(Almost) Perfect First Oil Change -- 2022 Maverick XLT Ecoboost 2.0L

So... I did the first oil change on my 2022 XLT Ecoboost 2.0L FWD at 4900mi. Been waiting for the moment to try out the 3D printed access covers I made for the underbody splash shield.

The following photo's show the location of the oil drain plug and filter access holes I cut into the bottom of the underbody. The 3D printed cover design was complicated by the highly contoured surfaces that @Ford Motor Company left for us.

The latches were made to be similar to the factory access cover design used on my wife's Chrysler Pacifica. The same tool can be used to turn the quarter-turn slotted bolts on both vehicles.



As you can hopefully tell from the photo below, with the access covers installed no jack or ramps are required to lift the truck for oil changes now. Just a simple quarter-turn of the access cover bolt and you're good to go.

As others on this forum have noted, the drain plug was VERY tight from the factory. I had to tap the 15mm box wrench a few times to get it started. Otherwise, the oil went right where it was supposed to without any problems.



I was barely able to loosen the factory oil filter by hand as it was on pretty tight also, but luck was on my side and it did finally break free without any special tools.

I'm showing this view from below, just after the filter was loosened enough to allow oil to drip around the sides. Note that all the oil stayed on the filter and dripped into the catch pan. None of it dripped down the side of the engine oil pan or onto any of the hoses. It was actually pretty clean compared to most other vehicles I've worked on.



It took longer than usual because I stopped to take photo's, but next change should only be about a 1/2 hour job tops.

More details of the 3D printed parts, including the specific size and location of the splash shield access holes are provided at:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5979898

So... why was this an "Almost" Perfect First Oil Change you ask?

• Well, I two drops of oil did drip from my fingers onto the garage floor when I removed the filter. I'll have a few more paper towels handy next time.
• More importantly, I made the first set of access covers out of PLA filament which is not recommended for high temperature applications. I knew that going in, but didn't want to wait until I could get my hands on something else to test out the concept. The first set of covers is still functional, but as you can see below they are starting to show some signs of warping at this point. I plan on making a second set out of PETG as soon as I get a chance which should hold up to the heat a little better.

I imagine service depts across the country would thank Ford for working this into the 2024 model year design.

This is really nice.

Nice work!

You know you could use a zip lock bag and wrap it around the filter so that the oil would drip out into the bag instead of your hand.

What material did you use for the prints ? I wont be doing this mod just wondering how it will stand up under the truck over time ?

i would love the measurements on where you did the cuts. i dont mind having the 2 open holes, just sucks pulling 14 torx bolts for every oil change.

Nice work!

I’m just here to give kudos where it’s deserved. This is amazing!

Best use of brains and technology I’ve seen in a long time. Congrats!

Very nice, take it one step further and install a fumoto oil drain valve.

BlueRaven said:

i would love the measurements on where you did the cuts. i dont mind having the 2 open holes, just sucks pulling 14 torx bolts for every oil change.

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I agree! That’s why I went to the trouble. Did something similar on my Ford Fusion using a metal slide track before I really got into 3D printing.
The dimensions for the cutouts are all shown on the Thingiverse link in my post.

JB9 said:

I agree! That’s why I went to the trouble. Did something similar on my Ford Fusion using a metal slide track before I really got into 3D printing.
The dimensions for the cutouts are all shown on the Thingiverse link in my post.

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i meant where you cut the factory splash shield.

This is great, nice work!

bbyBlue said:

What material did you use for the prints ? I wont be doing this mod just wondering how it will stand up under the truck over time ?

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Good question. I used PLA (Polylactic acid) filament for the first set which is definitely not recommended. I don’t see any evidence of road wear (chipping or cracking), and the tongue groves & latches held the covers on fine, but you could see that the parts were already starting to warp a little at 4900mi.

I’m going to try making a new set out of PETG (Polyethylene terephthalate glycol) next which is supposed to be a little tougher and melts at a higher temperature.

BlueRaven said:

i meant where you cut the factory splash shield.

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Yes… it’s in the link. It’s on this photo which may be a little hard to see. I tried using different colors for the labels but red was about the best I could come up with.