johnnieliu

I'm nearing 3 months on my RX330. I'm planning on changing the oil myself. Where exactly is the oil filter and what is the best way to get to it; top, bottom? Is there enough ground clearance to access the filter from the bottom of the vehicle or do I need to jack the vehicle up?

Any help will be appreciated.

JL

MovieTime

make sure u only change the oil when the engine is cold because of the location of the filter. it sits below the exhaust manifold. its hard to see it from above, you just have to stick your hand underneath the manifold (when engine is cold or wear something to protect your hand from getting burnt) and feel your way around it.

johnnieliu

Thanks,

Any one remove their lower engine splash guard? Were there any "surprises"? I'm planning on accessing the oil filter from the bottom.

parula

a serviceman told me the 330 has about the same oil filter removal process as the 300 - have fun !

ederny

johnnie,

Either from above or below will work for getting to the filter. I just don't want to go through the trouble of removing all the screws in the lower cover each time. You can check the photos at How2.

johnnieliu

Thanks for the suggestions! I read the several threads regarding the oil filter removal on the RX300. I thought that the filter location had changed on the RX330. It has not. Access from the top is tight but manageable.

ederny, NICE SITE! Very helpful!

Thanks!

parula

Ed, I love your how2 site!

In the oil change section you mention, "There are 2 ways to do it. Either way will be a bit easier if you let the engine cool for an hour and let most of the oil drain out of the filter ...".

I thought the better (almost all now) filters have anti-backflow valves to prevent backflow and loss of oil to ensure oil delivery when the engine is restarted? I haven't been able to drain oil from filters without cracking the seal and letter her drip . . .... drip ..... to try to save a mess.

ederny

Say Bob, you are correct. Thanks for catching my confusing statement. I was after two things there. (a) let it cool off so you can get into the filter area and (b) let the pressure drop in the filter - just a little less to be spilled!

I'll make a correction thanks to your pointer.

Ed

xfirechief

I change the oil & filter today. Took a while to find the filter but with the help of some posts here I found it not to be too hard. I did take off the lower cover to get at it. Was no big deal to do that.
Hardly a drop spilled as I had a big rag up at the filter.

Installed AMSOIL SYNTHETIC OIL & AMSOIL FILTER. Should be good for awhile now.

HarrierAWD

The 3.3-litre V6 is simply the bored-out version of the same old 3.0-litre V6 in RX300. Therefore the filter location is identical.

It's a pain to remove the filter either from top or bottom, and Lexus wants $92 for oil change. So I went to the nearby Toyota Express last week. For $30 in 30 minutes, it was quick and easy. :-)

nyca

what a mess, there is no excuse for this kind of poor engineering.

this actually makes me less likely to purchase this vehicle, since I do all my own maintenance.

HarrierAWD

Unless you buy a goo' ol' American rear-driver, it's hard to find a vehicle that's easy to DIY nowadays. Also unless you own or can borrow a shop lift, it's probably not worth the effort anyway.

With the exception of tune-up (changing the plugs) where you can easily save $100 or more by DIY.

nyca

all the German cars are easy, even the front driver Audi/VWs.

Honda is bad, Mitsubishi was easy, apparently Toyota is bad also.

you can save alot of money doing your own routine maintenance compared to dealer costs.

salimshah

nyca; My bubble burst when I thumbed through the Owners Manual. Grade of oil is dicussed but the procedure to change the oil is not listed. My thinking got further affirmation when I visited the dealer for the first (complementary) service ,,,,

Lexus vehicles are to be "driven". Regular maintainance in general is performed by the dealer and not the owner. You are given a key to another Lexus to drive while your baby is in the shop.

If you are a DIY Lexus owner, you are an exception. A close friend of mine who owns a late model BMW popped the hood of his car for me. Practically the engine was behind plastic shroud and access did not seem easy. By the way he calls Lexus vehicles boring.

Practically the only DIY needed on Lexus is the oil change, battery replacement and brake pads replacement. I have all most come to an end of the road on changing oils as the trouble of keepping my garage spotless, collecting oil, and taking the oil to a recycling center is getting to me. I will blow a gasket if the oil spills in the RX.


Salim.

HarrierAWD

True, in terms of dollar amount, you can save $$$ by DIY. However.....

Oil change at Toyota - $30
no fuss, no mess, done in 30 minutes or next one is free

Oil change at home - $10 ($5 Toyota filter, $5 5-qt 5W30)
A saving of $20, whoohoo, but: trip to Toyota to buy the genuine Toyota filter (please no Fram crap on the RX,) trip to Walmart to buy the oil, jack up and get under the car, drain the oil, remove the old filter, put on the new filter, put in new oil, scrub hands and garage floor clean (or wife's gonna *****,) trip to service station to dump the used oil and filter (and be treated royally as a valued non-paying customer.)

I personally wouldn't bother, but maybe it's just me. I rather spend the time to do research on stocks and bonds and make some real bucks.