Easy way to change oil filter on 2000 4runner?

The guys at the Toyota garage tell me they have some kind of extender for the filter wrench and remove a panel in the floor board to do it. Can you get one of these extensions or do any of you have any easier ways of doing it?

I have a '96 4Runner with V6. To change the oil filter I remove the skid shields. I lie under the vehicle (no need to jack it up) and I snake my right arm up so I can grasp the end of the oil filter firmly. My left arm comes across from the front of the engine and helps support my right. Then I use my right hand to rotate the filter. Sometimes it helps to wipe the filter clean so you your hand doesn't slip on the housing.

If the filter is stuck, there appears to be enough room to get a band-and-lever type filter wrench on it from the front. But here's what I do - I punch a hole in the filter with a screwdriver. The engine should not be hot because oil will spill out. There is enough room to get a medium size screwdriver in from the front and swing a ball peen hammer against the handle. Tap until the point of the screwdriver penetrates the filter housing and then push it in all the way and use it as a handle to get the filter moving, then spin the filter off.

Clean up the spilled oil and the filter boss with a paper towel. Oil the new filter's gasket then spin it on. Tighten about 3/4 turn after the gasket touches the engine.

After you've done it once it's easy but the first time might be difficult, especially if the filter was overtightened or if the base gasket wasn't oiled when it was installed.

The 1996 and 2000 are different.
If you use paper towells on the "filter boss" you WILL be putting wood fibers from the paper towell DIRECTLY into the bearings of your engine.
Use a tightly woven fabric or even grease wrags
if done properly there really is no need to even wipe the area.
Just the seal area.
Paper towels are a wood product.

The guys at the Toyota garage tell me they have some kind of extender for the filter wrench and remove a panel in the floor board to do it. Can you get one of these extensions or do any of you have any easier ways of doing it?

The extension is a good idea, you could also route the oil to an oil cooler after it goes through the filter. You could also leave the rear skid plate off so you can have easier access to the filter.
I always change the oil when it is warm so that it flows out easier and metal particles are still floating in the oil.

I use a socket that fits on the end of the filter and a socket wrench. Access it after the skid plates are removed.

The 1996 and 2000 are different.
If you use paper towells on the "filter boss" you WILL be putting wood fibers from the paper towell DIRECTLY into the bearings of your engine.
Use a tightly woven fabric or even grease wrags
if done properly there really is no need to even wipe the area.
Just the seal area.
Paper towels are a wood product.


Of course there is a need to wipe the area. You want a CLEAN surface for the gasket to seal against.

If paper is bad, why do they use it to make oil filters (and air filters)? I've been using paper towels for decades and have never had bearing failure. Two aftermarket filters, Frantz and Stilko, use toilet paper as their replaceable filter media. They are arguably the best oil filters ever made. Probably too expensive for most people today, so they're not popular. I have a Stilko on my Ford truck that I've been driving for 17 years without so much as a valve job.

Do a little research before you post on a topic you know nothing about.

Do not resurrect 3-year old threads.

The guys at the Toyota garage tell me they have some kind of extender for the filter wrench and remove a panel in the floor board to do it. Can you get one of these extensions or do any of you have any easier ways of doing it?

just go to jiffy lube and stop being so damn cheap. :runaround::runaround:

Do not resurrect 3-year old threads.


The question would still be relevant to someone doing a search.

Informative maybe, but not relevant in the slightest. Argumentative, certainly
Filter media and cleaning technique have nothing in common.

Informative maybe, but not relevant in the slightest. Argumentative, certainly
Filter media and cleaning technique have nothing in common.

Go back and read the thread. 4Wheel wants to leave the oil filter boss dirty and told me I am destroying the engine bearings by using a paper towel to clean the filter boss. I tried to correct him and YOU argue with me?

I can see there is no place on this forum for me. Enjoy yourself, "chemist." I'm out of here.

I read the thread before I answered you. If you think I was argumentative and you weren't, then I'm glad you quickly figured out you don't fit in here.

just go to jiffy lube and stop being so damn cheap. :runaround::runaround:

Thanks for your cowardly, completely useless post 3 years later when it is soooo relevant.

I want it done right - you take yours to jiffy lube if you like.