This is just a simple question for those that change the oil themselves.
Can I just raise the front of the car to change the oil or does the car need to be level in order for all the oil to drain???
Thanks in advance.

 

You can raise just the front. But I will warn you. Its a pain in the *** with the cover on the vehicle. If it were my car its worth taking it somewhere and letting them change it.

 

I disagree about it being a pain. Did mine last week.

Jacked up the front, opened the drain plug so oil drains into the pain., then took the cover bolts out so it swung down.

Then use the ziplock bag trick to capture the oil from the filter and let the filter drop into the bag. Screw on the new filter and you're done.

Not a single drop spilled from the filter change.

 

The oil filter is also a pain to reach. Once you loosen it the oil will drip all over you, as you try to remove it from the car.

I put a one gallon zip lock bag over the filter, loosen and let it drain into the bag, and then drop into the bag as you remove it. Zip it up, no mess.

 

Again I work at a shop. So if I have to lay on the ground its too much of a pain

I hate the covers...

 

Used to have a boat and you would basically suck the oil up through the dipstick. Anyone try this on a car?

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...classNum=50402

 

The dipstick doesn't go to the bottom of the pan. So you wouldn't get all the oil.

 

Thank you all for the valuable info!

 

+1 on the ziplock bag trick. Be sure to use the larger one though, trust me I learned the hard way.

 

There's a restriction inside the dipstick tube near the top that won't allow a tube larger than 3/16" OD down the hole. You'd be pumping on it forever to get it to pull 8 quarts out. I can't even do oil samples without draining the sump.

 

This shield under the car needs to be removed first?! Most you guys just put the front in stands and that's good enough?!

 

The shield covers the filter and it doesn't get removed but a few bolts taken out so it can hang down.

 

Thanks, haven't done the first one yet. Tips are always good!

 

Thanks for mentioning this. I have a pump/tank that I have been using for years on our VW's. It takes about 15 minutes to do an entire oil change on my wife's 2.0 Turbo Passat. The oil filter is on top of the engine, upside down, with a valve that prevents leakage when removed...no mess. The easiest oil change I have ever done.

I was planning on using the pump on the Mustang the next time I changed the oil. Guess I won't mess with it.

 

Yeah, I've got a vane pump and I've done the family BMW's this way for a decade too, at least until they stopped putting dipsticks in entirely in 2008.

Not the 2011+ Mustang 5.0, though. It's really disappointing, but I'm afraid it's real. And the filter really wants to make a mess too. The design engineers did a great job on the engine but it's pretty clear they don't do their own oil changes.

 

As has been stated multiple times in this thread, put a gallon Ziplock bag over it as you unscrew and your mess is solved.

 

Just curious, you going full synthetic on new oil? I too am coming up on first oil change. Most likely Mobile 1 synthetic.. Still shopping though..

 

Yes I am switching to Mobil 1 extended performance. That Is a true synthetic. I'll bring the oil to them and take advantage of my first free oil change. And they need to look at a squeak anyway

 

Royal purple!