Oil questions
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: SW Va
Might be helpful to know which engine you have & what your drive cycle & regional operating temp range is, as not all of Fords engines are back speced to use 5W-20 viscosity, for good reasons.
I've used regular mineral grade Havoline for way over 50 years, that meets or exceeds Fords specified crankcase lube specs for my engines. Generally changed twice yearly/6 month interval, as most of my drive cycles are short term urban/suburban 10 miles or less. I use the specified Motorcraft oil & air filters, as they are of good quality, easy to come by, reasonable cost & thus a good bang for the buck.
All that said, if you aren't using Motorcraft oil, lots of good quality crankcase lube out there now, so choose one that states on its container that it meets or exceeds Fords specifications for your engine & type service the engine will see during the OCI & change it as specified in your owners manual for that type of service.
If your still in doubt, have an oil analisis done at the end of your OCI, to see how your crankcase lube, oil & air filter product choices are doing, the way your working them.
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: SW Va
If you use another brand crankcase lube, make sure it says on the container that its licensed to meet or exceed Fords 5W-20 specs & you'd be good to go.
The Ranger 4.0L & some other Ford engines were never back specified to use 5W-20, as the 4.0L is to only use 5W-30, because its oil pump was never up graded to be able to pump the lower viscosity hot 5w-20wt, so the 4.0L would suffer delivery volume problems at operating temp & thats why I was asking which engine your Ranger had & where you lived.
The Rangers 2.3, 2.5 & 3.0L Vulcan were specified to use 5w-20, so thats the viscosity range you'll want to use.
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: SW Va
02-1-9***ENGINE - ENGINE OIL - RECOMMENDED APPLICATIONS FOR SAE 5W-20 AND SAE 5W-30 MOTOR OILS - GASOLINE AND FLEXIBLE FUEL VEHICLES ONLY
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2005
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Have a look at this 02 TSB for oil viscosity range, verses engine.
02-1-9***ENGINE - ENGINE OIL - RECOMMENDED APPLICATIONS FOR SAE 5W-20 AND SAE 5W-30 MOTOR OILS - GASOLINE AND FLEXIBLE FUEL VEHICLES ONLY
02-1-9***ENGINE - ENGINE OIL - RECOMMENDED APPLICATIONS FOR SAE 5W-20 AND SAE 5W-30 MOTOR OILS - GASOLINE AND FLEXIBLE FUEL VEHICLES ONLY
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: SW Va
Ford says 0.6 mpg improvement by using 5W-20. That figure would be difficult for most of us to be able to measure, but fleet wide, with high fuel prices, it would add up to significant $$ & fuel consumption savings over time.
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I know Ford has back spec'd 20wt. oil in a lot of their engines. But, I'm not sure I would be comfortable using it in an engine that has over a 150,000 miles. It may be fine with no problems. But, going thinner on a high mileage engine may not be the best option for protection.
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^ not necessarily true because 5w 20 is thinner than 5w 30, so it can theoretically lubricate the smaller engine parts that otherwise a 5w 30 oil couldn't. I have heard many a debate about switching back-and-forth between 5w 30 and 5w 20 or changing weight out of the blue after a particular weight has been used for so long, such as 150,000 miles. All I can say is to use what the vehicle calls for. I have owned/leased 5 rangers since 97', and I have always had the shops put in what was called for. My 08' 3.0Liter takes 5w 20, and one shop used 5w-30 once in winter during an "oil change special" where it wasn't advertised that that was the bulk weight oil to be used. I felt that the vehicle performed pretty much the same -- it did seem a little ruffer on higher RPM's. Anyway, it doesn't get extremely cold here in Ohio like Wisconsin, Minn., or Alaska, so I kept it in for 3,000 miles instead of my usual 4,000/4,500. Did I do damage? Probably not. Would I take the chance again? No. Almost every receipt I have kept since my first oil change says 5w 20 weight was used, which is exactly what my vehicle calls for. I now have shy of 65,000 miles, and my Ranger still rides pretty darn well.