Changing your own oil - 2.5L hybrid

[Timothyd]

I believe K&N’s do.


Believe me, I know it. I actually don’t do any engineering anymore. I found that desk jobs didn’t suit me so I work in the maintenance and field service side of things now. I constantly have to deal with things that are poorly engineered, and the engineers don’t like it when I tell them this, but I don’t care! I’ve lived in their cubicle world too and seen both sides of the coin, so I think that gives me some credibility.

When I was in Field Service sometimes I'd get a newbie engineer to train. I'd take them to the bottom of a ship or a coal mine or a steel mill and get them super dirty. Field Service was always good for an adventure.

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[Saltwater Cowboys]

When I was in Field Service sometimes I'd get a newbie engineer to train. I'd take them to the bottom of a ship or a coal mine or a steel mill and get them super dirty. Field Service was always good for an adventure.

I'm actually heading to a steel mill this weekend. That's the bad part about field service. Until today I had other weekend plans. At least I'm hourly and will get lots of overtime. Salaried engineers work a lot for free.

 

[Walter56]

"engineers make tons of money" hahaha, thanks for the laugh!

Most engineers I know are cheap as can be and refuse to pay anyone to do something they could do themselves out of principle. For me it's more a matter of time than money though. Any time I've taken a vehicle to the dealer it takes them a minimum of an hour and a half to do a simple oil change and their "free 100 point inspection" so they can upcharge you for things like cabin air filters. Add to that another hour driving to the dealership and back. The last time I went to one of those 5 min oil change places the line was out into the street and the two times before that they didn't have the filter I needed - for a Camry, most common car on the road!

Nope, I'd rather spend 15 minutes doing it myself and making sure it's done right. Well, 30 minutes because of the stupid panel!

Not to mention stripped drain plugs, missing hardware, too much or too little oil. Neighbor went to a quick oil and they torqued the drain so much it cracked the cast oil pan! Ouch

 

[Poultrygeist]

Because I'm an engineer and it's my job to question things that don't make sense. Especially since the rest of the vehicle seems very well designed.

I also have a maintenance background and really hate it when engineers design things that aren't maintenance friendly.

The cover may not be the best design but it's necessary. I say that from my experience of running over a retread from a semi and smashing an oil pan in a car without a cover.

 

[Coast40]

...Which filter has the small hex on the end of the filter?

You may find the finger style oil filter tool handy here. I add a piece of inner tube around it to hold the filter a little better. OR https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/tiny-factory-oil-filter.38725/page-3#post-694302

 

[Vaportrail]

Not to mention stripped drain plugs, missing hardware, too much or too little oil. Neighbor went to a quick oil and they torqued the drain so much it cracked the cast oil pan! Ouch

I took mine to the dealership for the first "free" oil change-

I was amazed at how over torqued the drain plug was...

 

[Poultrygeist]

Let me pass along a helpful hint that will work for those who will be doing their first oil change on the Maverick. It won't work so well with the second oil change and it's for those who don't use a torque wrench. Simply paint a straight line mark on the drain plug and oil pan. That will give you a guide for the correct factory tightness of the plug when it's reinstalled. This video shows the paint mark on the plug and pan.

bosch oil filter change

 

[RonFLA]

The under engine cover is ripe for a third-party manufacture to offer a better option. One that has better access to the oil filter and drain. Not having to remove it constantly would be a real benefit.

 

[Poultrygeist]

The under engine cover is ripe for a third-party manufacture to offer a better option. One that has better access to the oil filter and drain. Not having to remove it consistently would be a real benefit.

My wife's Kia Soul came with an under engine cover with small removable panels under the oil filter and drain plug. I hated it because it obstructed my view of the filter and plug for leaks. Never used those removable panels and always removed the entire cover with it's nine bolts. Another disadvantage is it's impossible to fully hand tighten the filter with the cover on as there's not enough room to get any leverage.

 

[Poultrygeist]

I have probably ever style filter wrench on the market but the cap wrench is my favorite. The hybrid filter takes a 76MM 14 flute. It allows use of a ratchet wrench which offers more leverage than with other types.

 

[KSC Grey Ghost]

Yah I know I should just butcher the panel and cut holes in it myself, but I just can't bring myself to do that to a brand new truck. Maybe once it hits 100k miles. Not like it doesn't have plenty of holes in it already!

It will probably be early spring next time I change oil and cut a hole in my shield . I will post when I do it.

 

[GPSMan]

The under engine cover is ripe for a third-party manufacture to offer a better option. One that has better access to the oil filter and drain. Not having to remove it constantly would be a real benefit.

You meant to say "remove it once a year for most folks".

Not constantly. But yes, I'd prefer to not do it at all too.

 

[converseguy]

As for oil change cost, I just called my dealer and was quoted $140 + tax for synthetic blend which my dealer recommends for all such vehicles that can use synthetic. They did not know how much extra for full synthetic which told me they didn't use it much. Since I live in Silicon Valley, CA I am used to everything costing more but even at 68yo I will be doing my own oil changes with Mobile 1.

 

[Poultrygeist]

As for oil change cost, I just called my dealer and was quoted $140 + tax for synthetic blend which my dealer recommends for all such vehicles that can use synthetic. They did not know how much extra for full synthetic which told me they didn't use it much. Since I live in Silicon Valley, CA I am used to everything costing more but even at 68yo I will be doing my own oil changes with Mobile 1.

Costco often discounts Mobile One.

 

[converseguy]

Costco often discounts Mobile One.

I will check both Walmart and Costco and go with the lowest price and stock up if I see sales.

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