DIY maintenance

[19Walt93]

I had a couple of vehicles that called for 5w20 but I used 5w30 in those cars, too. Engineers don't think the same as mechanics, they'll accept more engine wear if it adds .02 mpg. Powertrian warranty ends(or ended) at 60k, if the engine lasts until 61k the repairs don't cost Ford anything but most people expect their vehicle to last longer than that. The same kind of thinking created the 10k/ 1 year service interval.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I had a couple of vehicles that called for 5w20 but I used 5w30 in those cars, too. Engineers don't think the same as mechanics, they'll accept more engine wear if it adds .02 mpg. Powertrian warranty ends(or ended) at 60k, if the engine lasts until 61k the repairs don't cost Ford anything but most people expect their vehicle to last longer than that. The same kind of thinking created the 10k/ 1 year service interval.

My '150 has 190k on the stuff, wife's edge has 260k

 

[MikeG]

I don't drive turbos so won't comment on oil changes there. Would probably be a LOT more paranoid about letting the oil go very long if I did.

But my Mazda 3 runs 15,000 miles between changes with the spec 5w-20, and I just did the 345,000 mile change. Before it was out of warranty I stuck to the 7,500 mile interval with 'normal' Mobile 1, now I used the extended change stuff which says 20,000 miles on the jug, previously 15,000 was on it the oil change before that. I have no doubt other synthetics would hold up in a similar fashion.

It is, finally, getting to the point I really need to add about a quart halfway through that. I didn't on the last interval, and there was noticeably less coming out of the engine than I put back in.

If I changed the oil at 15,000 miles in my truck, it might be the next decade before I had to do it again so it gets the usual 5,000 mile change, or if it's been a couple of years, it gets changed anyway. Yeah I know. It's only ever had the usual 5w-30 that's on the filler cap, same brand, but I don't spend more on the 'extended' stuff.

Living in a warm weather state may affect all this.

 

[wildbill23c]

The thing with the buildup on the valves, the 2.3 is direct injected, fuel is sprayed directly into the combustion chamber, not the intake port. So stuff from the PVC can accumulate on the intake valve, in severe cases it can make them run weird. There is a procedure for cleaning the valves and you can get a catch can that is supposed to filter it out (I need to check into one for our Bronco)

The early 3.5 EB was the same way. Eventually somebody figured out "hey this can be a problem" and the V6 Ecoboosts went to dual port, with an injector spraying into the intake port like they always have and one spraying into the chamber. This keeps the valves clean like apparently nobody knew they had been doing prior. The 2.7 in the Bronco is a dual port if you are concerned.

I am not overly concerned obviously.



Turbos have oil lines from the engine and use the engine's oil for lube.

Turbos are more efficient and simpler on the control side for an OEM.



The big thing is to not overestimate how good your modern engine is with modern oil. Ford kind of does it to itself to a degree too, even with my 2.8 (per the sales brochure) you can go up 7,500 miles on an oil change.

Lower middle of page 19:

https://www.therangerstation.com/resources/pdf_documents/1985_ford_ranger_brochure.pdf

And maybe in some lab condition they can, people look at the chart in the manual, underestimate what they are doing and run oil changes way longer than they should. They still do the same crap in new literature.

"I just have a short drive"

Short drives = short oil change intervals boosted or otherwise. Never fully getting up to temp is bad news for the oil.

"Oh, I live in the country the air is clean"

You also live on a gravel road with atomized rock in the air and your neighbor does fieldwork throwing dirt and dried powdered plants in the air.

Nobody thinks about stuff like that.

Glowing red for days on diesels with decent care turbos last darn near forever.

I opted for the 2.3 in our Bronco because it is a I4 and thus should be easier to work on than a DOHC V6, when its out of warranty, I will do as much as I can for repairs on it like I have the Edge before it. The thing will be a crappy race car or tow pig and as it sits it will have the most power of anything in my fleet even with the 2.3 (V8 F-150 included)

Thanks everyone for the education with the turbos. I took my 08 Explorer in for a full service a couple weeks ago and had them change the oil service interval on it to 3,000 miles. I drive a lot of short distance trips now so I'd rather have the oil changed sooner than later, I don't think I put 5,000 miles on any of my vehicles in a year so that kind of oil change interval would be terrible for an engine for sure.

Sounds to me like most horror stories I have seen, read, and heard are lacking the tiny detail where the owner just didn't bother changing the fluids.

 

[sgtsandman]

I think Ford calls for the same ol' Synthetic Blend 5-20 they do for everything else.

At least in 2017 when I retired, all the Ecoboost stuff called for 5w30. I've seen many, many vehicles exceed 200k with no problems running Motorcraft synthetic blend if it was changed regularly.

I don't know about the other ecoboost engines but the 2.3 in the Ranger calls for 5W-30 and of course, Recommends their synthetic blend.

 

[Dirtman]

But yet the non turbo version calls for 5w20.

 

[sgtsandman]

I had a couple of vehicles that called for 5w20 but I used 5w30 in those cars, too. Engineers don't think the same as mechanics, they'll accept more engine wear if it adds .02 mpg. Powertrian warranty ends(or ended) at 60k, if the engine lasts until 61k the repairs don't cost Ford anything but most people expect their vehicle to last longer than that. The same kind of thinking created the 10k/ 1 year service interval.

Honda was doing that as well, even for vehicles that originally called for 5W-30. I never switched. It called for 5W-30 from the start and all the other vehicles I worked on used it as well. I wasn't going to stock one specific oil for one specific vehicle just because of a desire to bump up mpg numbers. Plus, my CR-V wasn't just a DD road queen. It was put to work.

 

[sgtsandman]

But yet the non turbo version calls for 5w20.

I imagine the turbo is hard on oil and the extra grade weight it needed to compensate for the heat the oil is exposed to in the turbo but that jumps down into a rabbit hole I'm not interested in delving into. I'm sure one could really geek out on the Hows, Whys, and What fors real easy.

 

[Shadowrider6661]

Here's something that most people would think is not too intelligent. I've been using a Bar and Chain Oil in all of my vehicles for the past 10 years. What's interesting is that the additive that makes the oil stick to all the moving parts is great for noiseless startups, no matter how hot or cold it is. I've had good results over the years and will continue with this oil and see how many more years it will take before I destroy the engines.

 

[Dirtman]

 

[MikeG]

Funny, I've used ATF in my chain saw for bar lube.... there ya go

 

[19Walt93]

Bar and chain oil works good for oil undercoating, too. I suspect it won't hurt the engine if it's changed really often because it has no detergent component. I'll stick with motor oil, though.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

B&C oil flows so well that is why you can adjust the oiler on most saws so it will actually come out in the winter but not run out in the summer.

I imagine it is great with heat too...

But as they say, the wrong oil is better than no oil.

 

[Roert42]

I use waist motor oil in my saws.

Now we've come full circle.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I use waist motor oil in my saws.

Now we've come full circle.

A lot of guys do that.