Oil Change? a few specific questions

[LouisianaZJ]

OK, I have always changed the oil on my lifted Jeep, so I know what I am doing, basically.This is my first oil change on my new stang

I see alot of you guys use 5W-30 mobile 1, my manual says 5W-20, is the 30 going to be OK on the new engine and not cause problems.
I got a purolator pure 1 filter. good filter? ($5.50)
When I bought the oil was like $5/quart is that high? I though you could get it for like $4

Thanks alot

 

[Defleshed]

OK, I have always changed the oil on my lifted Jeep, so I know what I am doing, basically.This is my first oil change on my new stang

I see alot of you guys use 5W-30 mobile 1, my manual says 5W-20, is the 30 going to be OK on the new engine and not cause problems.
I got a purolator pure 1 filter. good filter? ($5.50)
When I bought the oil was like $5/quart is that high? I though you could get it for like $4

Thanks alot

heh you're sweating the small stuff. in my opinion an oil filter is an oil filter. i use Fram's just because the stang model seems to be very readily avaible at the local pepboys. and $5 a quart sounds about right. i think i paid 33$ for the filter and 6 quarts of mobile1.

listen though, i'll offer you a tip, you probably already know this though since you've changed your oil before, but do not overtighen the oil filter when you put the new one on. hand torque it till it feels secure. oh and rub a small layer of oil around the gasket of the new filter, before you screw it up to the car.

oh, final thing i want to throw out... i changed my oil the first time in a hurry and i used an adjustable wrench. bad idea. i totally rounded the bolt off, horribly. i had to get locking pliers with beast sized teeth to grip the rounded bolt, and smack it loose with a hammer. the replacement plug from the local ford store was an insane 6 bucks, that i could have blown on a pack of smokes had i not of been in a rush.

 

[LouisianaZJ]

yeah, just wanted to make double sure it would be OK

 

[u_s_marine]

I use mobil 1 5w-30 with a K&N performance gold oil filter 11.99-- Yeah its expensive but it gives me peace of mind.

 

[Pwr_by_FORD]

OK, I have always changed the oil on my lifted Jeep, so I know what I am doing, basically.This is my first oil change on my new stang

I see alot of you guys use 5W-30 mobile 1, my manual says 5W-20, is the 30 going to be OK on the new engine and not cause problems.
I got a purolator pure 1 filter. good filter? ($5.50)
When I bought the oil was like $5/quart is that high? I though you could get it for like $4

Thanks alot

I use Mobil 5-30 in mine, no problems.

As far as oil filters, I use Motorcraft in all my vehicles. I picked one up at WalMart today for $3.00.

Between $4 and $5 sounds right for Mobil 1. You can buy it in a 5 quart jug at Walmart, It's like $20.

 

[Xanax]

I use mobil 1 5w-30 with a K&N performance gold oil filter 11.99-- Yeah its expensive but it gives me peace of mind.

I'm with Marine you should use Mobil 1 5W30 and a K/N Performance
Gold oil filter! Remember your engine is worth it!

 

[stallion98gt]

amsoil 5W-30 with amsoil oil filter...Mobil 1 is as good

 

[CottonBurnerz]

speaking of oil.. my dad has educated me about it a while back but I forgot what the number meant

take 5w30 for example.. I'm not sure what the 5 in front is (maybe how slick the oil is) but the 30 suppose to be the number of how much heat the oil can take before it breaks?


And another question, is it okay to use 5w20 oil in my dad's escort in which ford recommended 5w30 oil? Thanks

 

[bdcardinal]

ok, the 5 is the weight of the oil at freezing temperatures. ford uses the 5 series because it is thinner and gets oil up to the cams as fast as possible. the 20/30 is the thickness of the oil at operating temperature. ford switched to 5w20 in 2001 becuase it gave them a 1/4mpg increase, it seems small, but when you multiply the savings for one vehicle times 3million or so they sell anually, that makes a huge difference. whats scary is that ford recommended that i use 5w20 in my 81 ltd. you can use it in the escort, however i would suggest using a 5w30 or 10w30 type oil. just remember, top fuel drag racers use 75 weight oil, but then again, they are making 7500hp +-500

 

[CottonBurnerz]

So the front number is the weight and the back number is the thickness..

I remembered my dad saying something about people changing their oil depending on weather..

So could you explain a little more in depth about the weight and the thickness of the oil and how it affects how the engine run?

 

[bdcardinal]

ok, the W stands for "winter". the first number is the weight of the oil at a cold condition, hence the w. the second number is the weight of the oil at operating temperature. as for the weight/thickness of the oil(mean the same thing) the thinner the oil is, the less friction hence, which results in a smoother running motor and better gas mileage. in racing applications, you generally use a thick oil because it protects better under the extremely harsh conditions faced by race cars. ford switched to the 5w20 weight in its gasoline motors because the reduced weight/thickness at higher operating temperatures gained about 1/4 of a mile per gallon increase therefore increasing ford's CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) and lowering the fines they have to pay for selling cars with v8's. that beign said, usign 5w30 will not be a problem in a ford vehicle with a 5w20 recommended usage because they are so similar that the average driver will not notice a difference. i would tend to argue that the 5w30 provides more protection because it is thicker at operating temperatures, especialy since ford did not change the internal tolerances of any of their motors in order to compensate for the thinner oil.

 

[bdcardinal]

people used to change their oil depending on the weather, however ford just says to use the same weight no matter what the temperature.

 

[CottonBurnerz]

So is it better to run 0w20 or the 5w30 down here in hot weather Texas? Which will make the engine last longer (if it matters at all)? Is it bad to change the oil grade for different season constantly?

 

[bdcardinal]

i would just run the 5w30. its cheap and easy to find. $24 for a 6 pack of mobil 1 5w30 at costco.

 

[LouisianaZJ]

Changed teh oil today, all turned out well.
Observations/Comments: The location of the oil filter sucks, there are a bunch of hoses that make getting to it hard.
The stock filter is on there hella tight, had to break out the oil filter wrench which I have only had to use a couple times in the past.

I filled it to half way between min and max on the dipstick. This was measured after idling the engine and letting the oil drain back into the pan. Correct procedure?

I think 6k mile interval will be ok right?