How To Change the Oil for your Mustang GT

One of the many joys of owning a Mustang GT is working on the car. The more that you work on your vehicle and the more time that you spend with it, the deeper the connection you’ll have with the car and the better understanding of the car you’ll have as well. One of the best ways to gain a better knowledge of your Mustang and to simultaneously keep the car in the best shape possible is to routinely change the oil in the vehicle. This helps to keep the engine from overheating and is generally necessary for the steady and quality running of the car over a longer period of time. You should plan on changing the oil in your Mustang GT about every 3000 miles or so.

You can perform a quick test on your Mustang GT to determine whether you’ll need to change the oil. Simply purchase an oil tester kit from your local auto body shop and test the dipper in the oil on your vehicle. If the oil comes out free of any debris or other materials, it can usually be used for many more miles. If not, however, you’ll need to change the oil right away in order to avoid damage to the engine and other components of your car. Follow these steps to clean the oil in your Mustang GT on your own and for less money then you’d have to pay at a mechanic shop.

Step 1 — Gather the Tools and Materials

You’ll need the following tools and materials in order to properly change the oil in your Mustang GT:

• New oil filter
• Jack stand set
• New oil pan to collect used oil
• Set of new oil that matches the quality that you’re looking for for your Mustang GT
• Newspaper, paper towels, funnel and other cleaning devices

Step 2 — Prep the Area

Begin by laying down newspapers below the area of the front portion of your Mustang. This will help to prevent messy spills and oil from seeping into areas where it shouldn’t go. Next, open up the hood on your Mustang and prop it open with the bar that attaches to it. You can then locate the oil underneath the hood and unscrew the oil cap by hand.

Step 3 — Loosen the Oil Drain Plug and Drain the Oil

Making sure that the engine has been off for a few hours so that the oil will not be too hot, locate the oil drain plug on the side of the oil system and loosen it. You may need a wrench in order to do so properly. As soon as you loosen it past a certain point, the dirty oil in your car’s engine system will begin to leak out and fall below, so you’ll need to have your oil collection pan set up already. Place the pan right below the drain plug in order to catch all of it without spilling or splashing.

Step 4 — Loosen and Remove the Old Filter

After you’ve cleaned out the oil drain plug with a set of paper towels, loosen the oil filter by hand and unscrew it so that it comes off. Examine it for signs of damage; you may not need to replace it every time that you change the oil. If it appears to be damaged, set up a new oil filter in its place.

Step 5 — Replace Drain Plug and Add Oil

Replace the drain plug and add new oil to the gasket system. You’ll need to check in with your Mustang owner’s manual in order to determine exactly how many quarts of oil to use, and it’s generally considered better to use synthetic oil as it has a higher performance rating and is better for the engine.

Step 6 — Check the Oil Level

Before you attempt to operate your Mustang GT again, check the oil levels manually to make sure they are correct; add more oil if you need to, or drain excess oil if that’s appropriate.