How to do a Oil Change and Filter change on the 2012FF

Elizabeth said:

What did you expect?

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Elizabeth said:

Secondly, questions get answered for a general audience, and not JUST for the asker... Since a LOT of other folks will be reading the post.

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Elizabeth said:

Great pics Bill. Thanks for posting them.[thumb]
I am going to do my first oil change on my new 2012 Focus this weekend. At 1,000mi is early but i am just wanting to do it..

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2012silversel said:

I read the other posts and I found them a little confusing. I will try to help you through a step by step.
1. Purchase a set of carbon fiber ramps, a large metal or plastic oil collection pan, Torx #30 screwdriver, good shop light, 15mm box end wrench or a socket set with metric sockets included, an oil filter wrench that the handle swivels to 45 degrees, buy the smaller loop wrench, a funnel, some shop rags, rubber or single use latex gloves, 5 quarts of 5W-20 semi synthetic (that's what comes in the car) or full synthetic motor oil and a Motorcraft FL-910S oil filter, available at Wal Mart.
2. Drive your car for about 20 minutes to heat the oil, this will help it flow out easier and more will drain. You never get all of the oil out of the engine, a few ounces stay on the cylinder walls, in the bottom of the oil pan...
3. Drive the car slowly on to the ramps, be careful not to go off the end.
4. Open the hood (make sure it's not going to hit anything above) and remove the oil filler cap by turning it to the left about 3/8 of a turn. I believe this helps drain the oil by allowing air to enter, maybe it does, maybe it doesn't, but it make me feel good. I have a piece of thick mil plastic I put down on the floor. Light your work area under the car and slide under the car. Using the Torx driver, remove the 8 screws holding the air shield. Slide it back slightly and it will drop, use both hands. Don't worry it's very light. Move the shield from under the car and make sure you put the screws in a safe place.
5. Find the oil drain plug. It is in the center rear of the oil pan (see pic posted earlier, thanks CourtneyNYC). Place the oil collection pan under the drain plug. Make sure you have the front of the pan under the drain hole and the back of the pan further back. When you pull the plug, oil is going to gush out about 8 to 10 inches, (that's where I made my first mistake about 39 years ago). Loosen the drain plug slightly. Remember rightsy tightsy, leftsy loosey, or, turning to the right tightens the bolt, left loosens it. If the bolt doesn't start to loosen, check to make sure you're turning it the correct way, as mentioned before, you can break the bolt head off. At this point only loosen the drain plug slightly so it can be turned by hand.
6. With your rubber glove on, turn the drain plug out slowly. Oil will begin to drip, flow slightly and when it unscrews all the way, this is when the hot oil will gush, (this is why I like thick rubber gloves) pull your hand out of the way fast so the oil doesn't splash off your glove or just drop the plug in the oil collection pan, you can fish it out later.
7. I like to let the oil drain for 30 minutes, that might be excessive, but it's how I do it.
8. Locate the oil filter (again see photo). As mentioned before the factory filter may be on really tight. Swivel your filter wrench so the handle is at a right angle to the loop. Think about which direction you will need to turn it off to the left and place the loop over the filter. Use both hands if needed to tighten the loop around the filter and give the handle enough space to turn about 1/4 turn. Again, all you have to do it loosen it enough to be able to turn it by hand. By this time the oil pan should have stopped flowing and only dripping. If it's large enough, carefully pull the collection pan (hot oil sloshes easily) so it's still under the drain hole and under the filter. You may have to wait until the drain plug is back in to move the collection pan under the filter. I have a collection pan and a small dish pan for under the filter.
9. With your rubber glove on, slowly begin turning the oil filter. Oil will begin to spill out from the top of the filter. Turn it off about 1.5 rotations and let that oil drain into the pan. After it stops draining, turn the filter about 8 or 10 rotations until it's all the way off. Be careful here because the filter will be slippery and easy to drop, also try to keep the top of the filter as level as possible because oil will spill out. Place the filter open end down in the collection pan. Check the area where the oil filter seats with the siphon tube to make sure the old filter gasket didn't separate from the old filter and is still attached. Fish out the drain plug if it dropped in the collection pan, wipe it off and make sure the plug is clean.
10. After a sufficient draining time, clean any oil from around the drain area, wipe off the drain plug and now this is very important, screw the oil drain plug back in until it's finger tight. Make sure it's threaded on straight and not cross threaded. Carefully slide the oil collection pan out so there's no chance of bumping or kicking it. Tighten the oil drain plug snugly and don't over tighten.
11. Take some clean oil and moisten the new filter's rubber gasket using your finger. With a lint free rag clean the filter area. Turn the new oil filter on the round threaded siphon tube only until the gasket seats with the metal. Visually note the lettering in front of you and turn the filter by hand 3/4 of a turn, maybe a little more, but not much more. Replace the air shield making sure you don't over tighten the screws. Remove any tools, lights, rags or friends from under the car. Now you are done under the car. Do not start the car yet. Leave it on the ramps.
12. Place your funnel in to the filler hole. Fill with 5 quarts of new oil. (Thanks to my obsessive compulsive tendencies, I have found to get the oil to perfectly at the top of the cross hatching on the dip stick it takes 5 quarts and 4 ounces. Don't worry, I'll be OK someday). Filling with 5 quarts is just fine, that takes it to about 1/8" below the top of the cross hatching. Anywhere within the cross hatched area is OK. Replace the filler cap and turn so it's in and fully seated. Back in the 70's my brother got Midas to buy him a new engine because they neglected to replace the filler cap. The cap was found on a work bench in their shop.
13. Start the car. At this point you will see the oil light come on and you may hear some knocking noise. That's normal, it takes a second for the new oil to flow into the engine. Close the hood and carefully back off the ramps. Let the engine run for a few minutes and with a flashlight look down at the filter from behind the radiator (careful not to touch the turning fan blades) to check for leaks at the filter and look under the car at the drain plug. One thing I do is drive for a little bit, park the car and come out in an hour or so to check the garage floor for drips and look at the filter. Check the oil level on the dip stick.
I keep 1 gallon plastic jugs from windshield wash to store the oil until I take it to the recycling center. Place a absorbent rag or old towel under the jug and use your funnel to pour the oil into the jug, once again be careful, it can get away from you very easily. Prop the old filter in the funnel to drain the oil into the jug.
Well, I think that’s it. I hope that helps, good luck.
Other Members, if I forgot anything, please feel free to add info.

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Elizabeth said:

One issue of changing the oil is havinga really GOOD oil catching device.
There are all sorts of them, from old frying pans to cardboard boxes (bad bad idea)
The very best device i have ever used is this stylehttp://www.amazon.com/Wedco-W77-PAN-DRAIN-CONT12-5QT/dp/B0002JMA2K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1316729970&sr=8-3It is low, can carry pretty much oil, and itself has a pour spout easy to use.
The yellow insert pops out and spins onto the body, then stores away nice.
For do it yourself oil changes where you are getting under the car, it is the BEST. Place it on one of those $1 rug samples. the nthe rug gets the wear sliding around on concrete, not the oil drain pan.
period. I change it HOT. i park the car on the ramps, and get under and pull the drain plug and it is HOT. Usually I just drop the drain plug into the tray..
I let it cool about a half an hour before pulling the filter, So i let it drain all that time and stick the plug back in when I do the filter.

Mine (oil drain tray) was stolen from the garage, and I searched for one, when I found one again, I bought TWO. just in case. It is THAT GOOD.
(and the drain tray will stop the drain bolt if you drop it, from falling into the inner oilpan. Nice.

Then for the filter, buy the plastic gizmo that fits the notches to remove the old one.
ALWAYS put the new filter on only hand tight!! do NOT use any tool to 'tighten' it up hard. hand tight is my weak little girl hands tight... that is all. (I actually have a little soft rubber cup I use because i have poor hand strength, but if you have normal hands, just hand tight is great... Actually way too tight will make it leak!!!
Before you put the NEW filter on, make certain you pull the rubber seal ring off and oil the entire thing, then slip it back on the top of the filter.
Is is better to fill the filter with some oil, (but it is NOT neccessary, just nicer for the engine) if it is too hard to do, skip it, usually the filter will take a little then I have to wave it around to get the oil into the filter material. so it takes a few minutes to fill. But IF prefilled, then the engine does not have no oil for a few moments while the pump is filling up the empty filter you stuck on. Like i said, not a BIG deal, just nice if you care.
Use the correct tool to remove and replace the drain plug. DO NOT USE an adjustable wrench. The drain bolt is a 15mm bolt head.

Do not forget to put the new oil in. Starting an engine with no oil WILL KILL IT DEAD in about five minutes. (maybe a little longer at idle, but trust me DO NOT DO IT.)
So say you drain it and plan on putting the oil in tomorrow.. bad idea.. really bad idea.
When you fill the engine, use a funnel. really. saves pouring a pint all over the engine....
Oh yeah, a roll of paper towels too. clean up the drain bolt before sticking it back on, any drips, your hands...a must.
I made small ramps out of 2x4 type wood, but 8" by 2" pine, sawed off an angled edge, and doubled them up with bolts. so i have a ramp goes up 2" the a foot forward then 2" more for a foot forward and a bump stop. Just enough extra to get under the car. perfect. I have had the same ramps for 15 years now that i made.

these are my little general hints. [angel]

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2012silversel said:

I read the other posts and I found them a little confusing. I will try to help you through a step by step.
1. Purchase a set of carbon fiber ramps, a large metal or plastic oil collection pan, Torx #30 screwdriver, good shop light, 15mm box end wrench or a socket set with metric sockets included, an oil filter wrench that the handle swivels to 45 degrees, buy the smaller loop wrench, a funnel, some shop rags, rubber or single use latex gloves, 5 quarts of 5W-20 semi synthetic (that's what comes in the car) or full synthetic motor oil and a Motorcraft FL-910S oil filter, available at Wal Mart.
2. Drive your car for about 20 minutes to heat the oil, this will help it flow out easier and more will drain. You never get all of the oil out of the engine, a few ounces stay on the cylinder walls, in the bottom of the oil pan...
3. Drive the car slowly on to the ramps, be careful not to go off the end.
4. Open the hood (make sure it's not going to hit anything above) and remove the oil filler cap by turning it to the left about 3/8 of a turn. I believe this helps drain the oil by allowing air to enter, maybe it does, maybe it doesn't, but it make me feel good. I have a piece of thick mil plastic I put down on the floor. Light your work area under the car and slide under the car. Using the Torx driver, remove the 8 screws holding the air shield. Slide it back slightly and it will drop, use both hands. Don't worry it's very light. Move the shield from under the car and make sure you put the screws in a safe place.
5. Find the oil drain plug. It is in the center rear of the oil pan (see pic posted earlier, thanks CourtneyNYC). Place the oil collection pan under the drain plug. Make sure you have the front of the pan under the drain hole and the back of the pan further back. When you pull the plug, oil is going to gush out about 8 to 10 inches, (that's where I made my first mistake about 39 years ago). Loosen the drain plug slightly. Remember rightsy tightsy, leftsy loosey, or, turning to the right tightens the bolt, left loosens it. If the bolt doesn't start to loosen, check to make sure you're turning it the correct way, as mentioned before, you can break the bolt head off. At this point only loosen the drain plug slightly so it can be turned by hand.
6. With your rubber glove on, turn the drain plug out slowly. Oil will begin to drip, flow slightly and when it unscrews all the way, this is when the hot oil will gush, (this is why I like thick rubber gloves) pull your hand out of the way fast so the oil doesn't splash off your glove or just drop the plug in the oil collection pan, you can fish it out later.
7. I like to let the oil drain for 30 minutes, that might be excessive, but it's how I do it.
8. Locate the oil filter (again see photo). As mentioned before the factory filter may be on really tight. Swivel your filter wrench so the handle is at a right angle to the loop. Think about which direction you will need to turn it off to the left and place the loop over the filter. Use both hands if needed to tighten the loop around the filter and give the handle enough space to turn about 1/4 turn. Again, all you have to do it loosen it enough to be able to turn it by hand. By this time the oil pan should have stopped flowing and only dripping. If it's large enough, carefully pull the collection pan (hot oil sloshes easily) so it's still under the drain hole and under the filter. You may have to wait until the drain plug is back in to move the collection pan under the filter. I have a collection pan and a small dish pan for under the filter.
9. With your rubber glove on, slowly begin turning the oil filter. Oil will begin to spill out from the top of the filter. Turn it off about 1.5 rotations and let that oil drain into the pan. After it stops draining, turn the filter about 8 or 10 rotations until it's all the way off. Be careful here because the filter will be slippery and easy to drop, also try to keep the top of the filter as level as possible because oil will spill out. Place the filter open end down in the collection pan. Check the area where the oil filter seats with the siphon tube to make sure the old filter gasket didn't separate from the old filter and is still attached. Fish out the drain plug if it dropped in the collection pan, wipe it off and make sure the plug is clean.
10. After a sufficient draining time, clean any oil from around the drain area, wipe off the drain plug and now this is very important, screw the oil drain plug back in until it's finger tight. Make sure it's threaded on straight and not cross threaded. Carefully slide the oil collection pan out so there's no chance of bumping or kicking it. Tighten the oil drain plug snugly and don't over tighten.
11. Take some clean oil and moisten the new filter's rubber gasket using your finger. With a lint free rag clean the filter area. Turn the new oil filter on the round threaded siphon tube only until the gasket seats with the metal. Visually note the lettering in front of you and turn the filter by hand 3/4 of a turn, maybe a little more, but not much more. Replace the air shield making sure you don't over tighten the screws. Remove any tools, lights, rags or friends from under the car. Now you are done under the car. Do not start the car yet. Leave it on the ramps.
12. Place your funnel in to the filler hole. Fill with 5 quarts of new oil. (Thanks to my obsessive compulsive tendencies, I have found to get the oil to perfectly at the top of the cross hatching on the dip stick it takes 5 quarts and 4 ounces. Don't worry, I'll be OK someday). Filling with 5 quarts is just fine, that takes it to about 1/8" below the top of the cross hatching. Anywhere within the cross hatched area is OK. Replace the filler cap and turn so it's in and fully seated. Back in the 70's my brother got Midas to buy him a new engine because they neglected to replace the filler cap. The cap was found on a work bench in their shop.
13. Start the car. At this point you will see the oil light come on and you may hear some knocking noise. That's normal, it takes a second for the new oil to flow into the engine. Close the hood and carefully back off the ramps. Let the engine run for a few minutes and with a flashlight look down at the filter from behind the radiator (careful not to touch the turning fan blades) to check for leaks at the filter and look under the car at the drain plug. One thing I do is drive for a little bit, park the car and come out in an hour or so to check the garage floor for drips and look at the filter. Check the oil level on the dip stick.
I keep 1 gallon plastic jugs from windshield wash to store the oil until I take it to the recycling center. Place a absorbent rag or old towel under the jug and use your funnel to pour the oil into the jug, once again be careful, it can get away from you very easily. Prop the old filter in the funnel to drain the oil into the jug.
Well, I think that’s it. I hope that helps, good luck.
Other Members, if I forgot anything, please feel free to add info.

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aperson9923 said:

These fourms have been so helpful for me so far about my upcoming purchase of the 2012 FF. I know it has probably been posted before but when I searched I could not find a COMPLETE oil change how to guide. Will somebody please post a step by step guide (with pics) on how to do an oil change. Thanks so much. I know I am a rookie noobie but there are others that are wondering this too![wiggle]

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RDJTX said:

what is the purpose of that shield on the bottom? I would imagine that it is to keep dirt out or to improve aerodynamics but damn looks like it would keep a fair amount of heat in as well .

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Elizabeth said:

One point about changing one's one oil.
If you take it to some 'fast lube' type place. The horror stories are endless about loose drain bolts and 80 miles later the oil light comes on with no oil in the engine. Then stripped drain bolts. or too much oil (Even the dealer can do that.. it was done to my car once.)

If you pay for a full synthetic they may use a cheap oil anyway and just say they put in a full synthetic..
So plenty of reasons to do it yourself.

I just started doing it years ago and liked feeling I did something for my car.
So even though i am getting a little old for that stuff, I still do it.

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