Yes, that's fearless leader Scott Oldham standing under our 2011 Ford Mustang GT with a wrench in his hand. Our Rotary lift and the prospect of not havng to roll around on the concrete and mess up one of his "meeting" shirts was enough to lure him out of the office for a little DIY routine maintenance.
Draining the oil was easy enough thanks to our new elevated drain pan with its own tank and wheels. But such fancy tools are not required. There's nothing particularly difficult about the Mustang from a basic driveway maintenance standpoint.
Except maybe for this: The oil filter is concealed behind a panel that's held in place by three bolts that are easy to reach even if you're using a floor jack and jack stands. In case you're wondering, the other large object up in there is the electronic power steering unit.
Thing is, the flip-down panel seems to form a barrier that makes it impossible to orient a drain pan beneath the drain plug and oil filter at the same time. But that's not really the issue because you'd still have this problem if the panel was gone. In the end, the filter and drain plug are simply too far apart for the span of one pan.
So there's nothing for it but to drain the oil, catch up on some e-mail or play a couple levels of Angry Birds while it dribbles out, re-insert and re-tighten the drain plug, and then reposition the drain pan under the oil filter. The Mustang 5.0 oil change is a sock-shoe, sock-shoe operation, is all.
The new 5.0 is thirsty in a way you might not expect. It takes eight quarts of 5W-20 synthetic blend or full synthetic to replenish the sump. At $4.99 each that's 40 bucks in oil alone -- even more if you go the full synthetic route.
The oil life monitor is easy to reset using the information center buttons to the left of the steering wheel. Done and done.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 20,704 miles
the_big_al says:
03:27 AM, 02/10/12
All my vehicles are a two step plug and filter process and it's slightly frustrating but I use the time to check the other pertinent items like air filter, other belts and hoses, even refill the washer fluid. Just like a regular lube shop might do. All in all it adds maybe 3 minutes to the process and not really a big deal. I'd be beyond thrilled if I had access to a rotoary lift to do my oil changes.
powell_jr says:
05:04 AM, 02/10/12
Awesome oil pan...GHETTO funnel...Ha! made me laugh.
jasond52 says:
05:21 AM, 02/10/12
Cut the top off an empty oil bottle. Makes a better, easier to pour into, funnel.
I'm quite jealous of your lift after rolling around under my Miata last night trying to access the very well hidden and nearly impossible to reach oil filter. It did not help that Gorilla-san at the Mazda factory torqued the filter to about 200 ft/lbs. A Lisle filter wrench saved my rear.
bankerdanny says:
06:45 AM, 02/10/12
Good to see you were able to save a little cash on the funnel to offset the cost of the oil.
fordson1 says:
07:43 AM, 02/10/12
@the_big_al:
Wow - check other maintenance items instead of playing with your iPhone? What are you, old-school or something?
Or maybe check up on that leaky diff?
And to think SoCal used to be the epicenter of American hi-po car culture. Sad.
saunupe1911 says:
09:07 AM, 02/10/12
I see yall are using motocraft's synthetic blend. You should really go full synthetic but I know you guys probably don't care lol. Most of us actual 5.0 owners definitely use a full synthetic ( or a so called full synthetic like Mobile One).
eidolways says:
09:09 AM, 02/10/12
I love that you guys are actually building up a garage, there. It's not just a nook with a lift. It's becoming a full-fledged work station.
Is that a Sears Craftsman Professional air compressor I see in the corner?
stovt001 says:
01:00 PM, 02/10/12
You have a two post rotary lift and use an old water bottle as a funnel. That makes me smile.
explorerx4 says:
03:13 PM, 02/10/12
The original 5.0 has 2 drain plugs plus the filter.
I drive it up on some 2x10's which gives just height.
Still get get a tweak from the still hot cats every other time or so when removing the rear drain plug.