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This how-to is applicable to the tenth generation Toyota Corolla (E150) - 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 - with the 1.8L inline-four 2ZR-FE engine. To do this you will need:
Warm the vehicle up for a few minutes and then park on firm, level ground - nothing where the car is likely to sink or move during the process. Turn off the engine and chock the rear wheels safely, remembering to apply the parking brake:
Lift the bonnet and you will see the engine with a plastic cover on top:
While you don't have to remove the plastic cover to access the oil filler cap or dipstick we find it more convenient to do so for accessing the cap and for cleaning up any spills. You can lift the plastic cover up - it simply clips on:
Unscrew the oil filler cap to allow air in as you empty out the oil - this makes for a smoother flow out the sump later on:
If you have a trolley jack, slide it under the center at the front to find the jack point - here's a photo of where it is:
Once the car has been raised place a jack stand (eBay US, eBay AU) under either side at the jack point:
Once the jack stands are in place you can lower the jack slightly to let the car settle on the stands. At this point check that the car is secure - try rocking it a little to make sure that it's settled properly on the jack stands. You'd be surprised at how much you can move the car when you're trying to loosen a very well stuck sump plug or oil filter, and best to find out that it's not quite secure now rather than when you are underneath. Once you are satisfied, lower the jack the rest of the way and move it out of the way. Looking under the front of the car now you will find the sump:
The sump plug - used for draining the oil from the engine - towards the rear of the sump and is circled below:
Before you remove the sump plug, remember that the oil inside may be quite hot - more than hot enough to burn you - so take care when you loosen it that you don't get hot oil on you. Also, used oil is carcinogenic so it's generally a good policy not to get it on your skin! The sump plug takes a 14mm socket:
Position the drain pan underneath the sump plug - keeping in mind that the oil will exit at a slight angle to the rear and not fall directly down.
Our favoured technique is to loosen the sump plug using the ratchet wrench and socket and then unscrew it the rest of the way with gloved fingers whilst pushing inwards; once you feel that you have reached the end of the threads (the bolt will "bump" once a rotation) pull it away quickly, angling your hand and arm away from where the oil will come out.
The sump plug comes with a crush washer - you can buy them new from Toyota and we would suggest putting a new one in each time given how cheap they are. Part number to come.
The oil flow should start out fast and reduce to a slow drip after a few minutes; at this point you can return the sump plug bolt (complete with new washer) and tighten it to 37Nm (27ft/lb):
Now for the oil filter. It's nearby - circled below:
There's quite a few options for tools - this time around we used the MotivX MX2321.
Attach the oil filter wrench - there are some cut-outs in the perimeter that allow it to fully seat on the filter cap. From here you can either use a 3/8" ratchet directly into the end of the filter or a 24mm socket - we would suggest a socket and a 1/2" ratchet wrench or breaker bar if you're doing this for the first time as there's a good chance that the filter cap is stuck on VERY firmly.
Move the drain pan beneath the oil filter and loosen the filter cap - as you do so oil will pour out the bottom:
Once the oil falling has reduced to dripping remove the filter the rest of the way - keeping in mind again that the oil may be hot - and you will find a cartridge style oil filter inside:
The oil filter just lifts out:
There's an O-ring around the filter housing that you will need to replace - this one is very flat! Arrow points to it below:
Use a pick or similar tool to remove the old O-ring:
Lubricate the new O-ring with a little bit of fresh engine oil:
Install it where the old one came from - you'll notice in this case that the new one is a lot less flat!
Grab your new filter:
It should easily seat where the old one came from:
Now screw the oil filter and cover back in where it came from - start it off by hand to make sure it doesn't get cross-threaded:
Tighten the oil filter cover to 25Nm (18 ft/lb). Now, double check that you have remembered to tighten both the sump plug and oil filter cover and cleaned up any excess oil. Remove the drain pan and any of your tools from under the vehicle, then jack the car up slightly so you can remove the jack stands. Lower the car back onto level ground and, using a funnel, add about 3.5L of 0w20 or 5w20 oil through the filler cap in the top of the engine:
Give the oil a couple of minutes to drain through the motor and then remove the dipstick, clean it off with a clean rag, reinsert it for ~5 seconds and then remove it again:
With only ~3.5L being added you should be on the low side; add a further small amount of oil then re-check the oil until it reaches the higher of the two dots on the dipstick. You're much better off starting low and working your way up to the top dot rather than risking over-filling it and having to drain some out the sump. Don't consider running the engine if the oil level is below the lower dot or above the upper dot as engine damage might result.
Once you are satisfied with the oil level - and it can be hard to see the line with such thin oil - replace the oil filler cap and dipstick and start the engine, letting it run for 5 minutes or so. Stop the motor, let the car sit for a few minutes - checking under the car for any leaks is something useful to do while you're waiting - then re-check the oil level, adding any oil if necessary. We then like to take the car for a short test run around the block, carefully making sure that the car both sounds and feels normal, then stop on level ground to re-check the oil level again.
Then you're all done! Don't forget to make a note in your service book/spreadsheet/notebook/etc. about the oil change - we would suggest which brand of oil and filter were used and how much oil went in at a minimum.
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