Changing the oil regularly is an important part of overall vehicle maintenance. Engine oil uses additives to help lubricate moving parts correctly. As time goes on, heat and pressure from the engine cause the additives to get used up and the oil does not do its job correctly. Ford recommends you change the oil in your Fusion at least every 7,000 miles. You might may want to change it more often if you drive your vehicle in extreme heat or cold, or if you use it to do a lot of towing. The job takes about an hour.
Jack up the front of the Fusion and support it with the jack stands. Crawl under the car and see if it is equipped with an oil filter cover. Remove the screws from the cover, then remove the cover. Place the oil drain pan under the vehicle to catch the used motor oil.
Loosen the oil drain plug in the middle of the oil filter housing, but don't remove it. Using the cap-style oil filter wrench, loosen the oil filter housing by one turn. Remove the oil filter drain plug completely. Let the motor oil drain into the bucket. Wait until it has completely drained before continuing.
Remove the o-ring from the oil drain plug. Remove the oil filter housing and filter cartridge inside. Discard the filter cartridge and the sealing o-ring from the housing cover.
Wipe the oil filter cover and the mounting surface clean. Install the new o-ring seal for the housing cover and lubricate it with clean engine oil. Use the cup-style wrench to install and tighten the oil filter cover.
Install the drain plug sealing o-ring on the oil drain plug. Coat the o-ring with clean engine oil. Install the drain plug and tighten it with a combination wrench. If your Fusion has one, install the oil filter cover and tighten the two screws that hold it in place.
Wipe up any spilled motor oil from the underside of the vehicle. Remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle.
Open the hood and remove the oil fill cap from the engine. Pour in four-and-a-half quarts of 5w-20 motor oil. Replace the oil filler cap. Start the engine and wait for the oil pressure light to go out or for the oil pressure gauge to rise from the zero mark.
Check under the vehicle for leaks. When you are sure that there are no leaks, shut off the engine. Remove the dipstick and wipe it off. Insert it back into the dipstick tube all the way. Remove it again to check the oil, which should be at the full mark. If it is still low, add enough oil to bring the level to the full mark.
