I have an 89 Ranger 2.9 with 90,000 miles. I have only had the truck for 2 months. It is time to change the oil and I am wondering what would be the best oil and filter for this truck?
Thanks

 

Ive always used Mobil oil and have had good luck with it. Ive got over 150,000 miles on my '99 F-150 using Mobil Drive Clean and more recently Mobil Clean 5000.
As for the oil filter, stick to OEM. Motorcraft filters dont cost any more than Fram and are a much better filter.

 

The first question that needs to be answered before oil is suggested is how long are you going between oil changes? For the filter, there's nothing special with Motorcraft filters so you're better off getting a Purolator. Their just as good but you're not paying for the MC name.

 

also a newbie here - have only had the truck for a month .. picked up a motorcraft oil filter at walmart for abt 3.25.. and a 5qt bottle of castrol gtx 5w30 .. but i'm not sure about putting that brand of oil in..??

 

I would not worry about the Castrol brand, I have used it in the past with no problems.

 

I use Castrol GTX in ALL of my gasoline vehicles (except the "T").And I use Rotella 15W40 in my Mercedes diesel.

 

thanks for the info. the ranger has 113k on it right now so i wasn't sure if some other oil is better... i plan to keep using dino. this truck is replacing a 1984 mercedes 300D which i had for 12 years and did over 45 oil changes on.. mostly with rotella 15/40 (great stuff!).

so it's good to change oil in the 2.3l engine every 3mos/3000mi or at 2500?

 

Everyone has their favorites and any quality oil is just fine.
Almost everyone here can suggest their favorite brand and tell you why it's better.

I could suggest what I like and use but the moderator and many posters will flip out and jump all over it and me, so I won't.

.

 

A Motorcraft filter is no more expensive than any other good filter. They are made by Wix.
Regardless of what oil you run, you should NOT extend the drain intervals. I dont care if you use the best synthetic oil on the market, IMO you should not go any farther than 5,000 miles between oil changes.
I had a '99 Ranger with a 4.0L OHV V6 that I ran Amsoil 5w-30 in. I did just as Amsoil said, ran it 6 months, changed the filter, added a quart and then ran it another 6 months. When I drained the oil after a year, I only got 4 quarts of oil out of my engine and I noticed that my engine started to develop a ticking noise. So, needless to say, Im not a believer in Amsoil...
We could sit here and argue about oil untill the cows come home, but the plain and simple fact is that the oil which is the best is the oil that gets changed often.

 

I like that

 

Nice catch phrase but I would rather use a quality oil for more miles than use a cheap (quick store, parts store or Walmart brand) oil for short mileage. Before I went syn I started going 5k on changes without troubles.

BTW....The oil usage (I drained out only 4 quarts) is pretty easy to explain.
(First I wonder who measures out what they drain?)

If you do 3k or 5k oil changes and your truck was 1/4 or 1/2 qt short when you change your oil most people are happy and don't care or worry.
If you run it 2-3-5 times longer it will use 2-3-5 times more oil, that's just math and I figured that out on my own trucks.

My wife's truck needed 1/2 qt added at 11k and that's abnormal for us but it is a 2.5L with 150k ext cab that has a wedge camper shell (catches wind) and she drives down in the ozarks in the hills so it works pretty hard. I can live with that. I have the same in a splash with a short top and it might be a little low when I change but don't add and mine has 250k so if it starts to use some I would understand.

My theory is if you are happy doing what you are doing keep doing it, I won't tell you your favorite stuff is bad and you should do the same for me.

 

Why is it you seem to have a complex about the oil you use??????

 

bob, not necessary

Matt

 

I like Castrol GTX.

 

Motorcraft filters is the number 1 answer, anything but fram is the number 2 answer. I use mobil 1 now, I use to use havoline before going synthetic, I will be switching to royal purple because it's true synthetic. My son uses motorcraft oil in his ranger, it's a synthetic blend, these are all great oils and there's more. It's sorta personal perference in the end, but I've had good luck with havoline, motorcraft, and mobil 1, are they the best, don't know, but they are some of the best. I switched to synthetic to improve my mpg, I don't only run it in the engine, but the whole drivetrain. The point can be argued, but it seemed to help my mpg. I've been told that mobil 1 is now a synthetic blend, so I'm going to royal purple full synthetic next time, I run it in the rest of my drivetrain anyway. What oils have you used and liked in the past ? If they were good enough then , they should be ok now.