Changing the engine oil in a Toyota Previa minivan is pretty simple.
For safety, you should engage the hand brake along with a block behind the rear wheel.
There are 4 contact points in the Previa vanwhere its safe to jack the van. The oil nut is on the passenger side of the van and therefore, you should insert the jack right behind the front left side of the van (left side means the passenger side). There is a strong metal beam for support. Once the car is elevated, you should open up the oil cap so it all allow air to enter the engine and will help drainage.
Tool:
14 mm Wrench
Oil Filter Pliers
Supply:
6 quarts of 10-30 engine oil
1 Oil filter
Difficulty:
2/10
Time:
20-25 minutes
Once the van is up and secure, you should slide under the van with an oil collecting pan or bucket. Make sure your oil collecting pan can handle at least 7 quarts of fluid.
Place the oil collecting pa right under the oil pan nut. Now, you should use a 14 mm wrench and un-tighten (turning to the left or counterclockwise) the oil pan nut. You can not miss it. Once the oil is drained for about 15 minutes, then put the 14 mm nut back and tighten it.
Now its time to replace the oil filter. The filter is a round cylinder like that is located right above the cross beam. Once again, you can not miss it. Its normally can not loosen with hands. Best would be getting one of the oil filter pliers. Once the oil filter is out, you can install a new one in.
Now its time to fill the engine with fresh and clean oil. The oil inlet is located under the driver seat. As I remember the 2TZFE takes 6 quarts of 10-30 wt. of oil. Here are some pictures of this simple but important maintenance.
Use a aftermarket or home made block to block the driver side rear tire. Use a the strong support beam for the jack contact.
Use a secondary jack support for safety
A view of the oil pan and the 14 mm nut
Use a 14 mm wrench for loosen the oil pan nut
Let the oil drain for at least 15 minutes. One of the reasons I prefer doing oil changes myself in my Previa (or any other car, truck or van I own) is that I can let the oil start draining in the morning and let it drip all day long until I get home.
A quick service oil change joint, on the other hand, is all about speed and they don’t let the old, dirty oil all drain out. Every drop you leave in weakens and dirties-up your new oil.
Remove and install new oil filter.
This essential maintenance is necessary and its very basic and it can done with basic tools. We hope you enjoy this article and please feel free to join our forum to discuss more tutorials. You’ll find more Toyota Previa and Sienna vans info here.