I'm asking for a coworker who has a '01 E-150 with 5.4L. Does anyone know for sure if the 5W20 from the factory is synthetic and if so when Ford started this?

 

I doubt it is synthetic. Most if not all 2001 ford engines require 5w20 according to Ford.

-jeff b.

 

I have a friend who has a 2001 Explorer and it still says 5W-30 on the oil fill cap, and in the book.

I don't think the Motorscraft oil is synthetic. I beleive it may be CONOCO Hydroclear. On some ford publication, it used the term hydroclear, and that's a Conoco trade mark.

 

If it is hydroclear this is a very good non-synthetic oil it is a group II basestock with some of the high temp properties of synthetic, but it still has some drawbacks. But overall a very good oil.

Also note on there web site that conoco is a factory fill motor oil(doesnt' say ford, but they are the only us that is using that grade at this time)

Check it out.
http://www.conoco.com/
You have to go to products then lubricants, then 5w20 hydroclear.

 

All 2001 Ford engines come from the factory with 5w-20 with the following exceptions:

4.0L SOHC
3.9L Lincoln LS
3.3L Villager

I've heard that the lifters in the 4.0L SOHC don't like the 5w-20. Don't know what the story is on the other motors. I really doubt that the oil is synthetic from the factory.

From what I've heard, the 5w-20 increases fuel economy by about 0.6% and will bump Ford's CAFE by about 0.5MPG.

 

Since no one has responded to my original post "Who makes Motorcraft's synth. blend" and MSPARKS has mentioned that CONOCO may make the non-synth. oil, I thought I'd ask here. The only Motorcraft oil in that weight that my dealer carries is the red bottle and it says synthetic blend. I also have found this at Wal-Mart. They say they have one in a black bottle also but never seem to be able to keep it on the shelf very long. Is the Synth. blend a good oil? I can get what I've used for years, Valvoline, in the 5W-20 but I have to order it by the case from a parts store.

 

For what it's worth, Conoco does claim to be the first 5W20 oem supplier. See their web site for details. They also claim that it is less expensive than synthetic and made from hydrocracked base stock. Thus: apparently it is not synthetic.

 

You'll hear many different stories about the blend oils, mainly that they will only give you the worst of both dino and synth oils. On the other hand, you also get the best of each. In my case, I now have 132,000 trouble free miles on my truck. It has used Valvoline Durablend since the first oil change. I don't burn a drop of oil or leak a drop of oil. All I know is that it works for me and doesn't cost quite as much as the synthetic oils. I work off a 3,000 mile oil change interval, so i don't think the Syn oils are worth my money at this time. Besides, I've gone this far...

The black bottle is the dino oil. I've seen it around here. My oil supplier carries cases and single quarts of oil in stock (Valvoline).

Good Luck!

 

Gopher, do you use an oil pan heater? If not does your pickup have trouble starting in the winter?

 

Actually, I don't use an oil pan heater or block heater. My next truck will have the block heater, however. I didn't order the truck and it didn't come with one, and I haven't bothered to have one installed. I have the luxury of parking in a fairly well heated garage (tends to stay at least above freezing even when its -30 outside) so I generally don't have the truck sitting outside for too long under extremely cold conditions. I drive a lot during the day so it never gets too cold during the day either. The truck has always started like a champ and I still even run the original battery!

On my older car, an 89 cavalier I have used an oil pan heater, and it did help a little.