Note: This is for the 2.5 engine.
Changing your engine oil is one of the most basic ways you can ensure your car engine is well maintained. If you have never changed your oil, you can do it with basic tools and you will know that it has been done correctly.
You will need the tools shown in figure 1. Ok, well you will at least need some sort of 17mm wrench in order to get your drain plug bolt out. The rest you could probably do without (for instance, if you were stranded on a desert island without that other stuff and you were still planning to change your oil).
Figure 1:
![Image]()
You will also need some new oil and a new filter (figure 2). (IMPORTANT NOTE: I bought 5 quarts. I believe your system capacity is 5 liters, which works out to about 5.3 quarts. Guess I have to get some more). I picked up mine at the local Autozone. I used Mobil1 5W-20. Another member (and fellow Buckeye fan) on here with the handle StitcH likes 5W-30. Either is probably fine, but your owners manual recommends 5W-20 so I'm gonna' use that. Also, note that if you're in Mexico and 5W-20 isn't available, they want you to use 5W-30 (figure 3).
If you have a 2011:
Figure 2:
![Image]()
Figure3:
![Image]()
OK, now that you've scrounged up some tools and the necessary consumables for the job, lets get dirty!
Step 1: Locate your oil filter and drain plug. Figure 4 shows a picture I took from the front of the car. You can see my wrench hanging on the oil drain plug. The filter is located directly above the large cutout section of your plastic guard.
Figure 4:
![Image]()
Step 2: Loosen your oil filter (figure 5). I like to loosen it a little bit, and then loosen my drain plug just so I know that I can get both loose. In this case, I think He-Man was working the assembly line and decided to tighten my filter EXTRA tight, so I would say many curse words and be very frustrated. I'm sure he had a good chuckle about that. I tried to loosen it with my bare hands to no avail. Then, I tried to use the oil filter wrench you saw back in figure 1, but it kept slipping and did not get a good grip on the filter. Finally, I got the idea to cram a rubber gardening glove in-between the filter and the wrench and I was able to get it off! My wife loved this feat of engineering.
Figure 5:
![Image]()
Step 3: Loosen your drain plug bolt (figure 6). You will need your 17mm wrench for this part. I had some more curse words at this point. I thought it was also very tight. Then I realized I was trying to turn it clockwise. Remember folks: righty tighty, lefty loosey.
Figure 6:
![Image]()
Try to capture all of your oil in a oil pan or something. When the filter comes off, your hand will probably get all oily. I probably should have mentioned that earlier, eh?
Figure 7: Success!
![Image]()
Figure 8: When you take your drain plug out, make sure you locate the washer that was on it. You should probably use a new one of these each time you change your oil, but I didn't have any so I just reused the same one. I will get some at the dealership next time I drive by.
![Image]()
Step 4: Your oil is drained and your filter is off. Put your drain plug back in and tighten it. How tight you ask? Whenever I ask someone that question, I always get the same answer: “Well, you don't want it coming off.” So there you have it. But you don't want it so tight that you strip the oil pan either.
Take your old filter and compare it to your new filter. They should look similar and have the same diameter (figure 9). If one is longer in length, that's OK too (figure 10). Make sure the rubber seal is still attached to your used oil filter and not stuck to your car. Open one of your oil containers, dip your finger in, and rub some clean oil around the rubber seal of your new filter (figure 11). Put your filter back on.
Figure 9:
![Image]()
Figure 10:
![Image]()
Figure 11:
![Image]()
Note that your factory filter has FoMoCo printed on it. That stands for Ford Motor Company. Mazda and Ford worked together on this platform. You may also be wondering how I took the picture while holding a filter in each of my hands. Keep wondering.
Step 5: By this point you should have your filter back on and your drain plug replaced, too. Open your hood and locate your oil fill cap (figure 12). Take the cap off and put your funnel in. Add your oil (figure 13). Note that I am grasping the bottle using proper technique. This ensures that the oil will not “glug” as it exits the bottle. I put 1 bottle in, then look beneath the car just to make sure it's not all spilling out onto the garage floor (like you forgot to put the drain bolt back in).
Figure 12:
![Image]()
Figure 13:
![Image]()
Step 6: Put the rest of the oil in. Once you put about 5 liters in, put the cap back on and start your car. It's important to make sure that there isn't any oil coming out (check under your car). Also important, make sure you don't get any lights on the instrument panel. If your oil light comes on for any period of time, STOP YOUR ENGINE. It is imperative that you do not run your engine without oil. (I always carry an extra quart with me just in case I need to top it off). After you run your engine for a couple minutes, you can go ahead and check the oil level on your dipstick. It should be between the upper and lower limit.
That's it! Now you can kick back and enjoy a cold brew (or a coke if you're under 21). Be sure to dispose of oil properly, take it to an oil recycling center or your local auto parts store (should take it for free). You can now take comfort that your oil has been changed properly (insert sigh of relief). Note happy, smiley car.
![Image]()
Changing your engine oil is one of the most basic ways you can ensure your car engine is well maintained. If you have never changed your oil, you can do it with basic tools and you will know that it has been done correctly.
You will need the tools shown in figure 1. Ok, well you will at least need some sort of 17mm wrench in order to get your drain plug bolt out. The rest you could probably do without (for instance, if you were stranded on a desert island without that other stuff and you were still planning to change your oil).
Figure 1:
You will also need some new oil and a new filter (figure 2). (IMPORTANT NOTE: I bought 5 quarts. I believe your system capacity is 5 liters, which works out to about 5.3 quarts. Guess I have to get some more). I picked up mine at the local Autozone. I used Mobil1 5W-20. Another member (and fellow Buckeye fan) on here with the handle StitcH likes 5W-30. Either is probably fine, but your owners manual recommends 5W-20 so I'm gonna' use that. Also, note that if you're in Mexico and 5W-20 isn't available, they want you to use 5W-30 (figure 3).
If you have a 2011:
Figure 2:
Figure3:
OK, now that you've scrounged up some tools and the necessary consumables for the job, lets get dirty!
Step 1: Locate your oil filter and drain plug. Figure 4 shows a picture I took from the front of the car. You can see my wrench hanging on the oil drain plug. The filter is located directly above the large cutout section of your plastic guard.
Figure 4:
Step 2: Loosen your oil filter (figure 5). I like to loosen it a little bit, and then loosen my drain plug just so I know that I can get both loose. In this case, I think He-Man was working the assembly line and decided to tighten my filter EXTRA tight, so I would say many curse words and be very frustrated. I'm sure he had a good chuckle about that. I tried to loosen it with my bare hands to no avail. Then, I tried to use the oil filter wrench you saw back in figure 1, but it kept slipping and did not get a good grip on the filter. Finally, I got the idea to cram a rubber gardening glove in-between the filter and the wrench and I was able to get it off! My wife loved this feat of engineering.
Figure 5:
Step 3: Loosen your drain plug bolt (figure 6). You will need your 17mm wrench for this part. I had some more curse words at this point. I thought it was also very tight. Then I realized I was trying to turn it clockwise. Remember folks: righty tighty, lefty loosey.
Figure 6:
Try to capture all of your oil in a oil pan or something. When the filter comes off, your hand will probably get all oily. I probably should have mentioned that earlier, eh?
Figure 7: Success!
Figure 8: When you take your drain plug out, make sure you locate the washer that was on it. You should probably use a new one of these each time you change your oil, but I didn't have any so I just reused the same one. I will get some at the dealership next time I drive by.
Step 4: Your oil is drained and your filter is off. Put your drain plug back in and tighten it. How tight you ask? Whenever I ask someone that question, I always get the same answer: “Well, you don't want it coming off.” So there you have it. But you don't want it so tight that you strip the oil pan either.
Take your old filter and compare it to your new filter. They should look similar and have the same diameter (figure 9). If one is longer in length, that's OK too (figure 10). Make sure the rubber seal is still attached to your used oil filter and not stuck to your car. Open one of your oil containers, dip your finger in, and rub some clean oil around the rubber seal of your new filter (figure 11). Put your filter back on.
Figure 9:
Figure 10:
Figure 11:
Note that your factory filter has FoMoCo printed on it. That stands for Ford Motor Company. Mazda and Ford worked together on this platform. You may also be wondering how I took the picture while holding a filter in each of my hands. Keep wondering.
Step 5: By this point you should have your filter back on and your drain plug replaced, too. Open your hood and locate your oil fill cap (figure 12). Take the cap off and put your funnel in. Add your oil (figure 13). Note that I am grasping the bottle using proper technique. This ensures that the oil will not “glug” as it exits the bottle. I put 1 bottle in, then look beneath the car just to make sure it's not all spilling out onto the garage floor (like you forgot to put the drain bolt back in).
Figure 12:
Figure 13:
Step 6: Put the rest of the oil in. Once you put about 5 liters in, put the cap back on and start your car. It's important to make sure that there isn't any oil coming out (check under your car). Also important, make sure you don't get any lights on the instrument panel. If your oil light comes on for any period of time, STOP YOUR ENGINE. It is imperative that you do not run your engine without oil. (I always carry an extra quart with me just in case I need to top it off). After you run your engine for a couple minutes, you can go ahead and check the oil level on your dipstick. It should be between the upper and lower limit.
That's it! Now you can kick back and enjoy a cold brew (or a coke if you're under 21). Be sure to dispose of oil properly, take it to an oil recycling center or your local auto parts store (should take it for free). You can now take comfort that your oil has been changed properly (insert sigh of relief). Note happy, smiley car.
