Correct metal filter housing for 2024 SR5

I ran one of these Toyota OEM on my 2014 T4R without any issues until it was totaled.
Purchased a 21 T4R in October of 2020 and replaced the original plastic with a Toyota OEM, haven had the first issue with any leaks or the "modified" tube swap.....

February 19, 2021
Toyota Aluminum Oil Filter Cap Installed
Toyota Part #

$55 15620-31060 15643-31050

15620-31060

 

Any concern regarding the filter sizing as hinted at in the post:
https://www.4runners.com/threads/correct-metal-filter-housing-for-2024-sr5.37027/#post-672790

"Note that this Lexus part 15620-31050
is different than the Toyota that everyone suggests

$55 15620-31060 15643-31050

15620-31060 although close it’s not the same"

 

I also run the metal one on both my units. I changed to metal because the stealership cracked the plastic one during one of the initial oil changes and they replaced it with a metal one on the taco, so I went metal on the 4R.

 

Is the 3rd gen taco & 5th gen 4Runner the same housing & part number?

 

No concern on filter size. Use the one the 4Runner calls for.
The aluminum canister is the same internally as the plastic one. Only the tube is different and must be swapped.
The Toyota lead tech, actually stated the Toyota aluminum one is better than the plastic. He has seen the plastic one develop failures if dropped and cracked.

Just furnishing info here. You do you.
I have not had the first issue with any part of this change. Just under 65K and oil/filter replaced every 5K.

 

I accidentally cracked mine, oil everywhere, so I had to get the aluminum one as the price for that compared to the plastic was insane! No issues whatsoever since the swap. I don't understand why so many people are against the aluminum instead of plastic?

 

The only thing on this swap is make sure it is actually a Toyota replacement. Not Dorman or a knockoff from God knows where!

 

No, I don't they are, but they look very similar IMO. I'm saying that because the filter in the Taco is shorter and a little fatter, than the one on the 4R. So if the filters are different, the housings are probably slightly different.

 

I’d say stay with the original design since it’s protected by the skid plate anyway. The only thing that is really bad about the factory housing is that the technician changing the oil can really over tighten the housing and that creates a problem for the next person who has to crawl under the vehicle and un torque that plastic housing. That’s my experience with it and I haven’t been back to anyone else for an oil change since the gorilla that worked for the dealership was a little over anxious and really over torqued it.

 

I read more and found out that apparently engineers at Toyota decided to replace the metal by plastic because too many mechanics over tightened them and not only damaged the oil filter holder but the engine receptacle, particularly when cross-threading, which is a much more expensive damage than replacing the plastic part.

Given that the area is protected by a metal underside, I decided to keep it this way and I am doing the oil changes with a Fumoto valve, I really don’t see the need anymore to change it.

I also think that if I let someone else eventually do the oil change, the plastic is the safer option.

If I change it to metal in the future, I’ll go with the Lexus housing route, which I think is the better route since the housing is adapted to the right filter size to start with.

 

I decided against changing the plastic one for metal for the same reasons you gave.

The strange thing is that there is a little metal indicator to avoid over tightening it, at least on a 2024 model. But even the factory couldn’t screw it the right way for it to be useful. it was at 180 degrees.

I changed the oil 3 times now and once I managed to screw it properly for the indicator to align, the other 2 times, i couldn’t get it right although I tried!!

I still need to figure out the recipe to screw it in right for the indicator to align at the end with a notch in the receptacle.

 

I would just go to a Lexus dealer to make a direct comparison with the original plastic one in my hand. Or just order it new from Lexus and try it out or try to find one in salvage yard to test it out first before buying new if I couldn’t first find justification for a perfect fit on the internet.

I think that adapting a filter holder made for a different size filter is not quite appropriate given how oil flow is critical.

 

This is getting interesting!

 

You’re right. I thought we’d heard every angle on the metal vs plastic filter housing, but apparently not.

 

Long story short, yes the Lexus part Lexus part 15620-31050 that I found is a better fit for the 4Runner out of the box than the

$55 Genuine OEM Toyota New Oil Filter Housing Cap + Plug 15620-31060 15643-31050

15620-31060 that everyone else suggests BECAUSE it comes WITH and is made FOR the correct length inner tube for the A5 filter (the 31060 doesn’t, it comes for the A1 filter, which is not compatible with the 4Runner).

Yet, if the inner tube is swapped for the original one, then the 31060 supposedly works fine as well.

Here is the extensive analysis using ChatGPT Pro, use at your own risks, I didn’t verify its conclusions, but they are usually correct because it typically self-check for consistency.

Short answer up front:

• Yes, 15620‑31050 (Lexus) will physically fit the 4Runner’s canister housing. These Toyota/Lexus cartridge caps share the same thread/diameter standard.

• Which cap is the “right” one depends on the center tube (standpipe) length, not the shell. Your 4Runner (1GR‑FE with the A5 filter) uses a mid‑length standpipe.

• 15620‑31060 (Toyota) normally ships set up for a short tube; 15620‑31050 (Lexus) is the variant paired with a mid‑length tube. That’s why 31050 feels like a better match. If you install 31060, just move the mid‑length standpipe and spring from your plastic cap over and it works perfectly.

⸻

Why this is true (evidence)

• Toyota’s own filter application chart shows the 4Runner V6 (1GR‑FE) uses the 04152‑YZZA5 (“A5”) element, i.e., the taller cartridge that needs the mid‑length standpipe.

• Dealer parts pages explicitly list 15620‑31060 as interchangeable with the plastic cap 15620‑36020 (the plastic cap used on many A‑series canisters) and even surface 4Runner fitment in their catalog views. That’s why you see so many owners using 31060 as the metal upgrade for 4Runner/Tacoma—with the correct tube swapped over.

• The Dorman engineering bulletin for their OE‑replacement metal cap is the most transparent reference on this: it maps OE cap numbers to the tube length required. It lists:

• 15620‑31060 → short tube

• 15620‑31050 → mid‑length tube

• 15650‑38020 (the 4Runner/FJ/Tundra 4.0 full cap‑with‑element assembly) → mid‑length tube

That directly explains the “why” here: the cap body is shared; the standpipe length is what must match your filter/engine.

What this means for your two options

Option A — 15620‑31060 (Toyota metal cap):

• Physically fits. It’s the part most dealers point to as the aluminum replacement for the plastic 15620‑36020. You must transfer your 4Runner’s mid‑length standpipe and spring into the new cap (or buy the correct tube separately). Once you do, it’s a proper match to A5.

Option B — 15620‑31050 (Lexus metal cap):

• Also physically fits. Per Dorman’s table, this variant is paired with the mid‑length standpipe, the same length Toyota uses with the 4Runner’s cap‑with‑element assembly (15650‑38020). So if the OEM Lexus cap you buy is packaged with the center tube, it should be the “right” length out of the box. If it arrives as cap‑only (common), you’ll still reuse your existing 4Runner tube—and in that case it’s no different in practice from using 31060.


Bottom line: Both caps are fine. What matters is that your installed cap has the mid‑length standpipe in it. If the part you buy doesn’t include a tube—or includes the wrong one—just transplant the original tube/spring from your plastic cap.

 

Chat GPT is usually right. Maybe like 95 percent correct per fact it outputs. However, the real kick in the nutz is that you don’t know which 5 percent is incorrect, and the consequences that go with that.

It’s also good to remember that chat bots seem the most intelligent precisely when the user lacks the knowledge or ability to evaluate the answer.

Moral of the story, never ask LLMs a question about things you don’t understand. However, they can be safely used if you already know the answer before you ask it.

 

Fwiw, i installed the lexus one last week. Fits the A5 filter the same as the plastic one i broke trying to remove it from the truck. Same center stem length as the plastic one. Truck hasn’t exploded yet. I didn’t look at the little holes in the center stem to confirm their diameter. I hope they allow for the same rate of flow.

 

Did the Lexus cap come with the center stem tube?

 

yes it did

 

Note that it is not quite what I wrote, I wrote ChatGPT PRO not ChatGPT. The PRO is mainly available with an expensive subscription and it takes 5-20 minutes per request. It is a significant upgrade in quality of output I have found.

That being said, you are correct that one needs to know enough to be able to verify. Anyway in this case it seemed to confirm my conjecture with verifiable links (which don’t show up on a copy-paste).

 

Great! Glad you tried it and posted!!

The Car Care Nut channel mentioned that one key thing was also the spring at the bottom of the center stem, which is used at times, if I remember correctly, to bypass the filter entirely when it’s better to have any oil in the engine than for it to be clean, like upon engine start.

 

what was it again? Different spring compression rate?

 

I have a cartridge filter wrench and it has slots cut in it that correspond with the slots on the housing. I think it's 3 on one side and 2 on the other grasping at my memory straws. After 19+ and 21+ I think a lot of things changed again on updated models. I notice shopping parts that it seems to be a new sub-generation in the line of 5th generation that some things don't interchange.

 

September is my oil change month...once per year, about 3500 miles or so. I will be revisiting the removal of the plastic filter housing, and if I have any issues, I have no one to blame but myself - I changed it last year. I have all the tools to do it correctly, and the only change for this year is the Talons engine skid plate. I plan to find out if it helps or hinders vs. the oem engine skid(s). The good news is it is a 2-piece engine skid, and the front is easier to remove than the oem skid plate, should access to the filter housing through the skid opening prove to be more trouble than it's worth.

 

Yes, the spring compression rate is finely tuned specifically for the engine. That’s why The Car Care Nut doesn’t recommend using anything other than Toyota’s original equipment on those.

Safest is to transfer the stem from the old to the new cap until someone compares the spring compression of an original 4Runner cap with the Lexus cap.

 

how do the get the housing off with that drain valve sticking out the bottom?

 

How tight are you guys installing the housings that this is even a thing

 

the previous owner or dealer must’ve torqued it to 1000 Newton meters. I had to use a breaker bar with a 3 foot extension to finally crack it off. Absolutely ridiculous. The torque spec is 25 foot pounds.

 

18 foot pounds for the housing and 9 foot pounds for the drain cap

 

The drain valve just unscrews from the base, you see the round looking thing, that is threaded in there and turns in and out. Once you are done removing the oil from the housing, you unscrew and proceed to remove the housing. No more mess and everything self contained.