how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

I am tired of paying someone 30 bucks to do an oil change and check stuff for me....

this is lame but how do i do an oil change? how do i do my own inspection of my truck to make sure everything is okay?

the oil change i do comes with:

Oil Change with National Brand Oil
(conventional oil, up to 5 quarts)
Install New Oil Filter
Lube Chassis*
Check and Fill** Transmission Fluid
Check and Fill** Differential Fluid
Check and Fill** Radiator Coolant
Check and Fill** Power Steering Fluid
Inspect Battery Fluid* and Top Off
Check and Fill** Windshield Washer Fluid
Visually Check Brake Fluid Level
Inspect Air Filter and Cabin Air Filter*
Inspect Wiper Blades
Inspect Belts and Hoses
Inspect PCV* and Breather*
Check and Set Tire Pressure
Clean Front and Rear Exterior Windshields
Vacuum Front and Rear Floorboards

thirty bucks for something that i already do is ridicoulous...the red i already know how to do...the rest..i dont

pictures would be appreciated!!!

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

well its kind of hard to explain how to change your oil while typing.

to check your battery fluid just pop off the caps on the tops of the battery. if you can see water in there your fine.

brake fluid you look at the master cylinder and you can see the brake fluid there and on the side it has a level where it should be at.

for the air filter just pop it out and look at it. if its dirty buy a new one.

rangers dont have cabin filters.

belts and hoses im not to sure about but im just assuming visually look at them for signs of wear or cracks.

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

Well you do need a drain pan I prefeer one you can store the oil in and have a lid on it so you wont spill any oil. Also your local auto parts store recycles oil for you. The bolt you take out of your oil pan is a 17mm Metric I believe. Set your drain pan under the bolt so the oil will drain into the pan. Make sure you clean that bolt before you put it back in. Next slide the drain pan to the left under the oil filter located right above the starter. You will have to use a oil filter wrench. To get the right size filter wrench, you have to get the filter for your engine size and see which filter it will go in. Then you have to take the oil filter off. let it drain in the drain pan. Make sure you take the new oil and lube the holes in the filter they say you have to put new oil inside your filter I never do. Hand tighten your filter back up and turn it half way once with the filter wrench. Then you need to put the oil back in where the oil goes. Theres a cap on your block. It has a little Icon on it, it looks like a quart of oil dripping. A 3.0 takes 4.5 quarts. Before you pour your oil in, make sure your filter is nice and tight along with your oil pan bolt.

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

oil filter wrench is that the same as a spark plug wrench? just needing a deep socket??

does the truck need to be level?

what is a master cylinder?

thanks for your help guys! 1 thousand more miles and ill get right on it!

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

An oil filter wrench is a lot bigger than a spark plug wrench... lol yes truck needs to be level I don't jack mine up. It stays on the ground. Your break master cylinder is bolted on your firewall on the driver side under the hood. It's bolted to a big round drum looking thing. It has the black cap on top of the master cylinder resivore. First things first. Go to your local auto parts store and get you either a Haynes or Chilton's Repair Manuel and read it. It will have detail instruction step by step on how to do these repairs. It's not hard once you learn. Be patient and have plenty of time to do your projects A lot of people like to drink while they are working on their trucks but me I drink soda's or gatorade while I work on mine.

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

i dont drink beer or light alocholic drinks lol so i think ill steer away from drinking too haha changing the oil seems easy enough :)

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

Changing the oil on a 3.0 requires a little flexibility experience. I usually pull them out the side through the wheel well. Be careful not to get oil everywhere.

Make sure you go with a full synthetic oil as well as a Motorcraft filter, as Ford recommends it, and this combo is what the 3.0 LOVES.:D

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

if there is a meet & greet near you I would go, then some of the guys can show you in person, hands on is the best teacher, or is it hands on the teacher (only if it is a she teacher) is best

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

Master cylinder in the middle:
http://www.fordrangerforum.com/membe.../13645-001.jpg

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

is your truck an automatic? if it is, you check the trans fluid by running the truck through every gear including reverse. Then check the fluid level. Too add more you'll need a funnel to fit in the transmission dipstick tube and then poor ATF in slowly, dont add too much. You can drain it like how you would drain the engine oil too. There is a trans filter too, but I dont think you need to change it with every flush, but you can if you want.

Power-steering is pretty straight forward, I haven't looked at the ranger's system yet but I drained one on a Sentra by pulling a hose. The tank should have the hot and cold full line right on it. Then to prime it just leave the cap off, turn it on and turn the wheel back and fourth a bunch of times.

For radiator, it should be flushed every 4-6 years, there is a overflow tank that has the fill line on the side, if its low add 50/50 mix antifreeze. (And you might want to figure out why its low if it is) I would let a shop or garage flush the radiator, unless you got a huge tank to put old antifreeze/water in. If you do drain it all out you need to keep pouring in purified water the run it a couple of times and drain it a couple of time until only water comes out of the radiator, after that fill the radiator with 100% antifreeze then run the truck for a while so the purified water in the block can mix with the antifreeze, it might not be a perfect 50/50 mix, but it should be close enough.

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

My manual says synth blend, full synth is costly but well worth it!!

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

Yeah and to check the trans fluid let it get hot then check the dip stick. Not sure if someone mentioned it but you should check your air filter to if you're going to do maintence on your vehicle.

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

Hmm, the manual I saw recommended full synthetic IIRC. Oh well.lol

Re: how do i..... (STILL LEARNING)
 

wow guys GREAT INFO!!! thank you