I use full synthetic mobil 1 or castrol edge. as for the filter i use a mobil 1 filter or a WIX filter. i use more the mobil 1 since its a well known filter. the WIX is a great filter at least way better than a fram filter. I did a project one time a fram filter against a WIX filter on my old Dodge Ram 1500 with a V8 and the WIX filter gave my engine about 10 more PSI than a Fram filter but getting back on subject I do all my oil changes myself and I use 5W-30 cause that is what the oil filler cap says and the owner's manual. The only time to use 10W-30 in a Ranger is if you are at a place where it gets really cold. I used to be a mechanic for ford but i never used motorcraft stuff. Thats just me though I just haven't used it so i don't trust it. just my opinion and i change the filter and oil at 5000 miles

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2009 ford ranger Sport 4.0L V6/2 8" red hot glasspacks swept side before rear tire/2 catco high flow cats/K&N 77 series intake system/BFG all terrain 31x10.5x15 tires/Procomp 98 series rock crawler black rims/westin black sportsman brush guard/6-6'' Hella 500FF lights/black rhinoliner/Bilstein 5100 shocks/uniden 68LTW CB radio/Fx4 skid plates/cranked Tbars/autometer vaccum, Camper shell with thule roof rack/ belltech shackles/Pioneer headunit with pioneer speakers with Kicker 10'' sub

I run Mobil Super 1000 in both my vehicles, Wix oil filter on the Ranger, Fram on the Saturn.

I just bought my Ranger, but I always have used Pennzoil oil with a Fram filter and that is what i changed the oil and filter to when I first got my truck. From what I've heard and read it doesn't really matter what brand of oil you use as much as what type.

I've read that you shouldn't change from synthetic to mineral because it MIGHT cause some problems. Not sure how true that really is, but I figure better safe than sorry. However, there should be no problem going from a mineral to a synthetic. The main thing that I stay away from in any type of fluid is the High Mileage/Leak Stop. These are made to make your gaskets swell so if you have a leak somewhere it's good. On the other hand, if you don't have a leak the next time you change your oil/fluid without the use of this stuff your gaskets will shrink back down and you will then have a leak. In my opinion it's not worth the money to postpone replacing a bad part and if you have a leak somewhere, just fix it.

oil being black doesnt mean its broken down. in fact it means its doing its job of cleaning the engine and keeping the deposits suspended in the oil so the filter can pick them up instead of allowing the gunk to build up on the engine internals. if youve never had an oil analysis done you should sometime, you will learn more about your engine and the oil in it than you will ever want to know. lol if i changed my oil when it turned brown i would change it every other week. ha ha

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How does one go about getting their oil analyzed? And how much. Now I'm curious.

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08 4.0 Sport 4x4
Stock

i had mine analyzed a few times when i was in the army. when the maintenance section sent our semi trucks oil samples in i would send mine in too. there are places that you can send your oil for analysis though.
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/what-is-oil-analysis.php

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Well I would think that theroy is flawed. If the black oil is containing deposits, then when it is passed thru the filter the oil would turn back to a nice golden color as all the harmful deposits would have been cleansed. It is still black tho, and in my opinion black oil is dirty oil.
Also, the filter would have plugged up from all the deposits restricting oil flow.

So in this case, I change the oil right before it turns black. Alowing maximum use and protection of the oil. This is usually between 4-5k miles tho. The oil in my truck stays golden brown for about 3k miles.

But, everybody has their opinions, this is just mine.

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Ball Joints/Upper A-Arms How To
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Repair broken dome light tabs
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The facts that were given to me in my fuels and lubes class.

Newer oil has deteregent that is far more potent then it used to be. A newer oil will start turning black from the instant you put it in your vehicle. Older vehicles this will be more pronounced, newer not so much. Black doesn't mean your oil is dirty, or broken down, now if it comes out as a sludge, well then yes you have dirty broken oil. Jack up the radiator cap, and replace with new engine. That engine is going to die like a hobo having to much to drink. Your filter in your engine will not catch everything in your oil. It is rated to a certain micron rating, and it will catch most of the material until it is smaller then that rating. So your oil is always carrying some crap with it.

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97 Ranger - 4.0 V6 auto, 4wd, 31x10.5x15s Wild Country XTX Sport All Terrains, Warn locking hubs, Pioneer deck with iPod attachment, Snugtop Topper, K&N filter, scan gauge II, Hella 500 Lights, More parts coming, waiting for the paycheck to get bigger!

Truck built in loving memory of Norm Howard
Outcast Racing
PNW Crew!!!
Afterhours Clan!!

i understand why you think that way, its the same thing i used to think before i learned more about oil and how it works. have you ever dealt with a large diesel engine? or any diesel for that matter? if you have you have probably noticed the oil turns black in a diesel almost immediately after being changed and diesels have huge oil filters and the fact that many of them can last several hundred thousand miles, sometimes a million miles in the larger ones just proves that black oil doesnt really mean bad oil. when i first got my 01 ranger i noticed even after only 3,000 miles the oil would be very dark compaired to the older 4.0's i had owned so thats when i started sending samples in for analysis. i found out not only was i wasting perfectly good oil for no reason changing it at 3,000 miles but my engine was not wearing what so ever from the black oil i was so worried about. i now change my oil at 5,000 to 6,000 mile intervals and use quality oil and not worry about it any more.

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This guys got it!

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97 Ranger - 4.0 V6 auto, 4wd, 31x10.5x15s Wild Country XTX Sport All Terrains, Warn locking hubs, Pioneer deck with iPod attachment, Snugtop Topper, K&N filter, scan gauge II, Hella 500 Lights, More parts coming, waiting for the paycheck to get bigger!

Truck built in loving memory of Norm Howard
Outcast Racing
PNW Crew!!!
Afterhours Clan!!

Lol, cracks me up.

thats what i use!

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all i can say is dont use royal purpal i had it in my brothers and dads car and both motors blew up (there race cars) i dont know if it was bad luck but it ended up blowing up the motors. i dont recomend it

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2003 Ranger FX4 Off Road 3 Inch Lift On 33x12.5 BFG A/T
Fog Light Mod
06 Tail Lights & Mirrors
2004 sonic blue lightning
1994 Straight Drag Race Cobra Mustang
2004 Street Race Mustang {SOLD.....}
2008 SRT8 Jeep

i've heard nothing but bad stuff regarding royal purple

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i use the Q suv 4x4 about 4 1/2 quarts. then top it off with some lucus. the old girl getting in her old age with about 189,000 extreme miles of 0-140 day in day out. i like to use 5w30 in the winter and 10w30 in the summer. the truck could use a little thicker oil in the summer heat.

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2003 Ford ranger FX4. stepside, dick Cpeck wheels. Goodyear Wranglers Authority tires, cool air intake, Superchip, t-bar lift to level,salvanyia ultra headlights and fogs, 187,000 miles and runs like new. I have all lucus oil in my front and rear end. lucus engine oil, lucus in my transmission and transfercase.

I don't know about that Quaker state, I heard its wax based.

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Ball Joints/Upper A-Arms How To
Replace Door pin/bushing
Repair broken dome light tabs
VIDEO OHC Install