RichBinAZ

Wow there are a buch of posts on this topic, but I didn't see anything about this...

Just did an early oil change on Stormy (white Xb MK2) before running off to CA. All was going well until I tried to put the new Pure1 filter on. The gasket seated after about 1 1/2 turns of the filter. So with only another 3/4 of a turn of threads to go, I am a bit concerned that the filter will only have 2 1/4 threads of engagement to hold it on.

I called the dealership and they said that was typical. This is my first Toyota, so I was wondering if this is what you guys are finding? I also found the stock filter wasn't much different when I took it off, not many threads of engagement. Anyone heard of a service bulletin about this?

I am also not that keen on the stock filter as the filter media doesn't have end caps. I guess I might be too picky on insisting that if there is a filter, the oil should go thru the filter media rather than thru gaps in the ends of the filter.

See pictures here http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...Oil%20Filters/

RichBinAZ

Sorry, I'm new here... Should I have put this in the "General Forums / Maintenance" section???

CIONIDE

iTrader: (1)

You're in the right place, just not as many people on the forums over the weekends... out having fun with family & friends.

Give it a couple days, and I'm sure you'll get some response.

whitebreadbox

my filter (mobile 1 or fram tg's) seem to spin on and off forever! 2-3 threads of engagement is NOT good!!! how far under the gasket is the threaded part of the filter? (sitting flat on the bottom side, put a straight edge across the filter gasket and measure from the straight edge down to threads) all the filters i've used, it can't be more than 1/4 to 1/2" distance, allowing complete thread engagement. if it were me, i'd grab another quart of oil and one of the above mentioned filters and change it out... better safe than sorry!!! engines are EXPENSIVE!!

XD40tC

Ive used the PureOne so you should be good.

RichBinAZ

Thanks for the replies. The pure1 filter is good, I checked it against the OEM one I removed and it measures the same depth from the top of the seal down to the threads. All the filters on the bikes and cars I've had with spin on filters always go on with lots of turning of the threads except for this one.

I suspect the adapter is the wrong one. When I get back from CA at the end of this week, I'll order up another one and see if there is a difference. If the adapters are the same and the results are the same, then it must be the engine block is miss-machined or something. If that is the case Toyota can fix it, since it's only a month old.

RichBinAZ

After some investigations I did today (Sun 29Mar2009) I have come to the conclusion that there is a design problem with the oil filter adapter in the 2.4 engine that ought to be addressed by Scion / Toyota. (This may be a concern for the Tc and other cars that share this engine) But assuming they are not going to bother, those who care about this topic would be wise to make a small adjustment with the adapter you have, the next time you do an oil change. Don't Panic, (Thanks Douglas Adams) if your engine is still running it will continue to do so.

I put a pictorial story together in Photobucket that will lead you through what I found on my 2009 Xb. Start with the movie, just click on it, then at the top right you will see the picture stream, just go to the next one. I added some text which should appear below the movie and pictures. I'll answer any questions you may have about this issue.

http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...ilter%20Issue/

A little background about who I am... not to brag, but to let you know I'm not a crank. I have been working for a turbine engine company designing turbine engines and accessories for the last 25 years. To me, parts are parts, whether they are on a gasoline engine or a turbine engine and it is the design that counts. And yes that is a British accent you heard in the movie. Everything sounds better with a British accent, eh?

So the design has a problem in that the adapter does not have a positive stop to control the length of the threads that protrude out past the filter sealing surface. Lots of adapters have a hex flange half way along, this one doesn't and there is no internal stop to torque the adapter down on. It needs one!

In my case, this means that the filter seal was touching down after turning it on the threads by a mere 1 3/4 turns. Adding another 3/4 of a turn to seal it puts a lot of pressure on those threads. We normally assume (at work) that most of a threads load is dissipated over the first 3 -5 threads and this design would not be allowed at my company.

The filters (OEM and Purolator) both have about 4 full threads in the filter boss, which should be sufficient to retain the filter under any circumstance and the seal acts as a locking feature to prevent it from vibrating loose. The adapter should protrude thru the filter boss so that the chamfered end of the adapter thread is all the way thru the boss threads. The best condition would be that there were full threads (non-tapered) in contact to take the load.

When you consider that the thread chamfer is about 1 thread, then the filter was hanging on by (well) a thread! Gromit!

I hope my little fix works, I certainly don't want the filter to pop-off. Toyota needs to do a redesign, which would not cost them much, compared to what it would cost if a filter came off. They could even do the fix I suggest as well and things would be better.

It would be nice if Toyota would send me a $1 for each adapter they adjust and then spank the designer for letting that design flaw go thru. I'm sure it was approved by many people, so there should be a lot of spanking sounds somewhere.

For those who change their own oil, when you have loosened the filter and after it stops dripping, turn it up so the seal just contacts the surface, then count the number of turns it takes before the filter falls off the thread. If you have 4 turns, you are in good shape. If it's 3 or less, a slight adjustment needs to be made. If someone else does your oil change, have them make a note of it and have them do the fix.

Caution, there are about 6 full threads on the adapter, so more than about 5 ½ turns of the filter would not be good also, as the seal may not contact and compress properly. More is not necessarily better, you just need the right amount.

Happy wrenching - this is why I do my own - as much as possible anyway

srb219

I just buy the OEM filter ($4.00) and Mobil 1. Have changed every 5k with no problems other than the slash shield thats in the way.

RichBinAZ

Just did an oil and filter change on our Accord and the filter took 6 full turns to get it off the threads, from the point where the seal touched the sealing surface. The honda adapter is longer also. This is why I never worried about it before.

swartzautoman

iTrader: (3)

ok one thing ive noticed is:
the pic of your oil filter it the filter that came on the car from japan.
the toyota amarican filter is 90915-YZZF1 and is constucted differently on the inside.

stock toyota iol filters fave allways had a big respect for guys in the racing word. tons of people with non-toyotas intall addapter plates just so they can run a stock toyota oil filter .

ive got a 1st gen xB and ive run the 90915-YZZF1 filter since my first oil change because its taller and holds a tad bit more oil than my stock filter.

RichBinAZ

""the pic of your oil filter it the filter that came on the car from japan.
the toyota amarican filter is 90915-YZZF1 and is constucted differently on the inside. ""

Quite right, this was the original filter from Japan and has the different part number 90915-CA001. Interestingly, when I was in the parts department getting the filter adapter, they had a cut away display of the oil filter... and it looked just like the one I cut apart.

Do you have to specify which filter you get at the dealer or do you buy on-line?
Are they going to phase out the YZZF1 in favor of the CA001???

NoLimitzBuilt

I only use the factory filters on mine. I can go out and look at the part number on the one that is out there right now.

CIONIDE

iTrader: (1)

The stock OEM factory filter is 90915-YZZF2, but just like swartzautoman I use the slightly taller 90915-YZZF1 because it has a little more filter media. (They're the exact same price.)