Basic engine service. DIY

Started by Carolyn, June 14, 2019, 14:50

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Carolyn

Make sure you have all the parts you need before starting work: Oil, oil filter, air filter, oil drain pan.

Oil change:

Chock the front wheels.  Jack the car up and make sure it's secure on jack-stands.  NEVER work underneath a car that is only supported by a jack. Ideally you want to be working on a flat surface.  Always make sure the car is rock solid steady before going underneath.


While oil and filter CAN be done with the nappy (bottom engine cover) in place, in practice it's easiest to remove it.  Don't worry if a couple of retaining screws shear off.  Most people have it secured with tie-wraps anyway!

You will need something to catch the oil in.  It's worth getting one of those flat drain-pan/containers for this job. (Pic below).  It's also worth splitting open a large cardboard box and putting it down as a mat to catch stray spills.

Remove the oil filler cap. (this helps the oil to drain) and remove the dipstick and wipe it clean.

With the drain pan in place, loosen the oil drain plug (at the rear of the sump, closest to the back of the car) with a 14mm socket.  Remove the drain plug.  Expect to get a little oil up your arm. (This CAN be avoided, but it takes practice).

Most of the oil will come out fairly quickly, but quite a bit will remain.  To get this out (leaving the drain pan in place), lower the car back onto its wheels.

Go and have a cuppa while the oil drains.  It will take some time until there are no more dribbles. 

Jack the car back up and replace the drain plug.

Now it's time to remove the oil filter. It's located at the front of the engine (between the engine and the firewall).  You have to crawl right underneath and look up above the deep part of the sump.

These go on hand-tight.  They rarely come off the same way.  Some filters are shaped to take a tool that fits to the bottom of the filter, some don't have this feature.  I take them off using a strap wrench (pic below).  Even this will sometimes fail to remove a well-stuck filter.  In that case (making sure the drain pan is under the filter 'cos it's full of oil), knock a sturdy flat-bladed screwdriver in one side of the filter and out the other side.  This seems extreme but it is sometimes your best method.  Use the leverage of the screwdriver to start the filter turning.  It will now come off by hand.  Expect further oil dribbling. Allow ten minutes for residual oil in this part of the engine to dribble out.

Get your new filter unwrapped and ready for action.  Clean up any excess oil in the area. Smear a little engine oil on the rubber gasket on the filter.  Spin it onto the thread in the filter housing and tighten it with your hand as tight as you can. 

Put the car back on it's wheels. 

Using a funnel, IMMEDIATELY refill with Engine oil of your choice. Put in approx 3.5 litres.  The Capacity is 3.7 liters.  The recommended oil spec is Fully Synthetic 5W30.  Replace the dipstick and check the oil level.  Top up as required.

DON'T FORGET to replace the oil filler cap.  (Don't laugh, it's a common oversight and running the engine without it makes one hell of a mess!)

Start the car and check for drips/leaks. If the filter drips, tighten it a little more. If all is ok replace the under-tray. 

Make another cuppa.


Air Filter Change:

The air-filter is located inside the large plastic box to the left, just inside the top rear cross-member.

There is a big fat rubber hose that goes from the air-box to the engine.  Loosen the clamp that holds it to the air-box.  At the other end of the hose, it is clamped to the throttle body.  Loosen that clamp too.

There is a large electrical connector attaching to the output of the air-box (it is connected to the Mass Airflow Meter {MAF}), which is screwed into the air-box output.  Disconnect that.

Reach down the far side of the air-box with a flat-bladed screwdriver and release the two spring clips that hold the air-box together.

Now you have to open the air-box as your work the large rubber hose off the output. Once the hose is off, the air-box will split open.

Remove the air-filter and replace it. (It only goes in one way up). Reverse this procedure to put it all back together.  Make sure the clamps at both ends of the big hose are good and tight.

While you're there, carefully remove the two small Phillips-head screws that retain the MAF. (Don't loose those screws, they're hard to replace.)  Withdraw the MAF and give it a good spray with MAF cleaner (carb-cleaner works fine).  Do not poke around inside the thing, it's VERY delicate.  When it's dry, put it back and replace the electrical connector.


Spark Plug Change:

Remove the engine compartment top brace.  Remove the plastic engine cover.

You will now see the four ignition coil packs.  They are each held in place by one 6mm (10mm socket needed) bolt.  Remove the four bolts.

The rail which holds the wiring is secured to the cam cover by one 10mm nut (to your left) and one 10mm headed bolt.  Remove these.

Starting with the coil pack to your right, gently pull the coil pack out of its hole.  Then the next and so on, until all coil packs are free from the holes...Taking care not to lose the large rubber sealing washers on each coil pack, move the entire coil-pack and wiring assembly out of your way to the left hand side of the engine.

Using a 3/8 drive ratchet, extension and a long 16mm socket, loosen all four spark plugs.  You don't need a special plug socket (with a rubber insert) but if you have one, now is the time to use it.  If you don't have one, you will need a magnet to withdraw the plugs from their holes.

Inspect the spark plugs.  Their tips should be greyish brown in colour. If they have oil around the threads, the cam cover gasket is leaking and should be replaced.

Spark plugs are so cheap, it makes no sense not to replace them at this point.  The ones you want are  BKR5EYA-11.

Replace the spark plugs.  When they start to go tight, give then an extra 'squeeze' and that's tight enough.  DO NOT crank them as tight as they will go.  They just need to be firmly seated.

Reverse the above process to finish the job.

Start the car and make sure she's running smoothly.
Perry Byrnes Memorial Award 2016, 2018.  Love this club. 
https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=63866.0

StuC

#1
Great write up. I can't believe that we'd all overlooked the basics! lol
I do like the NECESSARY cuppa breaks. :D

Does the drain plug need a new washer upon replacing? I was always told it was necessary (as a youth doing my spannering training).
URBAN CUSTARD COLLECTIVE FOUNDING MEMBER

james_ly

Quote from: StuC on June 14, 2019, 16:09Does the drain plug need a new washer upon replacing? I was always told it was necessary (as a youth doing my spannering training).

Changed my oil last weekend, my sump plug didn't have a washer, no evidence of it leaking.
Top tip, don't change the oil when it's windy :)
MR2 gone<br />GT86

Joesson

#3
Quote from: james_ly on June 14, 2019, 16:27
Quote from: StuC on June 14, 2019, 16:09Does the drain plug need a new washer upon replacing? I was always told it was necessary (as a youth doing my spannering training).

Changed my oil last weekend, my sump plug didn't have a washer, no evidence of it leaking.
Top tip, don't change the oil when it's windy :)


If you didn't have a washer and fitted a new one you may well now have two!
"Sump plug didn't have a washer" has been said  previously, also likely thought that was the case several times, self included.  But I believe you will find the old washer is stuck to the sump pan. As said previously, " no one has ever done that before!" 😉



Carolyn

As pointed out, the sump plug should have washer.  It often gets left behind, stuck to the sump.

If you wish to replace it have a 14mm copper washer or strong 14mm fibre washer to hand before you start the job.
Perry Byrnes Memorial Award 2016, 2018.  Love this club. 
https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=63866.0

househead

Great stuff this, and something I was looking for on here previously. Well written and sounds easy to follow. Makes me feel confident about attacking this myself. Nice work Carolyn, and thank you!
2004 Sable Red Edition, TTE Twin Exhaust, Toyosports Manifold

househead

@Carolyn am I right in thinking that the ECU should always be reset when cleaning the MAF? (Either by removing the fuse or disconnecting the battery for >20mins)?

Maybe worth adding that in to the guide above if so?

Also, what about torque spec for the sump plug? Or is that not mega important?
2004 Sable Red Edition, TTE Twin Exhaust, Toyosports Manifold

Carolyn

Quote from: househead on August 12, 2019, 09:43@Carolyn am I right in thinking that the ECU should always be reset when cleaning the MAF? (Either by removing the fuse or disconnecting the battery for >20mins)?

Maybe worth adding that in to the guide above if so?

Also, what about torque spec for the sump plug? Or is that not mega important?

I don't reset the ECU.  It will learn soon enough, methinks.

Just do the sump plug up nice and tight.
Perry Byrnes Memorial Award 2016, 2018.  Love this club. 
https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=63866.0

househead

2004 Sable Red Edition, TTE Twin Exhaust, Toyosports Manifold

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