Recommended Oil For 2.9L 88 Ranger?

[Quest]

10W30

 

[01rangerxl]

10W30 Max Life is fine, though Havoline dino or something else would work just fine.

As for the rear end, Ford specs 80W90 for most Rangers, though some may require 75W140. If you want to run a synthetic gear oil, you will likely be stuck with 75W140 depending on how well stocked the stores in your area are. That's not really a problem though...my Ranger has 75W140 in its axle.

Also, check to see if it is a limited slip because you will need to add a friction modifier if it is.

Don't forget the transmission either. Just make sure you know what you have. In 1988 Ford used both Mitsubishi and Mazda manual transmissions in the Ranger. If it has the Mazda M5OD, you MUST use ATF in it. Gear oil will kill it. If it has the Mitsubishi, you must use gear oil. ATF will kill it. If it has an automatic, you need Mercon ATF.

 

[kool_zx3]

Getting a 1988 ford ranger this week and was wondering what the recommended oil is for it. I will probably run Val MaxLife in it along with a maxlife filter or something but just wanting to know what weight oil i should use.. Thanks fella's

Also rear end oil.... what would be the best for it

 

[JR]

Also the T-Case uses ATF. I have a '89 2.9 auto 4x4 electric shift-on-fly, with for 4.10 gears. Love the truck. I can only hope, wish, and pray that you are lucky enough to have a manual shift T-Case. The shift-on-fly is the most fustrating cluster funk I have ever seen, owned, and hate. If it get wet it may not shift. Or it will shift and then decides that it feels at home and then won't shift out of 4H and like me 4L. It has done that to me twice. I was fifteen miles from my house and was doing chores for my grandpa at the farm and needed 4L. It shift into 4L great, whent to leave and it wouldn't shift out of 4L. And I had no tolls to take the motor off and shift it by hand. That was an enjoyable drive home. fifteen mile going around twenty miles per hour turning four grand. The 2.9 litre is made for ford by mitsubishi and is a great motor blessed with a few problems. They are notorious for cracked heads. If you start losing coolant get it fixed, don't even try a selage yard, I have never seen a 2.9 that had set for more then a few days that still had heads. Go aftermarket. Also they suffer from lifter noise. This is caused because os a poor oiling design to the lifters. I will be honest on cold starts my truck sounds like a SBC with three-hundred grand on it, a few quarts low on oil with straight eighty wieght in the sump, plus a few bent rods, all the main's on the rurge to all spin, starting after a double can shot of John Deere 80% ether starting fluid at thirty below zero, some times. I have had that noise problem twice.

 

[Gary Allan]

I had an 89 Xcab Ranger 2wd. It had the crappy A4LD trans (a C3 with an overdrive put in front of it). I was aware of the head cracking issue due to a coworker who had it occur when leaving work. He got a 50/50 from the dealer to fix it and then sold/traded it ($600 for his part).

I was so paranoid about it that I installed a 180 thermostat in an attempt to prevent it. I don't know if that did any good, but we got two years out of it before my son traded it on a newer Cherokee. I was rather angry since they only gave him $1000 in trade for it ..and he didn't talk to me first. It took all I could do not to take a baseball bat to him for giving the thing away. They would have knocked a grand off of the price of the Cherokee anyway ..and he could have sold it for more then a grand. I would have just kept it anyway.