Synthetic Blend change interval 1996 Ranger

[98v70dad]

What's a good oil change interval for a 96 3.0L Ranger if you're using a synthetic blend? I put in Mobil 1 blend because that's all I could find today. I'm thinking 5000 miles at least but oil change place (usually do my own) says 3000. Its probably so you come back sooner, but I'm wondering if 5000 miles is reasonable for an old engine with synthetic blend. I'm having trouble finding info I trust because people weren't using blended oil a lot in 1996 when the truck was made. Oil change interval has a lot to do with clearances and filtering etc. and those things weren't quite as good 25 years ago.

 

[Dirtman]

3,000 miles or 6 months. Whichever comes first. Changing the oil is cheaper than changing the engine...

If you go full synthetic and do mostly highway driving you could probably stretch to 5,000 miles. But even with synthetic, if you do mostly stop and go driving then 3,000.

There's really no benefits to using synthetic blend either. Full synthetic oil is generally just as cheap, if not cheaper. 5 quarts of Pennzoil ultra or Mobil 1 is only about $20-25 bucks throw in a motorcraft filter and you've got $30 for a full synthetic oil change.

 

[98v70dad]

What's a good oil change interval for a 96 3.0L Ranger if you're using a synthetic blend? I put in Mobil 1 blend because that's all I could find today. I'm thinking 5000 miles at least but oil change place (usually do my own) says 3000. Its probably so you come back sooner, but I'm wondering if 5000 miles is reasonable for an old engine with synthetic blend. I'm having trouble finding info I trust because people weren't using blended oil a lot in 1996 when the truck was made. Oil change interval has a lot to do with clearances and filtering etc. and those things weren't quite as good 25 years ago.

Yes, a 3000 mile interval is always a safe bet. 5 miles or 50 or 100 or 1000 would also be a safe bet. I bought synthetic blend because that is the only thing the oil change place had and due to circumstances I couldn't control I needed to pay someone to do my oil change. Otherwise, I always change my own oil and I use high quality synthetic with a high quality filter. I use 5000 miles for my change interval for synthetic which I've found to be very conservative. My cars typically last at least 20 years ... usually 25. I don't like the idea of blend but when it is the only option you have it has to be better than dino oil. Oil change places recommend 3000 miles for dino oil. By the way, the 96 ranger owners manual recommends a 5000 mile interval for dino oil for normal service. Typically the manufacturers change interval is accurate and will result in a long engine life. I didn't have time to look that up before posting this and that is why I asked about it.

 

[rubydist]

While I agree that changing your oil is much cheaper than changing your engine, changing any modern oil at 3000 miles is wasting money unless its your race car. Every 5000 miles is plenty often, and changing full synthetic every 10,000 is often enough for the driving I do. I have plenty of used oil analysis reports to make that a scientific decision, not an old wives tale.

The whole 3000 mile oil change interval is literally 50 year old news, but modern oils are dramatically better than oil was 50 years ago, and it simply lasts longer before breaking down.

 

[cbxer55]

Want to talk about change interval. In late 2009, after I bought my Lightning, my sister asked if she could borrow the Ranger for a year, til she got on her feet financially. Four years later I finally got it back, after my Lightning had been t-boned and I needed it back. Had more than 40,000 miles more on it than when she had taken it, from upper 80,000 to upper 120,000. Sticker for the oil change in the windshield was the last one I had done in late 2009. Asked her if she'd ever changed it, she said "nope". WTF? Don't ever loan your vehicle to family. They'll drive it hard and put it away wet.

But, having said that, there were no repercussions. I've always run 20W-50 in it. It's always had a small leak. She did keep it topped up. Ran some engine flush through it, put in Valvoline Max Life 20w-50, and it's all good. It's now headed to 179,000 and it doesn't use any oil between changes. The small leak isn't enough to make a big noticeable change on the dipstick. I change it somewhere north of 5000 now. I know it can go 40,000+ with no difficulty. Thanks Sis!

 

[19Walt93]

While I agree that changing your oil is much cheaper than changing your engine, changing any modern oil at 3000 miles is wasting money unless its your race car. Every 5000 miles is plenty often, and changing full synthetic every 10,000 is often enough for the driving I do. I have plenty of used oil analysis reports to make that a scientific decision, not an old wives tale.

The whole 3000 mile oil change interval is literally 50 year old news, but modern oils are dramatically better than oil was 50 years ago, and it simply lasts longer before breaking down.

There is no question that todays oil is better but it still needs to be changed because it gets diluted with combustion byproducts and moisture. If you do a lot of short trips where the engine doesn't reach operating temps, the oil gets diluted faster. During the humid summer months the engine draws humid air in through the PCV system and that moisture ends up in the oil. When an engine sits in the winter and cools down, more moisture condenses and more combustion byproducts end up in the oil during the longer warm up period. If you always drive 10 or more miles after starting- with no shut downs- you can go more miles between changes, if you constantly make short trips, you should change it at fewer miles. I consider twice a year the minimum for every vehicle. I basing this on working in service from 1972 to 2017, call that on old wives tale if you want. I still have friends who sell engines.