The first Toyota truck to hit showrooms was a pickup truck version of the popular Land Cruiser model, in 1963. The following year, Toyota released the more compact and manageable Stout pickup. After the Land Cruiser pickup's elimination in 1968, and through 1992, the only pickups Toyota manufactured were of the compact variety, including: the Stout, Hi-Lux and pickup. Finally, in 1993, Toyota entered the full-sized pickup realm with the T-100, which received mixed reviews. For the 2000 model year, Toyota launched an all-new full-sized pickup, the Tundra, which made the Japanese truck manufacturer competitive with the likes of Ford, Chevy and Dodge. Changing the oil in your 2007 Tundra's 4.7-liter engine is straightforward, once you remove the skid plate.
Open the Tundra's hood and unscrew the oil filler cap from the top driver's side of the engine.
Raise the front of the Tundra, using a floor jack, and set jack stands under the truck's frame rails. Lower the Toyota onto the jack stands.
Crawl beneath the Tundra and find the skid plate near the front of the truck. Remove the three screws on the front of the skid plate, using a Phillips screwdriver. Remove the five remaining bolts securing the skid plate -- two in the front and three in the rear -- using a ratchet and socket.
Push the skid plate upward to disengage its retaining hook. Push the skid plate toward the driver's side until the retaining hook lines up with the slot in the frame, and pull the skid plate down from the truck.
Find the oil pan -- the large metal pan -- on the bottom of the engine. Position a drain pan under the oil drain plug, which is on the rear of the oil pan. Loosen the drain plug, using a combination wrench, and remove the drain plug by hand. Allow all of the oil to drain from the oil pan.
Pull the old gasket off the drain plug. Wipe the old oil off the drain plug's threads, using a clean, lint-free cloth, and slide a new gasket onto the drain plug. Hand-thread it into the drain pan, then tighten it to 29 foot-pounds, using a torque wrench and a six-point socket.
Slide toward the front of the engine, and find the oil filter -- a roughly 5-inch-long metal cylinder. Position the drain pan under the oil filter, and loosen the filter with a ratchet and Toyota special service tool No. 09228-07501. Allow all of the oil to drain from the oil filter, then remove it by hand. Set the oil filter in the drain pan.
Wipe the oil filter-mounting base and stud with a clean, lint-free cloth. Coat the O-ring on the new oil filter with new engine oil, using your fingers. Hand-tighten the oil filter onto the oil filter stud. Tighten the oil filter to 13 foot-pounds, using a torque wrench and Toyota special service tool No. 09228-07501.
Insert the skid plate's hooks through the slots on the front, underside of the Tundra. Slide the skid plate toward the passenger's side to lock the hooks into place. Hand-tighten the five bolts and three screws to hold the skid plate in place. Tighten the five bolts to 21 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket, and tighten the three screws with a Phillips screwdriver.
Raise the truck off the jack stands, using a floor jack, and remove the jack stands from under the Tundra. Lower the Toyota to the ground.
Insert a funnel into the oil filler hole and pour 6 qts. of 5W-30 engine oil into the engine. Wait about two minutes to allow the oil to settle in the engine. Pull the oil dipstick from the engine, and wipe the old oil off the dipstick. Reinsert the dipstick, and remove it again. Verify that the oil level is near or slightly above the top line on the dipstick.
Start the engine, and allow it to idle for about two minutes. Check the underside of the truck for oil leaks as the engine idles. Shut the engine down and wait another two minutes for the oil to settle. Remove the oil dipstick, and wipe the oil off it with a clean, lint-free cloth, and reinsert it. Remove the dipstick and verify that the oil level is between at the upper mark on the dipstick. Add more oil as needed. Remove the funnel from the filler hole, and tighten the oil filler cap into the filter hole.
Insert a funnel into an empty 5W-30 oil bottle, and fill the bottle with old oil from the drain pan. Once full, remove the funnel and tighten the bottle's cap. Repeat this step until you transfer all of the oil from the drain pan into the empty oil bottles.
Drop the old oil and oil filter off at a used oil-recycling center. Some auto parts stores take old oil free of charge.
