I don't think anyone is going to laugh at you! Even though some of us are mechanically inclined, we still screw stuff up!!
I'm not sure which motor you have, the SOHC or the OHV. I don't know if they have different oil capacities, but my OHV take 4.5 quarts. The weight you buy is really up to you, i use Mobile One 10w-30, it is syntheic. Oil filter is also up to you, i just use the regular Motorcraft filter.
Here are the steps i go through when i change my oil:
1-warm up the engine for about a minute or 2 if it isn't already, but you don't want it warmed all the way to operating tempurature cause the oil is way to hot.
2-get your oil drip pan out and slide it under the truck.
3-find the socket size you are going to need for the drain plug, don't know that off the top of my head, and also get a long extension for your 3/8 ratchet or what ever size you are going to need.
4-postion your drip pan under the drain plug, start to loosen the plug. When i get if broken free, i normally take the ratchet off and then just twist on the extension by hand so i don't make a mess when it starts to drip out. Be careful cause the oil can be really really hot and when you first take the plug out, it shoots the oil out pretty good.
5-after the oil has finished most of it's dripping, about 5 minutes later, i put the plug back in.
6-move your drip pan over to right under the oil filter.
7-the filter will probably be pretty tight, might take 2 hands to get it free, loosen it slowly until the oil starts to drip out and then just leave it on there until it is about to stop dripping, you'll know it when you see it.
8-the filter only has a few threads on it so be careful when you take it off cause it will drop right off and it is going to be full of oil
9-make sure the o-ring gasket is on the old filter when you remove it and not stuck to the motor
10-get out the new filter, put a thin coat of new oil on the new gasket on the filter
11-put that baby on, not really tight at all, just snug it up with your hand, it will get tighter when you drive it.
12-put your oil in, look for leaks, put your cap back on the motor
13-start her up, make sure you have oil pressure by looking at your guage, let he run for about 2 mintues or so to get the oil circulated.
14-shut her off, clean up all your tools and your mess on the garage or driveway floor from the oil that shot all over the place in step number 4
15-check your dip stick to make sure you oil level is correct
That is what i do when i change mine, hope you like! Be sure and keep a roll of paper towels under there with you cause you will need them!!
Happy trails!!
Be sure you've got the right one. A friend of mine (I swear it's not me) drained all the fluid from his tranny on his brand new Escort, thinking it was the oil pan. Then filled the crankcase with the required amount of oil. When the car died soon after that he had it towed to a Ford dealership who couldn't figure out why the tranny was dry but the engine had twice as much oil as required!
