Hey ya'll,

Well when I read around this board every time I find oil treads ppl are always saying to use somthing around 5/20 or 5/30 well my question is this.

In the past when I have owned high millage trucks I just always assumed that i need thicker oil for better protection. I have a 98 f150 4.2 with 100500 miles on it. I have been using 20/50 in it. is this a BAD idea? from reading around it seems that since i'm using this oil I am getting less protection at start up and in the end even losing gas milage? I also use the oil additive that is supposed to almost eliminate dry starts. is this info true and if so what should i change to? have i maybe hurt somthing? any info would be great. i just changed it about 100o miles ago but since its cheap enough i'll do it again if its a big deal

 

yea 20 50 is a bit thick for regular vehicle driving. 2050 is more for racing engines i believe. I use Mobil 1 5w-30 full snythetic every 5500-6000 miles and i have no probs at 53k.
hope this helps..

 

Other then racing the only time I would think it would be ok to go with a 20W-50 oil is if you have a worn out motor that burns oil. If it is buring oil then it is getting past the rings. If you use a light oil like 5W-30 you will burn more oil because it will be able to get past the rings easier.

If your not burning oil you should go with a 5W-30, or maybe a 10W-30.

The first number (i.e. 5, 10, 20 like 5W-30) is how thick the oil is at start up. The thinner the oil you can use the less wear to your motor at start up because it will flow faster. A 5 will flow and coat moving parts much faster then a 20 weight.

 

You should not use 20w50 in your 4.2l V6. using this weight of oil will only do more harm than good. the bearing clearances in todays engines are much to small for oil this thick. using the recommended weight of oil is improtant. you can use oil designed for higher mileage engines or use synthetic oil.

 

thanx

tyhe day i orig posted this tread i said screw it and changed the oil that night with 5/20 high milage.

and while i was at it i changed my fuel filter as well.

and if any one is interested i did NOTHING else that day and i went from 280 miles per tank of 87 to 330 to a tank.

i dont know if it was the filter or the oil or both but whatever it is it worked

 

ampresearch:

That is excellent. It would be because of the oil, its thinner so less friction.