Got just over 100 k on my 03 4.0 Ranger.

For the past 3 years (since I bought it) the oil has been changed every 3k.

Always used Quaker State 5w30 and Motorcraft filters....

Changed oil/filter last night and used Castrol GTX 5w30..

Seems to be noisy in the top end on start-up.....

My buddy,who works in a shop suggested that I should be using 15w40 due to the mileage getting up there...

I was kinda thinking that myself and I respect his opinion...but I see here that everybody else is staying with 5w30...

Should I dump the GTX and go back to Quaker State?

 

What oil is called out for your engine by Ford ?
That is what I would change back to.
Also, if you go to a Syn-Oil, use the same oil weight rating, don’t go to a lower weight just because the oil package says it will work.

No disrespect to your friend but any mechanic should know that most Ford engine do not like any oil weight about what is suggested by the factory.
100K isn’t much for the newer engine but don’t go to a higher weight oil viscosity oil unless there is a reason for it.

I have always used 5-20 in my 2003, 3.0 and my 5.0 I used 5-20 or 10-20.
One of the few oil changes I had a shop do they used there shop oil, I was assured it was 5-20 and I let them do it, WRONG !!! Not sure what they used but it was from their 55 gal barrels, I assumed (there is that @ss thing out of you and me) what they told me was correct but after the oil change the engine was noisey, the upper end was ticking, WTF… I didn’t know for sure what had happened. The shop wanted to tear down the upper end to see how much of a problem there was.
I stopped them at that point, asked to see their oil barrel and low and behold on the outside of the barrel it said 10-40, I asked where the 5-20 was and they said this is the oil we use on all oil changes, I told them not on mine anymore.
I changed the oil and filter, 5-20 oil and Motorcraft Filter and wham ban, all the ticking went away.

So in conclusion only use what is suggested by Ford, as the engine ages and miles start to rack up, test out the heavier weights but stick as close to OEM as possible.

 

OK,5-30 is spelled out on the oil filler cap.......so I'm assuming that's what they want me use.

Your engines are pushrod engines & I believe mine is SOHC?

So they likely would have different reactions to different oil,right?

ANYWAYS.......When I lit it up cold this morning,it was quiet/normal....let it set for 5 hours & same thing...quiet again....

I had gone a few thousand miles longer in between changes and hopefully the engine was just compensating for the "correct" grade of oil ,as the old stuff had likely thinned out....

 

I know we all hear this type of thing a lot, but it really doesn't make any sense. Your engine was designed for a certain oil and mileage doesn't change that. Switching to a thicker oil will only cause more wear during warm up.

A good reason to never go to that shop again.

Its sucks that we have to do our own oil changes, it really doesn't save any money, but here are two more examples of why a shop can't be trusted to do the simplest of maintenance items.

 

I wouldn't say it sucks, I'd rather do my oil changes then trust someone else lol. I do everything else to it.

 

Pennsoil 10w-30 high milage with Wix filter

 

My Ranger is at a little over 156K miles now. I have started adding a couple quarts of 10W-40 to the 5W-30 oil at oil change. I use Valvoline synthetic oil with a Motorcraft oil filter. I tow a lot and found that after a long run on a highway and coming to a stop, the oil gage would drop briefly when I let out on the clutch to get moving again. While letting out on the clutch, the rpm would initially drop a little causing the oil pressure to drop below the safety level. Adding a little higher viscosity oil has improved this problem.

I am sure this is due to a little wear on the bearings causing the clearance to open a little. The engine still runs very well and it does not use any more oil or have any unusual noises. It just need a little higher viscosity oil for the rough duty I expose it to at its current mileage.