Another Oil Change Thread !!!

[Floyd]

Unless you really are hard on your Ranger, 4-5000 miles on synthetic and a good filter (Motorcraft) is OK.
If your hard on it, like off-roading or towing long distances, frequently carrying heavy loads, I'd go 3-4000 miles.
Changing at 3000 miles is throwing money away.
I changed my OE oik at 3000 miles, and next is planned at 7500-8000, and I tow a 6800 lb travel trailer every 2-3 weeks.

After many years of fleet experience, we went to changing oil on in plant field trucks just once a year without regard to mileage. Many of these trucks idled all day when they were not being abused.
I repaired/replaced lots of broken differentials, lots of automatic transmissions, chassis components, brakes, wiper arms, door hinges, steering columns, alternators, wiring harnesses etc.
Plenty of engine repairs,such as head/intake gaskets fuel injection & pumps..... almost never anything oil related!

My Point?? If you plan to be "really hard on your Ranger" then oil change intervals will be the LEAST of your worries.
Our fleet trucks generally left the fleet still running , but really no longer worth fixing.

My personal vehicles leave my service in good, safe, and serviceable condition, so in that case, oil change intervals really do matter.
How well you plan to maintain/treat the whole truck matters when deciding how often to change the oil.

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[Radioman]

Truck new 12-2019
1st oil change 10-2020 1,806 miles
2nd oil change 09-2021 4,013 miles
Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-30 and Ford FL-910S filter

 

[THLONE]

The common excuse for changing oil sooner than the Ford Engineers recommend is, it is cheap insurance. It is not cheap nor is it insurance. Alot of you are basically saying that you are smarter than the Ford Engineers. LOL O, well I bet that you will not change your mind or oil according to scientific facts.

 

[ctechbob]

The common excuse for changing oil sooner than the Ford Engineers recommend is, it is cheap insurance. It is not cheap nor is it insurance. Alot of you are basically saying that you are smarter than the Ford Engineers. LOL O, well I bet that you will not change your mind or oil according to scientific facts.

The problem with that line of thinking is that the engineers are smart, but they also operate under the pressure of delivering a vehicle that the marketing department wants to sell, and the purchasing department wants to pay for.

Engineering might well like to recommend a 3k OCI, but marketing tells them 'we can't do that, makes maintenance too high for the consumer'. So they go back and look at a longer interval and figure that a 7500 mile OCI will get the motor until it is a certain way outside of warranty and that will be good enough. Now marketing is happy, and the consumer is happy because they only have to change the oil every now and then. Is it ideal for the motor? Maybe, maybe not.

Also, the engineers aren't the be-all-end-all. If that were the case there would never be recalls, or TSB's. Stuff gets engineered wrong all the time and there's always a use case that they didn't think of.

Some engines will run just fine for a REALLY long time on a 7500 mile OCI, my Honda J-Series motors are creeping up on 300k with that schedule. I remain unconvinced with modern GDI engines going that long. The bearings and pistons will probably be fine, but there's the intake system, valves, and turbo to worry about, which seem to respond better to shorter OCI's.

There's also some evidence out there that soot in oil (Which GDI's make plenty of, and isn't trapped by the filter) causes premature timing chain wear. Not likely to show up during warranty, but it will eventually if you keep it long enough.

I keep my vehicles a LONG time, and I want this truck to last, so it is a 5000 OCI for me.

**EDIT**
When talking about engineers, remember that they are the ones that designed a motor where when the water pump (What is usually considered to be a normal wear part that gets replaced on occasion) fails, it can grenade the entire engine. You don't have to be a Dr. of engineering to realize that having the weep hole internal to the engine is a bad idea. So, yea they make mistakes.

 

[Phil_R]

The problem with that line of thinking is that the engineers are smart, but they also operate under the pressure of delivering a vehicle that the marketing department wants to sell, and the purchasing department wants to pay for.

Engineering might well like to recommend a 3k OCI, but marketing tells them 'we can't do that, makes maintenance too high for the consumer'. So they go back and look at a longer interval and figure that a 7500 mile OCI will get the motor until it is a certain way outside of warranty and that will be good enough. Now marketing is happy, and the consumer is happy because they only have to change the oil every now and then. Is it ideal for the motor? Maybe, maybe not.

Also, the engineers aren't the be-all-end-all. If that were the case there would never be recalls, or TSB's. Stuff gets engineered wrong all the time and there's always a use case that they didn't think of.

Some engines will run just fine for a REALLY long time on a 7500 mile OCI, my Honda J-Series motors are creeping up on 300k with that schedule. I remain unconvinced with modern GDI engines going that long. The bearings and pistons will probably be fine, but there's the intake system and valves to worry about, which seem to respond better to shorter OCI's.

There's also some evidence out there that soot in oil (Which GDI's make plenty of, and isn't trapped by the filter) causes premature timing chain wear. Not likely to show up during warranty, but it will eventually if you keep it long enough.

I keep my vehicles a LONG time, and I want this truck to last, so it is a 5000 OCI for me.

Agree with your logic Shawn. Seems that the bearings in the turbo are lubricated by the engine oil as well. I would think that having clean oil would not be a bad thing. Seems that the engineers at Briggs & Stratton came out with a "Never have to change the oil" lawnmower engines lately too. I somehow think that is not a wise idea to never change, just add if low oil, in any gasoline engine. I am sure the marketing group at B&S like the idea to sell more mowers, just make it easier on the unsuspecting public that believes they can run their lawn mower engines with just gas and never worry about small engine oil changes. Seems too that I read that Mercedes Benz also some time ago extended their oil change intervals on their cars and I can't recall how long it was, but I read that the OCI was then reduced due to sludged up engine failures. (If anyone knows the details on the MB OCI and damaged engines, let me know as I do not have all the facts). Guess the engineers may of been incorrect there too. Be it B&S, Ford, or any engine maker, the companies make money off servicing / replacing bad engines and sales of new units. That must play a part in their determination of when to advise to change engine oil. I am not telling anyone here when to change their oil in anything. The reason for this thread was to see when the members had done their first oil change.

 

[ctechbob]

The thing with the whole B&S deal is, most of the mower falls apart around it, so the little bit of oil you add over the life of it is plenty to keep it going until you chunk it in the trash. Plus they're such a low-stress motor that it would run forever on just about anything. Leaving them sitting around with E10 in them destroys them in short order, so they get tossed and people buy new. Well before internal wear would be an issue.

FWIW I point more of the finger towards marketing on some of these things. They love to give away 'free maintenance while in warranty' type deals, so if you can do 1-2 OC's through the fleet vs 4-5 that is a huge cost saving. Long as it gets them outside of the warranty period, they're in the clear.

Same with 'lowest cost of ownership' type advertising. Rarely is that maintenance schedule ideal for long life. For the vast majority of the public, they're ok with it. For those of us that keep things longer than 3 years, we look for ways to extend life.

 

[KJRR]

. Seems that the engineers at Briggs & Stratton came out with a "Never have to change the oil" lawnmower engines lately too.

You are supposed to change oil in lawnmowers? ? I've never change oil in my lawnmowers and have only had 2 in 35+ years. The body rusts out and wheels fall off before the engine dies. I even put used oil in it when it needs some and current mower is at least 20 years old. Duct tape over the hole in the body and new wheel bearings once already. Now if I had a lawn tractor or something larger, I may change the oil.

Back to the Ranger, I changed oil at 1500 mi. 5k, 10k and due again at 15k. I may even rotate the tires this time. ?

 

[Phil_R]

You are supposed to change oil in lawnmowers? ? I've never change oil in my lawnmowers and have only had 2 in 35+ years. The body rusts out and wheels fall off before the engine dies. I even put used oil in it when it needs some and current mower is at least 20 years old. Duct tape over the hole in the body and new wheel bearings once already. Now if I had a lawn tractor or something larger, I may change the oil.

Back to the Ranger, I changed oil at 1500 mi. 5k, 10k and due again at 15k. I may even rotate the tires this time. ?

Are you sure you don't work for B&S???

 

[Vitis805]

Alot of you are basically saying that you are smarter than the Ford Engineers. LOL O, well I bet that you will not change your mind or oil according to scientific facts.

I am absolutely stating that the oil experts I pay to examine my oil are giving me preferable scientific facts based on my oil and my driving habits with my engine.

 

[KJRR]

Are you sure you don't work for B&S???

I've been told I'm full of BS but I don't work for B&S. ?

 

[Floyd]

The common excuse for changing oil sooner than the Ford Engineers recommend is, it is cheap insurance. It is not cheap nor is it insurance. Alot of you are basically saying that you are smarter than the Ford Engineers. LOL O, well I bet that you will not change your mind or oil according to scientific facts.

First... nearly every vehicle has a rough service maintenance schedule which can mean as much as twice the oil change frequency. Responsible owners much judge that for themselves.

Second, policy is set by a committee ( or maybe consensus with marketing) not necessarily by the smartest engineer on staff.


Oh! and with all due respect to degreed engineers.... yes some experienced mechanics are actually smarter than some engineers.....
No two of either are alike.

Can you spot the error in the ScareCrow's recital even after he gets the diploma?...

 

[myothercarizahearse]

2000 for the first then 5000 after that with full syn


damper fluid gets changed every 10,000 miles

 

[deleriumtremor]

Actually, I am curious at about what mileage you or maybe a dealership/oil change quick lube location, completed the first oil change in your Ranger?
I am getting close to 1,000 miles on mine and soon I will complete the first oil change myself with full synthetic.
After that, full synthetic oil changes every 3000 miles.
What say you???
Thanks

i think hour intervals sound about right for me. I mostly drive around town, even our trail excursions are typically pretty short, maybe 30 miles all in. I think for me and how I drive this truck, after the first change at 1000 miles, every 6 months will work pretty well.

 

[BS67]

I've been told I'm full of BS but I don't work for B&S. ?

 

[66F100]

You are probably correct on oil change intervals, however I will not be putting a lot of miles on mine so 3000 miles will probably be about every 6-8 months. Plus I don't mind wrenching and I feel that having fresh oil in it is kinda like cheap insurance for the engine.

So why did you ask?

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