I've got one of those. I had gone to the quickie oil change place with the '88 Blazer. After the oil change I was driving home and heard a banging under the hood followed by something something falling on the ground. I pulled over thinking it was part of my truck, and discovered the oil filter wrench. They must have left it on top of the air filter housing after the oil change. And no, I didn't return it.

 

Thanks all for the follow-up. Sounds like I really don't need to remove the filter drain plug and I'll stop by the local parts store (AutoZone, Kragen, or the PepBoys) and see about the filter pliers. I had bought the adjustable "rubber band - pull to tighten" wrench ($17+ for one large & one small) but found that once the oil began to seep out, it was basically worthless.
Thanks for the filter info as well. I'll look for the Mazda part to replace the FoMoCo.

 

I had to go answer a phone call right before I sent the previous post and really didn't get to finish my thought...

With a traditional car, with old Dino oil, you'd need 33 oil changes per 100k.

With the FEH you'll need 7-10 oil changes per 100k miles. Just another way this car is "green". So with that few changes, I don't worry about scratching or marring the surface of the plastic canister. And with the pliars, you don't really need to care about "rounding" off the corners, either! Works just as well on a circle as a hexigon! ( I think the oil filter actually has 13 sides! )

 

How about the cap style filter wrench that was mentioned in this thread? https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...+filter+wrench

Wouldn't it be preferable to any other style of filter wrench?

 

econoline,
I believe you are correct and that will be my next purchase now that I know which one to look for.

 

We're new to the hybrid world. With this discussion about oil and filters, does anyone know if the cartridge filters can be changed to the spin-on? I'd like to switch to the K&N spin-on, vice the 1017 cartridge. Additionally, what is the part number for the Mazda filter, in lieu of the Ford filter (in case my local store can't get me the right one)? Thanks for the help to a newbie.

Bob

 

Walmart has the same motorcraft filter that you would get at the dealer.

 

Does anyone know if Royal Purple Oil is suitable for the Escape Hybrid? I can find some of the other synthetics, Syntec and Mobil-1 to name two, that meet the WSS-M2C930-A standard. However, there's nothing on the RP bottles that specifies what standards they meet. It's only a dollar more per bottle and I've had good experience with RP on other vehicles.

BTW, thanks for the info about filters. I almost bought the spin-on before catching the comments about O-rings and washers. I then realized the Hybrid uses a cartridge filter instead of the spin-on. Do any of the preformance brands, K&N, etc., have an advantage over the standard Fram, Wix, Mazda, etc.?

 

REPOST

According to what I've seen, the Motorcraft FL2017B is used on Escape Hybrids produced before 12-3-08, so that would include early 2009's.

The Motorcraft FL910 is used on units produced after 12-3-08.

They are not interchangeable. If you don't know when your vehicle was produced, you can ask your service advisor to run an OASIS report on your VIN. Your build date and in-service date will be on the report.

 

Red,

The build date (month) is also posted on the drivers side front door.

You can also tell what filter you have by simply looking at it. The trucks built after 12/08 have a spin on filter, much like many other cars. The trucks built before 12/08 have the cannister style.

Sean