How To Change Your Oil In A Ford Focus
Things for the oil change CC Image courtesy of cronewynd on Flickr
The Ford Focus is one of the most popular vehicles on the road today, and it’s no surprise why: it’s economical, gets great mileage, and it still has that sporty flair.
One common issue we see with the Ford Focus owners and enthusiasts is that they like to save money and do basic repairs and maintenance themselves. Changing the oil in a Ford Focus is one of the most common maintenance questions we see.
To start, you’ll need to get your tools in order:
- Socket Wrench
- Oil Filter Cap Wrench or a small strap-type filter wrench
- A funnel
- Disposable rubber or latex gloves
- Good quality floor jack and jackstands, or
- Good quality drive-on ramps
- A torque wrench
- Oil Drain Pan
- New Oil Filter
- 4 1/2 qt. 5W-20 Oil
- Paper Towels
Now, first things first. Run the engine until it’s warm. Draining warm oil removes more contaminants than draining cold oil.
If you’re using ramps, make sure that, once the car is securely on the ramps, place the transmission in Park, or for a manual transmission, in 1st gear. Firmly set the parking brake.
If you’re jacking up your car, make sure the car is off, the keys are out of the ignition, and the parking brake is on. Place the jack under the jack point, which should be indicated by little arrow or triangle shapes along the lateral edge near your front wheel.
Once sufficiently lifted, place the car on the jackstands to ensure it doesn’t accidentally fall on you.
Open the hood and remove the dipstick (with the yellow handle) and oil cap.
Underneath your car, find the oil pan drain plug which will be on a low point of the oil pan. Place your oil drain pan underneath the oil pan drain plug.