Ok, changed my oil. All went well, got covered (couldn't go without doing that!!!), but she's done and runnin' better. Burns no oil between changes, no leaks. I love my truck.

Anyways, couple of things. Seeing I've never changed my oil myself, I was a little apprehensive, but it went well. My neighbor, who does his own oil changes on his Bronco, said to just hand tighten the filter, I did, no leaks or anything, is that the "right" thing to do?
It took about five quarts, correct? It's past the "FULL" line on the dipstick, but then again it always has been.
Took a few seconds for the oil pressure to register after start, seems normal to me, planes I fly do it.
How tight should the drain plug be? I didn't want to overly tighten it because I didn't want to strip it. No torque wrench here either.
And when they do a "full service" oil change, I know they do a "chassis lube" what exactly is involved, how do I do it, what do I need, etc.? Anything else to do while I'm down there?
And, finally lol, I managed to get oil into a fresh cut on my finger. I washed it out good, that's fine right? Anything special I should do to it?

Thanks for you guys' help.

RP
Zach

 

That's what I do. Never had any trouble with it.

I fill mine up to the full line. It usually ends up being about 4.5 quarts (4-cyl). I don't think you're doing the engine any favors filling it up past the full line on the dipstick.

Normal, yes. Good, no. I tend to crank the engine a few times without starting it to try to get some oil into the filter before I start it. If you're lucky enough to have a vertical oil filter, fill it up before you put it on, and you can reduce this problem greatly. (I think my mother's '94 Explorer with the 4.0 was this way, so you might be in luck.)

Tight enough not to leak, but not so tight that you strip the threads. I don't put it on too tight, just good and snug. Hard to describe, since neither of us is using a torque wrench.

I wouldn't worry about it. If it starts to look infected, you might want to do something about it, but I've gotten oil or grease in a fresh cut most times I've worked on anything mechanical, and never had any trouble.

 

Congratulations Zack.
Hand tight on the filter is fine. If you get it to tight you might distort the gasket and cause a leak. You want it just tight enough so it doesn't leak.
While the owner's manual doesn't say, I think 5 qt. is a bit much. The manual only says "between the min and max marks." It probably won't hurt, but if the level is high enough for the crank to hit it, it will cause the oil will foam. That could cause problems.
A few seconds after startup for the gauge to move is normal.
Drain plug. I usually go with hand tight plus about 1/4 turn. Like the filter you want to get it tight enough so it won't leak, but not so tight that you'll strip something. Replace the O-ring/gasket from time to time also. Cheap insurance.
About the "full service" thing. Don't know what year your Ranger is but I'm reasonably sure the "grease fittings" are all sealed. So you can forget about them. Just squirt some WD 40 on the hinges and things like that so things don't get dry and start to squeak.
About the cut, don't worry. That just tells you the job was done right. LOL. Welcome to the skinned knuckle club. Next time, after you wash it good, just spray on some antiseptic to be sure and you'll be fine.

Have fun

 

Ok good. I'll attempt to let a little oil out, get it down around the FULL mark. I did pre-fill the filter, so I'll remember to do that next time as well!
I'll WD-40 everything tomm when I get a little oil out and clean the block/tranny up.

Funny...I was laying under the truck today, undoing the oil drain plug (it's 13MM right, that seemed to be the snug-est fit I could get), and felt heat above me. Hmm...that's a cute little cat right above my head. Long story short, I kept my head pinned against the concrete the WHOLE time lol. Don't wanna have a run in with that thing.

Thanks for the advice guys! I'll enjoy being in the skinned knuckles club I'm sure!

 

I wouldn't worry about the little amount of extra oil. I'm pretty sure the 4.0 takes 5 quarts with a filter change, as does the 2.3. The dipstick could be wrong, in which case you want to remark it.

Next time, fill the oil filter up with as much oil as you can without it spilling out when you install it. Helps oil pressure come up faster on initial start up after the oil change.

I have quite a few grease fittings on the front suspension/steering componets. Every other oil change is when I grease them. If your u-joints have been replaced, they may also have grease fittings.

 

Zach,

Did you fill the filter up, AND put 5 quarts of oil in it? If so, that's why you
have too much oil in it.

 

ooo...that would explain it. Good to know.

In an...interesting...feat, I managed to get it down to the FULL mark on the dipstick, all is well now. I WD-40d everything. I'm going to grease what has grease on it as soon as I get the grease (which is somewhat necessary to grease something, eh?), which should be tonight.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Please tell us where this was applied.

 

I WD-40d the door hinges and stuff. Greased everything underneath the truck that appeared to need or had grease on it. All is well now. Hopefully next time this will go a little faster! lol. Thanks guys!

 

being a machinist, i've probably got oil, coolant, parts cleaner, and wd-40 along with pb blaster running through my vains and some JD also, lol. a little oil ain't gonna kill you. 5/8" socket fits perfect on my drain plug. since my hands are usually oily when i put the filter on, i hand tighten then a half turn with the filter wrench. mine is a '00 with the 3.0 as some of you may already know and the manual specifies 4.5 quarts. also i really believe everything is sealed so no need for grease...thank goodness! i hate fricken grease! btw, i tighten the plug till it stops basically, you just know when to say when!

 

After reading it all, I figured the muffler bearings got greased .

 

Geez, Bill, those have been sealed since the '88 Rangers. You don't have to grease them anymore.

 

I hope he checked the ultra-violet level while he was doing this service.
Seriously, I'm glad to see people taking an interest in doing there own maintenance. That way you know it got done.

 

Oh, I wouldn't be quite so sure about that....

Having once owned a 94 since brand new day one back in 94, I'm really very aware of what needs to be lubed under there. Actually and more specifically, what does not, lol! The good news about WD-40 is that is rinses off fairly easily so no problems will develop.

*The lube described in the owners manual is sooooo much better than WD and for good reason. Just something to consider. That designation WD, it really does have a meaning .

 

thats preeeety funny!