roberttran

Hey,
Does anyone have any tips or tricks for jacking up the LX to work on it?
I had to jack up one corner today using the jack that comes with the car. It seems alittle unstable at the specified point. It's a small not perfecly flat surface. Did I just jack it up on the wrong point?

Also my oil change is due in 1k miles and I want to plan on doing it myself. Is it a good idea to do it myself? Note: I have never ever changed the oil on a car before! I have watched but never participated. Any tips or procedures for changing the oil in the LX? I will be using Mobil 1, should I use a TRD oil filter or a Mobil filter?

Thanks,
Robert

stelios

i tried once to jack up the lx and was very unsucessful. never tried again i take the car to the dealer for oil changes and I recommend the mobil 1. I use the mobil 1 synthetic it works great.

dougjohn

Doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong while jacking up, but never leave your car/truck on the jack while working under it. Never trust your life to a jack! It's way too easy for it to slip off the jack.

Always use a jack stand. With the LX, you're going to want one that's at least 3 1/2 tons. I think you'll find it much more stable with the jack stands.

Personally, I like using the OEM filters. For the 450, there are 2 or 3 options from toyota/lexus. I use the more expensive filter. Get the filter from a toyota dealership rather than from lexus (for the equivalent year land cruiser).
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Doug

bob2200

I recently purchased jack stands at www.sears.com and arranged pickup at my local sears store (no shipping charge). I thought they were reasonably priced and have the sears (Craftsman) name-brand.

bsjoiner

The oil change is very easy to do, i do mine on my lx470 all the time. I use the toyota filter and mobil one. It is not even nessesary to jack the car up, just raise it to high mode. If you want to raise it off the ground, go and buy a set of good ramps.

roberttran

Forgot all about ramps
How should I catch the oil that drains out? Is there a way to do it so it won't be as messy? What do I do with the old oil? How tight do I put the nut back on?

Thanks,
Robert

bsjoiner

You can catch the old oil in an oil pan that can be purchased at autozone or you can do what i did and buy an oil pump for $60 bucks and not even have to mess with the drain plug. You just pull out your dipstick and put the tube down the shaft, give it a few pumps to build pressure and watch the oil being sucked out. When its done (about 5 min.) just replace the oil filter add the new oil and you done. Then take the oil pumps collection cylinder to wal-mart or auto zone and pour it into their oil vat.
You can buy this pump at griotsgarage.com.

roberttran

I love the oil pump idea! Thanks!
Can I buy those anywhere? The one at Groits is only 6.5L, while the LX has 6.8L of oil.
Do I need a tool to take off or put on the oil filter? Are there any benefits to using a TRD oil filter? If so, where can I buy them online? I have to change my oil in about 1.5k miles so I'm excited to change the oil myself

Thanks,
Robert

bsjoiner

The one in griot's is a liitle small, i still use mine but they have bigger ones in the Craftsman catalog or try searching online. I did however buy the facom ratcheting oil filter wrench(sold in griots, but cheaper through craftsman catalog) and it is awsome. The trd filter is a waste in my opinion because i change my oil every 3K but i do use mobil 1 oil. The trd is a great filter but i just buy the toyota OEM and have had no problems at all.

bsjoiner

Remove the little kidney shaped skid plate buy taking off the two 10mm bolts and you will see the filter. Remove the filter with a filter wrench and sdrew the new one on. Tighten the new filter as tight as you can by hand, do not use the wrench, it will be impossible to remove and is unesessary. Fill with new oil and then turn the key to the ON positiona and watch the oil pressure rise. The job is the done and you may start and drive your car.

dnguyen_GS430

AS for oil filter wrench, I buy a strap wrench and it's a great use for all over the house tool.

roberttran

Okay, I got a set of jack stands, but they barely work at the front of the car. I found a diagram that says that I should put the jack stands towards the front of the longitunal(sp?) frame members. It seems stable and strong enough. One problem, My jack stands only raise the car about 2 inches and the wheels are still touching the ground. The jacks are a max height of 21 inches too. Is it safe to have the jack stands behind the front wheels? I think I found spots on that longitunal(sp?) frame member that would raise it more but they are behind the front wheels. When the dealer uses their huge jacks they put the points around there. Should it be okay with my jack stands? I am just worried that maybe the car could be front heavy from the engine and tip forward while on the stands. I plan on putting stands on all 4 corners.

Thanks,
Robert

dougjohn

You should be fine with them slightly behind the front tires. I wouldn't worry too much about the front end tipping forward.
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Doug

RPH74

Do it the safe way and use ramps!!!!! FYI I've also been able to change my oil without even jacking it up, since the car is so high. Jacking it up on ramps just makes the process much easier.

dougjohn

Heck, do it the safest way and get a lift!
I can hang out under my 450 without any problems at all -- and I'm not a petite fella.

Seriously though, the ramp's a good idea, but not all that slick if you want to change a tire.

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Doug