Hit 5K miles and decided against the free oil change at the dealer. I wanted to do all of them myself and the convenience factor of going to the dealer definitely came into play.. After reading the posts here about the Ford Gorilla filter tightner, I shopped around for some help. First I bought a jaw grip style wrench along with 2 5qt jugs of Mobil-1 5W20 synthetic and a Motorcraft FL820S filter at WM. Later in the week, I was in Advance Auto and picked up a big Blitz aluminum pan to catch drippings and saw a filter remover with a slot for a ratchet. I picked the one that fits the 820 filter.

So yesterday morning with the engine all cool, I started the assault. I wanted to start with the filter instead of the drain plug, because if I couldn’t get it off I could punt and take to the dealer. First thing I noticed was the angle of the filter is truly awkward to deal with. From the bottom, I could not even attempt it. My skid plate blocked access. From the top, I quickly determined I needed to remove the air intake baffle. One small screw is all there is to remove and then just push it out of the way. As I looked down at the filter I noticed that the factory filter was not a Motorcraft – at least it didn’t have markings and the outer grooves were spaced differently than the 820 in my hand. So the ratchet style remover would not work. Getting the jaw grip remover in place was a challenge but doable. I got a good hold on it and twisted. The filter started crushing on one side, but I felt the filter loosen a little and I knew it would be possible. I did need to get a 3 ft piece of pipe to save my arms from getting scraped up and to make it easier to apply push down leverage to the jaw grip wrench. It really helped. I placed shop rags under the filter (helpful hint gleaned from another post) to catch filter spillage and started draining from the pan. My factory filter was white and only had an icon on the outside about not placing in trash. Inside it had a ZZ stamp. After draining, I put the new filter on and loaded it up with 7 quarts of Mobil-1. Driveway was clean and just a few drops on the Blitz pan. I did have a small puddle on a black shield under the filter where my rags were not put in the best location, but it was easily wiped away…..

Only a few arm scrapes, and the next time will be a piece of cake.


2007 F150 SuperCrew Lariat 4X4
V8-330 5.4L SOHC

 

Congratulations!! You have passed the Ford Challenge!!! From here on out it should be a BREEZE. On mine, I just let the oil from the filter just drop in that little plastic pan and it will run out the hole in the skid plate, then just wipe out the pan.

 

I also had the same filter. It started crushing but started to move and come off.

 

First change is a PITA. After that it isn't so bad. I've had this savory experience with all of the new cars I've had. It is hardly unique to Ford, but still a PITA nonetheless.