Celica Oil Change

Greetings,

I went to change the oil on the wife's 2005 Celica GT last weekend and discovered a large plastic cover on the bottom of the car. Anybody familar with the process for removing the cover?????

Thanks, Roger

Reply to
Roger Hill
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"Roger Hill" wrote in news:ttAce.1634$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr30.news.prodigy.com:

It is held on by fasteners which ought to be plainly visible. Remove the fasteners.

And it's not usual that covers need to be removed to change something as basic as an oil filter. Are you sure you're looking in the right place?

Have you read the Owner's Manual?

Reply to
TeGGeR®

Yeah, the bottom of the car has a big ass plastic cover under the engine and the trans. My guess is the guys at Toyota are following in the footsteps of the '69 Lotus John Player Special and deicided to plumb a venturi under the chassis for a little ground effect downforce.

Anyone??

Sooooo.... Yeah, you need to remove the panel under the passenger side of the car. Its held on by 2 10mm sheet metal screws and a few plastic clips. To remove the plastic clips you need to pry out the inner circumference of the top of the clip and it will pull out. You'll see what I'm talking about when you get under there. Oh, and if you plan on changing the oil regularly, go to the dealer and buy a handful of said clips, as some will surely break during each service.

Reply to
Qslim

My Lexus also has a plastic cover under the engine. Rather than buying clips, invest in some plastic zip ties to hold the cover closed - they should be cheaper than clips.

Reply to
Ray O

Many thanks to Qslim and Ray!!!

Roger

Reply to
Roger Hill

How do the zip ties hold up? Volvo used plastic "belly pans" for decades. It was not only to discourage owner maintenance, it kept water from splashing up into the engine compartment. If the power steering belt (no teeth) got wet, you would lose power steering until the belt dried out enough. There was the problem with the plastic pan itself breaking at the bolt holes.

Eventually someone will make a metal replacement for the plastic pan - they did for the Volvos. Saabs were driven in rallies, so you could buy a real skid plate. It was 1/4" thick and covered the entire bottom of the engine compartment. The Saab engineers were thinking because there was a hole right under the oil drain bolt, so you did not need to drop the skid plate to change the oil. You can get skid plates on the Toyota trucks.

Reply to
ma_twain

You're welcome!

Reply to
Ray O

The zip ties hold up pretty well. The plastic shield under the engine compartment of my Lexus cracked from constantly prying and bending it. I drilled holes on both sides of the crack and used zip ties to make a hinge. It has only been about 6 months or so but so far is has held up through the winter in Chicago without any problem.

Reply to
Ray O

I don't know about the 2005 Celica, but my 1997 model also has a similar large plastic panel fitted under the engine. This keeps the lower area clean from road dirt, etc.

But I don't have to remove this large panel for an oil change. There is a smaller panel inset within the large one to allow good access to the oil filter.

I suggest you take another look underneath.......

David

Reply to
David

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