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Changing oil in a Ford Transit is a 10-minute chore, when you are properly prepared.
While oil changing procedures are generally the same from vehicle to vehicle, this series of steps was specifically done on my 2016 Transit LWB MR 3.7L-V6.*
Preparation
- Park the van on a flat service.
- Raise the front of the vehicle a few inches with the use of blocks.
- Use wheel chocks to block any movement.
- Set the emergency brake and leave the transmission in ‘Park’.
- Use a tarp under the vehicle, to stay clean.
- Gather the correct wrench, oil filter wrench, oil drip pan, oil funnel, motor oil, oil filter and some rags.
Draining Oil
- Remove the oil pan drain plug and wait for the oil to drain into the oil drip pan.
- Renew the oil filter.
- Reinstall the oil pan drain plug.
- Refill the engine with the appropriate, new oil.
- Reset the Oil Life Monitor.
Reset the Oil Life Monitor
- Switch the ignition on. Do not start the engine.
- Press the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time.
- Keep the accelerator and brake pedals fully pressed.
- After three seconds, a message confirming that the reset is in progress will be displayed.
- After 25 seconds, a message confirming that the reset is complete will be displayed.
- Release the accelerator and brake pedals.
- The message confirming that the reset is complete will no longer be displayed.
- Switch the ignition off.
Dispose of engine oils and/or oil filters at an authorized waste disposal facility.
*Always follow the instructions in the Ford Transit’s manual above anything else.
Nice job!
Added ideas: tie a clean shop towel around wrist that unscrews oil filter and fill new oil filter with oil before installation.
How many quarts of new oil is needed.
Great camara work. Thank you.
Bill
Good idea! I should have used latex gloves, but the camera work always interferes. I try to make it look smooth, but sometimes it is a matter of retaping, moving camera position, lighting… Never knew how much work it is. I did put some oil on the filter gasket to make a good fit.
I have the standard 3.7L-V6 engine and it needs 6 quarts (5.7L) including the oil filter.
Thanks for the input and stay in touch.
Van Williams
Van,
There is a Youtube video cautioning that one of the Ford V6s requires 5 1/2 quarts and that if you put in 6 it will overflow into the turbo and coke it up. Not sure if it is the same engine as yours, but you might want to check. He also cautioned that the oil filler and the dip stick are very close, so you need to wait a long time after adding oil to check oil level with the dip stick.
Bobby
Hey Bobby,
Thanks for the warning! I never go with the numbers mentioned in the manual. 6 Quarts is a good indication of what you might need to have at hand at minimum.
I fill to the maximum dipstick level, then check after a while again and add if necessary. Usually, I check again the next day for the level and if there are leaks from the drain plug or oil filter.
As you said, you should never overfill. Thanks for the input.
Van Williams
Speaking of oil filter, you may think this overkill but I was taught in HS to, if possible, pre-fill the filter with oil so that there is no delay in pumping up oil to much needed parts requiring lubrication. In fact, in order to saturate the filter element, this should be done the night before installation.
A no-expense engine longevity tip.