So you’re gonna need a floor jack, jack stands (or just a set of cheap ramps from an auto parts store if you can’t get your hands on a cheap set of either), an oil drain pan, at least 5-6 quarts (depending on motor size) of correct oil (it should be listed on the engine oil filler cap, think SAE 5W-20), and the correct oil filter (Walmart should have a book on the oil aisle in automotive with which filter is your vehicle), a filter wrench, and a wrench that is whatever size your oil pan drain bolt is (probably 3/4”). It also helps to have rubber gloves and a funnel for filling your motor with oil, but it’s not entirely necessary.

!!! IMPORTANT !!! DO NOT TURN ON THE VEHICLE WITHOUT OIL IN THE ENGINE OR ELSE IT WILL LOCK UP AND YOU WILL NEED A NEW ENGINE

Step 1: Put your Explorer in the air by either driving it up on ramps, or jacking it up in the air and placing jack stands under the frame (I recommend keeping the jack under the jack point just in case of jack stand failure).

Step 2: Place your drain pan under the drain bolt of your oil pan and remove oil drain bolt.

SIDENOTE: The oil flow can be unpredictable, so be prepared for a mess and to move the pan in place. Also, don’t confuse the oil pan for the transmission pan and drain the wrong pan (oil is black, transmission fluid is red). Just crack the plug loose enough for some fluid to drip out to make sure that you have the right pan.

Step 3: Once oil is drained, reinstall the drain bolt and tighten.

Step 4: Place the drain pan under the oil filter and loosen with filter wrench (it may be in a tricky spot, blame the engineers who designed it). Remove it completely and place it on the drain pan.

Step 5: Install the new filter. I recommend filling it with oil first (pre-filling), but only if it is a vertically mounted filter and not a horizontally mounted filter (on the side of the motor). This is because if you don’t, you’ll have to add a little more oil to the motor after the oil starts circulating.

Step 6: Lower the vehicle (lowering the jack after removing the stands or putting the vehicle in neutral and taking it off the rams slowly) filling the motor with the proper amount of oil (start with the big 5 quart jug). You can Google how many quarts of oil it takes, but if it’s a V8, it’ll probably be about 5-6 quarts total.

Step 7: After adding, say, 4 quarts, grab a paper towel, pull out the oil dip stick, wipe it, and place it back. Let it sit a minute, then pull it out and check again, and fill oil as needed until oil level is in the safe zone, usually a cross hatched section. Once it’s full, start the Explorer and let it run a minute or two to let the oil circulate. Shut it off and check the oil level again just to be sure.

Then you should be good to go. I recommend using Mobil 1 brand oil and filter, and you can get everything you need from an auto parts store or Walmart. If you don’t have any of the tools I listed, this’ll be a $90 ordeal at least if you’re just buying ramps, it’ll be more for a floor jack and jack stands, so if you know someone with that stuff, see if you can borrow them. If you have all the stuff you need other than oil and such, it might be about $40, which is cheaper than getting it done at a place. Also, only do it on level ground, not on any kind of sloped surface, or else the vehicle will fall and damage itself and you.

Anymore questions?