DIY Oil Change Corolla 2.0 M20A-FXS

[Red_Corolla]

I have completed a run-in engine oil change for my car and thought I would share a few notes in case it's of any benefit to fellow hands-on owners. Please do not reply to debate the merits of doing an early oil change - I am familiar with all of the usual arguments and have done this task purely for personal satisfaction rather than necessity.

Regarding oil consumption during this period; my car was delivered with the level just a whisker above the maximum mark and that's where it remained until I drained it after 1500 miles. The amount consumed was less than noticeable.

 

Comments on the procedure

- The procedure for putting the car into maintenance mode to make the engine run and warm up is the same one that’s been used for years on all Toyota hybrids and is well documented. But the confirmation message displayed on my Corolla’s instrument panel was the somewhat cryptic, “Cdy-2E.” This was followed by warnings about the traction control being disabled etc., so I’m sure I was successful in accessing the maintenance mode, but there was no obvious statement to confirm it.

- Access is excellent. Any method of safely raising the front of the car by 10cm will suffice to get the job done.

- The access panel in the undertray is attached by 4x large self-tapping screws. These will fit either a Philips screwdriver or a 10mm socket. I would recommend the latter as they are quite stiff.

- Drain plug requires a 14mm socket/spanner and the torque spec is 40Nm

- The factory-fit filter on my engine was VERY tight and I had to use tools to remove it. I have a 3-legged claw removal tool that has served me well over the years, and the force required to break the filter free was so great that the casing was slightly crushed by the pressure exerted via the tool. Any other type of filter removal tool will fit just fine.

- The torque spec for the filter is 17.5Nm OR ¾ of a turn beyond the point where the O-ring makes contact, which is also the point where the O-ring fully compresses and the filter becomes hand tight. This is the absolute norm for most engines, so I don’t know why the original filter on my engine had been tightened so much.

- The quantity of oil required is 4.3L. This is what Toyota service info said and it’s also exactly the amount I needed to hit the max mark.

- When replacing the access panel, there is one point at the front where it hooks into the main undertray, shown by the red arrow on my illustration.

 

Materials

- The engine oil grade is 0w16 full synthetic. I went with the Toyota branded oil as I couldn’t find it much cheaper from any other reputable brand.

- OEM oil filters to fit this engine appear to be have been made under a variety of Toyota part numbers. The factory-fit filters bear the part no 90915-10009, but my research suggested that these are virtually unobtainable as an aftermarket spare. The one I ended up with was 90915-YZZM3: This one had my engine code listed on the box and appeared to be identical to the original item in all aspects apart from the part number. It’s made by Denso, just like the factory one.

[forkingabout]

Nice to see the genuine Toyota oil filter still come with the pre greased sealing ring.

[Red_Corolla]

5 minutes ago, forkingabout said:

Nice to see the genuine Toyota oil filter still come with the pre greased sealing ring.

It was pre-greased, just as you say. First time I've seen that after over 20 years of doing my own oil changes on a variety of cars & motorcycles! It was also a pleasure to be doing a car with a metal canister filter again. They may be slightly less environmentally sound than the permanent housing designs, but they're also easier and less messy.

[TonyHSD]

Good job done 👍 For the filter the thin oil film under the plastic cover is to prevent any formation of rust on the untreated metal screen,😉 old school manufacturing 👌