Just wondering what oil you are running.

164,000k miles (no idea what oil previous owners had in it). Don’t want to screw this up and use a full synthetic and get any leaks or to thin of an oil.

Winter will get in the high 20’s / low 30’s and high can be up to 70. I’m 5600ft and commute to 1500 ft daily. Any opinions?

 

There will be lots of opinions....
With out checking Ford says 5/30.
That weight will be better for your 20 degree weather.

I live in a warmer climate, so I use 10/30.

Synthetic oil can start to leak on older engines because it's thinner, even though the weight is the same.
Because it's thinner, it has a tendency to get past older seals that are worn.
Seals like the crank shaft seal and oil pan seal.

If you want you engine to last longer, install a block heater on a timer and use it in the winter months.
The quicker your engine gets up to temperature the better.
Don't leave you truck sit and idle to warm it up in the morning.

A cold engine needs more fuel (richer mixture) so it will ignite when the engine is cold.
The extra fuel washes the oil off the cylinder walls and you get more wear on cold start up.
That's why people who leave their vehicle sit there and idle when its cold, are wearing their engine out.
Short trips in the winter are not good either.
The engine never really gets up to operating temperature to burn off any water vapor and corrosive matter from burning fossil fuels.

If you don't want to use a block heater, then hold you foot all the way on the accelerator pedal when cranking
This will cause a "no start mode".
Turn the engine over a few times to circulate some oil through the cranks mains and rods.
This will also help to oil the bores on cold start ups.

Elevation won't affect the oil weight and it wear on an engine.

 

Nope on the synthetic being thinner. A 5w30 dyno oil is the same thickness as 5w30 full synthetic. The full synthetic oil is refined but it is also distilled, purified, and broken down into its basic molecules which are smaller than dino oil. Check out Synthetic Oil - Facts and Myths - Amsoil

The manufacturing process for synthetic oil removes more impurities from the oil to create the synthetic base oil. That base blend gets a lot more additives that go into the mix to create the finished synthetic oil. These additives will clean built up varnish and sludge that has accumulated in a dino oil only high mileage engine. That is were leaks may come from. The varnish sealed a pre-existing leak and with the synthetic it has been washed away and the leak opens back up.

Also if you have gas washing oil off your cylinder you have bigger problems - this is another bit of mis-information that has been repeated so much that people have started to believe it. The rings on your piston should wipe the cylinder clean. If it didn't you would be burning oil.

The block heater is a good idea for lots of freezing temps. It will allow for the oil to flow at full low faster. You just want to make sure you heater is not cooking the oil getting it too hot.

As for as the idea of a "no start mode" to get the oil flowing this is a bad idea also. The fuel on initial cranking will be a bit richer but the timing is also retarded causing a latter spark for easier starting. The fuel also acts as a lubricant. The "no start mode" shuts off the fuel so the top end is spinning with out any type of lubricant in it.

 

I'm going by what others have reported about synthetic oil, on the viscosity.
People have said that it runs thinner even though the weights are the same.
I will find out for my self when and if I start using it once my engine is broken in and more importantly, when I fix my rear crank leak.

That's interesting about cold start up ware, but I do know that a hot engine wears less then then a cold one.
Engines that don't get up to proper operating temps, don't burn off water vapour and other impurities from burning fossil fuel.
I guess that's one advantage of synthetic oil, is that the extra distillation gets rid of more impurities that would other wise wear one's engine.

It's been said for years that more then 90% of engine wear occurs on cold start up, that's why it's important that it reaches operating temperature as soon as possible.
Perhaps in the days of carburation more fuel was getting in because of the crude chokes on the carburetors.
I'm still going to maintain that leaving you truck idle for 10/20 minutes or more to warm up in freezing temperatures is a bad practice.
An engine idling away at freezing temps does not get hot very fast.
I always drive mine right away (gently) until the temp gauge reaches the middle.

I do know that oil splash from the pan is supposed to get on the cylinder wall for lubrication.
Rolls Royce drilled small holes in the middle of each connecting rod so the "thrust" side of the bore would receive a shot of oil each time the crank came around.
Oil was fed up through each crank journal through the rod to reach the rods sleeve bearings and wrist pins.

No block heater that I know of will heat to the point where it cooks the oil.
The one in our delivery truck warms the block just nicely so it cranks easily in freezing temps.

The no start mode idea I got from Ron, so I'll let him comment on that.
His 4 litre has over 300K on it and he does that to oil the rods and mains before the engine actually starts.

 

There has been a lot of misinformation on synthetic oil. Most of it started by old time mechanics who did not want to change their ways. One of the plus sides of synthetic oil is that it does coat the surfaces because of the smaller molecules. This aids the cold start as there is some residual lubrication residue.

Letting a vehicle idle is bad practice. Providing the windshield is not fogged up it is best to start driving just after cranking it. In freezing weather I don't let the tachometer get over 1200 rpm for the first 1/2 mile and 1500 for the send 1/2 mile. After that the next mile I keep it below 2000 rpm. Usually the temp gauge has made it about half way to normal operating temp.

Weep holes in the bearings and connecting rods is pretty common with most engine manufacturers.

The "no start mode" should be reserved for diagnostic use only. I have only seen him post about that for diagnostic testing and not pre-oiling.

 

I would have to do some serious digging to find that post where he uses it to oil the engine on start up.
I'm pretty sure he said it somewhere. ;-)

 

I didn't read all of the posts... Look into the High Milage Oils, a number of manufacturers make one.

There may even be a Synth/High Milage oil you can change over to... if you want a Syth Oil; make sure you check out the manufacturers statement as to what happens to seals and rubber things ! If you change the oil, think about a few extra Filter changes to clean thing up a little. An extra Filter change in-between the oil change wouldn't hurt, until the oil looks cleaner.

I had a Ranger years back, 2.3L, with over 100K, and started using Valoline High Milage, I actually thought the truck ran a little better in performance, I know... advertising does it, but consider this type of oil !

Valvoline MaxLife High Mileage Motor Oil, you want the 5-20 version for a newer engines, anything heavier will start the engine a clacking !

There is a lot of talk about IF... High Milage Oil is really worth it.
If you look on the web you see comments to use it IF you are using more than a quart in 6000 miles; to me if you are using a quart of oil between oil changes, change over and see what happens. Make sure to drain your old oil as much as possible. Get the engine hot and let her drain for a while, change the filter, and replace the oil.

Just a note, when I got my 2003, 3.0L, 5sp, 4x, with 24K miles, I immediately changed to full Synthetic, Mobile 1 and have never looked back. I do two oil changes a year, one with oil and filter, and the second is just the filter and fill up the oil. so in a way it is only one full oil change each year. BUT that is based on 8K or less miles a year now.
With full Synthetic my engine ran better, quieter, and appeared to pull better.
That was years ago, around 2008-9, and the engine still runs well but I only have 90K on it now.


Luck on your choice, I am sure which ever high milage oil you pick it should work out OK, but as you said... keep in mind oil seals, casketing, and DIRT !

Ltr

 

Not Sure how to edit the title, but it’s a 4.0 if that matters.

Thanks for all the info guys. Doing an oil change tomorrow and just wanted to get an opinion on weight and synthetic, semi or conventional.

 

Doesn't matter.
Probably better, I don't think the 4 litre suffered with the leaky pan gasket like the 3 litre did.

 

Doesn't matter on size for Ford, they used the same weight oil in most of their vehicles. used to be if you went to a heavier oil you got noises.

At a minimum stick to what you have been using for weight and go to a High Milage Type of Oil.

I stick to 5-20 now, seems light weight but it has always worked, no noises so I am guessing its ok !

Get a good filter, not a Fram, to me Fram is one of the worse filter out there, stick to Motorcraft Filters !

Ltr

 

What's wrong with Fram filters ?

 

An old problem was the filter material would break down, IF the filter wasn't changed in a reasonable time frame.

The material would get in the Lubricating System and from there blocking the flow.

This problem MAY have been addressed but I will never take a chance on them again.

I have heard their upper level filters are made by another company.

I stick to MotorCraft and if available and discounted a Six Filter would be my main choice.

 

I use royal purple full synthetic. I have an 01 and the person before me had put a used 3.0 in with 80,000 miles on it. No leaks seems to be fine

 

I use whatever synthetic is on sale 5-30 even though there was a TSB to switch to 5-20. and I only use motocraft filters

 

JeffR So what kind of oil do you use in your Ranger. Did not know about the harm you do to your engine letting it warm up in the winter. So what you are saying is to hit the accelerator pedal crank engine for a few seconds so oil can get to the critical moving parts that need lubrication before engine turns over to minimize engine wear right.

 

Tony, What kind of oil and weight are you using in your Ranger. I have the 3.0L and using Mobile 1 5w30 but have read that Ford recommends 5w20 now. I like your idea of starting your engine and driving it asap but gradually.

 

Right now I'm just using standard 10/30 weight until I fix the leaky crank seal, then I will switch to synthetic.

Cranking a few times while on the accelerator is something I've read here, I don't practice it myself though.
However I don't believe in letting any vehicle sit and warm up from cold.
I run it for a few seconds and drive it gently until it gets up to temp.

 

Find a video where they cut open a bunch of filters. You will see.

 

The best oil for the money, with the best additive package is Rotella T6 full synthetic. Choose the appropriate weight for your application. Someone mentioned Amsoil. I used it in my high performance air cooled motorcycle. The oil alone lowered the oil temperature by 17 degrees F. It is very good oil, but pricey. I used to use Castrol GTX in everything until it was reformulated a few years ago.

Almost any modern oil is a good lubricant when it is new. The difference is how long the anti-wear and anti-corrosion additives last, and how high the waste load is. The three enemies of a lubrication system are heat (more generally the lack of it), moisture (mostly from the combustion process) and contamination (silicates from poor air filtration and contaminants from chemical reaction "sludge").

The most common lubrication related killer of high mileage engines is sludge. Granny's car with 50K miles driving to church and the grocery store will have sludge. The postal truck that runs non stop all day long will be clean as a whistle inside at 200K because it runs hot enough, long enough to get all the moisture out of the system, preventing sludge. This applies to any engine.

The cold start issue: If you use oil that had good film properties, everything will still be lubricated enough for the few seconds it takes for oil pressure to build. Modern fuel injection system have eliminated the cylinder wash problems caused by choking a carb equipped engine. Give it a few seconds to build oil pressure and drive away normally. It is possible to damage an engine by being too aggressive until it warms up, don't crank it cold and stand on the throttle.

Back to the temperature thing. Your temperature gauge reads coolant temperature. The oil temperature lags behind. If you don't run the engine long enough to get the oil above 212 degrees for long enough to evaporate all the water from the oil you get sludge.

Silicate load: Everybody seems obsessed with "high performance air filtration" There is only one way for a filter to move more air thru a finite amount of filter area than a stock filter. That is to decrease the effectiveness of the filtration. You will never see a "filter" made of oiled gauze or open cell foam in one of my engines unless it is a race motor, where the only object is to keep alligators and logs out of the intake.

A pleated paper filter removes dirt and dust down to a few microns. Just use a good stock replacement filter. The fueling system is calibrated to run best with the pressure drop in a stock filter anyway. Want more power? Improve the exhaust efficiency, or retune the ECU.

Now......Get off my Lawn!!!!

 

I tried using a 10-30 oil, in a 5.0L I put in an '88 Ranger.
The lifter noise was loud... changed back to 5-20, changed the filter, Motorcraft, and in a few minutes the lifter noise went away.

When I changed to Mobile 1, first thing I noticed was it quieted the motor down some, nice. Couldn't tell you about MPG because my was in the floor boards with the new power.

Also, I use Motorcraft Oil Filters, have for a long time, BUT they are made by another company, NOT FORD !
IF I were to add the Diesel or a 5.0L to this Ranger, I would still use a Mobile1 product and use WIX Oil Filters.

From all reading that I did a while back, don't ask where, WIX came out on top.

Who makes the Motorcraft Filter, need to look that up !

 

I just go to Wally World and buy Motorcraft Multi Blend oil and Motorcraft filter for less than $30. I trust the Ford engineers,I'm sure they test it all, before a vehicle hits the road.Don't over complicate your life,enjoy it!

 

Urinal cakes taste like soapy pee.

 

OK Good info. I drive 4 miles to work everyday. Is that long enough to ward off the sludge.

 

Do you practice this starting procedure during the cold winter months only or year round

 

IMHO... 4 miles is at the edge of warming up the motor to operating temp... BUT it is better than running it for only 3 miles.
Also, just because you are getting warm air out of the heating system doesn't mean the engine is at full operating temperature.

I had two ways to go to work, living on an island, one was approximately 4 miles and the other 6 miles, I would drive the long way, and drinks cup of coffee just to warm things up.

I too think it is better to let it run for just a short while after starting, then drive it to warm it up.