Lexmex

This afternoon, my cousin Antonio took a stab at showing how we take off the oil filter from the top as opposed to the bottom. This is where the K&N HP-1002 oil filter comes in handy since it has a nut on top that is easily removable with a 1inch adapter on a socket wrench. Note placement of oil filter.

Lexmex

A view of the actual filter.

Lexmex

And the actual hooking on to the filter itself. Make sure the vehicle is sufficiently cooled down or you will get some nasty burns by that exhaust manifold. Even before I the precats were removed, it was still relatively easy to get at the filter from the top.

Lexmex

Of course it is still a good idea to put a catch can underneath as the oil will still drip when you reach into pull off the filter.

Lexmex

Then Antonio just washes out the engine and and the oil that cascaded along the front of the engine block.

Lexmex

This is what went into the engine:

2 946 ml bottles of Mobil 1 0W40 ($13 USD x 2 in Mexico)
2 946 ml bottles of Mobil 1 5W30 Extended Drain (or Life) ($9.99 USD x 2 in Mexico)
1 K&N HP-1002 Oil Filter ($20 USD in Mexico)
1 300 ml bottle of Liqui Moly MOS2 Anti Friction Engine Treatment ($9.99 USD in Mexico)
1 325 ml bottle of Restore (4 cylinder version) ($7 USD in Mexico)
1 177 ml bottle of Oil Extreme ($18 USD in Mexico)

$100.97 USD for an oil change! Thank god labor is $0.

That makes 4.586 liters (with filter change 4.7 liters is used, but generally with some left oil left over after a drain of the system and removal of the filter, it works out okay on the dipstick).

Lexmex

5W30 is the standard fill for our RX300s and I have tried virtually every grade of Mobil 1 (15W50, 5W50, 10W30, 5W30, 0W40) and my favorite has always been 0W40. Yet, I have some issues.

When I do my launches at the drag strip I never quite get a very fluid liftoff, feels like the oil is sticking or better put not flowing quite right until about 60 feet after takeoff. This is where a 5W30 or lower weight like a W20 (as TunedRX300 mentioned) would be a great help. The 5W30 can get into some smaller places better than the 0W40. The only drawback, and it really will not apply to the daily driver, is that 5W30 shears or breaks down after a while.

Now, with the 5W30 extended drain, this stuff is a little bit more beefed up and should not shear, so it is a perfect match. However, I plan to keep the 0W40 running until the next time I change it out and then may try the 5W30 extended drain for all 4 liters to see how it handles.

Lexmex

So what is with the additives?

The oil alone will not do it for me. When you run 1/4 mile runs, inevitably there is a lot of stress and heat. I have experimented with many and came to this conclusion of additives.

First, the Liqui Moly additive I used to not like to much. I then found out it has a tendency to stick and deposit in areas rather than flowing evenly across surfaces. What it really needs to be effective is for it to remain in suspension within the motor and move between parts without issue.

Second, the addition of Oil Extreme made this possible. The thing I really like about this product is it keeps deposits from forming and keeps everything flowing smoothly, no matter how hot it gets. That last thing I need is an uneven flow and a lot of heat buildup simply because some oil decided to accumulate in one area or even a deposit of additive.

Third, Restore is a nice product from my home state of Florida. Not running an air filter, I need to keep my compression up and this stuff does the job and also has a side advantage of cleaning desposits on surfaces. First time I used this stuff, some clumps came out of the oil that we had not seen on a previous change.

Do any of you need to use any of this stuff?

Not really. Unless you drive you RX300 the way I do, your vehicle should run just fine on regular oil, but this is just FYI.

There is another thing I use about every other oil change (though I use to use it on every change), which is Liqui Moly Engine Flush, which is really good at cleaning out varnishes and other gunk that gets inside the motor.

TunedRX300

Lexmex,
Looks like you have a witch's brew here It is good to have an oil analysis done for this stuff and see how 1mzfe likes it. Just the 50% 0w40, 50% 5w30 EP mix, you will get 70 cSt @ 40º C and 12.5 cSt @ 100º C, at starting temperature of 70 º F viscosity is 158.5 cSt. You should get pretty good protection on the track when the engine gets really hot.
I have some old M1 5w30 GF-3 oil left and put it in my RX instead of M1 5w20 last week. In the morning before the engine reaches the operating temperature, acceleration is sluggish noticeably (especially going uphill). I will also try Auto RX after the next oil change.
K&N is great, but @ $20 per, someone is really making a serious profit here.

Lexmex

It so is the witch´s brew, but was it ever smooth. Last night, we had a wet track but was running 18.2s with high humidity and low air pressure, even on solo runs, which was pretty good. My father and I managed to set the two people in the vehicle record with an 18.4 (was 18.6), so not too shabby. We will see how she holds us in the bracket competition this afternoon assuming no rain.

K&N has one distributor for Mexico and I know them and I get a $5 discount. If you go to other groups, expect to pay $30 to $35 for the filter. Too many, in fact all, of the tuning shops hype up stuff beyond belief, 2x the price, 2x the BS. Sad.

Luckily, Lexmex sets my track friends and the distributor straight about these products.

Let me know how AutoRX works out.

99RX300PDX

My 1999 Lexus RX300 had a regular oil filter ( no nut on top ) and I could replace it using a 8" long socket wrench and a oil filter cap 6 months ago. It was a very difficult job, and it took me almost 2 hours to take out the filter.

Yesterday I changed the engine oil and tried to replace the filter again, but this time I failed to take out the filter. It was impossible. No matter I did it from top or bottom it was still there.

Today I finished the job in less than a minute using a 18" breaker bar and the oil filter cap.

I loosed the old filter from bottom and remove it from top, then put the new one from bottom and tighten it (by hand) from top.

The 18" breaker bar was a magic bar to me.

thomas1

No filter should be on that tight...usually hand tight and an additional 1/2 turn....

salimshah

Cant agree more with Thomas1.

Next time, if you use the OEM filter look at the Oring and if it is tightened too much, you will get metal to metal mating and can spring a leak.

Please talk to the guys or preferably switch to another mechanic.

Salim

aznlapin

I've used K&N, P1 and OEM filters, and rarely if ever have problems taking them off. Usually I do it by hand and it comes rights off. The rough texture on the P1's really help too.

How I put it on:
- Get the filter started on the threads
- Free spin it until it tightens itself to stop
- Tighten another 1/2-3/4 turn.

No leaks from the above method in the last 15-20 oil changes. You really don't need to tighten it all that much.


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