Recommended interval: < (15.000 km / 18 months)
Note about my personal choice since I started doing this maintenance myself:
The maximum oil amount inside the engine being 5.6 litres, the minimum 4.6 L, the car being tilted during the oil change procedure therefore always leaving a small amount of used oil in the engine pan, I decided to use a five litre jug of oil every time, no more, no less, placing the level in the middle of the dipstick test area. As long as my engine won't eat oil, I will keep this method because it dispenses me from buying more than a jug of oil without gain to the engine. To each his own 😉
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Here is what I use: |
- Lift the front of the car using ramps or jack stands (💀 never keep a vehicle lifted using only a jack while working underneath ⚠) and pull the handbrake
- Place an old comforter underneath the car to work more comfortably (hence the name!) and absorb any oil splashes
- Put on gloves and eye protection
- Remove the big flat plastic engine protection casing underneath the car by unscrewing the nine Torx screws (some are hidden behind the wheels). Inspect any spots on it in order to detect any leaks and then clean the casing
- Partially open the oil filling cap on top of the engine to let air in
- Place a flat receptacle with enough room for 7 to 10 litres and wide enough to cover the area surrounding the oil drain plug and filter
- Unscrew ↺ and put aside the oil drain plug, keeping in sight its gasket, which is to be replaced. The oil will leave the engine and fill up the 'basin'
- Place some paper wipes or an old rag underneath the oil filter to protect the parts in the way toward the basin as a fair amount of oil is about to escape the filter
- Briefly flip the new oil jug in order to leave an oil deposit on the seal under the cap, open it without throwing away the oily seal, take the new oil filter out of the box and lubricate its gasket with the saved seal's oil deposit
- Once the oil is dripping slowly out of the engine, unscrew ↺ the oil filter, first with a filter-wrench to loosen it, then by hand
- Make sure the used filter's gasket is still in place (instead of stuck on the engine as it often happens) before disposing of the cartridge in the new one's empty box
- Position (without using any tool) the new filter in its place under the engine by first unscrewing slightly to ensure a straight assembly before screwing it manually (the first few turns should be extremely easy) until grunting because any tool help would induce excessive tightening
- Replace the oil drain plug gasket
- Tighten it to 25Nm (or one small grunt)
- Wipe any oil covered parts and remove the basin from under the car
- Remove the cap, place a clean funnel in the oil filling hole at the top of the engine and gently empty the new oil jug before putting the cap back on
- Proceed the same way to transfer the used oil from the basin to the now empty new oil jug (or a larger one if more than 5 L came out of the engine) for safe storage until recycling
- Replace the big flat plastic engine protection casing underneath the car and check that nothing was left underneath or behind the car before dropping it back down
Bring the used oil and filter to your local recycling center.
To learn more or in case of doubt:
Ford Focus owner's manual and repair books
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