Oil Change

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Gobird

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I was just wondering, I like to change my own oil. It gives me a chance to jack up the car and craw under it to keep an eye on things that you don't normally see. Of the people out there that have got their Bird. Have any of you done this and if so how hard is it to get to the filter for removing and replacing and how much oil runs onto the frame when doing this?

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Blue on Blue Prem. STILL WAITING Ordered in Jan. 7of12
69 Vette
73 MGB
95 F-150
2-Seadoo Jet Skies
a dog a cat and a couple hundred fish in my pond
 

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I, too, like to change my own oil, but I have a question: does that somehow void the warranty? Someone had told me that you have to take the car in to the dealer at the specified intervals, in order to prove that the car has been regularly maintained. But the dealers charge exorbitant prices for doing the simplest things!
 
Personally, I've decided to do ALL my service work at the dealer. I had them stamp the book when it was in and will continue that process. As you may know, High-end Foreign cars like Jag/Mercedes/BMW are more valuable with "all books and records", and I think this will apply to these cars as well. Dealer service stamps in the the appropriate place are mandatory if you want to keep proper "records".
On another thought, I got a copy of the dealer's invoice on my car as well. Just to have as much as possible pertaining to my particular auto.
 
I'm not sure why the dealer has to stamp the book. All service calls are recorded in the computer and can be retrieved using the serial number. Unless Ford goes out of business, we could have an official computer print out of service calls.
 
3.9V8 posted a reply to the synthetic question. DON'T . The engine is designed for 5-20 wt. normal motor oil. Another question was using the 5-30 wt. oil? Again DON'T, rumor has it someone did and had engine damage and again warranty problems.
As for who can do oil change and fullfill warranty requirements,you the owner can with receipts and records, any Quicklube can with receits and records, any auto dealership even GM dealers with receipts and records.
The operative words "keep your receipts and records" and happy motoring no matter who maintains your vehicle.


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'56 + '02 Birds
 
Don't know if Ford has changed their policy or not but in 96 when I bought my 97 F-150 and all my 5 birds before that, at different Ford dealers they always told me that my cars didn't have to be done at a Ford dealer or a garage as long as you kept records in your maint. book with dates, milage, ect. I've never had a problem with this in the past. Even going back to 1971 when I bought a new Ford Pinto!!

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Blue on Blue Prem. STILL WAITING Ordered in Jan. 7of12
69 Vette
73 MGB
95 F-150
2-Seadoo Jet Skies
a dog a cat and a couple hundred fish in my pond

 
Having been a Service Advisor for Ford Dealership I can tell you yes you can change your own oil. Write the date & mileage in your maintenance book and keep your receipts where you bought the oil & filter even if it is Wal-Mart. As for the computer keeping records, it retains warranty records that any dealer can access, but cash transactions at a dealer are only accessible at that dealer. Ford does not make these type transactions available for all dealers to view.

During the warranty period I would stick to the oil that Ford recommends. All it takes on a borderline claim is for someone to be using an oil not recommended by Ford that just might push them to the other side of the fence denying warranty coverage.

Several times in the past I have had Ford tell me to get with my customer and have them provide proof of maintenance receipts from day one of ownership. If customer provides all receipts and shows maintenace log with dates and mileage I've never seen them deny warranty coverage.

My two cents worth

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Yellow/Yellow Prem. 02 Bird w/full accent
1999 F150 Super Cab 4x4 Off Road
1998 Taurus SE Sport 24V
 
I just got my first oil change today at 1300 miles. A Ford Dealer did it, and I got to go in the pit and see the underside. The drain plug and filter are unobstructed, and don't drip on anything while changing unlike many of my prior Fords. The X braces are also quite unobtrusive, and don't seem to create any obvious problems.

The adjacent bay had a V8 LS in it, and I looked at it as well. As expected, except for the added bracing, they are obvious twins. The same (or similar) aluminum suspension components, wiring routing, and sensors. They share the same oil filter, but any larger ford dealer that services LS's will have the filter as well as the bulk 5w20. The dealer I bought car from is a truck specialist, and doesn't stock the filter or bulk oil yet.
 
Lon, times have changed a little. Proof of maintenance will not necessarily get you warranty coverage. Too many people ran out and had someone prepare receipts for them - good buddy at the local gas station, etc.

If the cause if the concern was due to lack of lubrication, overheating, water injestion, etc. - no receipts would make up for - no oil/sludge, lack of coolant or hydro-lock.

I saw several engines that were gummed up and the bottom end was shot. The owner had receipts for service, (?) but sludge is not a warrantable condition. No warranty.

Other people with sludged engines came up with receipts for oil changes, but the original oil filter was still on the engine. DUH. Told them to go back to their oil company for warranty coverage if they truly paid for the service.

One kid brought his Explorer in for "won't crank" and we found the engine, air cleaner, etc. full of water. He had tried to forge the creek at the country club golf course as a shortcut to home. The insurance Company paid for that engine - not Ford.

Bottom line, make sure the oil and filters meet the Ford specs. Make sure the supplier or oil change service has a warranty on their products that will cover engine damage if it/they fail. The easiest way is to look for the $21.95- $24.95 coupons good at your Ford dealers. That will help beat the price of the $12 Jaguar oil filter used in the 3.9L engine.
 
Regarding my Ford fast lube oil change. There has been discussion regarding the expensive filter, but this is what I paid per the bill - $ 6.94 - filter FL 2008. That is less that the price my dealer quoted of $12 list, $8.50 sell to me. I guess the fast lube Ford center buys more and gets a better discount.
 
RedBirdDlx,

Your right. I was in such a hurry to get the post in before my lunch hour was up and I had to get back to work that I forgot to mention assuming there was no signs of abuse, racing, deceptive paper work, etc. When a catostrophic failure occurs such as throwing a rod out the side of the block, spinning a bearing and so on and none of the aforementioned items seem to come into play, Ford may still ask for maintenance records. If provided Ford will most likely warrant the repair versus trying to find a way out of it. But if the customer cannot come up with maintenance records then you might be in for a fight with Ford to get the repairs warranted.

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Yellow/Yellow Prem. 02 Bird w/full accent
1999 F150 Super Cab 4x4 Off Road
1998 Taurus SE Sport 24V
 
I have a question for the group...
I was in Wal-Mart yesterday and saw that the only 5W-20 Motorcraft oil they had was a synthetic blended oil. Is this the oil our 'birds are supposed to use? I remember the old thread saying NO to synthetic, but this is a blend. Just curious. The price was $1.77/Qt which is not as costly as Mobil-1, but more expensive than the regular oils @ $1.33/Qt.


KB
 
From everything I've seen, the recommended Motorcraft 5W20 motor oil for the 2002 T-Bird is available only as a synthetic blend. This is probably why Ford can recommend this oil for all-season, all-climate use without too much concern for viscosity breakdown during high-temp operation.

Regarding synthetics, I've been using 5W30 Mobil 1 and Motorcraft FL2008 filters ($6 at my dealer) in my 2000 Lincoln LS since its first oil change about two years ago. I do my own oil changes, and my LS now has 26,000 miles on it without any hint of a problem. FYI, the 2000 LS has exactly the same engine as the 2002 Thunderbird.

I also use Mobil 1 5W30 synthetic oil in my 1999 Ford V10 Super Duty truck. This truck spends most of its time hauling a 5,500-lb trailer. The engine continues to run as if new. I highly recommend synthetic oil.

 
I just talked to my local Ford service department, and they are using the Motorcraft 5w20 in bulk. It is not a synthetic, and since I am not regularly driving the car with lots of highway miles, they said that I should not use the synthetic. Said that with infrequent driving the chances of condensation buildup was a greater concern. Therefore, I should change every 3000 miles or 6 months.

Just changed for first time at 1300 miles, and plan on changing again when I return from Florida after New Years, before covering it up for the winter. I expect that to be at about 3000 miles.
 
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