CORRECTION: The Truth About Cars got this one wrong. A Ford representative reached out to us and said the procedure to change the oil and/or oil filter does NOT require removal of the wheel. Access to the filter is through an access panel in the wheel well. A Ford spokesperson told us that there are nine fasteners holding a rubber flap in place. Pull that off and the filter can be accessed. We regret the misinformation.
Performing general maintenance on modern vehicles can be a serious pain sometimes. It gets even worse for supercars like the Lamborghini Huracan and Bugatti Veyron. Changing the oil on one of those is a full day's work and then some. The other day, The Truth About Cars obtained some documents detailing the necessary steps to swapping oil on the 2019 Ford Ranger.
To get at the oil filter, you're going to need to remove the left front wheel. This step isn't especially egregious or unheard of in the world of automobiles, but it is annoying. Typically, trucks don't force people to do this. In fact, not having to jack a vehicle up for an oil change is one of the biggest benefits of truck maintenance. Cars with less space up front might have you remove the wheel to get at a filter or drain plug.
Ford made some changes to the U.S. market Ranger that forced this move. An enlarged oil cooler for the 2.3-liter EcoBoost means there's no room for the filter to reside next to the pan anymore. Instead, Ford moved it up and into the side of the engine block, protruding at a right angle from it.
Once the wheel is off, there are nine push-pin clips in the wheel well that must be removed before access to the filter is granted. (Have fun with those nine clips after 100,000 miles of wear and tear.) Plenty of modern cars force people to go through these machinations to get to maintenance items like these. Shrouding, panels and other coverings are always needing to be removed to get to things — a lot of this is due to installation of under-car aero for better fuel economy or underbody protection. The Ranger is no different, as it also requires the removal of an access panel to get to the drain plug.
We'd like to point out that Ford's service intervals for most of its vehicles (non-staggered setups) recommends a tire rotation to go along with every oil change. There's no reason to expect anything different for the Ranger, meaning you're going to have the tires off about the time you're doing an oil change anyway. It's unreasonable to expect this regimented service schedule to be followed explicitly throughout the truck's life, so the tire removal could become annoying down the road. We point this out, because other mid-size trucks (Colorado, Tacoma, Ridgeline, etc.) don't require the same extra step that the Ranger does. It's hard to imagine this being the reason for anyone to get turned off of Ford's revamped pickup, though.
Related video:
To get at the oil filter, you're going to need to remove the left front wheel. This step isn't especially egregious or unheard of in the world of automobiles, but it is annoying. Typically, trucks don't force people to do this. In fact, not having to jack a vehicle up for an oil change is one of the biggest benefits of truck maintenance. Cars with less space up front might have you remove the wheel to get at a filter or drain plug.
Ford made some changes to the U.S. market Ranger that forced this move. An enlarged oil cooler for the 2.3-liter EcoBoost means there's no room for the filter to reside next to the pan anymore. Instead, Ford moved it up and into the side of the engine block, protruding at a right angle from it.
Once the wheel is off, there are nine push-pin clips in the wheel well that must be removed before access to the filter is granted. (Have fun with those nine clips after 100,000 miles of wear and tear.) Plenty of modern cars force people to go through these machinations to get to maintenance items like these. Shrouding, panels and other coverings are always needing to be removed to get to things — a lot of this is due to installation of under-car aero for better fuel economy or underbody protection. The Ranger is no different, as it also requires the removal of an access panel to get to the drain plug.
We'd like to point out that Ford's service intervals for most of its vehicles (non-staggered setups) recommends a tire rotation to go along with every oil change. There's no reason to expect anything different for the Ranger, meaning you're going to have the tires off about the time you're doing an oil change anyway. It's unreasonable to expect this regimented service schedule to be followed explicitly throughout the truck's life, so the tire removal could become annoying down the road. We point this out, because other mid-size trucks (Colorado, Tacoma, Ridgeline, etc.) don't require the same extra step that the Ranger does. It's hard to imagine this being the reason for anyone to get turned off of Ford's revamped pickup, though.
Related video:
Featured Gallery 2019 Ford Ranger
View 20 Photos
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue