Now the clerk at the auto parts store may have told you how much oil your vehicle will take, while they are probably pretty close it is still best to check for yourself. Since most engines take 4 quarts of oil plus one in the filter, I always add the four quarts at first. Wait a few minutes for the oil to flow through the motor and then slide the clean dip stick into the tube. Wait a second or two and slide it back out. There should be two marks on the dip stick; an “Add” and “Full”, some may have the words with the marks, and some may just have marks. Either way, the mark closest to the end of the dip stick is the “add” and the mark towards the handle of the dip stick is the “full” mark. At this time we just want the oil to show somewhere around the add mark. Keep adding oil, checking the dip stick (clean it off every time before you put it in) until the oil is around the add mark.



Once the oil is showing around the add mark, we need to start the motor. This will insure that the filter is full of oil. If you do not do this step and your filter was not fully full before you put it on, your engine will be low on oil. Not good!

So, place the dip stick in the hole and put on the filler cap. Now start the car.

PLEASE NOTE: Never rev the engine when it first starts! Even when you are not changing the oil there is only so much oil in the system at start up, by revving the motor you cause bearings undue stress and increased loads to be applied to them.

Let the motor idle for a minute or two before giving it any gas. This is where most of the damage done to a motor is caused. Also note that in colder weather the oil takes even longer to flow through the motor. As such, let it warm up longer.

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While you are waiting for the filter to drain go ahead and check all the other fluids. Most of them can be checked by just looking at them, such as the brake, antifreeze and window washer The brake fluid level is easy to see and has a “Max” mark to show the full mark. The widow washer fluid can simply be opened to check the level (You don’t have to worry about it being to full) but the antifreeze level on the Explorer is hard to see. It is hidden down on the side and you have to look very closely to see it. Please note that if antifreeze needs to be added the motor and radiator should be cooled off first. This is another reason I like to change the oil after the vehicle has sat over night.Now that you have checked on all the fluids there is two more things you have to do. First, you need to take it for a drive. This is so that you can check to make sure the plug and filter are tight enough and do not leak. While you are driving keep an eye on your oil gauge or oil light, if the light comes on or the gauge runs low, stop the car and check things over and check the fluid level. I would say that you should drive like two miles and check things anyways. Metal expands when hot and what seems to be tight when cold can be loose when warm. If all looks good, why not head over to the auto parts store and drop off the used oil and filter. You can also brag about how you did it yourself. Be sure to let them know that some guy on a sex toy web site showed you how to do it. My first car was a 1974 Ford Pinto, these cars were known to have a design flaw in that the gas tank could rupture when hit from behind. But that is not what killed my first car; it was not checking the oil level. I ran the engine out of oil while doing 75mph down the highway when I was late for work. less

Good plan. If you know the car is using oil or leaking it that is one thing but when you find that it is constantly low, it's time to get it checked. The motor in the Explorer cost $2800, add another $1500 for them to install it (Did it myself) when you concider that money to have it checked, it's pretty cheap. less