Went pretty smoothly ... kind of a pain in that you can't let it drain and spin the filter off over the same drain pan thanks to the under engine cover that swings down instead of being completely removable.

Removed the filter 1st. Luckily it drained straight into the pan without dripping on the hanging cover or the frame ... not bad. Then put a little drip tray under filter mount on top of the frame (cut off bottom of a gal milk jug), and swung the cover back in place and started one screw back in to hold cover up and out of the way.

Then drained the oil into the same pan. Replaced drain plug, tightened, and swung cover back down to access the filter area again.

I've always pre-filled my new oil filters to lessen dry start, but this one is horizontal so you can only pre-fill about half way. On this 1st attempt I pre-filled closer to 3/4" full and was not quick enough getting it in place so I wasted a little oil. Thinking it may drip out some, I did leave my little drip tray in place while installing the filter and this ended up being a smart move !!

Doug

 

As I was about to toss the empty oil containers in the trash (1 each 5-qt & 1-qt) my curiosity got the best of me as I wondered if the "convienient" and slightly cheaper 5-qt container (per qt) was putting less plastic in the landfill than 5 separate qt. containers. Hard to really tell by hand, so got out the kitchen scale !!

1 qt. container = 2.0 oz. of plastic
5 qt. container = 6.5 oz. of plastic

So YES, you are doing the landfill a favor by using the 5 qt. container !! Kind of a farce that the oil companies can claim these are "recyclable" but I know of no municipality that will take them.

Doug

 

How much metal was in the oil?

 

My oil drain pan is one of those 1-pc blow-molded plastic types with an integral tapered drip tray top that holds like 13-14 qts. When full, there is a plug you put in the center drain hole, then remove the cap on the pour spout (and open a vent oposite it) to drain into a waste oil barrel. In my case, I've got a heavy 5 gallon plastic jug I transfer it into which holds about 1-1/2 times what the drain pan holds and bring this to work when full to dump in a waste oil barrel.

Anyway, there is no way to really "look" at the oil that came out and went into this particular drain pan. I would have to drain it into a different and clean drip pan first to look for any "contamination" but have never thought of doing so. I have actually saved oil "samples" before, but never got around to sending them into a lab for testing.

Doug

 

Good test. Yet kind of odd from someone who changed their oil at 1500 miles dont you think

 

Ahh, I see thanks doug

 

Yeh, I can be weird like that !!

I always do a break in oil change around 1k or so miles, then a 2nd at around 5k. After that, every 5-6k with dino / semi-syn ... 6k to 10k with full syn. This car being the 1st for me with an oil life monitor, I'll probably follow that but no more than 10k per change. Just have to decide if I'm going to stick with the Motorcraft semi-syn or switch to Mobil 1 full-syn. This oil filter is kind of small and all I've found so far available locally are Motorcraft from my Ford dealer & Wix from CarQuest, so it may get changed every 5k miles and oil & filter every 10k. Interestingly, the filter from my Ford dealer is cheaper than the one from Carquest ($5.95 vs. $7.26 + tx).

Factory installed "no part #" filter is completely different from the Motorcraft "FL-500S" and it dimentionally does not match the prior "FL-820S" 3.7L spec element either ...

Factory: 2.936" Dia. x 4.54" H (w/gasket)
FL-500S: 2.965" Dia. x 4.15" H
FL-820S: 3.66" Dia. x 4.167" H (per internet)
CarQuest CFI84502: 2.922" Dia. x 4.23" H
(assume to be Wix 57502)

Doug

 

Nice write up Doug. I use one of the large oil change pans like you use. I've been thinking about changing to Mobil 1 at around 3,000 miles.

 

I went to Mobil 1 at 1500. Full Synthetic baby.

 

When I drained my 2011 5.0 at 1062.5 miles I drained through fine stainless steel mesh into a clean pan I caught absolutely nothing. i ran it back through a fine white cloth and picked up a little gray powder. I think it was from the rings seating, That it.

I dont know if my engine was typical but if so Im not sure I accomplished a whole lot. Couldnt find my filter cutter so that will have to wait until I visit my machinist.

BTW The OEM FOMOCO Filter appeared to be a Champion PH500 instead of a Purolator built Motorcraft FL500S.

 

Thanks Gene ... I've been wondering who made the Motorcraft filters.

I've been using Purolator Pure One filters almost exclusively for the past 10-12 years, however I have yet to find the PL22500 (FL-500S equiv).

I had done a bunch of comparison tests, cut apart every brand filter to compare construction, etc. and went so far as to install a 3-way solenoid poppet valve tied to a Oil pressure gauge on my '98 Mustang so I could read pressure drop accross my filter. Put a A-Pillar Gauge pod in with a momentary switch next to it which activated the solenoid valve down by the filter. This was a 3.8L and I made a spacer with a port in it to read "before filter" pressure, and a fitting on the oil pump housing gave me the "after filter" reading. This spacer served double duty as it allowed me to use a 1-qt size FL-1A filter as well which helped extend my filter change intervals.

From what I remember, the Purolator Pure One was as good as the more expencive Mobil 1 or K&N filters so this is what I started to use exclusively.

Doug

 

Are the rings fully seated by then? I think so but...

 

They use a synthetic blend from the factory. You don't need dino oil to seat the rings.

 

I know they use a blend (don't know the ratio) but I thought full synth has cautions it did not provide sufficient friction for ring seating. ?

 

Im kind of on the fence on this when you are talking about non-factory built engines although my machinist (who has National Credentials) fills his engines with a special 30SAE SynBlend Oil for break-in. I would likely use Shell Rotella T or another HDEO along with some liquid assembly lube (if it has flat-tappets) for break-in on most non-factory engines just because its always worked for me..

When it comes to factory engines their bore finish is very good and Mobil 1 is factory fill in over 40 car models (Such as the GT500) and I highly doubt the cylinder finish is any different. According to Mobil the factory fill in these cars is simply normal production oil as their is no need for special oil since M1 can be used in any engine from initial firing.

If the vast majority of ring seating isnt already done within 50 miles it isnt likely to happen. The final polish can take several thousand miles but at that point the less friction the better.

My personal opinion is that the Break-in Story is a myth that was used as an excuse for poor cylinder finishing and break-in procedure.

I didnt use Synthetic for my initial changes as its a waste of money for the short intervals Im doing during break-in.