Guys, I need help, I am going to change the oil on the lightning. I have a little over 4000 on it, and I leave in a very hot and dry temp. I am from the Philippines, and I have been using on my subaru wrx sti turbo, (top1) oil 20 / 50 viscocity. I was thinking of using this, unless you have other suggestions, I need help on this problem.

 

Try looking in the owners book on what kind of oil to use

------------------
Tommy 'Lightning Boy' Shelton (son of the Wyldman)
mustang73@houston.rr.com

-1973 Mustang Sport Coupe (currently being resto-modded)




[This message has been edited by Lightning Boy (edited 03-18-2000).]

 

I have read that a lot of people on this board use 0W-30 or 5W-30.

DUCK

------------------
Build the Hell outta Bonfire 2000!

 

Yep. Don't use anything heavier/thicker than 5w-30. Ford recommends this based on the machining tolerances of the engine. There is no reason to run a thick heavy oil like 20w/50. Thicker is NOT better unless its necessary, or recommended by the manufacturer or engine builder.

------------------
Wes Tarbox
90 LX 5.0 (10.69 @ 134.7)--586rwhp/587rwtq
96 Cobra (12.63 @ 114.5)--390rwhp/441rwtq
97 SHO
99 Lightning (13.20 @ 103.3)--362rwhp/444rwtq
http://members.aol.com/Wa2fsT/index.html

 

20w50 is too thick when cold, even 120 F would be cold for oil. It will increase wear at startup and take more HP to pump. 20w50 is for worn motors.

 

Definitely stick with 5W-30. At my last oil change the idiots used 10W-30 and I could feel the difference. As soon as I realized what happened, I made them change re-do it and the improvement was noticeable.

------------------
RacerX

'99 SVT Lightning, Black
Tinted, Clear corners & tails,PSP Filter

 

I'm using Amsoil 2000 Series 0w30 right now, and I can feel the engine running smoother. Suppossed to be able to run it for 1year without changing. What do you think of 0w30 vs. 5w30, it never gets too cold around here by the way.

Mike

------------------
99.5 Black Lightning
PowerSurge Cone Filter
JBA Jet-Hot coated headers
Flowmaster muffler
So-Cal Lowering Kit; Cal-Tracs traction bars
Watter Wetter
Lo-Jack

 

Just did my first Oil change and went over to Redline 5-30 (i get it on discount)

When Ford first came out with the mod motors we had tons of Limos and Cop cars coming in with oil filters blowing off. They had done their oil changes with straight 30w. Not a good thing. Saw about 3 4.6s get changed from that.

Ford recommends 5w-30 for pretty much everything they make except the diesels.

------------------
Struck by Lightning
Lightningstruck9@aol.com

Furthering the American Quest of Unlimited Horsepower and Crappy Gas Mileage!

 

I'm sooooo sooooo JEALOUS, you have a subaru wrx sti turbo, man I've wanted one for about 5 years....

 

I am running Royal Purple 20W-50 and actually noticed an improvement over Castrol Syntec. But I will be switching back to 5W-30 on next oil change, they didnt have it the first time. Later!

 

20W50 is for worn engines? Then what does Valvoline make 20W50 racing oil for...worn racing engines? I don't think so. Most people that run big blocks in old muscle cars run 20W50. I have run it in all my big blocks. It maintains viscosity under high heat and high stress situations.

As to whether fords current engines have tighter tolances that the last generation (I ran 20W50 in my 351 Lightning in the summer and when I sold it I had 160K on it and it ran as good as when it was new and didn't burn any oil either

I would like to know what the tolorances are that won't take the thicker oil. Personally, I think the thinner oil will just allow the engine to wear faster, but then ford only cares that they go 30k.

Noel


------------------
70 Vette LS-6, 99 Red Ligntning, K&N, Syn Oil. Looking at chips.

 

Guys, I forgot to mention. That I leave in the Philippines. and over here it is around 90 up. and very dry. I was using for the subaru 20-50, But if you guys say to use 5-30 on the lightning will do

2000silverbulletonorder (Steven)
I know what you mean. I love the subaru the handling is by far the best, and I have tried evolution 4 to 6. and the subaru is tighter Check out this post (a nice sunday drive)

 

Evolution 6 )))))))))))))))))))))))))
I LOVE that car

the Impressa is awesome too

 

I wouldn't say 20w/50 is just for worn engines, but I wouldn't run that in a new motor that has been machined with tighter tolerances. I just had a 4-bolt SVO block built and the mains are machined to .0025". This isn't race-engine "loose", but its looser than most street engines of today and I run 10/40 in it.

Circle track motors or something like that which is set up very loose needs a heavier weight oil to keep everything lubed.

Too thick of an oil on a motor built with tighter tolerances will add no more protection than a lighter weight oil...unless you use poor oil or don't change it often enough. Even then the thicker oil will not protect from negligence.

Also, thicker oil increases oil pressure. This is one of the primary reasons you find it in looser motors/race engines. You need the thicker oil to keep everything lubed without the oil getting to hot _because_ the thing is set up with more clearances b/w all the bearing surfaces. Run too thin of an oil in a motor set up like this will give you extremely high oil temps and too low of an oil pressure. Increasing oil pressure by using a thicker oil on a motor that does not require it will, at the least, lead to seal failures. Rear main seals, front main seals, intake gaskets, etc. Not hard items to fix, though.

The vast majority of engine wear for a street driven motor occurs at cold startup...that isn't debatable. In a motor with tighter tolerances it takes longer for the thicker oil to get pumped up and lube the bearing sufaces. How much longer...? I can't tell you that, but any longer than possible is too long, in my opinion.

One reason the newer modular motors are set up tighter is due to emissions/warranty issues. Ford claims these motors are 100k mile motors. They never made that claim for the 302/351W family of engines...and yet we see many of those last longer. But, the point is Ford wants them to last longer in daily driven vehicles. Tighter tolerances help that. It also helps with emissions controls. Less blowby past rings, less crankcase pressure, less oil being burned. FWIW, this is a big reason hypereutectic pistons are used in most engines now (not our new L's, of course). The fact is that they resist expansion under heat better than a forged piston of the _same_ grade (not trying to lump all forgings together!). Better sealing during cold start-ups (also where the most bad emissions are released) is the result.

Also, while I personally have never had an engine that needed me to "add" oil to it before service intervals...I think it is false to ever say that they don't burn _any_ oil. They do. You get crankcase pressure and it gets evacuated into the intake manifold. As the pressure is released there's always some tiny amount of oil going with it (and thus getting burned in the cylinders). Tigher tolerances of the ring packaging, if nothing else, help this emissions issue and the thinner oil is better suited here, in my opinion. It's got to lube cylinder walls and rings, too...not just bearing surfaces.

------------------
Wes Tarbox
90 LX 5.0 (10.69 @ 134.7)--586rwhp/587rwtq
96 Cobra (12.63 @ 114.5)--390rwhp/441rwtq
97 SHO
99 Lightning (13.20 @ 103.3)--362rwhp/444rwtq
http://members.aol.com/Wa2fsT/index.html