I have the part and the gasket...but apparently it's a 3 hour job!?
At Lexus it's $170/hour
Any other place, $100/hour


I have basic tools, and can get an oil catcher, my question is should I do this one myself?

2000 LS400 with 275,000 km

 

If the oil is already drained and the mating surfaces (old FIPG) were clean this would be a 15 to 20 minute job.
Scraping off the old sealant without scratching the upper pan is critical. If you don't do this properly you may be relacing both pans...

 

Upper and lower oil pans are sealed with FIPG (form in place gasket) instead of traditional gasket.

Clean oil free mating surfaces are critical to durable FIPG seal.

Purchase Toyota FIPG and use torque wrench.

 

I have a gasket from felpro...not form in place will this be an issue?

 

With a gasket, there are now 4 mating surfaces vs. two (pan to block)

Shop manual torque specs are for FIPG.

Lower pan bolt lengths are with FIPG in mind.

The pan mating surface is designed with FIPG in mind.

Our oil pans are quite stiff, so perhaps direct block to pan interface reduces seal flexure.

20 year FIPG seal integrity on upper and lower oil pans is not uncommon.

Others have used preformed gaskets on lower oil or transmission pans without issue, however believe FIPG is better way to go...provided you use Toyota FIPG.

If a preformed cork gasket is used, then possibly it will dampen lower oil pan and transmission pan noise...

 

It will work just fine as long as the old gasket material is completely removed with a plastic scraper. Nothing metal, abrasive, or sharp that might scratch or nick the mating surface.
The torque value for the lower No.2 pan bolts is quite low. 66 in-lbf (that's INCH punnds) which equals 5.5 ft-lbf. The only torque wrenches measuring that low are 1/4" drive.
Tighten the bolts uniformly in several passes.

 

Got mine replaced at my mechanics shop for $250 flat after the Toyota dealer I WORKED FOR refused to fix their mistake when a line tech screwed my threads up and tried to cover it up by using Teflon tape.

If you did did it yourself, how was it? Overall would you DIY again or rather spend a little cash? Just curious.

 

I haven't done it yet...won't do myself...Will likely combine with a starter replacement to get a deal on labour and hopefully avoid paying for 'drip time' :/