Anyone looking for a Bronco?

[Ruger]

As for the oil filter and drain plug points, this kind of thing has been around for decades and is no reason to avoid either Bronco engine. How many owners are doing their own oil changes anyway? I just drop mine off at the Ford dealer when it's time, just like most.

Yup. Magic carpet syndrome. If you change the oil in your lawn mower yourself, why wouldn't you do the same with your uber truck? Us old-schoolers prefer to select our preferred oil and filter and do our own work. We likely use better quality oil and filters (at least we know for certain what's in the crankcase), pay less for them both, and we don't pay for labor. And when we're done, we have a sense of accomplishment ("It's Miller Time!") that you can't get while waiting for somebody who doesn't know you and doesn't care about your truck to do the work for you. You get to know your vehicle a lot better, can assess its condition, and spot trouble before it becomes serious if you're under it periodically to service it. To each his own, whatever cranks your tractor, different strokes and all that, and my preference is to really, really know the best vehicle I'll ever own by working on it myself.

 

[Ruger]

I just got through watching a video on the 2.3 liter Bronco oil change and you do not have to remove the wheel or the wheel well. This is wrong but the new plug at the end seems to be a part of normal oil changes so you will want to pick one up from the dealer if doing this your self.

Well, here's the problem with the 2.3L EB on the Ranger:

And here's a video of an oil change on the base model 2.3L EB Bronco:

The guy says, "With the filter upright, I found it easiest to remove the filter through the wheel well," and he had the vehicle up on a lift. Most home mechanics do not have a lift in their garage.

 

[jamanrr]

Well, here's the problem with the 2.3L EB on the Ranger:

And here's a video of an oil change on the base model 2.3L EB Bronco:

The guy says, "With the filter upright, I found it easiest to remove the filter through the wheel well," and he had the vehicle up on a lift. Most home mechanics do not have a lift in their garage.

a set of wheel ramps will do the same thing, the plastic under cover/ splash guard is a staple on pretty much all high HP 4 cylinder motors.

 

[JohnyPython]

At least there’s a trough for the oil but the location is sofa king stupid.

 

[Ruger]

a set of wheel ramps will do the same thing, the plastic under cover/ splash guard is a staple on pretty much all high HP 4 cylinder motors.


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Maybe not. Decent access may require unloading the suspension. Like I said, I couldn't get a hand on the filter when I discovered this unfortunate design anomaly when the vehicle was on the showroom floor. Most days I need two hands to spin off a filter.

At any rate, the requirement that the vehicle be designed to facilitate repair and maintenance in the field that the now-defunct SVT team observed with the GEN1 seems to have been at least partially abandoned now.

 

[jamanrr]

Maybe not. Decent access may require unloading the suspension. Like I said, I couldn't get a hand on the filter when I discovered this unfortunate design anomaly when the vehicle was on the showroom floor. Most days I need two hands to spin off a filter.

At any rate, the requirement that the vehicle be designed to facilitate repair and maintenance in the field that the now-defunct SVT team observed with the GEN1 seems to have been at least partially abandoned now.

I have owned a Gen 1 and currently do own a Gen 2. I changed the spark plugs on my Gen 1 in a driveway using only a ladder. If you can put your hand on it then you can get it out. The youtube mechanic went through the wheel well just because it was easier for him. I do not own a Bronco but I can assure you that if I wanted to change the oil then it could be accomplished just from removing the plastic splash guard underneath the engine and normal tools.

Also oil chamber canisters are not new, the Germans have been using them for years. I had an old Audi that used one and they are very effective.

 

[tooloud10]

Yup. Magic carpet syndrome. If you change the oil in your lawn mower yourself, why wouldn't you do the same with your uber truck?

I don't own a lawn mower but I can tell you why I don't change the oil on any of my vehicles--the minor savings aren't worth the time or energy required, especially when there's five other cars in the driveway needing the same maintenance.

Us old-schoolers prefer to select our preferred oil and filter and do our own work. We likely use better quality oil and filters (at least we know for certain what's in the crankcase),

Likewise, some of us prefer not to deviate from OEM parts. A few years ago I almost had a warranty claim denied for an engine replacement on a BMW because the previous oil change didn't use the exact oil as specified by BMW.

pay less for them both, and we don't pay for labor.

You're likely paying less for parts, but the additional markup on $50 in parts is insignificant. Your labor isn't free unless you value your time at zero.

And when we're done, we have a sense of accomplishment ("It's Miller Time!") that you can't get while waiting for somebody who doesn't know you and doesn't care about your truck to do the work for you.

I changed plenty of oil in my younger days and certainly don't view it this way--it was simply a regular chore akin to vacuuming the carpet.

You get to know your vehicle a lot better, can assess its condition, and spot trouble before it becomes serious if you're under it periodically to service it.

I promise you that I'm not going to spot potential issues on my truck better than a trained Ford tech.

To each his own, whatever cranks your tractor, different strokes and all that, and my preference is to really, really know the best vehicle I'll ever own by working on it myself.

And that's fine and all--certainly no disrespect to anyone that changes their own oil, but...the vast majority of people do not change their own oil and the location of and MOC of the drain plug probably isn't going to come into play when selecting a new vehicle.

 

[tooloud10]

Also oil chamber canisters are not new, the Germans have been using them for years. I had an old Audi that used one and they are very effective.

+1

I've had a Porsche for 20 years that uses that style--it's considered perfectly normal on lots of high end vehicles.

 

[FordTechOne]

Maybe not. Decent access may require unloading the suspension. Like I said, I couldn't get a hand on the filter when I discovered this unfortunate design anomaly when the vehicle was on the showroom floor. Most days I need two hands to spin off a filter.

At any rate, the requirement that the vehicle be designed to facilitate repair and maintenance in the field that the now-defunct SVT team observed with the GEN1 seems to have been at least partially abandoned now.

Only the rear engine undershield needs to be removed for access to the oil filter and drain plug on the Bronco 2.3. The video provided clearly shows the guy unscrewing the filter from underneath, they used a camera shot from the wheel well for clarity.

Since when did SVT have anything to do with serviceability on Gen 1 Raptors? The same 6.2 and 6R80 were used in non-Raptor F-150 models, there is no difference. BTW, SVT = Ford Performance. It was a name change.

 

[FordTechOne]

Be careful when buying a Bronco or Ranger. The 2.3L EcoBoost engine in the Ranger (and almost certainly also in the Bronco base model) is poorly designed to accommodate normal scheduled maintenance. The oil filter is not accessible from the hood or from under the vehicle. To change the oil filter, you must remove the front driver's-side tire and the wheel well liner. No kidding.

As I stated in my previous post...that's incorrect.

The 2.7L EB engine in the up-priced Bronco models has a canister oil filter that is accessible under the hood. This is not a steel can spin-on filter, it is a bare-naked filter element that lives under a filter cover. It's kind of old school, but the Toyota Tacoma has the same kind of filter setup. The odd thing about the 2.7L EB (and this might also be so for the 2.3L EB) on the Bronco is that the oil drain plug is PLASTIC, and the seal is an O-ring rather than a copper crush washer. It won't be reusable for long, and at least one source says to replace it with every oil change.

Just FYI.

The 1/3rd turn drain plug has been around since 2015; it's nothing new or unproven. It's also no different than a standard drain plug, the bolt and/or gasket is supposed to be replaced after it's been removed and installed a few times. In most cases, it's cheaper to buy the drain plug/gasket together, just as the 1/3 turn plug is sold. Copper crush washers are one time use by design; just because you can get away with it doesn't mean it's the correct way to do it.