Favorite oils- 0W-20?

[GaryH2]

I see plenty of threads about the mileage of our Expys. Has anyone played with 0W-20 synthetic instead of the 5W-20?

I see Mobil has the 0W oils that are supposed to give better economy but I'm real apprehensive about using that.

Also, does anyone get their oil analyzed? I just got a report back on a sample from the Expy. 127000 miles and got a clean bill of health!

 

[FordandPolaris]

Personally I would not run 0w anything in the truck. Our engines are not designed to lubricate with oil that has the same viscosity as water basically. Only run that in engines that are designed to use it (new hondas and toyotas I think use that). If you are trying to improve fuel economy, the oil you run is not the place to look. If anything, running a slightly thicker oil is recommended as the engine gets older to help wearing piston rings, etc. I run 10w-30 myself.

 

[96mustangV6]

I run 5w-30. My wifes mazda 3 recomended 5w-20. I ran it from when we bout it (45k miles) till bout 75k miles. And every 3 thousand miles on oil changes it would be a quart low. Engine was spotless. Coolant is green and no smoke. So got to talkin to people and they say that thin will evaporate. So went to 5w-30 synthetic. And after 5000 miles it hasnt gone down at all. So i run Castrol GTX 5w-30 in Navi and Castrol Synthetic 5w-30 in the Mazda 3.

 

[mc0311grunt]

10w30 here. 0w20 is not designed for our motorsl

 

[Whack]

0w-20 only matches a 0 viscosity in cold temps.

I could go into a long discussion, but it basically it acts like a thinner oil when cold, but matches a 20 weight at higher temps.

At a temp of 100c 0w-20 and 5w20 should be near at the same viscosity. At 0c the 0w-20 should be 'thinner', but at this temp, the 'thinner' rating is better as the oil is still much thicker then the oils at 100c.

So, yep I use 0w-20 in my Expy (Mobil1). Wear seems very much in check, and at a OCI of 5000, it works well.

I don't fear a 0w-20. I would fear 5w-30 or a straight 10 weight

 

[Whack]

One other thing!

Early Expy motors love 5w-30...

Newer Modular V8s (4.6 and 5.4l) like 5w-20.

I have seen 5w-30 cause issues in a newer motor, and I would fear seeing 5w-20 in an older one.

Morale of the story - Read manual and use recommended weight!

 

[igneous]

I prefer M1 full syn 5w-30. Runs fine in the Expy and the wifes Altima. EX has 90k miles on it so I think 30 is better than 20, since 20 seems too thin at ambient temps. No real difference in engine noise, but I think running a full syn is always better than a blend or dino oil. If I ever get a new EX, I'll run 20 in it till about 75k and then see about going to 30. I currently get 16-17 mpg in the city.

 

[Whack]

in Texas heat the 30 may not be that big a deal.

Considering I can hit single digits here in STL, a 20 is good enough for me.

Keep in mind the bearings are sized for 20 wt, and the Cam Phasing in these things can be sensitive.

 

[ArtGamer60]

I use Mobil 1 Extended Performance ( Full Synthetic ) 5W - 20W and the Mobil 1 Extended Performance Filter .

 

[GaryH2]

Interesting dsicussion. I've heard that the Triton motors really need the 5W-20 due to the smaller passages getting gummed up with higher viscosity oils although I have run 5W-30 in the summer months.

Here's an interesting story - I had my oil sampled on the Expy at 4000 miles (Mobil 1) and our Honda at 2000 miles (Valvolene conventional 5W-20). I sent the samples to Blackstone Labs and the TBN (measure of remaining viscosity and good properties I think) was equal between the conventional oil at 2000 miles and the Mobil 1 at 4000 miles. Neat data and makes me a believer in Mobil 1.

 

[Idahokid]

5w20 Motorcraft synthetic blend for me.But the Mobile advanced fuel economy oil is Ford approved.

 

[toms89]

Obviously going with the manufacturers recommended weight oil is best. But much of it has to do with your climate. In hotter climates you can get away with heavier weight oils and vise versa for colder climates. I believe it may even be recommended to do so in extreme climates but have not checked the owner manual recently.

As the engine wears the bearing and ring gaps open up and you can generally get away with heavier weight oil as well. But I have hear rumors this may cause issues with the hydraulic timing chain tensioners leading to early failure. While I would not hesitate to run heavier weight oil in an older pushrod motor as it wears I would have reservations about doing so in these newer overhead cam mod motors.

I am also a firm believer in full synthetic oils.

 

[BakerEdition]

I see plenty of threads about the mileage of our Expys. Has anyone played with 0W-20 synthetic instead of the 5W-20?

I see Mobil has the 0W oils that are supposed to give better economy but I'm real apprehensive about using that.

Also, does anyone get their oil analyzed? I just got a report back on a sample from the Expy. 127000 miles and got a clean bill of health!

Where do you send it to have it analyzed and whats the cost

 

[GaryH2]

Where do you send it to have it analyzed and whats the cost

I use Blackstone Labs. Its $25 a sample (plus postage). If you get a TBN (Total Base Number) its an extra $10 . That will tell you if you can run your oil longer or if you need to shorten your interval. They also test transmission fluid too.

I like them a lot since they aren't trying to sell you anything, they tell you like it is. They seem to take the time to answer any questions on the samples you send. As an example, on our 06 Mustang, its really low miles so they recommended I extend the oil change interval. On our Honda, they recommended that we change out and check the transmission fluid in another 20k miles.

 

[johnboneske]

I run 5W-30 Mobil 1 Synthetic in my expy(bought it with 109K) and it has over 200k miles on it, and use a Fram Ultra guard filter and change it every 8k miles. My wifes Chevy trailblazer EXT has 130k(bought it with 30k) on it and have been running 0W-20 Mobil 1 Synthetic and Fram Ultra guard filter and change it every 10K... So far so good.

I used to use AMSOIL in my Expy, but it is hard to get here in Ohio(used to live in Wisconsin)

 

[Plavin1991]

10w-30 and one bottle of Lucas oil stabilizer

 

[alaskanexpy]

5-30 mobile 1 synthetic and motorcraft filter here. i change every 5-7k miles.

 

[irc fab]

Im not trying to be a smart ass but i learned the hard way about the the oil thickness and if you got a 97 or 98 you will starve your oil flow with anything but 5w-20w like a post earlier said small viens and the thicker stuff doesn't get through like it should.
Just had to r&r and rebuild mine (4.6 w ) due to using the wrong oil and seen it when i tore her down why they say 5-20 only. rebuilt her like a few thousand miles ago and she runs like new and change her every at 500 first and 1000 next just to make sure its good and everytime i change now no burn't oil very clean and she runs like a ***** ape.
just thaught i would tell ya all about what i learned and i'm not trying to say anyone is wrong but i know what kind i'm running from now on. and i sure do like all the info ya can get off this site. very usefull thanks all for leading your ears lol FORD POWER

 

[alaskanexpy]

my 98 owners manual says 5-30.

 

[TactialMonkey]

I use either 5w 30 or 10w 30 depends on the season hahaha and I only run Valvoline or Lucas Oil products I hate everything else and yes I also run the K&N Performance Oil filters in every car they are more solid and stand up to more of a beating. And I have been changing oil since I was 11 from my moms Chrysler Sebring to helping my cousin on his 82' Hilux.... Lucas is my favorite for sure though! Yes I order my oil online because I'm a nut case