First Oil Change

[Vlad Soare]

The problem isn't the plug itself, but its location. As soon as you remove it, a stream of hot oil will shoot laterally, which may be a problem if you don't know what to expect. And it can make a mess of your garage floor or your driveway if you want to do it yourself, on ramps. Really stupid location, especially when you consider that the oil that's below the level of the plug will not drain.
An added bonus of the Ronin is that you don't need a new plug every time you change the oil. Sure, you can reuse the OEM plug if you want, but Ford advises against it.

Sponsored

 

[cactus_kid]

@Vlad Soare, did you wait till the OLM gave notice or, before ?

 

[cactus_kid]

Evidently, Ford is not concerned with what remains in the pan. I'm not going to stress over it either.

 

[Vlad Soare]

@Vlad Soare, did you wait till the OLM gave notice or, before ?

The OLM gave notice about two weeks ago. But it bothered me to see that yellow message on every engine start, so I reset it right there and then.
I was already planning to do it, because it's been one year since I got the car, and they say it should be changed after one year or fifteen thousand kilometers, whichever comes first. I had only done nine thousand.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Evidently, Ford is not concerned with what remains in the pan. I'm not going to stress over it either.

It's not the oil I'm concerned about, but all the crud in the oil that I suspect accumulates at the bottom of the pan. But I don't know, maybe I'm worrying for nothing.
I'm a cynical man. I think if Ford had a reason to put the plug in a bad place, they would do so regardless of any negative consequences that it might have in the long run. Once the car is out of warranty, it's not their problem anymore.

 

[Sivi70980]

Well, my GT had its first oil change today. I'm happy to report that there's no tick yet. We'll see... Fingers crossed...
While I was at it, I also installed a Ronin oil drain plug. I must confess though that it looks a bit like overkill to me. I mean, it's certainly impressive, very well built, and I'm sure it works as advertised, but frankly the oil change wasn't as awfully messy as I expected. The guy who did it must have seen many similar, laterally mounted drain plugs, because he knew exactly where to place the container - a big tray mounted on a telescopic leg - in order to catch the stream of oil without spilling anything. There was no mess. So he wasn't too impressed with the Ronin; he didn't quite see the point.

If using a lift, yeah normal drain plug will be fine and replace as needed. Ronin and other valves are invaluable if on jack stands though. And the most important part is of course the cool points.

 

[ctandc72]

I use the Ronin on my 19 - it's worth it for ME. I can adjust the flow so it actually hits the center drain hole in the drain pan (one less thing to clean afterwards). If you don't have a lift or a huge drain pan, you'll have to use two drain pans (or stay under there until the flow lessens then move the drain pan back) The messy part is the filter. I solved that by using another pan under the filter, piercing the bottom edge of the oil filter with a screwdriver and letting it drain straight into the pan (and not all over the steering rack electronics / harness).

I don't deal with dealerships for maintenance - and that's just me. Instead of sitting in the waiting room and drinking coffee / watching TV - on Saturday or during work hours (when I have to take off work to do it) I'll do other things in my shop while the oil change is going on. I can do them whatever day / time I feel like it and I don't have to wait on anyone else.

I worked in a dealership garage YEARS ago. I remember who we always gave the oil changes to. They were not mechanics or techs. So there's that. I'm sure there are great dealerships with great service departments - just not my thing.

As for the rattle (no tick at 22K on my '19 GT) - I hear it once in a blue moon only at a very specific and narrow RPM range. Gas pedal and / or radio fixes that everytime.

 

[Sivi70980]

I use the Ronin on my 19 - it's worth it for ME. I can adjust the flow so it actually hits the center drain hole in the drain pan (one less thing to clean afterwards). If you don't have a lift or a huge drain pan, you'll have to use two drain pans (or stay under there until the flow lessens then move the drain pan back) The messy part is the filter. I solved that by using another pan under the filter, piercing the bottom edge of the oil filter with a screwdriver and letting it drain straight into the pan (and not all over the steering rack electronics / harness).

I don't deal with dealerships for maintenance - and that's just me. Instead of sitting in the waiting room and drinking coffee / watching TV - on Saturday or during work hours (when I have to take off work to do it) I'll do other things in my shop while the oil change is going on. I can do them whatever day / time I feel like it and I don't have to wait on anyone else.

I worked in a dealership garage YEARS ago. I remember who we always gave the oil changes to. They were not mechanics or techs. So there's that. I'm sure there are great dealerships with great service departments - just not my thing.

As for the rattle (no tick at 22K on my '19 GT) - I hear it once in a blue moon only at a very specific and narrow RPM range. Gas pedal and / or radio fixes that everytime.

I got the 3D printed half funnel thing from a guy on the forum a few years ago that helps with the filter change. My main problem with the filter is the asshat (me) that keep putting the old one on too tight!

 

[cactus_kid]

It's not the oil I'm concerned about, but all the crud in the oil that I suspect accumulates at the bottom of the pan. But I don't know, maybe I'm worrying for nothing.
I'm a cynical man. I think if Ford had a reason to put the plug in a bad place, they would do so regardless of any negative consequences that it might have in the long run. Once the car is out of warranty, it's not their problem anymore.

In my case, it is their problem. I have the 60 mo/100,000 mi Platinum coverage.

 

[cactus_kid]

Could this ticking be related to the sound tube from the air intake. Isn't there some kind of diaphragm in there somewhere ?

 

[Sivi70980]

Could this ticking be related to the sound tube from the air intake. Isn't there some kind of diaphragm in there somewhere ?

In one of the threads on the tick years ago someone data logged while normal driving and their conclusion was at around 2k RPM is when the fuel transitions from port to direct injection. From day 1, like clockwork, I've heard the 2k rattle thing. I'll be more worried if it stops at this point. The tick at idle didn't happen till after the first oil change and is very intermittent. I'll be sure to have both documented and checked out when warranty is near expiring maybe. Also not a fan of others doing work to my car.

 

[cactus_kid]

Interesting as I cannot hear it. Maybe Ford fixed the issue on the '21 MY. Who knows. Other things in life to worry about.

 

[Sivi70980]

Interesting as I cannot hear it. Maybe Ford fixed the issue on the '21 MY. Who knows. Other things in life to worry about.

Maybe. My theory is that every 3rd gen Coyote makes the sound and some just don't hear it. If an A10 owner, maybe the auto trans tends to keep it out of the 2k range better than manual drivers. Some also may just be heavier on the pedal always and the sound only occurs under very light throttle as if just trying to maintain a speed. Or most likely, I'm just crazy.

 

[cactus_kid]

My wife accuses me of that all the time. And yes, I have an A10 so that may make the difference if it is mainly those with the manual that can hear it.

 

[Vlad Soare]

I'm not worried about the 2K rattle. I'm pretty sure it's the normal sound of the direct fuel injectors. All DI engines sound like that. And it isn't really that bad. It is indeed some extra noise, but it doesn't feel like an unnatural noise, it feels like any other kind of noise than an engine might make.
Whereas the typewriter tick sounds so obviously wrong that anyone, even someone who knows nothing about cars, would think the engine is broken.
It's this tick that tends to appear after the first oil change. And no one knows what it is. Not even Ford. Actually, the cynical part of me thinks that Ford knows what it is, but they won't tell us because they know it's bad. But let's say I'm wrong and give them the benefit of the doubt, and say they don't know.

Sponsored