What is the big thing to keep in mind with changing your oil? When I first got my '89 Escort, 1.9L, it had 35K miles on it. After awhile it started ticking a little, just a lifter I assumed. I took it to my local backyard mechanic who looked at it and suggested something I'd never heard of. First he added some automatic trans. fluid while the vehicle was running. In just seconds the tick went away. He suggested that I use one weight heavier oil, (i.e., if I used 10-30, to use 10-40), and replace one quart of oil with a quart of trans. fluid (it was dextron/mercon, not sure of spelling). I ran my car that way until I wrecked it, (some stupid teenager pulled out in front of my as I came over a hill) and I never had the problem again. I never had a problem with leaking oil, and it ran super great. It had around 99K miles on it when I wrecked it, but it ran strong until then.
I also noticed someone saying they blend a 50/50 of synthetic with non-synthetic. Is that OK? Does it provide any advantage over non-synthetic? Now I have a 2K Ranger w/ 4.0L. It reccomends using 5w-30 and changing every 5K miles, though I've been changing every 3K for now. Is there anything special I can be doing with this since I want to keep it running for as long as I can. Also, I want to beef it up a little, so should I be doing something different with it?

Thanks for any info.

Matt

 

Matt,
I feel your Pain, A moron turned left in front of me and I hit him head on totaling my truck.

But in regard to your question, I had a 93 Ranger with the 4.0 and ran synthetic 5W-30 for 126,000 miles and it was still going strong until an idiot thought he could beat me through a light.

I wouldn't try any additives or trans fluid unless you develop a problem. I never did. That is a strong engine.
James

 

They make a synthetic blend oil already. And they make a full synthetic. Advantage , well better start up oil pressure, especially in cold weather. And maybe a few thousand miles more over the life of the vehicle. But the main thing is to change your oil every 3 to 5 thousand miles along with your oil filter. And use name brand oil. The old saying " take care of your vehicle and it will take care of you", is so very true.

 

I used 10-40 in my Ranger with the 2.9 V6 for over 130,000 miles and ran it HARD. No problems. Did change the oil every 3000 miles and even tried a few Slick 50 quarts on it. I think the main thing is to keep your oil clean. Use a good filter and drive her hard.

I now use Mobil 1 in my truck. But my Crown Vic still uses 10-30 and it has over 140,000 on it. I can't find a reason not use conventional oil if you do regular maintenance. The Mobil 1 is a option.

I do not recommend adding transmission fluid to your engine. That was a band aid on a problem.

98 F250LD 4X4

 

auto trans fluid is mostly 30 wt oil with a lot of detergent added to it. If you have dirt or sludge in there somewhere, ATF might help you dissolve it out. I don't drive with it all the time, but add an extra quart of ATF for about a week just before an oil change. DF