If you own a 2024 Ford Mustang, you're in luck because oil changes don't cost an arm and a leg. Be that as it may, the mechanically inclined among us prefer to DIY because it's more affordable and infinitely more satisfying than playing a game on your smartphone in a dealer's customer waiting area.
Late Model Restoration video production manager Landan Durham is much obliged to demonstrate how easy it is to change the Mustang's engine oil and filter. Easy if you have access to a car lift, that is, and many of us don't have such lifts in our garages. On the other hand, you can use a floor jack and two jack stands. Due to the filter's location, two ramps won't cut it.
The blue-painted car in the video below is a 2024 model year GT, meaning that a fourth-gen Coyote is hiding under the hood. According to page number 371 of the owner's manual, the dual-throttle-body V8 requires Motorcraft SAE 5W-30 engine oil to the tune of 10 quarts. In metric, that would be 9.5 liters. In extremely cold climates (think minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 30 degrees Celsius), the Ford Motor Company recommends 0W-30 engine oil.
Before pouring the Motorcraft-branded synthetic blend into the engine, you first have to remove the panel that protects the oil pan to access the black-painted oil pan and oil filter. To remove said panel, you first have to remove the 7-millimeter screws and push-type retainers that keep the panel affixed to the K-member of the 2024 model year Mustang GT.
A steel oil pan rather than composite for 2018 through 2023 models, the oil pan features a 15-millimeter drain bolt that needs to be cracked loose with a ratchet wrench. Once the old engine oil drains out, reinstall the drain bolt (torque spec is 19 pound-feet or 26 Nm) and thoroughly clean the oil pan.
Photo: Late Model Restoration on YouTube
The golden rule is to change the oil every 5,000 miles or 8,000 kilometers if you prefer the metric system. The engine air filter and cabin air filter have to be replaced every 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometers) tops, or earlier if you're tracking the car or in case of severe duty. Turning our attention back to Landan, he uses a piece of cardboard to channel the oil from the oil filter adapter into the waste oil collector.
Removing the filter requires you to get your hand over the top of the K-member in order to loosen up the filter. Before preparing the new oil filter, make sure the old filter's O-ring isn't stuck to the vehicle's oil filter adapter. Doubling up the gasket is never a good idea. Before installing the new filter, it should be pre-soaked with some fresh engine oil. Landan says that the workshop manual tells you not to lubricate the O-ring, but for extra peace of mind, you're better off giving it a thin film of engine oil.
Next up, reinstall the underbody closeout panel, lower the car back to the ground, pop the hood, and locate the oil fill hole on the passenger side of the engine. More specifically, in the area between the passenger-side cylinder bank and 12-volt battery. Use a funnel to pour all 10 quarts, or better said, almost 10 quarts because you've already used a bit of engine oil to prepare the oil filter. In the 2.3-liter EcoBoost's case, that'd be 6 quarts (5.7 liters) of 5W-30 or 0W-30.
Fasten the oil cap, then start the car in order to reset the oil life indicator. Go into vehicle settings, select vehicle, then scroll to the bottom to see the oil life indicator. Press and hold to reset, and that's that!
Not so fast, though. The final step of an oil change requires you to let the car idle for a while on level ground. After the engine gets to temperature, check the oil dipstick to make sure that your car's oil level is between the maximum and minimum marks.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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