Newbie first question - Oil Change 2009 1.6 TDCi

[ThePowster]

Hey guys.

So I just joined this forum today, done the introduction and now ready to absorb information like a sponge

My Focus is a 2009 1.6 TDCI and it seems to run pretty much sweet but I have put 7,000 miles on it since I bought it (now 107k) and I have no paperwork to say when the last oil change was so this is first on my list.

I have bought an Haynes manual today which will help but I am stuck on where to locate the correct parts.

So ... from what I can tell I will need / want as follows:

• Engine Flush (for peace of mind want to give this a go, what do you recommend?)
• Engine oil (what's a good quality oil to get and where to get it from?)
• oil Filter (do I have to stay with OE filter or is there a more efficient one?)
• Magnetic Sump Plug (really confused, some are M14 x 1.5 and some are M14 x 1.25, which do I need?)

Looking to give this a go next week, so If someone can point me in the right direction on where to obtain what I will need and recommend good products, that would help me a lot.

I have never done an oil change on a car before but done plenty on motorbikes so I am looking forward to giving this a go.

Thanks in advance.

Matt

 

 

[andypsp]

hi matt welcome. here are some answers for you for the questions you posted

engne flush - i always use stp engine flush around £3 a bottle (or less if you go onto the euro car parts site) eurocarparts code Product Code: 549771811 (£2.08 with discount code this week)

oil filter - around £6 they all do the same job so dont worry too much about the brand, not sure if your is the paper filter or the round metal type it should tell you in the haynes book) eBay item number:120497178028 or eurocarparts Product Code : 501545120 £4.99 with discount code

oil - Castrol 5w30 around £28 (eBay or asda) £24 ebay eBay item number:282408993408

sump plug - never changed mine just the copper washer i replace on mine.

air filter - around £9 (eBay best place can send you the item numbers if you wish for what you need) £8.70 eBay item number:391318887328

if you have the above oil filter in you car then you`ll need a 36mm socket to remove the oilfilter houseing, £10 eBay item number:191092309334

socket can be brought single if you never need the other sizes eBay item number:301927918969 £7

[Albert27]

Hi Matt,

I think the other/standard socket sizes are 27mm for the oil filter socket & 21mm socket for sump plug (washer is like 89p).  I'd got all the wrong size tools on my first oil change lol, was very frustrating.  I use Triple QX  for Ford diesel from ECP, £26.99 and sometimes they do an offer with a free fuel filter thrown in. If not, ALWAYS buy with a discount code as there's always a 'sale' on.  Alternatively if you can't get a code go over to carparts4less, same company just without all the sale's to sift through - just the bottom price.  Or a sAndy says, eBay is good too!

 

[andypsp]

oops i messed up a little on the oil filter socket size, have amended the eBay numbers below for the 27mm socket size... (i should have checked my size socket 1st before sending the reply lol)

£5.60 eBay item number:152458735612

[andypsp]

2 hours ago, Albert27 said:

Hi Matt,

I think the other/standard socket sizes are 27mm for the oil filter socket & 21mm socket for sump plug (washer is like 89p).  I'd got all the wrong size tools on my first oil change lol, was very frustrating.  I use Triple QX  for Ford diesel from ECP, £26.99 and sometimes they do an offer with a free fuel filter thrown in. If not, ALWAYS buy with a discount code as there's always a 'sale' on.  Alternatively if you can't get a code go over to carparts4less, same company just without all the sale's to sift through - just the bottom price.  Or a sAndy says, ebay is good too!

 

i can remember when eurocarparts used so sell the triple qx oil at £19.99, now they have it marked up at £32 (or £22 with this weeks discount code) its a good oil aswell as never had any probs with the oil changes that i`ve done on my mates cars through the year

mind you quick look on eBay and you`ll find triple qx at £20 

[avi]

18 hours ago, ThePowster said:

 

I have bought an Haynes manual today which will help but I am stuck on where to locate the correct parts.

So ... from what I can tell I will need / want as follows:

• Engine Flush (for peace of mind want to give this a go, what do you recommend?)
• Engine Oil (what's a good quality oil to get and where to get it from?)
• Oil Filter (do I have to stay with OE filter or is there a more efficient one?)
• Magnetic Sump Plug (really confused, some are M14 x 1.5 and some are M14 x 1.25, which do I need?)

 

 

 

Try carparts4less.co.uk  for service items of after market parts.  CP4L is part of Eurocarparts and you can use the same product code to find items but CP4L usually costs less and includes free dleivery.  You can also get cashback if you use Quidco which is currently 5.5%.

Triple QX oil 5L (part 521776071) is £18.69 delivered using PAYDAY12 discount code but it expires today I think but they do the discounts frequently.  They also offer other oils such as Castrol Magantec 5w30 stop 4L (part 521773421) which is £27.84 delivered.

 

 

[ThePowster]

Hey guys thank you so much for the info there. It will no doubt come in handy just as soon as I can get the PC working.

Hard drive went down this morning so stuck with me phone until Monday. Always something huh lol.

Appreciate the tips I'll keep y'all posted how I go on and try and take some clear pics as I go to help any other newbies out like myself who are attempting this for the first time.

Cheers :)

[Dee_82]

hmm, I  would be seriously concerned with using an oil flush on this engine that has done 107k. 

if it were me, I would use flush, then replace it with cheap oil, run it for a few miles, drain it again then fill with your good oil.

Flushing could cause flakes of crap to come loose which if left to float about, might start blocking up filters, the one that's a problem is the small filter in the turbo feed pipe

I think the general consensus is that flushes can be a problem if you don't know the state of the engine.

ive been using BG 109 (EPR) for a while, every 3 oil changes, but ive been doing it for a long time, I had the sump off not long ago and its pristine inside so I'm more than happy with the results.

I change the oil every 6k,

as for the Sump plug, the cheap-o magnetic ones off eBay are crap, I wouldn't bother with it, you can get some really good ones but you will be paying 2 or 3 times as much.

[Devonboy]

As for oil I always use Petronas 3000FR oil available from carpart4less when they have weekend offers (36% off today) with free postage.

As for engine flushing, don't bother.

[ThePowster]

Morning fellas, finally got PC running again

Really appreciate all the advice here, I had never heard of carparts4less or eurocarparts before and they look like cracking sites and seem good for a lot of things.

I have decided on an oil and cheapest place is from Halfords of all places, Mobil Super 3000 X1 Formula FE 5W-30, 5l of it for £23.99, its 29.94@ Carparts and 46.99 at Eurocarparts so it seems a real bargain.

I also had no idea about needing specific size sockets for this job so that's been helpful too.

The deal on this oil expires tomorrow so I am off to get some this morning as it's a cracking price and it gets top reviews on Halfords website.

I am also going to get some Millers Diesel Power Ecomax and give it a tank of Shell V-Nitro stuff.

My car runs great, smooth, no smoke and no worries but I would rather treat it with some love before any problems start and keep on top of it.

I'll let ya know if I break it

 

[andypsp]

glad you have enjoyed the help. Halfords do have some good deals now and then, keep a lookout every year on boxing day the bang out there own brand oil at £12 for 4ltrs thats the time to stockup  if your gonna use millers ecomax, then theres no real need to fill up withv-nitro as it has all the additives added allready lol.

did you find out if your oil filter was the metal or paper type ?

[Dee_82]

carparts4less and eurocarparts are the same company, their online customer service is utterly horrendous but the staff in the eurocarparts stores (stores that Halfords actually order their parts from) are much better.  personally I get the online discounts then pck it up in store for the good service.

[ThePowster]

Morning fellas.

I am not receiving email replies for some reason to tell me anyone has replied to any topics, hmm I shall look into that.

Well today is oil change day, am excited lol.

This is the filter I got but the washer looks small to me, how small will those threads be on the sump plug to go through that washer.

Sods law is I drop the oil find its wrong one they gave me then I cannot get back to the garage to get another lol.

Good tip Dee about collecting the parts, I would do that in future.

Off to fetch some sockets from Halfords and get me hands dirty. Wish me luck :)

[ThePowster]

Evening gang.

I did my first oil change today. Quite enjoyed it.

Initially it went smoothly until it came to fitting the oil filter. I could not get the cap on no matter how hard I tried.

I spent 2 hours trying to screw this oil filter cap in and it wouldn't have it. After much swearing I decided to approach it from a different angle.

There's a solid pipe that runs close by attached by a bracket so I undid that and the cap went in first time. It appears that this large solid pipe was just fouling the oil filter preventing it catching the threads evenly.

So all it done. Been for a drive. Can't tell the difference to be honest lol.

I let her drain for 20 mins until it stopped. Filled it up with fresh oil and the dipstick shown black oil and not the clear stuff I'd put in which I found odd as it dripped dry.

I took y'all advice and left the flush well alone (thanks for that) and I did notice a small oil leak maybe on the gearbox.

I took a pic but my pc is down again so I'll upload in a few days.

Appreciate all your help and advice. I couldn't have done this otherwise. Tips on size sockets I needed also really helped.

:)

[andypsp]

good to hear that the 1st oil change went to plan you`ll find it easier and quicker to do next time to do it, oil don`t stay clean for long in a diesel, normally black again in a few weeks. did you check your air filter at the same time to see if that was ok or needed changeing 

[Dee_82]

Bit late for this now but for next time....

That down pipe for the intercooler needs unscrewed, theres a bolt at the top and one at the bottom, to save putting unnecessary stress on the brackets welded to this pipe id suggest undoing both of them, the brackets a notorious weak point on this down pipe and can rust and crack the pipe giving you a boost leak!

I'm impressed you managed to get the oil filter out without disconnecting it to be honest!

[ThePowster]

Morning guys.

Yeah it went well yesterday despite the oil filter fiasco and definitely I could do this in half the time next time :)

I haven't checked the filter yet but I have the EGR blanking plate coming and I wanted to get one of those cotton green filters to put in soon.

It's a shame the Haynes manual doesn't detail that certain pipes need to be removed to refit the oil filter cover.

Some pics ere I wanted to share for anyone else wanting to have a go and its the bracket that needs to be taken off with a 10mm socket that runs right next to the oil filter which was causing the threads to foul and not catch, only a slight amount but enough to stop it going back on.

Also under my engine, that oil leak I mentioned, it looked a bit wet but nothing major and the floor pan thing I took off wasn't really wet with oil either so it can't be a significant leak and I don't think it was engine oil, could it have been gearbox oil perhaps? And what is that rectangle missing bit, overflow? or a chunk out lol.

Another thing that baffled me was the sealing washer on the oil filter cap, it doesn't fit in square, it sits in on an angle, again I tried for a while to get this to sit flush and only when I took it off and examined I saw that the shape of the plastic forced the rubber seal this way.

Finally the state of the oil that came out the engine, my dipstick is still this colour despite 4 litres of this stuff coming out, maybe its remnants of the old oil in the pipe somewhere.

So yep another one done. EGR and filter next :)

 

 

[south_bound]

I learned the hard way with the intercooler pipe being i the way, just like you did.  Much faster and easier the second time knowing that!  Could the oil on the gearbox just be engine oil that came out with the filter and dripped down?  I always manage to drip some from there as I pull the filter out.

 

There is another thread that talked about the right order of doing things, but I never remember and probably do it different each time.  I goes something like - open engine oil cap, remove dipstick, open filter cap, remove sump plug, remove filter.  That way all the oil flows out as air is allowed in from the top.  Also make sure the engine is warm so the oil flows better.

 

I have a question on the sump plug - did you find out what diameter and thread it is?  Mine has some of the thread stripped, probably by over tightening (either before I had the car or when I was still a novice oil changer) and need to stack a few washers to get it to bind properly.  I always forget to check the thread size when it is off and then can't check it when it is back in for obvious reasons.  ECP and other sites seem confused when I put in the number plate and can't find the right one.    Do all Focus Mk 2 and 2.5 use the same plug?

[ThePowster]

I just removed the filter then the sump plug and let it drain with a warm engine.

I would probably take out the dipstick and take the oil filler cap off next time, good idea that.

Unfortunately I did not check the diameter of the sump plug thread. I'd give your local Ford dealer a ring and get a new one.

It is confusing because all the magnetic ones on eBay for my model are different pitch bolts so I'll stick with original for now.

[Dee_82]

I have cycled the oil on this engine 4 times in short succession, it will still come out black, even after the 3rd attempt it was dark, but you could at least see through it...almost, I suspect you would need to change the oil a good 6 times or so before its honey clear. 

The plug very much depends on the sump, I have a replacement Sump on mine which uses a different oil seal and has a different thread / plug, just get whatever works and stick with it, id really not bother with the magnetic sump plug unless you spend a fortune on one, all the ones on eBay and crap.

 

 

 

[Albert27]

On 05/04/2017 at 9:00 AM, ThePowster said:

t's a shame the Haynes manual doesn't detail that certain pipes need to be removed to refit the oil filter cover.

 

I find Haynes is great - it gives the perfect instruction if every job went like a textbook.  Only problem is, in the real world there are so many problems or issues that crop up in the middle and it doesn't address them.  I guess that's where this forum comes in!

 

On 05/04/2017 at 9:00 AM, ThePowster said:

Some pics ere I wanted to share for anyone else wanting to have a go and its the bracket that needs to be taken off with a 10mm socket that runs right next to the oil filter which was causing the threads to foul and not catch, only a slight amount but enough to stop it going back on.

 

Thanks for posting the pics.  I will be doing my second oil change soon (on my own this time) and will find them useful.  Like you on my first oil change and first ever proper job on the car i got in a right mess without proper tools.  Thankfully there was a petrol head  working nearby who helped me out but we took ages to get the filter back on - like you had to remove stuff to get it on flush.  Am a little worried about the second attempt but hopefully should be ok!

[ThePowster]

24 minutes ago, Albert27 said:

 Am a little worried about the second attempt but hopefully should be ok!

I wouldn't worry about it too much Albert, it will be so much easier next time round.

I spent a good 2 hours on trying to get that filter on when all it needed was that bracket moving, do this and it should just screw straight on, start to finish I think should be a couple of hr job at the most, that included jacking it up, engine panel off etc.

Can you have a look at your gearbox for me while you are there, see if there is a rectangle missing like there is on mine and see if yours has any oil on it too.

I am wondering if this could be some sort of overflow or something.

Good luck and keep us posted how you get on.

[Albert27]

14 minutes ago, ThePowster said:

Can you have a look at your gearbox for me while you are there, see if there is a rectangle missing like there is on mine and see if yours has any oil on it too

Thanks Matt.  I will have a look no problem when I do the job.

[Dee_82]

mine  has the little cut out, it doesn't leak from there but because its the lowest point any an all fluids will pool down there before dripping off

 

[MJNewton]

If any of you want to know what thread size/pitch your sump plugs are drop me a PM with your reg and I'll look them up on Microcat.