5000miles in the handbook.

    The important point mentioned by Patrick is that you do not neglect checking the level on a regular basis. Obviously no harm will be done changing it at 5 or 7.5k but it is a waste of oil, time, and your money. There are those that have run the oil to 15k miles and oil annalis has proved that even this interval to be ok but not something I would recommend.

    John.
     
  10. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    Thank you very much, John. I really appreciate this information.

    Preparing to get my fingers dirty. ;-)

    The only piece I remain somewhat nervous about is the possible over or under tightening of the drain bolt or especially the filter itself. Sounds like we need to be cautious there.

    Thank you again for your time and thoughts.

    Julia
     
  11. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    The oil drain
    The oil drain plug should be tightened to 28ft-lbs with a new gasket ring (a spanner 12inches long being pulled by 28lbs) but torque renches are cheap and you only buy them once, or maybe you could borrow one.

    The oil filter, oil the sealing ring, fit with your fingers till it is lightly seated then tighten 3/4 of one turn. Or if you have the correct tool 13ft-lbs. Both the above methods are in the Toyota workshop manual.

    John.
     
  12. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    Thank you, John. I read those descriptions/instructions in my research on this site earlier this morning, but I am unfamiliar with torque matters. :) That's what makes me nervous. I have a really great, bright yellow tool box filled with tools which I have used over the years to service my old Saabs and Subarus, but this is my first Prius and I've never used a torque wrench before. Don't even know what "a spanner 12inches long being pulled by 28lbs is!"

    Sounds like a foot-long worm being pulled by a 28 pound calf. Or something.

    You now see where I'm coming from. Like anything else, though, once I do it, it will be "old hat"!

    Thank you for the great tips. I really appreciate them. I will buy a torque wrench and ask one of the gentlemen at the local Autozone to show me how to use it. Thanks again!

    Julia
     
  13. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Forgetting myself in my last post a spanner is English for wrench. Now imagine a wrench a foot long and you put 28lbs of force on the end of that wrench, that's how tight the sump plug needs to be. A wrench 2ft long would only need 14lbs force.

    John.
     
  14. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    The only reason that I don't do my own oil changes is that I don't want to deal with used oil disposal. It would be another story if I had one of those large wheeled oil collectors they have in proper garages, but I feel like I'm just generating a lot more toxic trash than a mechanic would.
     
  15. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    Thanks, John. I do have one of those wrenches...just didn't know what it was called.

    But I don't know how to apply 28 or 14 lbs of force using one. (And I'm not asking you to tell me how -- I can research that or ask at the Autozone. You are all so kind to take the time to respond to my novice questions.)

    To a_gray_prius...I appreciate where you're coming from but my local Autozone, not far from my home, takes the old oil so it's no big deal. Otherwise I would feel as you do.

    By the way - for what it's worth, I've read that many (if not most) Autozones AND Walmarts will take your old oil. Simply buy a pan which has a screw-on cover, and then when you've completed your oil change screw the cover on and bring it to your local autozone or walmart.
     
  16. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Julia,

    Your foot long worm with a 28 pound calf is basically the idea. The theory behind it is pressure applied at a specific distance from the center line of the bolt. 28 foot pounds of torque is equal to a wrench one foot long with 28 pounds of weight hanging off of the end of the wrench. When the bolt no longer tightens with that 28 pounds of force, the bolt is then torqued to specification.

    You can buy torque wrenches anywhere that sells tools. Invest in a good one, and add it to your bright yellow tool box. Click type are better than the beam type, but all of them work the same way.

    Torque wrenches are sold in foot lb. and inch lb. increments, and come in different drive size's (3/8 inch and 1/2 inch)

    Google Image Result for http://www.tools-insight.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/torque-wrench%2520(1).jpg

    http://www.itorque.com/D3%20Assy%20Top%20ed250f.jpg

    Don't fret the small details. Use a torque wrench if in doubt. You will find that 3/4 turn of the filter once the gasket touches is correct and a standard 14mm wrench tightened by hand will be sufficient. Make sure you change the aluminum washer on the oil drain plug every time you change the oil.

    Ron (dorunron)
     
  17. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    dorunron, thank you so much! This is so helpful! I really appreciate you taking the time.

    I do have a 14mm wrench (and lots of other sizes too!) so maybe I will stop overthinking this and give it a go tightening the drain bolt by hand and turning the filter to snug and placing the filter wrench on and giving it another 3/4 turn. Thank you so much for the encouragement.

    And yes - I did make a note on my list of things to buy a few washers for the oil drain plug to have on hand. That came up in my research earlier this morning but I VERY much appreciate you taking the time to remind me.

    If only I didn't need to spend $230 on a new key fob this would be a good day.

    I'm just kidding about the good day part. It's always a good day when people reach out and help one another.

    This is a really really great forum. Makes owning a Prius even more awesome.

    Thank you again!

    Julia
     
  18. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    dorunron, thanks again for posting those pictures. They educated me, making me realize that in fact I do NOT own a torque wrench. Just a bunch of other kinds of wrenches!

    I really appreciate the great photo links!

    Thanks again.

    Julia
     
  19. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    It seems that quite a few of us have to spend that money to get the second fob. I went through the same thing when we bought our Prius. I paid top dollar as I had the dealer do it for me... You are smart by researching in the way you are.

    Good luck with your Prius, and don't be afraid to use the torque wrench.
     
  20. Julia2001

    Julia2001 Member

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    Thank you! :)