Are you saying that the QS oil turned to thick goo after only 100+ miles of riding (7 days x 20 miles) = 140)? That seems a little far fetched. Oils have definitely seen a lot of improvement since then as the base stocks have dramatically improved and so have the additive packages. I'm glad the Castrol is working good for you, but I wouldn't put much stock in your 1980's oil test, as it was far from very scientific.

 

Quaker State did have a lot of problems in that era with Sludging Up but Quaker State today is just as good as any other oils.

 

Yes the tests were far from scientific, i admitted that. But i invite you to conduct your own tests on any small engine, like that in a push mower. Those small enigines are very hard on oil. You will not have to mow 3,000 miles of lawn before your oil starts to deteriorate. Yes, i am sure oils have changed since then. Its merely food for thought.

Here are some things to keep in mind before dismissing the idea of using 5-20w oil in your truck.
90% of the wear on your motor happens in the first minute or two on a cold start. Thin oil will get too all the areas of interest much quicker than thick oil. If the motor is designed for 5-20w oil then the bearing clearances are setup for this kind of oil. Too thick of oil may not build sufficient pressure on the bearing surface to give proper oiling. The oil pump itself is designed to pump a certain viscosity fluid. Using the wrong viscosity fluid will change the pumping abilities of your oil pump. So far i have been using the 5-20w religiously. After 31K miles everythig seems to be ok. Just more food for thought.

 

I've also read:

from a Detriot Diesel Study,

Hmmm 70%+90% is 160%, so if you use 5w20 and better filtration your engine will actually renew itself!! What a miracle.

 

I think we need to clarify something here. A 10w-30 is not a THICK oil. The difference between a 5w and a 10w isn't that great. Sure the 5w will be a little bit thinner and probably pump a little bit better, but the difference between the two are marginal. It's not like we are comparing a 5 weight oil to a 30 weight oil. As time has gone on and engine oils have improved, along with materials used in engines, the manufacturers feel confident that the motors will tolerate a lighter viscosity oil at startup. I wish somebody would perform a test between a 10w-30 and a 5w-30 at startup and see how much measurable wear difference there would be. My opinion would be that it would be negligible as long it is a quality oil and the proper drain intervals would be adhered to. Sure their is more wear at startup than at any other time, but how much wear actually really happens? probably not much. Engines are meant to tolerate a lot more than we are given them credit for.

As for the 5w-20 debate, to each his own. A 5w-30, at a minimum will perform as good as the 5w-20, and IMHO will actually perform better. I just prefer to have a couple years of real world data to convince me that a 20 weight oil will provide enough lubrication. Unless it's necessary for warranty, then I will stick with either a 5w-30 or a 10w-30.

 

and talked to the service manager. He was actually very well informed on this issue.

SO TO ADD FUEL TO THIS FIRE

He states that his dealership is in absolute complience with the 5w-20 "request/mandate" from Ford. They do not put 5w-30 in an engine that requires 5w-20.

He then pulled out several owners manuals where they state in BOLD type that 5w-20 has been shown to meet all standards for today fuel economy AND ENGINE PROTECTION.


I am fine with that, I just wish I could find some HARD DATA from Ford,

(WHICH I WAS HOPING THIS CENTRISTROKE VISCOSITY WAS)

so we could compare the 20 vs the 30....he couldn't show me any...

His recommendation===he puts 5w-20 syn blend in his own 2001 Expy, and changes it every 3K miles and expects his engine to be fine for over 100k miles.

 

What is it with you people and oil. Any damn oil will work don't matter if its 5W-20 or 20W-50 it WILL protect your damn motor. Just listen to Navi Man. I think most of you have to much crack in your pipe.

 

In your last 2 posts you mentioned crack pipes (this post and the Quaker State thread)...

You need a new joke writer man...drugs just aren't that funny...

 

My boss has a 01 F150 Supercab and he uses 5W-20 oil.....................he got run into by a 80 year old man who fell asleep behind the wheel. Destroyed the passenger side of the truck, Total loss. Would that have happened if he was using 5W-30, I don't know...................but I am not taking the chance.

 

ROFLMAO...

Maybe this is a chicken vs the egg deal....sometimes the more info ones gets the more confusion.

I know the 5w-20 issue is becoming that kind of deal for me!



In a few years we all will be arguing about which hybrid gas/electric motor produces the least amount of greenhouse gases in third gear on the fourteeth day of the summer equinox...

 

The bottom line is we all need to practice safe oil changing.

 

Rick99,

LMAO!!!

 

Maybe I'm all wet...but does not a lower coefiecient of friction correlate directly with reduced engine wear? Provided the oil pump (usually gearotor type) by design, posseses a high enough volumetric efficiency to maintain the desired oil pressure with a 5W-20, from a reduced friction stand point, wouldn't that oil actually be better at preventing wear? Any oil, under adequet pressure is vitually incompressible? I can't imagine an OEM recommending a lighter viscosity oil, if they knew, the oil pump would only operate, let's say, at 89% V.E. So in essence the optimum weight oil would be of the lightest viscosity the given oil pump was designed to maintain adequet pressure with. I believe the real issue (which I have no data for) is, how does a lighter viscosity oil perform in the boundary lubricated areas ( where is the oil is under almost no pressure) of an engine, such as camshaft lobes?

 

One Ford Service Manager says to use 5w-20 another says 5w-30. This forum is enough to make someone go into an oil related stupor. We should all check back in 10 years and see who's truck still runs and who's truck is defunct.

 

Rick99: I hear you there. Where 2002gray-ghost has a dealership that only uses 5W-20 in his motor my dearlership only uses 5W-30 in my motor, or I should say when I was first taking it there. I have always agreed with Navi Man by just changing your oil regularly you would be fine.

The other thing I has always maintained is that since different dealerships are using either 5W-20 or 5W-30 or maybe both in some cases that FORD themselfs stand by the fact that we can use which ever we want in our motors as far as 5W-20 or 30.

Myself I only use 5W-30 because I know it will protect my motor especially at operating temp. Thats just me and how I feel, don't mean I think other people using 5W-20 are wrong I think thats fine as well for them.

The one question I always bring up (I know getting old) Is when people say thinner is better then how thin??? Would WD-40 protect our motors, bearings etc? It is something to think about. Now In 5 years or so I may look back after 5W-20 has been around a while and has some good data and think "Damn I should of been using 5W-20" but then it will be time for a new truck and I will use it in that truck.