Learn How To Change Your Own Oil In The BRZ/FR-S/86

    11 MAR 2025 - Jeff Willis

     

    If you have a BRZ, FR-S, or 86 of any generation, then oil changes should be an important service that you should always perform either on schedule but know that it never hurts to do oil changes more frequently before schedule. After all, like all engines there are a bunch of metal guts moving inside your block and there are several key factors as to why your oil gets dirty. You have metallic elements that will naturally produce very microscopic wear, and your oil filter will catch most of these elements. And there are other factors such as fuel especially if you run ethanol on modified engines, whether if you have a proper air/oil separator, and how hard you drive your car. The dirtier your oil gets the thicker it will become. And when your oil gets thicker, the more resistance it takes for all your internal components such as your crankshaft, rods, and pistons to move. That’s why your vehicle always feels a little stronger just after changing your oil because you have fresh clean oil so your internal components will have less resistance. Staying on top of your oil changes maintains clean internals, peak performance, and it reduces the chance of sludge buildup. Sludge happens when people go 10-20k miles and beyond without an oil change (don’t ever do this btw).

    Okay now technicalities aside, there are a lot of you younger owners or novices who want to learn more about wrenching and performing your own maintenance. There are harrowing jobs such as replacing a clutch, or fixing prevalent Subaru head gaskets, but getting your foot in the door begins with small stuff such as replacing a battery or changing your oil. Making sure that your oil is changed on a regular scheduled basis will help extend the longevity of your engine especially if you commute long miles in your BRZ, and it also prolongs your engine’s performance.

    Another angle you must consider is that several of these corner oil change spots and even dealerships are not the greatest of places to get your oil change. At least with certified dealerships that change your oil, they do have insurance that can replace your motor if a technician leaves your drain plug or oil filter loose. Franchised oil change shops employ younger people right out of high school for the most part.  Now this is not a blanket judgement on these employees, but there are endless horror stories about how some of these oil change places use impact guns to loosen and tighten oil drain plugs that strip the oil pan. There are times where corners are cut and they don’t even replace oil filters, and the oil they use is recycled oil bought in giant drums to cut costs but are advertised as premium synthetic blends that only Jesus uses. Changing the oil yourself gives you peace of mind that it has been done right, with the right oil weight, the right oil type, and certainly with the right filter.

     

     

    GET YOUR SAFETY ON FIRST

    Before starting anything, yeah you need to take safety seriously. Safety first, and always. The author is an angry middle-aged man who attends local cat meets and tells all the youngin’s that there are no cutting corners in life. This especially applies to working on your car if you want it to run right, and more importantly, if you want to live. When jacking up your car, always make sure that you have jack stands placed under CORRECT mounting points beneath the chassis. You don’t want your car falling on you when wrenching especially if you’re claustrophobic. You need to make sure you have some sort of eye protection so that hot oil doesn’t splash from the drain pan and into your eyes. And you should have some latex gloves so that oil or other automotive chemicals such as brake parts cleaner doesn’t irritate your skin. With oil changes, you don’t need fancy Snap-On tools as basic garage tools, a proper oil filer wrench, and an oil drain pan will do the trick. Let’s look at how your oil is changed to get an idea:

     

     

     

    And if you drive the latest generation BRZ or GR86, same concept:

     

     

     

     

    Now in terms of changing oil in a car, it doesn’t get much easier than changing the oil in any generation BRZ, FR-S, or 86. Mainly because of the filter location which is easily accessible on top of the motor, and the drain plug is not bad to get to, and it can be easily located. Here are some extra steps you need to consider while performing your oil change as mentioned in some of the videos above:

     

    • Make sure your oil is warm while draining because when its warm/hot it will be at its thinnest level especially when dirty. You want to make sure you get it all out.
    • Make sure you remove your oil cap before draining because this allows your oil to drain faster and freely.
    • Refer to your owner’s manual for the correct oil weight before purchasing, and most importantly capacity. But for reference, First generation units take around 5.7 quarts, while second generation BRZ/GR86 models use 5.3 quarts. 0W-20 is the weight although 5W-20 can also be used.
    • Fill the oil to the top of your dipstick reference line and never over fill. Too much oil in the crankcase means that you can be pushing out seals.
    • Always add some oil around your oil filter seal before screwing the housing back on. Otherwise, you’ll be hating life the next time you drain your oil.
    • Tighten the oil filter housing as much by hand, then use your oil filter wrench and tighten it by an inch further. Remember that oil filters are thin aluminum cans, so over tightening them can result to messy measures and lots of heck to remove them.
    • And for gosh shakes do not over tighten the oil drain plug upon reinstallation because you can easily strip your oil drain plug which means that you will have to re-tap your oil drain plug provision which means that you will have to remove your oil pan. If you re-tap an oil drain plug hole while the oil pan is in the car you will put metal shavings in your engine and you can kiss that motor goodbye.

     

     

    WHAT TOOLS YOU’LL NEED IF DOING THIS AT HOME?

    • Floor Jack. Get a low-profile one specifically because most of you are going to have slammed cars on coilovers. Go to your local Harbor Freight, get a proper floor jack that will last you a long time, and get one with a rubber pad so you’re not doing any damage to the proper jacking points underneath the chassis. And again, make sure you are using the right reference points to lift your vehicle and don’t cut corners and think that anywhere is fine. Otherwise, you will damage your floorboards if you want to be that guy who doesn’t roll out of bed until noon and perpetually wears pajama bottoms everywhere.
    • Get proper jack stands. Get 4 of them. This is one of those tools that you buy once and then they will last forever. If a crater hit the earth and exploded us into oblivion, the aliens would discover jack stands on other planets as surviving earth fossils.
    • Oil filter strap wrench. Make sure you get the right wise because the oil filters for the BRZ, FR-S, and 86 are not that big, and these are not that expensive.
    • Basic metric socket set to remove the oil drain plug. Don’t wrestle with a box wrench.  
    • Funnel to fill the oil back into your motor.
    • Oil drain pan which is included in many oil change kits at your local auto parts store.
    • Brake parts cleaner to clean any excess oil messes when cleaning up your oil pan when re-installing your drain plug, or to spray on your motor when removing the oil filter and you have oil dripping on the motor.
    • Rags.
    • Take your used oil to your local auto parts store so that they can properly dispose of it and don’t pour it into the ocean where the little mermaid lives. Otherwise, you’ll go to heck.

     

     

    LET’S CHANGE THAT OIL

    We have oil, as well as oil filters here at FTSpeed for those of you who want premium fluids to change your oil. Now with all generation BRZ, FR-S, and 86 models, the right viscosity is 0W20, and 5W-20 will work as well. Of course you can get oil at your local auto parts stores, but for those of you who only want the bets for your BRZ, FR-S, or 86, here are some premium examples:

     

    Motul Eco Lite 8100 5L Jug 0W20 Synthetic Engine Oil

     

    Motul 300V 0W-20 2-Liter Engine Oil

     

    Subaru 0W-20 Factory Motor Oil 1-Quart

     

     

    NOTE ABOUT OIL FILTERS

    Although technically you can interchange 1st generation BRZ filters with 2022+ models, it is best that you use a 2022+ specific filter that you can get from your local dealership in case Subaru or Toyota tries to deny you any warranty if you have some sort of catastrophic engine failure that is not your fault. That being said and as a disclaimer, these filter examples will be for first generation models.

     

    Subaru OEM Oil Filter 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

     

    TRD Sports Oil Filter 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

     

    Greddy Oil Filter 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

     

     

    MAGNETIC DRAIN PLUGS ARE AN AWESOME UPGRADE, AND YOU SHOULD DO IT

    As mentioned, there are micro metallic elements that will float in your motor oil. Magnetic drain plugs do an awesome job of channeling and trapping these micro elements while your engine is running. It is an easy measure to take that will also prolong the life of your engine. We’ve got an example for you to check out. Ands we also carry the Fumoto valve featured in the first video is also available for those of you who want mess-free future oil changes. Note that both generation BRZ/86 models will use a M16 x 1.50 thread pitch.

     

    Cusco Magnetic Oil Drain Plug M16 x 1.5

     

    Fumoto Quick Engine Oil Drain Valve M16 x 1.5

     

     

    YOU CAN DO EEEEEEEEET

    Take your time. But again, safety above anything else anytime you are performing any type of maintenance that puts you underneath a vehicle if you don’t have access to a lift. It doesn’t get much easier than doing an oil change on a BRZ, FR-S, or 86, but pay attention. Make sure after draining your oil and replacing the filter that you double check and make sure that you put your drain plug back in. Always use a new crush washer so go to your local auto parts store and get something that matches one on your drain plug or simply go to your local dealer. Make sure you don’t forget to put oil back in the engine because yes, this does happen. And make sure you put your oil cap back on before starting up your engine. Check your oil level again after starting and driving because even though you filled up to the top notch on your dip stick, sometimes you have to top off in case you have a driveway that isn’t exactly on flat ground. Now that you’ve done it, make it a habit to change your oil every at every recommended service interval, and make sure you keep record of every time you’ve changed your oil.