First Oil change Miramar V10

[MetalGator]

I have a little over 2000 miles on our new Miramar. I have a short 100 mile round trip scheduled next week but then next month have a 1000 mile round trip. I would like to get the oil changed before the long trip but I'm not sure I will have time to take the motorhome to the Ford dealer before the trip. I have watched a couple of videos of people changing oil in their class As and it doesn't look too bad. I always change the oil in my truck so I am thinking I will do the oil changes myself. Just curious how many people change their oil on their class A's? I usually always have the dealer do the first oil change on my cars just because the oil filter is always so tough to get off. I think they have gorillas in the plant put on the oil filters!

Burch

[T18skyguy]

DrewE wrote:

T18skyguy wrote:
These Channel lock pliers are the best for getting the filters off. Cut the price in half and just get the smaller one. The jaws open up plenty wide for any oil filter. Most big box stores carry it.

Harbor Freight also sells some similar oil filter pliers that work very well (in my experience). I'd expect that the Channel-Locks are stronger and better made, but hopefully one doesn't need to use a breaker bar extension to get an oil filter off or anything like that.

I have both the big one and the little on. The chassis components get in the way too much with the big one. The little one is just the right size. The difference between the Harbor freight unit and the Channel lock is at the slip adjuster. See how much more you get with the Channel lock. It translates to better function.

[DrewE]

T18skyguy wrote:
These Channel lock pliers are the best for getting the filters off. Cut the price in half and just get the smaller one. The jaws open up plenty wide for any oil filter. Most big box stores carry it.

Harbor Freight also sells some similar oil filter pliers that work very well (in my experience). I'd expect that the Channel-Locks are stronger and better made, but hopefully one doesn't need to use a breaker bar extension to get an oil filter off or anything like that.

[T18skyguy]

These Channel lock pliers are the best for getting the filters off. Cut the price in half and just get the smaller one. The jaws open up plenty wide for any oil filter. Most big box stores carry it.

[carjockie]

I've been changing my oil, using Ford synthetic blend purchased at the local Walmart, best price of all the others store,

[willald]

MR MAC wrote:
I took care of the hard (very hard) to get oil in the fill tube, by taking of the dog house cover inside the MH, and pulling off the oil fill hose. I made up a flex hose aprox 12" long and a cut off trans. funnel clamped together, slip it over the fil nipple on the valve cover and easy in goes the oil. At the same time I can check out all conn ections etc. on the mighty V10.


On draining the oil I Have an oil drain pan with two plugs in side, take out the plugs and the old oil goes in side the pan res. container. I rest the oil drain pan on top of the front axel.

I hadn't thought of going in from the doghouse to put the new oil in. That's a good idea, think I may try that next time. Thanks for the idea. ??

Was kind of funny to hear original poster talk about how he just did the first oil change. Pretty much everything discussed here in this thread, he talked about dealing with.

[MR_MAC]

I took care of the hard (very hard) to get oil in the fill tube, by taking of the dog house cover inside the MH, and pulling off the oil fill hose. I made up a flex hose aprox 12" long and a cut off trans. funnel clamped together, slip it over the fil nipple on the valve cover and easy in goes the oil. At the same time I can check out all conn ections etc. on the mighty V10.


On draining the oil I Have an oil drain pan with two plugs in side, take out the plugs and the old oil goes in side the pan res. container. I rest the oil drain pan on top of the front axel.

[John_Wayne]

And buy the Mobil1 when it goes on sale at Costco $10.00 off a case.

[stvdman]

MetalGator wrote:
Did the first oil change this weekend with Mobile 1 5W-20. Getting underneath the Motorhome was easy. I did make a mess though! The hardest part was getting the oil in the fill tube. It's really high and there wasn't much room above the tube to get a funnel and still be able to poor in the oil. I had purchased a 5 quart container of Mobil 1 (cheaper) and two 1 quart bottles. I had to poor oil from the 5 quart container into one of the 1 quart bottles to be able to pour the oil into the fill tube. I probably spilt about a tablespoon of oil while filing but nothing like that mess I made with the old oil. Now that I have done it once I know what to expect next time and will have a better plan. Thankfully I will only need to do this once a year.

Burch

My EXACT scenario except I had all single quart bottles, thankfully.

[MetalGator]

Did the first oil change this weekend with Mobile 1 5W-20. Getting underneath the Motorhome was easy. I did make a mess though! The hardest part was getting the oil in the fill tube. It's really high and there wasn't much room above the tube to get a funnel and still be able to poor in the oil. I had purchased a 5 quart container of Mobil 1 (cheaper) and two 1 quart bottles. I had to poor oil from the 5 quart container into one of the 1 quart bottles to be able to pour the oil into the fill tube. I probably spilt about a tablespoon of oil while filing but nothing like that mess I made with the old oil. Now that I have done it once I know what to expect next time and will have a better plan. Thankfully I will only need to do this once a year.

Burch

[jfskeet]

A your first oil change put in the Fumoto valve with the 3/8
nipple. Makes future changes the job a whole lot neater and quicker.

[ndrorder]

Sounds like everyone has a solution for oil draining onto inconvenient surfaces. In a pinch, aluminum foil can be formed into a funnel, shape, or just a cover over those surfaces.

[theoldwizard1]

MetalGator wrote:
For the oil filter, do all Ford V10s take the same filter? I know there is different V10s in different trucks/RVs.

path1 wrote:
Question...do the newer Fords need the motorcraft oil filter with the built in silicon valve like older Fords?

The engine blocks for the Ford V10 is identical in all applications. The recommended oil filter is the Motorcraft FL820S, the S is for silicon. These are available at a reasonable price at most Walmarts. While there, pick up Motorcraft synthetic blend oil. It is what the factory uses can is also reasonably priced.

[RedRollingRoadb]

I dumped the first oil at about 3000 or so. Switched to Ford full synthetic 5-20 at 5000. Will head out and change at 10,000'in a few days.

Got a Futmo valve with the nipple for a hose to get it over the axle to install this time. Likely will switch to Mobi1 the next change just because it is easier to get.

Had a long discussion with the local Ford Light Truck dealer when they were doing some warranty work. He STRONGLY recommend that I change oil at 5000, that Ford was crazy on this 7500 mile stuff and that I would praise and thank him in a few years to follow his advice. All he did was confirm what I was planning to do all along.

[willald]

I've always changed the oil myself in our V10 Class A, just 'cause its soo much easier to do that one myself in the driveway than to drive it somewhere and have it done. I've found that even though its on a Ford chassis, many Ford dealers do not want to work on it. Neither do many other shops. Its just too big, they don't have the space for it, or a lift capable of raising it up.

I typically change it and the generator engine oil at the beginning of every season, usually in February. We never put enough miles on it (or hours on generator) to warrant any more frequent changes than that.

Anyway, most of the advice you've got so far here is spot on, except, as already said, 5 quarts will not be enough. Mine uses more like 7 and a half.

Yep, the oil pours right over that suspension I beam. Easy to work around that, though. And, getting 7.5 quarts back in it is slow going and can be a little annoying, because of how they have the fill tube positioned. You will want/need a funnel and a good long hose attached to it. If you don't have either, you might still be able to do it by just carefully pouring each 1 quart container in one at a time, but be prepared to clean up some spillage if you have to do it that way. If you get the oil in a big 5 quart container, you will have a very difficult time getting that large contain in place to pour in the filler tube, unless you have the funnel and long hose. Much easier with a funnel and tube.

As far as concerns about oil filter being torqued on real tight at the factory: I've dealt with those. Get you the right size oil filter wrench to fit it, the 'socket' type that will go on a ratchet/wrench, and you should be able to get it off. There's plenty of room down there to work the wrench. Worst case, there's always the old 'hammer a screw driver in the side and use it for leverage' trick.

Really, changing the oil on a V10 in these things is not that much different than changing it in any other vehicle, so I'd just go ahead and do it yourself. Especially if you're used to changing the oil yourself on your other vehicles.