What oil weight do you recommend for a 3.0 V6 with 120K miles

[wahl_7s]

Getting back to Barry's ? If you like saving money buy a good full syn. 10w30 for your area is probly fine and extend change intervals. Or use conventional oil and change every 5000(Ford recommendation not mine)IMHO

 

[barrys]

Getting back to Barry's ? If you like saving money buy a good full syn. 10w30 for your area is probly fine and extend change intervals. Or use conventional oil and change every 5000(Ford recommendation not mine)IMHO

Thanks wahl_7s.

I've been doing conventional every 3000. I don't drive much so that works out to every 4 or 5 months. It just gives me a chance to take a good look at the truckster if nothing else. I know it's probably overkill.

For those of you who do use synthetic, what change intervals do you usually use?

I had a VW Passat with the V6 (not the 1.8T which was a notorious sludge factory) which called for full synthetic every 6K. But, we know that VW likes their customers to spend lots of maintenance money.

 

[Rearanger]

For those of you who do use synthetic, what change intervals do you usually use?

You won't know what works for your driving and vehicle unless you do used oil analysis. You'll need to look at miles on oil, TBN and wear numbers. My experience shows at least 6k.
Here's a study done by a couple of guys.
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/oil-life.html

 

[wahl_7s]

You won't know what works for your driving and vehicle unless you do used oil analysis. You'll need to look at miles on oil, TBN and wear numbers. My experience shows at least 6k.
Here's a study done by a couple of guys.
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/oil-life.html

Man that's a cool article. I've been running Mobil 1 in my race truck and my other trucks for a long time now and it hasn't let me down yet! But I have never priced Amsoil how do they compare?

 

[barrys]

> But I have never priced Amsoil how do they compare?
If you start clicking on the links in that cool article, you'll start to see the different results between mobil 1 and amsoil. For someone like me, I'd never see any difference. For someone like you who's really pushing your machine in tough environments, some of those very subtle differences might be meaningful to you.

 

[mixwell]

Seeing as you live in the Bay Area and it doesn't get freezing cold or snow I would suggest 10 30.. Thats what I use in my ranger at least.. I used to have 5 20 in it when I would get it changed at the dealership but 10 30 works well for me..

 

[oldfordman]

For what it's worth- here is my 2 cents. In all my vehicles, I run manufacture recommended viscosity until the warranty is up. Then I switch to a higher viscosity oil. For my high mileages cars/trucks, I personally like the Valvoline 20W50 Racing oil for the summer, then run a high mileage 10W30 for the winter. Here in eastern PA, we don't usually get below about 0, so the 10W30 works fine. HOWEVER- I always let my engine warm up a few minutes in the morning, and never run it hard until things have warmed up well. Currently have a 91 s-10 with 236K miles, and a 94 Astro van with 220K. Both use less than a half quart of oil between oil changes at 4K miles, and have power and gas mileage almost as good as when new. Right now, I am running 10W40 in my 3.0 Ranger with 95K miles, and will probably go a bit thicker next summer. The zinc question is mostly important for us people with older engines running flat tappet camshafts, which puts a lot of shear on the cam, thus the need for a higher level of zinc (ZDDP) to protect the cam. Most (all?) newer engines have roller cams, and do not need as high a level of ZDDP. Diesel oils usually have a higher level of zinc than auto oils, and I have run the Rotella T 15W40 for many years in my 700 HP 66 Chevy big block and never have a problem. Also run that in my motorcycles. The zinc also provides start-up protection. ZDDP levels have been reduced drastically over the past 5-10 years. Please note that the link to the "bobistheoilguy" additive listing goes to a posting that is over 4 years old. Additives change all the time. Current spec for ZDDP in SM oil is a max of 1200 ppm, but even the synthetics are way below that, usually about 600. I have heard a lot about how zinc can ruin a cat converter, but have not been able to find any hard data on how much is too much, and if the engine isn't passing oil, does it matter if the zinc level is high? That's my 2 cents worth. If you are not sure, stick with manufacturer specs. Or, try a few things, and see what works best for your particular engine/climate/driving style.

 

[barrys]

Question for oldfordman:
What change intervals do you use for your ranger?

 

[theBlurr]

just a quick response to all the talk about what viscosity oil to use and either natural or synthetic.

It's my opinion that unless your a petroleum engineer working for a major auto maker, (and believe me they have them), the facilities that these engines get tested in at the R&D stage in the factory have spent millions of dollars to determine which grade and type of oil is actually the best choice for the performance and design of the engine.

Cheers,
theBlurr

 

[oldfordman]

Question for oldfordman:
What change intervals do you use for your ranger?

I change the oil around 5,000. Do it myself, hot, and let it drain 10-15 minutes. That way almost all the old oil is out, not like the quick lube places that stick the plug back in as soon as the oil stream slows down. I have had numerous "discussions" with lube places about this. The standard line is that they "don't have time" to leave the plug out for even 2-3 minutes, although most manufactures say to let the engine sit for 3-5 minutes before checking the oil to allow the oil to drain back into the pan. I typically put about 10K a year on my vehicles, so that is 2X a year, and it's an easy number to remember. Personal plug here- the most important "accessory" I put in all my vehicles is a small notebook, cost about $1, in which I record all the maintainance and info- when/where/part #'s/etc. Saves a lot of time in the long run when you can walk in and order a part knowing you have second design, later year model, etc. Also- a word about engineers- I work everyday with engineers. Their main goal is to meet specs at minimum costs. The car companies want you back buying new every 5-10 years. So the oil that is reccomended will get you past warranty, and probably go 150K miles. I'm interested in getting to 250K miles or more. I've read many posts that the change to 5W20 was done mainly to tweak gas mileage a bit. I agree with others that a 20 weight/viscosity is too thin for hot summer driving. I know the standard line about tighter tolerances- but basic engine design really has not changed that much. Still crank, rods, pistons, etc. Some day I will sit down and compare actual manufacturing tolerances over the past 40 years for a few standard engines. Should be interesting.

 

[fourwheelford]

^^ thats the way I look at it, car companies don't want your car or truck to last 250,000 miles, thats kinda bad for business. I use the oil I use and nothing is gonna change my mind on that, reguardless of a stupid sticker. There should be a sticky on the front page reguarding oil threads

 

[shadetree]

There is no need for thick oils in a street driven machine. Thick oil is for heavy duty use. It is slow to lubricate when cold, and takes power to pump, and does not lubricate any better than thinner oils.

People get anal about oil, and for no reason. Most oils today are perfectly fine for most any engine. The key to engine longevity is maintenance. Keeping the oil and filter changed, and most everyone that does this gets high miles from their engines.

I use Super Tech 10/30 synthetic with 10k oil changes. Works for me, and have never had a problem. It is true that most engines operate around 190 to 210*. But, standard petrolem oils tend to start breaking down after 220*. So, I want the extra protection offered by the synthetic, along with the flow and wear properties. I don't want that one time that the engine overheats to be the one that cooks the oil.

For the OP, use whatever brand you wish, use normal weights, change at recommended intervals, and you will be fine.shady

 

[351rangerxxx]

changed from 10-30 syn castrol to 0-30 mobile and gained a constant 1mpg. i change my oil every 5000 miles cuz engine is known for sludge. chysler 2.7. 35 dollars for a oil change is cheap and here in nd i've seen temps as low as -45F in the morning so i want the quickest flowing oil i can get.. but if you have been running 10-40 for 6 years don't quite. it's working for you so no reason to change.

 

[barrys]

> but if you have been running 10-40 for 6 years don't quite. it's working for you so no reason to change.

I don't know if it's working for me or not which is why I asked.

 

[351rangerxxx]

it still runs so its working for you. regular changes is the best to have a long lasting engine.