Oil and filter chage on Ex, easy job ?

[fcat]

Sorry for the dumb question, ive changed the oil and filter on a a coupe of cars and just wondered if it was simple on the Ex and anythgin to watch out for ?

Local exhaust place quoted me £39.99 to do it and wasnt sure if it was worth getting my hands dirty, can pick a filter up on its own for a fiver.

Wouldnt mind running Mobil 1 aswell anything special i should do to get rid of al the other oil in the engine completely ?

any info appreciated

 

[kernowman]

Have always done my own oil changes, mainly for peace of mind. I run on Mobil 1 - great oil, would say one of the best. Worth the extra expense. Ex oil change is easy - plenty of room underneath to do it without ramps etc. New filters are easy to get - I use Halfords to get mine - around £5 or £6 for a good make. Would suggest an extra fiver for a bottle of flushing agent to give a good clean out before putting in the new oil. Reckon a clean engine is important with the Ex in view of the timing chain/tensioner problems. Another thing I always do is fill the filter with new oil before screwing it on - saves a lot of engine rattle when first starting after the oil change. Probably you won't save a great deal of cash, if any, over your 40 quid quote, but at least you will have Mobil 1 in and know a good and thorough job has been done. Nearly forgot to mention - hot oil and flushing agent comes out a a great speed when you take the drain plug out - the plug is on the side of the sump and the jet of oil hits the suspension/chassis member. Can make one hell of a mess, so get ready to deflect it down into a bowl. I know from experience

 

[Howard]

Changing the oil and filter is a very easy job on the explorer. If you are like me then you don't even need to raise the front. Beware that when you take the sump bolt out the oil tends to spray over the suspension, so I use a piece of card to stop it and let it flow down into the collector. I use Mobil 1 and find it very good and long lasting. Please only use a real motorcraft filter (FL-1A) as some are not very good. You could use some flushing oil to clean out all that is left of the old oil, but it will cost almost as much as Mobil 1. In practise, if you want to change to fully synthetic, do a short mileage and then change it again. Hope that helps.

 

[BIGHVM]

agree with you all, also get a new sump plug washer and you may need a strap wrench as the filters can be tight.........or do what I do and spear it with a screw driver low down and turn it that way, yes fill up the filter with new oil and smear the rubber seal also- to seal, although if you are a messy sod like me it will be covered in oil anyways!

Oh and always face north with your tail pipe as helps metal particals from the engine to evacuate from the oil galleys and drop to the sump, then tap three times with an earthed wrench to de magnetise and free the particles. ( this last paragraph is optional as its rubbish and made up to make you smile)!!!!!!!!!!?


Have fun!

 

[fcat]

Excelent thanks for the help guys

Just found an excellent site with lots of info about oil aswell

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

definatly worth a read

cheers

 

[DuncanOfEngland]

It's also a good idea to crank the engine and make sure that there is good oil pressure BEFORE allwing the engine to fire. That will allow the hydraulic timing chain tensioners to maintain tension on the chains.

You can either disconnect the LT connector on the coil pack or remove the fuel pump relay to prevent the engine from firing.

Duncan

 

[rich uk]

This Ebay store has a fair few service parts ..mines due now also
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/PartsORama_W0QQfrsrcZ1QQfsubZ16026536QQtZkm

 

[Explorerman2]

Add a magnet too

I agree with everything that's been said. Just a couple of observations

1 Implicit in one of the replies is the type of oil filter (although not actually stated). It's a metal canister type, becoming increasingly uncommon as manufacturers go back to housings (now usually plastic) and a paper filter.
2. I have used the screwdriver through the side technique but avoid it because it's hard to avoid oil up your sleeve and what do you do if something goes wrong (yes I know that's rare but what do you do then). There's loads of room on the Explorer so most strap/chain/cup tools work. Best access is certainly from a cup on a ratchet as it avoids tools that need to be swung full circle in an arc (rarely enough room for that even on an Ex)
3. Finally, because it's a metal housing I attach a neodynium magnet to the base to catch any filings/bits of timing chains (!). These are cheap on E Bay come in every size and shape (I use a really fat circle about half inch diameter) and they attach with unbelievable strength. You could tow an Ex with a big one of these! I swear you could throw it from within a foot and it'd find its own way. These are also recommended on the carbible site in the previous posting so it's not just my madcap theory
That way, with Mobil 1, a good filter, good filling technique, and a magnetic catch all, for any crud, you have every bases covered for 250000 miles from a timing chain (so I'm an optimist)

 

[rich uk]

I have semi synth in mine at the mo ,going to use a non branded fully synth about £22ish
whats anoying is most come in 4ltrs..will need 5...