I have a 97 ranger 3.0 2wd and an 03 focus zts. The focus is still under warranty so i use motorcraft 5w20 oil in it that ford recommends for it's newer vehicles. The ranger manual calls for a 5w30 but I'd rather not keep 2 kinds of oil around so I would like to use the 5w20 in the ranger too. My local dealer will not give me a definite answer, simply saying that the engineers call for a 5w30 in the ranger(just covering their butts I guess). Now, I farmed for years so I know a little bit about lubricants and i know there is some difference between 20 and 30 weight oil, but not a whole lot, if anything the lighter oil should reduce friction and increase mileage (which is why they use it in the focus).
We have pretty extreme temps where i live, -40F in the winter and +90F in the summer, so the 5w20 should be great in the winter but will be getting maybe a little thin in the summer.
Okay then, 2 questions: Does ford recommend 5w20 in the newer rangers? If they do, it should work just fine in mine. And just for the heck of it - What are you people using using in your ranger/mazdas - conventional, synthetic, what grade etc.

 

Not long ago, someone posted that Ford now recommends 5w-30 for ALL their vehicles. It was in a Tech Bullentin. OP was a vet here so post was a good one. :-)

 

Ranger22.
I have a 98 Ranger 3.0, 5 spd 2 wheel drive. It has 130,000 miles on it. I live in northern Maine and we have the same temp range that you do. I use Penzoil in all of my vehicles. In my Ranger, I run 10-30 in the summer months and 5-30 in the winter. (My vehicles are all parked in an un-heated garage) I also have a 94 Tempo with a little over 200,000 miles on it. I use 10-30 in the Tempo year around. It gets 36 MPG and the Ranger gets 24. I change the oil and fliter religously at 3,000 miles and, so far neither none of my vehicle use any oil at all. I used to own a 1974 Ford F-100 Ranger with a 240 CID in line 6. I used to use 10-40 in that one year around and it slept outside. It wasnt uncommon for it to run 80 pounds of oil pressure for the first few minutes on a cold start. It would drop to 60 after it warmed up. I got 23 MPG with that truck. I use 10-30 in my 1951 Farmall tactor,year around and 10-40 in my 1946 Ford 1 1/2 ton truck. The old truck is not registered for the road and is only run on the farm in the summer time. It runs about 25 pounds of oil pressure, which is fine for a flat head. I also have a 2004 Ford Explorer issued to me by my employer. It calls for 5-30 so that is what I am using in it, year around. The best that I can squeeze out of that one is 16.5 MPG but it idles a lot and gets run kind of hard at times. (I dont pay the bills on that truck)

 

In my 94 Ranger 4.0, I'm currently using 5w30; formerly I used 10w30. IN the Ranger, I'd be concerned about running a lighter viscosity in summer months and especially on the freeway on a hot day. I'd suggest simply following the manufactures recommendaitons. You're lucky in that you only need to keep two kinds of oil around; I need three. Oh, then there's the lawnmower, then the two stroke.

 

Just traded an 01 Ranger with 114,000 miles. It has a 3.0, auto, etc. I used Pennzoil 5W20 the whole time. I changed the oil every 5,000 miles and never had a problem also no oil consumption during that time. I now have an 04 Ranger SC, 3.0, auto, etc and I'm using Pennzoil 5W20. I travel the whole state of Ohio year round. I believe the key is proper maintenance for the driving conditions.

JEY

 

I run Valvoline Synthetic Blend 5W-30.

 

I use Mobil 1 synthetic 5-30 in my 02 ranger year round, change every 5000 miles.

 

Actually, Ford now recommends 5W-20 for MOST of it's vehicles. Two exceptions of note are the 4.0L OHV and the 4.0L SOHC engines, both of which are used in the Ranger: Ford Recommended Motor Oil TSB

 

Looks like I am the only one here that uses Quaker State... 5w-30 now but 10w-30 usually

185,000+ and still going

 

Castrol GTX 5W-30, just like the manual states for a weight. I change the oil every 3K or so.

I wouldn't run anything else that isn't recommended by Ford.

 

Well pawpaw has used Texaco Havoline dino oil products for over 50 years now & have never had a deposit or lubricating problem in any of my engines.

My 94 Tarus 3.8L with 80K miles, calls for 5W-30 & I change it & the Motocraft FL-400S filter twice a year. which has worked out to be about every 4K miles. She's as quiet as a church mouse & clean as a pin inside & so far no oil consumption between changes LOL.

The 99 Ranger 4.0L roller lifter push rod engine has gotten the same oil change intervial with dino 5W-30 Havoline & Motorcraft FL-1A filters.

So far so good & I tow a bass boat over the Blue Ridge Mountains 2-3 times a week about 9 months a year.

On this past spring's oil change I decided to try Havoline synthetic 5W-30 in the Ranger, with good results!!!

Highway mpg has picked up by 1.8-2.2 mpg in spring & summer driving, but have not noticed much if any improvement in city mpg. Don't know about winter yet!!!

I just recently tried some of the 5W-30 Havoline synthetic in the Taurus, not through the first tank of fuel yet, so I don't know about city mileage, but if the Ranger is any guide, I probably won't notice much if any change.

Both vehicles sit outside year round, 24/7, so they should like the synthetic this winter.

With your temperatures as wide as they are, seems to me you would be a good candidate for considerating a synthetic lubricant.

As far as changing viscosity range, don't forget oil also cools the engine as well as providing a lubricating & cushioning film between moving metal parts. So engine design tolerances for, oil pressure at temperature, oil flow & volume, film strength, additive package, ect, ect, should be taken into consideration when making a lubricant change.

You might be ok with 5W-20 synthetic but on the dino 5W-20, I don't know about the hot summer driving, on the 97 engine.

It would depend on the oil manufactures specifications for any given brand.

Look up & compare the data sheets for the oil brands you intend to use & select one that exceeds the specifictions for your expected driving conditions & habits.

They aren't all the same, for instance, there is as much as 40-50 deg F temp difference in volatitity, between different brands of dino 5W-30.

So for example, if you do plenty of hot high speed highway driving, or hot weather, slow stop & go, city driving, this difference could make or break your engine for carbon, varnish, or sludge deposits, as one example.

So if you decide to change your viscosity range, keep a close eye on your lubricants condition & the only way I know to do that reliably, is with regular oil analisis & at $20 bucks or so a pop, it's not very cost effective, IMHO.

It's easier & far less expensive to just keep two different oil viscosity's around & change them on schedule as called out in your owners manual, for the type of driving you do. LOL

 

How timely, I'm changing my oil today. As always, I will be using Castrol GTX 5w-30.

 

This has been a very informative and interesting thread! I, for one, SINCERELY appreciate all the input from the experienced posters. What a treasure to be found here! Mods, do ya think this thread would qualify for a sticky?

 

Mobil 1 5w-30 in my '03 FX4, about every 3000 miles.

I use synthetic mostly because of the cold winters here. It makes a big difference when the temp gets well below 0.

I could probably go more miles between changes, but I end up not driving a lot of miles (less than 6K a year), and most of the miles I do put on are very short trips. Since short trips are apparently rough on the oil, I err on the cautious side.

 

Hi all!

Blue Ovals. . . Bowties. . . Mopars. . .(Kid's Imports). . .
All get ONE brand. Penzoil.
Fortunately, they all take 5w30.

Filter. . . . Fram. Been using 'em for over 35 years. No need to change, now.
(Although, I've heard that NAPA filters have the best filtration.) ???

Oil and filter changes EVERY 3,000 miles.
Needless to say, I'm always changin' oil!

None burn oil. No leaks. If it leaks, it doesn't get parked in the driveway.

Great forum!!! Glad I found it!!

Keith