JASP615

I am going to change my oil for the first time myself and would like to know what to expect with a foreign truck. Have changed my oil on American made models but never on a lexus. Do I need to buy a gasket? What parts other then the filter and oil will I need? I will be using synthetic oil.

jditom

Search is your friend.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...our-gx470.html

Go buy a oil filter from Toyota, same as Lexus but cheaper, about 5-6 bucks. Get a washer.

5/30W oil, I use M1 that I get at Costco.

Very easy.

JASP615

First, Thanks for the info. Second, I understand search is my friend. I have been here long enough to use search many times, I just needed a quick answer and it was on my phone which made this a bit more entailed so I just asked the question because I have always been given great advice and rely on this site a lot.

I have an 06 Lexus bought new and have had my oil changed every 3 months using 5/30 regular oil. My last oil change we changed over to synthetic and the oil change cost not to mention the mess I had to clean up when I got my truck back had my husband saying that we would do our own oil changes from now on.

I already purchased the oil from Costco what threw me off was when they were talking about an oil changing KIT. I will purchase the filter from Toyota this week.

Again thank you for the info. I am now at an computer and it's a bit easier for me to explain why I posted what I did. With tremor it made texting a bit more difficult.

Sami

DUKE34

Sami,

Good advice as far as I can see, however on my GX it is much easier and maybe the only way to access the oil filter is to drop the front skid plate. 3-10mm bolts in the front and 2-12mm in the rear of the plate with extention on the ratchet for the rear if I remember correctly. Not very hard, but the skid is a little heavy, good from protection standpoint.

jditom

Sami,

It is really easy to as long as you do not mind getting a little bit dirty. The link above really covers everything nicely. It is a good feeling to do it right and not have to drop it off at the dealer every 3 months. With M1 I have gone to changing my oil every 7500 miles. You could go longer if you wanted to. BMW and Mercedes go about 10-12,000 for an oil change with syn.

Good Luck

Lexus 4 ME

The only is thing is I would go with 10W30 instead of 5w30. It's just my preferences.

jditom

Why?
It is not the recomended weight.

Lexus 4 ME

Honestly may be it's a myth but my Lexus dealer and my mechanic said it's recommended for newer vehicle 5w30 and for 4 year old and up 10w30. May be I am wrong.

jditom

I think you are just increasing the viscosity of your oil at start up.
First number is viscosity when cold and second number is viscosity when hot.
Larger the number = more viscous.

Going to 10-30W means you are more viscous at start up than 5-30W.
I see no reason for this? Some folks on the old Landcruiser forums have gone from 5-30W to 5-40W so the oil is more viscous when hot and tends to leak less?

I am not saying your mechanic is wrong but unless he can give you a scientific reason for it then

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-e...uestion164.htm

Turbinator

+1 on the skid plate being heavy - make sure you have a helper who can help you hold up the skid plate as it is being unbolted; for me, I used some cardboard boxes as a skid plate stand so that the thing was supported and not under tension as I unscrewed the bolts.

Take your time, don't rush it, and you should be fine. I got all my oil change instructions off this site, btw.

Turby

mann777

I fully agree the Lexus 4 me, honestly i think The viscosity must be high enough to maintain a satisfactory lubricating film, but low enough that the oil can flow around the engine parts satisfactorily to keep them well coated under all conditions.

SAE viscosity gradings include the following, from low to high viscosity: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 or 60. The numbers 0, 5, 10, 15 and 25 are suffixed with the letter W, designating their "winter" (not "weight") or cold-start viscosity, at lower temperature. The number 20 comes with or without a W, depending on whether it is being used to denote a cold or hot viscosity grade. The SAE rates this as per certain tests conditions.example, 10W-30 designates a common multi-grade oil. The two numbers used are individually defined by SAE J300 for single-grade oils. Therefore, an oil labeled as 10W-30 must pass the SAE J300 viscosity grade requirement for both 10W and 30, and all limitations placed on the viscosity grades (for example, a 10W-30 oil must fail the J300 requirements at 5W).

jditom

So you are running 10-30W instead of the recommended 5-30W???

Lexus 4 ME

I dont know much about oil,but when I asked my mechanic he said that 10-30W lubricates internal parts better then 5-30W.

I just remember that for some reason when I had ML 55 and BMW X5 4.6IS both vehicles were new, dealer would only put 5W-30. When I had FX35 and FX45 and Lexus GX 470 dealer would recommend 10W-30.

Bob GX

Just for fun - pour an once or two of 5W30 and 10W30 into similar small glasses so you can see how it flows and creates a film on the glass, and how long the film adheres to the sides of the glass. Then put them in the refrigerator or freezer, and warm them up setting the glasses in hot tap water, repeating the experiment and seeing how the oil behaves - this'll give you a pretty good visual clue of what happens at different temps.

At 0 degrees F there's a noticeably difference between the grades - at 70 F it's much less noticeable, and at 180 F (the temperature from the water heater in my house) they look pretty similar.

I conclude they want the 5W30 oil for better winter lubrication when starting up the engine - and that it probably doesn't make a big difference the rest of the year (or if you live year-round in a warm climate). Once the engine warms up the oil appears to behave pretty much the same - how quickly it flows, how long it adheres to a surface, etc.

Troy L

First of all, I think you are making a very good move to provide this basic service on your own. As you know, the many Lexus owners in this forum are very unselfish in providing the best tried-and-true information possible, to make sure your Lexus performs at maximum efficiency at all times. I recently changed the oil on my '06 GX470, and, if planned correctly, this service is a snap. To start, I use ramps with the 2-foot extenders. This enables a smooth climb to the top of the ramps, and I believe is safer than some other options you may wish to use. Also, when changing the oil, it is only necessary to lower the front skid plate to access the filter. I normally use my floor jack to support the plate. The oil drain plug is accessible with a socket and extension, without having to lower the back section of the skid plate. And, by the way, I have found that ramps allow for a total draining of the oil pan. The incline allows the oil to fully drain toward the plug (I refill with a full 7 quarts to bring the oil up to the full mark on the dipstick. Be sure to check, as already mentioned, that you have a good condition drain plug gasket, readily available at Toyota for a pittance. I use 5-W30 Mobil 1 year-round (from Costco) and a WIX filter. Because of my driving habits, I change oil once every 6 months, or about 3-4 thousand miles (oil still looks like new). For about $35 an oil change, I figure that's still a great bargain. Good luck, and I hope these comments are of some help to you.