I'd imagine the only folks that REALLY worry over this type stuff are the ones who change their own oil. And most likely, it's the ONLY thing they CAN do.

So......boils down to about 15....maybe 20 folks here.

It's always fascinating reading, though.

 

This arguing over oils, ongoing, here is bull ****.
Ford specs the 5w20 for the greatest overall use worldwide from extremes of temps, to added fuel mileage and now some anti wear additives have been greatly reduced or replaced, in addition, to extend the life of the cat converters by EPA rule for all street oils.
The hot viscosity number is not greatly different between 20 and 30 with the Motor craft oils but may be with other offerings.
The hot number is in play while the engine is running and causes no problems with 20 wt. The cold number is for easy low temp starts and fast lube to the engine parts, the major componant of wear.
Racing single cylinder engines use lubes with viscosty near that of water with no failure and it has zero additives as a synthetic as used with aky fuel.
You guys are over doing all this, about oils with little common sense and knowlege to even argue with..

 

I can tell you one thing. I used to work at Timmer Chevrolet in Pasadena Tx. Mechanics brought in their OWN oil vs using the bulk dealership Pennzoil. At the time, the shop manager said it was fine to use the dealership oil for free if they wanted but ALL the mechanics brought their own. I don't remember the weight but they didn't want to use it, either way.

 

Ahh. But dats at a Chebbie-ship. There's no making sense of what folks do over there .

Seriously, avoiding the 'engine tolerance' minefield, I'm almost certain I once saw a reference to one of the primary reasons 5w-20 was spec'd for the 5.4L 3V (and the 4.6L 3V in the 'stangs) - the specific & unique hydraulic requirements of the cam phasers/VCT system. Allegedly, apart from any CAFE requirements, this spec was determined to work best for that extra bit of complexity.

Also - doesn't the oil have to meet the Ford's WSS-M2C930-A spec? The 5w-30 products ( from any mfgr) do not. http://www.motorcraft.com/products.do?item=15

Anyone?

 

I would understand some people having issues w/oil if Ford specified using strait 30 weight. But I highly doubt any auto maunfacturer would recommend an oil that was going to cause them to possibly spend money in warranty related failures. If Ford or Chrysler thought for a second that 5W20 would cause engine problems, they wouldnt use it. Does CAFE fine automakers for not using lighter oils?

 

To all those that know better than the builders themselves. http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djubl...rthsociety.htm
This is a bunch of nuts JUST LIKE YOU ARE!! Enjoy the company...

 

Fuel economy is the main reason. If viscosity is such a determining factor on engine longevity than why do we ship every Shelby engine from our plant with 5w-50w synthetic oil in it? The Shelby is a blown 5.4 with basicly the same build specs as any other modular engine. We ran 5w-30w in all modular engine testing for years and then went to 5w-20w with very little change other than rings to the engine. This viscosity issue is way over blown. Oil changes are much more significant regarding engine life.

 

The whole concept of a conspiracy theory about Ford suggesting an oil that is inadequate for the engine to improve a CAFE rating is just absurd. Who cares about a CAFE rating? When is the last time you bought a vehicle or not based on the manufacturer's cafe rating?

Please

Take a VERY simple economics approach to that theory; do you truly believe the benefit of an incredibly fractionally better CAFE rating would out-weigh supposed increased wear and tear on engines in the form of warranty work if that were true? (Not to mention loss of reputation from shorter engine life-span)

It just doesn't make any sense that Ford would intentionally ruin their reputation by dooming ALL of their vehicles to shorter engine lives only to gain a ridiculously small number on their CAFE rating in return. Poppy**** I say

 

Your all on crack

 

The whole issue IMHO is not one of one weight being superior to other in lubricating the mod motors. The issue is the nay sayers that insist that since engineers "recommend" that we use 5W-20 in these motors thinking that it just "might" protect the engine more than 5W-30. When I bought my 99 and my 00 trucks, it is spec'd 5W-30 in the manual. And seeing that I buy 5W-30 by the case, and have many oil changes sitting in my garage. Also, deals on 5W-30 are way more common than say 5W-20. Keep in mind that this is around here.

If I bought a new truck, yes I would probably use 5W-20 because the 3V is a different animal than a 2V and so may be the case. But it does seem obsurd that some people have the belief that if you don't change over to 5W-20 in your mod motor ( 97-04 ) that it's not going to last as long.

Like I've stated. The proof is in the many of members on this board that have gotten 100 - 300K miles on their trucks using 5W-20 or 5W-30. To me this agruement holds as much merit as the synthetic vs dino debate. Both get the job done if you maintain your vehicle properly.

 

WTF,IMHO,FWIW or not worth

there is no perfect oil. overhead cams and valves are the last parts to oil. you want quick oil flow but also high load carrying capacity.
rings and piston walls prefer low viscosity so oil drains back through the drain holes and scrapes clean off the walls
cranks need a high load carying capacity and plenty of oil flow. so pick one.

old man John Brayer at Cummins Southwest Diesel school kept it real simple many years ago. Use what the manufacturer recommends!

John was hands down the best instructor I have ever had.That includes the military, college and professional engineering certification instructors.

so let's all be buddies and have

 

I never said the engine clearances were changed to accomodate the 5W-20 oil. The oil technology is far better than it was even 10 years ago. Think about how a oil system works. It is a pressure system for the bearings. As long as you have pressure you have protection. The oil is engineered for the proper shear and load factors. The benifit of the 5W-20 is that it will get to the bearings faster. And at high temps it will flow easier to disapate heat better. My 1985 ranger has 285,000 miles on it with nothing but 10W-30 oil in it. Works just fine. I'm not saying 5W-30 won't work in our trucks. I am saying that the 5W-20 is what is recommended by the manufacturer. They spend the money in development and are trying to make a quality product. They know far better than a shade tree mechanic.... myself included. They are also making a product for a BROAD spectrum of different people. So for warantee issues they are doing what is best over all. Just don't come on here and start talking smack like you know more than FOMOCO about what is best for your truck that they designed and built. Fact is, you don't.

 

throw a truck on the dyno and test them both

 

Again the point is nothing changed in the engines between the original Ford recommendation of 5W-30 and 5W-20. Both oils will provide all the protection needed. They are not risking anything. Ford themselves owned up to the CAFE thing. It is not a conspiracy. It is simple economics. If you search you will find it. When you sell millions of vehicles even a fraction will add up. Remember it is the Corporate Average not the F-150 average.

Here is a good article that explains it and the cold flow issue:

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/...?articleid=518

 

i prefer Ky warming sensations... all these other idiots like electro glide ...