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Oil Change

C

CrashDummy

CEG'er
Joined
Mar 23, 2004
Messages
40
Location
CT, USA
I have a very noob topic to present to you guys today. I am going to change my oil for the first time this weekend. I have a 1999 with the 2.0L Zetec. What type of oil (10W30?), how much (5 quarts?), and what type of filter will I need? Any tips for someone who is doing this for the first time? As far as the brand goes I was thinking GTX High Mileage. Any reason I shouldn't use that?
 
When I had my '95 Zetec, I regularly used 5 quarts of Catrol GTX High Mileage 5w30 with no problems.
Have you already purchased a filter?
I used to get the Motorcraft FL300 and sometimes the Pure One filter (14670 was the code IIRC - Pep Boys carried it in my area).

Tips: remove the passenger front wheel to access the filter.
Everything else is pretty standard after that.
 
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99 Zetec uses a different filter. It's a Motorcraft FL2005. And put in 4.5 quarts 5w30, no more.

Using the FL400 will result in valvetrain noise when cold.
 
I would use Valvoline Maxlife Sybthetic Blend if it were my car, it's just a personal choice, but I think Maxlife's additive package is superior to Castrol's and you get some better base oil stocks with the blend.

The FL2005 says its been discontinued in the Motorcraft online catalog and to use the FL400S the "S" means it has a silicone anti-drain-back valve which reduces the startup noise.

How many miles are on the Car and how do you use it? Daily commute with a lot of highway or lots of (or infrequent) short trips around town with minimal highway use?
If you drive alot of highway in a Daily use car I would just use the cheapest oil and filter I could find (like the oil change specials at autozone and CSK stores for 9.99) and just change it every 4K miles. As far as picking a weight for summer I'd use the 5 or 10w30 and for winter I'd use the 5w20. If you want to maximize oil drain intervals and maybe get better mileage get the thinnest full synthetic oil you can afford (like Mobil 1 0w20) and a Mobil 1/K&N/Pure One oil filter.
 
Thanks Guys but I still have a question. What if I don't use a Motorcraft filter? There are lots of different brands out there (Fram, ect) and they all have a wide range of filters. How do I know which one fits my car?
 
FRAM sucks. Do not use fram. fram bad. use anything but fram. paper towel stuffed into hole better than fram.
 
tredse1 said:
FRAM sucks. Do not use fram. fram bad. use anything but fram. paper towel stuffed into hole better than fram.
Click to expand...

Your advice is noted but my question still stands; the filter can be a Mobil 1/K&N/Pure One/Fram/Motorcraft, whatever but how do I know if it will fit my car? Each one seems to have their own numbering system. I want to be able to walk into an auto store pick up a filter and know if it works with my car, but I have no idea how to do this.
 
oh right sorry, most places used to have books hanging from the shelf, if so equiped you look your vehicle up in the book...sometimes a little computer like wal-mart...if this fails or not there anymore you may accually have to lower yourself to the ask-for-help standards...find a nearby employee, they get paid to tell you crap like that! if you find your self asking for help make the person earn their pay, ask them everything you can think of!:laugh:
 
Your hysteria about fram is a bit over stated (definitely buying into the urban legend web-related hype about the "orange can of death)...A fram extra guard filter is more than adequate for 4 thousand mile oil change intervals. It it the best filter on the market? By no means, but it also won't make your car explode, it functions axactly as any other oil filter on the market. Now if you are putting it on an extremely high performance engine, using it in racing type situations, or going for extended oil drain intervals then it is not the optimal choice.

The easiest way to find all the diferent brands part number is to just put you car into then advanceautoparts.com or autozone.com websites and look at the part numbers listed under the oil filter category.
 
really i'm not into all the hype crap...kinda in a funny mood and also i used to be a HUGE fan of FRAM, then i worked at autozone for a while a learned about how they are really just crap like most cheap filters, only they arn't cheap!, now i buy motorcraft or stp...at least stp is priced at it's quality level....i guess i kinda feel cheated by frams stupid advertising claims and such, they are just a cheap crap filter that's all....no consiricy

and i agree about the websites, sorry i forgot bout the internet!
 
Whatever the one site was, "bob the oil guy" I think? I don't think he has it up anymore, but he took apart every type of oil filter, compared how they were put together, how good of filtering material, etc. Fram pretty much was crap on everything... the material was crap and cheap, they were put together crappy, etc. I've heard of numerous cases of Fram filters completely failing... just falling apart, etc. Motorcraft filters did pretty good, so that's what I stick with now. They're not much more than a Fram filter, maybe $1.50 at most. I combine that with 4.5 quarts of Mobil 1 5W30 every 5000-7500 miles.
 
They're good filters. If I can't get the Motorcraft FL2005 I use the PureONE. I cut one open once and it seemed to be pretty sturdy. The canister is made of heavier gauge metal as well.

Who told you they discontinued the FL2005? The 400S DOES NOT have the proper drainback valve! It is specified for Silvertops only. If you have a blacktop zetec you will starve the head for oil at startup.
 
As a midnight stocker at wal-mart I can tell ya they still carry the FL-2005, plus I just changed my oil about a week and a half ago.
 
When I don't bring my car to my mechanic to do oil changes (mom doesn't want me doing them in the driveway because she doesn't want oil everywhere :rolleyes:), I usually pick up Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic Blend with a Motorcraft filter. The filter is pretty cheap, so I don't see why anyone would choose anything besides Motorcraft or another dependable brand instead of Fram.
 
Thanks Guys! I appreciate all the help. Those websites did the trick for finding filters. A couple more quick, but less important questions. Why only 4.5 quarts? I though 5 was what should be used...i mean oil even comes in 5quart containers. Also, do oil filters need to be "fresh"? I'm thinking maybe I should pick up a few FL2005s if I can find them; is there a reason I shouldn't?
 
CrashDummy said:
Thanks Guys! I appreciate all the help. Those websites did the trick for finding filters. A couple more quick, but less important questions. Why only 4.5 quarts? I though 5 was what should be used...i mean oil even comes in 5quart containers. Also, do oil filters need to be "fresh"? I'm thinking maybe I should pick up a few FL2005s if I can find them; is there a reason I shouldn't?
Click to expand...

You can run 5 quarts as Kim said she did, but on some engines it can cause problems related to compression or so I've heard. But then again, some Duratec owners use 6.5 quarts when 5.5 are called for :crazy:
 
DO NOT PUT 5 QUARTS!!!! Overfilling will do several bad things.

1. Zetecs need an oil temperature of around 220-250 degrees for proper lubrication and viscosity. Overfilling the oil (or installing an oil cooler) will cause the heat to be spread out more and you will have low oil temperatures during operation. This causes severe cylinder wall wear, and prevents moisture from burning off in your crankcase. Other than severe on-track racing use, Zetecs do not need any oil coolers or additional capacity. If you overfill, use a bigger filter, oil cooler, etc. you are wearing out your engine for no reason. Some cars can benefit from this, but ours does not.

2. Overfilling can cause rotating parts like the counterweights on the crankshaft to come into contact with the oil which aerates it and whips it into a froth. This is difficult for the oil pump to pump, resulting in low oil pressure which will cause engine failure.

A quart low is always better than a quart over, if you're ever in doubt.

I pour 4 quarts in, start the engine, run it for 15 seconds, and then turn it off, wait 30 seconds, and check it. I then add to bring it to the full mark and not over.

My opinion on oil is either go with full synthetic or the cheapest conventional oil you can find. As far as dino oils go, they are all the same. I have used no-name brand 5w30 for over 100k miles on my zetec and I expect to get another 200k out of it. We can argue about this till everyone is blue in the face but my two cents is this: buy the cheapest API-SL/SM oil you can find and save your money for something that matters.
 
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