Son, me and oil change woes

You people helped so much with my son on changing out his broken car
seat, I'm back again.

Today, we're doing an oil change. He insists he was told his 1998 V-6
mustang has two oil drain plugs, but crawling under there, all I see is
one plug. He admits that all he sees also, but swears there are
supposed to be two plugs.

He says that is because a body support part is supposed to bisect the
pan and forced ford to put in plugs on each end of the pan. But we
don't see the supposed support part either.

Admittedly, we don't have the car up on stands or anything, and even
though we are both thin, it's tough to get under there.

And, while we have CD repair manual for some reason we are having
trouble getting it to open today.

Is there just the one plug on this car?
Tina

wrote:
> You people helped so much with my son on changing out his broken car
> seat, I'm back again.

> Today, we're doing an oil change. He insists he was told his 1998 V-6
> mustang has two oil drain plugs, but crawling under there, all I see is
> one plug. He admits that all he sees also, but swears there are
> supposed to be two plugs.

The answer can most likely be found in your owner's manual.

Patrick


> He says that is because a body support part is supposed to bisect the
> pan and forced ford to put in plugs on each end of the pan. But we
> don't see the supposed support part either.
>
> Admittedly, we don't have the car up on stands or anything, and even
> though we are both thin, it's tough to get under there.
>
> And, while we have CD repair manual for some reason we are having
> trouble getting it to open today.
>
> Is there just the one plug on this car?
> Tina

wrote:

>
> The answer can most likely be found in your owner's manual.
>
> Patrick


First place I (and then he) looked. Nope. No answer. Checked the
"owners manual" as well as the maintenance schedule book/

wrote
>
> Today, we're doing an oil change. He insists he was told his 1998 V-6
> mustang has two oil drain plugs, but crawling under there, all I see is
> one plug. He admits that all he sees also, but swears there are
> supposed to be two plugs.
>
> He says that is because a body support part is supposed to bisect the
> pan and forced ford to put in plugs on each end of the pan. But we
> don't see the supposed support part either.
>


Ford produced some cars in the '80s that had a "double-humped" oil pan,
and yes, these had two drain plugs. But if your car has only one plug,
you can only remove one plug. Perhaps your son's source was thinking of
one of these earlier cars.

On 26 Aug 2006 14:40:31 -0700, wrote:

>You people helped so much with my son on changing out his broken car
>seat, I'm back again.
>
>Today, we're doing an oil change. He insists he was told his 1998 V-6
>mustang has two oil drain plugs, but crawling under there, all I see is
>one plug. He admits that all he sees also, but swears there are
>supposed to be two plugs.
>
>He says that is because a body support part is supposed to bisect the
>pan and forced ford to put in plugs on each end of the pan. But we
>don't see the supposed support part either.
>
>Admittedly, we don't have the car up on stands or anything, and even
>though we are both thin, it's tough to get under there.
>
>And, while we have CD repair manual for some reason we are having
>trouble getting it to open today.
>
>Is there just the one plug on this car?
>Tina

My 98 V8 has only one drain plug. I remember having older Mustangs
with two (I think my 87 had two).

You know, you can cause yourself untold grief by doing an oil change
wrong. That's why I do my own, but you may want to just have it done
at a shop.

On my 87 a Goodyear shop broke the threads on the oil pan. I was never
able to determine if it was a faulty oil pan or they over-tightened.
That cost me a lot of money. I used those rubber plugs for years till
I couldn't stand the slow leak anymore and got the pan replaced.

On my 98 the Ford Dealer forgot to put the dipstick back in the tube.
They left it laying on the engine, so when they closed the hood the
plastic T-handle broke. I had to go back twice to get it replaced.
Once to prove what they had done, a second time to pick up the part.

The same dealer sent me off another time a quart low. I had to drive
back and get my 6th quart. They didn't know that Cobras held 6 quarts.

Mort

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> You people helped so much with my son on changing out his broken car
> seat, I'm back again.
>
> Today, we're doing an oil change. He insists he was told his 1998 V-6
> mustang has two oil drain plugs, but crawling under there, all I see is
> one plug. He admits that all he sees also, but swears there are
> supposed to be two plugs.

the 5.0's have two plugs 87 to 95 mustangs.

check the OM for sure, call ford parts at local dealer

wrote:
> You people helped so much with my son on changing out his broken car
> seat, I'm back again.
>
> Today, we're doing an oil change. He insists he was told his 1998 V-6
> mustang has two oil drain plugs, but crawling under there, all I see is
> one plug. He admits that all he sees also, but swears there are
> supposed to be two plugs.
>
> He says that is because a body support part is supposed to bisect the
> pan and forced ford to put in plugs on each end of the pan. But we
> don't see the supposed support part either.
>
> Admittedly, we don't have the car up on stands or anything, and even
> though we are both thin, it's tough to get under there.
>
> And, while we have CD repair manual for some reason we are having
> trouble getting it to open today.
>
> Is there just the one plug on this car?
> Tina
>
I believe that's only for the Fox body V8 cars.

--
..boB
Arrived: 2006 FXDI, Red.
1997 HD FXDWG - Turbocharged Stolen 11/26/05 in Denver
1HD1GEL10VY3200010 CO License J5822Z
2001 Dodge Dakota QC 5.9/4x4/3.92
1966 Mustang Coupe - Daily Driver
1965 FFR Cobra - 427W EFI, Damn Fast.

That's funny, my Dad and I have had so many problems getting a simple oil
change done -- from putting in too much oil, to not using a washer on the
plug. I don't get it -- how do you mess up an oil change this way! And these
are dealers doing it!

Jason


>
> The same dealer sent me off another time a quart low. I had to drive
> back and get my 6th quart. They didn't know that Cobras held 6 quarts.
>
> Mort

Well, we've done them on our Toyotas for years, just the "two drain
plug" question that had us wondering.

We bit the bullet and pulled the one plug. Thanks, all for the help. I
was surprised that the drain plug was metric.

BTW, finally managed to open our CD repair manual. No help on the pan.

Thought he ordered that service CD ....
??

Kate

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> You people helped so much with my son on changing out his broken car
> seat, I'm back again.
>
> Today, we're doing an oil change. He insists he was told his 1998 V-6
> mustang has two oil drain plugs, but crawling under there, all I see is
> one plug. He admits that all he sees also, but swears there are
> supposed to be two plugs.
>
> He says that is because a body support part is supposed to bisect the
> pan and forced ford to put in plugs on each end of the pan. But we
> don't see the supposed support part either.
>
> Admittedly, we don't have the car up on stands or anything, and even
> though we are both thin, it's tough to get under there.
>
> And, while we have CD repair manual for some reason we are having
> trouble getting it to open today.
>
> Is there just the one plug on this car?
> Tina
>