How to Change the Oil for your Mustang Cobra
Changing the oil on your Mustang Cobra
is an excellent way to develop a better understanding of the inner
workings of your car. Not only that, but you’ll also avoid having to pay
a service to complete the job for you, and you’ll be assured of the
quality of the work that took place as well. For all of these reasons
and more, it’s a good idea to take the brief amount of time periodically
that it requires in order to change the oil in your own vehicle.
Changing the oil in a Cobra generally takes no more than an hour or
so. It’s necessary to check the oil about every 3000 miles of driving or
so. Before you change it, test it out with a dipstick to be sure of the
quality of the oil. Read on for a set of instructions on how to change
the oil in your Cobra.
Step 1 — Gather Your Materials
You’ll need the following items in order to change the oil in your Cobra:
- New oil filter
- Oil collection pan
- Jack stand set
- Several quarts of new oil
- New gasket system (potentially)
- Wrenches
- Newspapers, funnel and paper cloths or towels
Step 2 — Prep the Car
Begin by jacking the front end of the car up on stands. You should
then open up the hood and keep it propped up with the bar that comes
attached. Locate the oil container and place a set of newspapers below
it to catch any oil that might drip or fall as you’re working.
Step 3 — Drain the Oil
Loosen the oil drain plug by hand. Be sure to have your collection
pan placed beneath the oil container as you do this, because the old oil
will start to drain from the container as soon as the collection drain
plug is loosened at all. Allow several minutes for all of the oil to
drain from the container before you continue. Then clean off the base of
the oil container with a set of paper cloths or towels.
Step 4 — Check on the Filter
Unscrew the oil filter next to the drain plug. You may need a wrench
in order to get it started, but you should then be able to screw it off
by hand. Examine the oil filter for signs of wear and tear. If it
appears that the filter mechanism itself may be damaged, or if there’s
excessive debris and corrosion in it, you should plan to change the
filter out for a new one in its place. Know however that you may not
need to change the oil filter every time that you change the oil in your
car, so it’s worth checking first.
Step 5 — Add New Oil
Close up the drain plug once again and insert the funnel into the top
of the oil container. Look on the back of the oil packaging to see how
many quarts you’ll need, then allow that many quarts exactly to drip
into the car’s oil container. Be sure that you allow several minutes for
the oil to collect inside of the car. You can then close up the hood on
your vehicle and remove it from the jack stands.
Before you plan to drive your Mustang Cobra once again, be sure to
check on the oil levels. You can do this once again using a dipstick. It
may be necessary to either add a little more oil tr to allow some to
drain out of the container in order to be sure that you have exactly the
right amount before you drive.
All of the materials and tools necessary for this project can be
found at your local hardware store or at a car body shop store. If you
have any questions about changing the oil on your Mustang Cobra, ask a
mechanic.