How often does Ford Maverick need an oil change?

Hello, and welcome back to the Cuban Redneck blog. Today we are going to discuss how often or when you should change the oil in your EcoBoost powered for Maverick. My 2022 Ford Maverick has only 2500 miles and about 100 hours of use on the odometer, so I was taken back when I was checking fluid before a weekend trip and found the oil dark and with a strong burnt and gas smell. Don’t matter where you look, including the Ford website, and all the other sources are in agreement. According to the Ford.Com – “Your engine oil should be changed every 5,000-10,000 miles.” I’m afraid I have to disagree with that; everything I have learned about racing and building high-performance, big horsepower engines also does, and that’s why I chose to do this Ford Maverick oil service after just 2500 miles.

As I said in the video, I have never been a fan of scheduled oil service based on miles. In my opinion, oil degradation is a function of hours of operation. For commercial vehicles and the marine industry, hours of operation is the standard measurement for service intervals. Something that puts a smile on my face the first time I drove my 2022 Ford Maverick is the fact that it has an hour of operation logger in the instrument panel. Why do I think you should keep track of hours and not miles? It is simple at 75 MPH, it will take you 7500 miles to log 100 hours, but stock in traffic at 20 MPH, you will log 100 hours in just 2000 miles.

• 5 Quarts of 5W-30 Motor Oil (I am using Castrol Edge 5W-30 Advanced Synthetic)
• 1 – Oil Filter (I am using the WIX 51348XP IMO, the best in the market)

• A Torx T-30 tip & Driver
• 15 MM socket and ratchet or wrench
• Oil Drain Pan (About 7 quarts recommended)
• Long Funnel
• 74-76 mm Oil Filter Removal tool*
• Gloves (Highly recommended by optional)

If you told me a decade ago that I would be writing a blog about changing the oil on my Ford truck, I would have dismissed you as crazy, but here we are. So, why? As of late, automakers have been using undercarriage panels to improve air dynamics and protect vital engine parts and even the engine. The Ford Maverick is no different, having multiple undercarriage panels, which protect and serve as noise dampeners.

With a cold engine, we can begin by jacking the vehicle high enough to where you can crawl underneath it. Consider exercising common-sense safety precautions such as jack stands and anti-rollback wedges behind the rear wheels.

We’ll start by removing the main panel under the engine. To do this, we’ll need a T-30 Torx bit. 15 T-30 Torx screws are holding this panel in place.

Then remove the oil oil filter using the oil filter removing tool. Allow the oil filter port to drain for a few minutes, and using some of the old oil, wet the o-ring gasket around the new filter. Screw the filter by hand as hard as possible and then finish tightening it an additional ¼ turn with the oil filter removal tools.

Place the oil drain pan about ¾ of its length after the drain plug. We can then remove the oil drain plug using a 15MM socket or wrench. Allow the engine to completely drain, and put the oil drain plug back.

Before putting the bottom engine cover back, we need to add oil to our engine. The EcoBoost-powered Ford Maverick requires 5.5 quarts of 5W 30 Synthetic oil. I will be using Castrol Edge 5W-30 Advanced Full Synthetic Motor Oil for this first oil change, but I will likely switch to Castrol Edge Extended Performance 5W-30 Advanced Full Synthetic Motor Oil on the next oil change.

If you watched the video, you know I did a series of extra extras with the oil service, or should I say complimentary. One is something I do in all my engine and that is ProLong. Prolong Engine Treatment is formulated with Prolong’s AFMT™ advanced technology to treat metal surfaces. This is something I have been using for years and products endorsed entirely.

The second is Blue Devil 00207 Pour-N-Go Engine Cool, this is the first time I have used this product, but I have used products like these before. My go-to is often Red Line’s Water Wetter, but it was unavailable at the local auto parts store where I made my purchase. However, these are not the only products of this kind in the market; they improve heat exchange between your engine and the coolant. That is a good idea for vehicles driven in hot areas like Florida.

Something else I did was apply undercoating to the panel under the engine. While I appreciate all the panels under my Maverick, I am not a fan of the pressed fiberglass material! I can see these panels getting really dirty during the rainy season and even worse in areas like the northeast during the winter. For this reason, I opted to apply an undercoat. I chose Rust-Oleum. I am not 100% sure this was the right choice, but one thing is for sure: you will need more than one can.