The following article describes the necessary tools, equipment and process to perform an oil change on a Ford Explorer.
Note: If you don't have the filter socket wrench don't bother trying this. A traditional oil filter
wrench will not work.
| Step 1: Raise the hood and take a good look at the engine to ensure that everything appears as it should.
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| Step 2: Stashed low on the driver's side of the block is the oil dipstick. Pull it out and wipe it off with a shop towel.
Now reinsert it, and remove it once again. It should read the current level of the oil and show you what the oil looks
like.
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| Step 3: As you get ready to work under the car, always take a look at the undercarriage. You are looking for wet or
slick looking areas that would indicate an oil leak. |
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| Step 4: Locate the oil drain plug. It's located underneath the motor towards the passenger front wheel. This drain plug
is a 5/8" bolt. Position the oil drain pan under the oil drain plug. Loosen the plug with the 14mm socket or wrench until
you can turn it by hand. Apply upward pressure while continuing to loosen by hand. Finally, pull the plug away so that the
car may drain. |
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| Step 5: While you have the drain plug out wipe it off well and check the threads on the plug. You want to make sure that
the plug's threads are clean and undamaged and that the head of the bolt is not rounded off. If either is true you should
replace the drain plug. |
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| Step 6: Wait until the oil has completely drained. Then wipe a little fresh oil on the washer of the drain plug. Use
a shop towel to wipe off the area where the drain plug goes as well as the threads into which it will go. Reinsert and
tighten the drain plug. Tighten it by hand as far as possible and then finish up with the wrench. It doesn't take a lot
of strength to get it good and tight, so don't over tighten it!. |
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| Step 7: Here is the old oil filter. Place the oil filter socket wrench over the oil filter. Pull the drain pan over
so that it's under the oil filter. Since the oil filter is a good way up, use the socket extention to connect the
socket wrench. Use the socket wrench to loosen the filter. Remove the rest of the way by hand. |
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| Step 8: You'll need to wipe off all the spilled oil
using shop towels. Make sure you clean the threads for the spin on oil filter well. |
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| Step 9: Take the new oil filter and apply some clean oil to the rubber seal and the threads. This will help it
seal correctly. Spin the oil filter on and hand tighten. Use the socket set to tighten an additional half turn. |
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| Step 10: Here to can see the new oil filter installed. We're ready to start putting oil in the car, but first you
want to double check the work you've don't so far. Make sure the drain plug is in place, the oil filter is in place, the
dipstick has been put back. If you've successfully performed all the steps, then you're ready. |
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| Step 11: Before we go ahead with the oil, let's check the air filter. There
are two metal compression springs that hold down the air filter cover on the drivers side. Unsnap both. |
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| Step 12: I always like to compare the old air filter against the new one. As you can readily see the air filter in this car was
particularly dirty. We have a lot of dust in the air here, so air filters get dirty quickly. Put the new air filter in place, replace
the air filter cover and reattach the snaps. |
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| Step 13: Now it's finally time to put the oil in! Finish adding the oil to a grand total of 5 quarts. |
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| Step 14: Finally, check and clean the threads of the oil fill cap and it's mating on the top of the block. Now, go ahead and put the
cap back into the block. |
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| Step 15: It's a good idea to periodically run some uel injector cleaner through the car. It helps to ensure that the injectors are pumping
the correct amount of gasoline. It also lubricates any of the moving parts in the assembly. You put it into the gas tank. You always want to put
it in with a full tank of gas. So either fill the tank before the oil change, or as I prefer, fill the tank afterwards, and put the fuel injector
cleaner in the tank just beore adding the gasoline. The latter will ensure that the cleaner mixes most effectively with the gasoline. |
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