I'd wait until 2999 miles on the oil, then go ask for a (free) change.

 

...and I'll ask this question again. If the switch to 5W-20 was solely to increase the CAFE, why did Ford send out a bulletin saying 5W-20 is approved for use in most of the engines Ford has built for the past 10+ years?

We can go 'round and 'round with this, but I'd have to say that in my mind, there's no conceivable way the switch to 5W-20 would happen without the Ford engineers' OK.

 

I don't know how many of you were on the mailing list way back when or on this site when it first started, but when the '97 models with theTriton engines came out that was the first time Ford spec'd 5W-30 oil and you should have read the uproar about it. People who were used to 10W-40 or whatever roared the most. It was next to impossible to find 5W-30 oil at the stores. At one time, only the dealer had the oil available.

Not even 1 or 2 year(s) later, oil manufacturers who didn't make it at first, joined the bandwagon. 3 years after the introduction of the Triton engines, hardly anybody bats an eye at using 5W-30.

As of the '01 model year, Ford says to use 5W-20 oil. Not only do they say to use it in the new engines, but they say to use it in the older engines too! Again the uproar. A year from now, nobody will remember any of this. Using 5W-20 will be normal and you'll be able to find your favorite brand of oil meeting the Ford specs.

Folks, engines and oil formulations are not what they were 5 years ago. Both have advanced to the point where engines are protected with lighter oils. In fact, these Triton engines don't run well on thicker oils as evidenced by numerous statements made by members about clattering engines at startup when using the wrong oil.

 

Motorcraft blend don't use that stuff use Mobil 1 instead
it a much better product it wont brake down as fast

 

OK. I see where you're coming from and I agree with you 100%. One change of oil won't do harm to the engine. You also agree with me that the lube joint should replace the oil with 5W-30. I think you'll also agree that should there be an engine failure related to oil, he runs the risk of having his warranty, if it's still covered, voided if Ford figures out the wrong oil was in the engine.

I just have this knee jerk reaction when people think they know more than the engineers and designers do. It really peeves me when I see people writing about their noisy engines and we discover they're using the wrong oil and/or inferior filter. How about the people who get upset that their heater cores are failing then we find out that they didn't follow the maintenance schedule for flushing the cooling system? What about the people who don't read their warranty guide, then grumble about how expensive it is to get their first front end alignment AFTER the 12 month/12,000 mile warranty on alignment runs out.

 

Dennis, I agree that engineers were involved in the testing process and one of the things they found were excessive wear in the 4L engines (and one other engine) and thus recommended against the use of 5w-20 in these engines. Now I'm not saying that this is the case with the Tritons, but as far as I'm concerned, there is a better argument to suggest that they were designed for 5w-30. I'm all for thinner oil at start-up, I run 0w-30 year round. I'm not doubting that 5w-20 will give you a long, long engine lifespan, but no one can give ONE reason as to how running 5w-30 will cause ANY problems whatsoever. I would contend that all you would be getting is extra protection in hot weather and under severe load.

 

well,now that we know how smart engineers are,what genius thought the door design was a great[door cracks] decission? i know one of those smart guys and he doesnt know his a@@ from a hole in the ground. even though this rant is not about oil,sometimes they take the approach that its cheaper to fix a few things [door repair kits]than having a new mold cut.anyway your oil should be fine,thats all i use and no clatter.

 

Dennis states that 97 was the first time that Ford specified using 5w30 oil. I had a 92 Thunderbird SC with the 3.8L supercharged V6 and 5w30 oil was the recommended oil. Or did I misunderstand you?

 

I was talking about trucks and more specifically the Triton engines, or did you misunderstand that my discussions have been about our trucks?

It wasn't until the '97 model year and the Triton engine did anybody start saying anything about 5W-30 oil. Other cars may have been using 5W-30 prior to that, but as far as the F-series trucks are concerned, that was the first time I heard about it.

 

I'd love to see somebody who uses the wrong oil in their trucks have some kind of engine breakdown related to oil proudly show their oil change reciepts with 10W-30 or 5W-30 (for '01 and newer) and tell Ford that their engine didn't break because they didn't follow the Ford specs.

I'll bet all of you using the non-Ford spec'd oil would try and figure out a way to defraud Ford so it looked like you were using the right oil all along because you and I know that in the back of your minds, you know when push comes to shove, Ford holds all the gold. You know that if you don't follow the schedule and use the right fluids, Ford can and probably will void your warranty.

Telling people that it's ok to use the wrong oil in their trucks is doing a disservice to them when you know they are now running the same risk as you are of voiding your warranty.

Hey, for all I know, using the wrong oil could actually be good for your engine, but are you willing to run the risk of a voided warranty? Do you have the time and resources (including scientific study to prove your point) to fight Ford?

 

No, Dennis I didn't misunderstand that the discussions have been about trucks, I guess I made a mistake with my statement, gee I put a smiley face in there and you get all jerked off. I'll make sure I never respond to anymore of your posts cause i might word something wrong and upset you.

 

Thought everyone would like know that Valvoline is now offering 5W-20 Oil!

:o I remember using 15W-40 not too many years ago!

 

Pardon me for not noticing your smiley. I'm not perfect and when I'm wrong, I'm not so proud that I can't admit it.

People on this board are always jumping on me because of my somewhat conservative posts in regards to keeping the warranty from being voided. It gets frustrating when people post things and tell people to do things that can cause their warranty to be voided by Ford.

I totally missed the timbre of your post. Hope you accept my apology and understand where I was coming from.

 

Hades281 That is some interesting info, it will definatly change my next oil filter choice. It seems like the motocraft filters are the best of the bunch.

 

No probs. Apology accepted.