5w-20 Ford and CAFE

JTGrant

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Aug 2, 2005

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#1

• Jan 2, 2006

• #1

I contacted a rep. from Ford about a month ago. My question was if I drive the car in hot temps all the time could I run a 5w-30? They responded with "Contact your local dealership and talk with them about your oil question." So I emailed them back and said well I thought Ford would void warranties if they found out that you were running anything but 5w-20. Again they responded with the same statement. I also told them that I could care less and fuel economy and that I would rather have more protection. They would never give a straight answer, nor did they claim to void my warranty. Just Ford for thought!
Also post what oil you are running.

 

91mini

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Dec 6, 2004

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#2

• Jan 2, 2006

• #2

I run 5w-30 in my stang. It's easier to find than the 5w-20 in Mobil one oils around here. I don't see why that would void your warranty though.

 

T

trey929rr

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Dec 5, 2005

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#3

• Jan 2, 2006

• #3

I Heard even though the 5w-20 is thinner, it protects very well so i'll prolly go with that. I don't care about mpg either so if 5w-30 protects better then i would rather use that.

 

351CJ

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Dec 11, 2002

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#4

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• #4

A heavier weight oil does not always give your engine "more" protection.

A 5w30 oil can be inferior to a 5w20 because to get the greater viscosity range the oil must have more viscosity enhancers in it.

VEs lower the "protection" because there are less lubricating molecules in the oil (putting in more VEs in means something else has to come out of the oil).

More VEs also reduce the oil's ability to suspend contamanents (again less lubricating molecules in each quart of oil). When an oil no longer can hold contamenents in suspension, the oil's useful life has ended and sludge starts being deposited in the engine.

A synthentic oil or synthetic blend is also much better than a conventional oil because synthetics require less VEs to be added to optain the desired viscocity range, which once again means that in each quart of syn or syn blend oil there are more lubricating molecules because fewer additives are needed.

 

Edbert

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Jul 13, 2002

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Austin TX

Jan 2, 2006

#5

• Jan 2, 2006

• #5

The proper viscosity to use also has a lot to do with the tolerances used when the engine was constructed.

I have a hard time recommending anything other than what those standing behind the warranty say to use. On the other hand 20 versus 30 is a minor jump.

 

T

trey929rr

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Dec 5, 2005

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#6

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• #6

Edbert said:

The proper viscosity to use also has a lot to do with the tolerances used when the engine was constructed.

I have a hard time recommending anything other than what those standing behind the warranty say to use. On the other hand 20 versus 30 is a minor jump.

Click to expand...

yeah especially since mobil 1 5w-30 is on the thin side of the 30 weight.

 

S

shooterm1

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Jul 18, 2005

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Milford, Pennsylvania USA

Jan 2, 2006

#7

• Jan 2, 2006

• #7

JTGrant said:

I contacted a rep. from Ford about a month ago. My question was if I drive the car in hot temps all the time could I run a 5w-30?

Click to expand...

That's a great question and very I'm disappointed that Ford flaked out on giving you a straight answer.

For those of us who drive in the Desert Southwest where mid-day temps frequently exceed 110F, this is no small matter of idle curiosity but a serious engineering dilemma.

 

JTGrant

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Aug 2, 2005

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Jan 4, 2006

#8

• Jan 4, 2006

• #8

Mobil 1 5w20 or Mobil 1 5w30 extended performance? I have looked at the number and 5w30 ext. performacne is almost the same weight. But with better anit-wear additives. 5w20 just makes me nervous. I guess times are changing hell I remember when everyone thought 5w30 was too thin.

 

M

Madhouse

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Dec 10, 2002

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Houston, TX

Jan 4, 2006

#9

• Jan 4, 2006

• #9

I run Mobil-1 10W-30 in both my Mustang and my Lightning.

 

A

Alec

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Jul 15, 2004

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Jan 4, 2006

#10

• Jan 4, 2006

• #10

Use Motorcraft semi-synthetic 5w-20 and drive that baby It's cheap, you can get it at Wal-Mart, Autozone etc..

edit..Read this page and the index.
Oil info overload

http://63.240.161.99/motoroil/108.html

 

JTGrant

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Jan 4, 2006

#11

• Jan 4, 2006

• #11

5w-30 extended performance it is

 

GOLDENPONY

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Jan 23, 2002

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Jan 5, 2006

#12

• Jan 5, 2006

• #12

Oil

I use Mobil 1 5W20

 

T

T4B

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Sep 17, 2005

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VA

Jan 7, 2006

#13

• Jan 7, 2006

• #13

Mobil 1 5w30 here. Used on my '66 and '03 GT (when I had it) too.