5W20 FOR POLICE 4.6 CROWN VIC >FOR 05>06

Status
Not open for further replies.
I always hope one of the experts will chime in on one like this but they remain silent. I'd like to see some real evidence of lighter being better rather than merely a CAFE thing. UOAs aside, I haven't seen it. I'd like to.
 
IMHO its a CAFE thing only I'm in the >30wt crowd.
>30wt cushion better and to me are quieter.
No data just my opinion.

bruce
 
I use 10w30 in my Mercury Gran Marquis 4.6(2000)Amsoil full syn. Uses a 1/2 qt every 7500 miles or so.Thats all! I change filter and top off every 6 months and oci every 12 months or 20k or so.It gets 100 miles a day five days a week.71k on odometer as of last night.
 
quote:
Originally posted by krholm:
I always hope one of the experts will chime in on one like this but they remain silent. I'd like to see some real evidence of lighter being better rather than merely a CAFE thing. UOAs aside, I haven't seen it. I'd like to.
Click to expand...
"UOAs aside"? What better data for us to use in the real world, short of a Ford oil chemist, is there to go on? It is remarkable to me, as only a casual visitor to this site, how a UOA is "proof" if it supports a user's opinion, but it's "questionable" if it goes against someone's preconceived notions.
 
I'm not going to argue the quality of the good 5W-20 oils out there like MC, but let me pose this question.

If we compare MC 5W-20, not to MC or other conventional 5W-30, but rather to any widely available oil, wouldn't a high quality synthetic 5W-30 or 10W-30 like Mobil 1 EP be a much better choice. I personally own two Ford modular V-8's (4.6L SOHC in a Mustang GT, and 5.4L S/C in a Lightning). Neither one of them has seen 5W-20 or conventional oil since the 500 mile drain. I run Mobil 1 EP 5W-30 in the GT and EP 10W-30 in the L. There is no way I would subject my 400 HP Supercharged modular to 5W-20, but I am not against 5W-20 for all applications. I know governments won't spend the money for quality synthetic, so I agree that conventional 5W-20 in a low power
wink.gif
police interceptor application makes sense.
 
quote:
Originally posted by mracer:
There is no way I would subject my 400 HP Supercharged modular to 5W-20, but I am not against 5W-20 for all applications.
Click to expand...
Why not? If Ford recommends 5W-20 for that application, you don't think they've done some analysis on it? You trust their engineers to design and develop all the inter-related working systems of a world class sport truck, but don't trust their recommendation of oil weight?

If you don't want to run 5W-20 for whatever reason, that's fine. But saying there's no way you'd "subject" your engine to such an oil seems like an ignorant statement. Is there conceivably a better oil out there than MC 5W-20? Perhaps. Will 5W-20 perform sufficient for any engine that Ford specifies it for, for as long as you'd care to drive it? I'd hope so. If you went so far as to put your confidence in Ford's engineers with your safety on the road, I'd hope you'd be confident in their oil weight selection, especially considering the excellent UOAs posted by users of 5W-20.
 
Gary and farrarfan1, thanks for the replies. So the 20-weights don't have many (if any) VIIs. Cool! However, the other stipulation I made was the "exceptional temperature" scenario, which is what many police cruisers will subject the oil to during high speed operations.

I was thinking that a 20-weight at 150 C would be dangerously thin, compared to a 30-weight at 150 C. However, after looking at the data sheets for Mobil 1 5W-20 and 5W-30, I don't see as significant a difference as I expected: 2.62 vs. 3.09 cSt. However, the observations in this thread indicate that even that small difference might be significant to engine longevity.
 
I was reading sometime back an article by a mechanical engineer,in a lubrication magazine that stated something to the affect that the manufactures were pushing the envelope with the 0-20, 5-20 wt oils. The belief was 5-30, 10-30 wt was still the best bet.
I'm sorry I can't remember the mag. All I remember was it was an industrial lubrication mag.
 
In all practical reality, there's not much of a difference in the use of a 5w-20 and a 5w-30 ..or a 10w-30 in that type of application ...at least from the perspective of the advantages of a 5w-20 ..which is primarily in the reduction of parasitic losses during the warm up time event. Oil temps don't stabalize in most applications for about 15-20min ..but are probably quicker with the heat exchanger installed on the CV.

Basically my position would be that although I don't believe that there's too much liability with using a 5w-20 in those applications, assuming a proper length of service schedule ..that there's really no clear advantage to them either. I think that if a 5w-30 was employed ..that the effect will be the same ..except that you would be using a 20 weight later on in the OCI. That is, any effects of using a 20 weight, real or imagined, will occur to a lesser extend (but with perhaps other side effects). The use of a 10w-30 would probably offer some advantages in this regard.

It's easy to describe our experience and belief in the use of such a relatively thin oil (in reality it's just a touch lighter then the 30 weight designation). We may use it and are totally certain in its reliability and performance. It's another situation to test the unfamiliar waters yourself when you're the one at the helm.
 
Remember Ford only warranties these engines for a measly 36,000 miles. Pretty hard to wear out an engine in 36,000 miles, but also remember after 36,000 miles your on your own.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Jason Adcock:

quote:
Originally posted by mracer:
There is no way I would subject my 400 HP Supercharged modular to 5W-20, but I am not against 5W-20 for all applications.
Click to expand...
Why not? If Ford recommends 5W-20 for that application, you don't think they've done some analysis on it? You trust their engineers to design and develop all the inter-related working systems of a world class sport truck, but don't trust their recommendation of oil weight?

If you don't want to run 5W-20 for whatever reason, that's fine. But saying there's no way you'd "subject" your engine to such an oil seems like an ignorant statement. Is there conceivably a better oil out there than MC 5W-20? Perhaps. Will 5W-20 perform sufficient for any engine that Ford specifies it for, for as long as you'd care to drive it? I'd hope so. If you went so far as to put your confidence in Ford's engineers with your safety on the road, I'd hope you'd be confident in their oil weight selection, especially considering the excellent UOAs posted by users of 5W-20.
Click to expand...
I would not use a 5w20 if racing.(Or driving like your racing) If you call up ford racing and ask them what oil they recommend if you are racing a certain vehicle, they would probably recommend a 40wt of some kind. I have heard of them doing just that many times.
 
In a severe service application like a cop car in south Florida, I'd use a thicker oil like a 10W30 or 10W40 and change it every 3000 max. Most people can't even comprehend the kind of nasty life a cop car engine lives.
 
I find this topic interesting. I have an uncle who is some kind of Ford master mechanic and is the head mechanic for one of the MA state police barraks. A couple years ago he started talking like he had been brainwashed by Ford to only use 5w-20 oil. He says that's all they use for any ford vehicle. I ask him every once in a while if there's been any issues and he still swears by it. I on the other hand am a Ford owner and only use M1 5w-30, and he can't convince me other wise. I think the next year or so will be interesting when the mileage starts getting up there on the cruisers so we can see if there's any long term difference between the 20 and the 30 weight oils.
 
quote:
Originally posted by 99:
In a severe service application like a cop car in south Florida, I'd use a thicker oil like a 10W30 or 10W40 and change it every 3000 max. Most people can't even comprehend the kind of nasty life a cop car engine lives.
Click to expand...
So happens i spoke to a Florida Highway cop tonight in a dinner in the Fort Lauderadale area and he said they use 10w30 dino changed out every 3k.If it does not get changed out every 3k they get written up and worse yet if you need a day off for a emergency your not going to get it.The cars are Crown Vic.He also said the cars are better cared than if a private owner had it.

He also said the Maruraders and Cameros[only a sprinkling of them]get syntheic oil.
 
Most if not all the complaints against 5w20 are based on opinions and theory, not actual widespread documented meltdowns of engines. The used oil analysis look good and the oils seem to stay in grade. Are we there yet?
 
I hear tell that some highway patrol units are using Mach 1s in the south. I wonder how those are holding up using 5W20, or if they are using factory recommended oils.
 
i've been reading a lot of these oil weight debates on here for awhile now...

I think i have come to a conclusion.

1. Heavy oil, will flow slower, and get hotter, but provide a thicker barrier between moving parts.

2. Thinner oil, will flow faster, but stay slightly cooler, resulting in slightly thicker oil anyways. The faster flow will provide protection, that is very similar to the thick oil flowing slower.

3. The faster flow of thin oils, may contribute to keeping engines cleaner, for longer.


On a side note: From what I have read thus far... UOAs are not the end-all be all... and are probably not even significant for comparing oils. (example: redline, get's bizzare UOAs, but keeps engines running strong and clean, conflict)


i think the duty of an engine plays a role in what weight to run... but i think any weight oil, is capable of offering very decent protection under any duty.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Jason8691:
I hear tell that some highway patrol units are using Mach 1s in the south. I wonder how those are holding up using 5W20, or if they are using factory recommended oils.
Click to expand...
They are nice cars for sure.But i'm sure they using full syntheic.It seems just the Vics are using just dino.At least here in South Florida for some unknown reason.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
Picked up a 2010 crown vic
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
redhat
P
2011 CROWN VIC POLICE PKG. OIL NOT CHANGED IN MONTHS, REPORTED "ENGINE KNOCKING" ??
2
Replies
39
Views
4K
PaxilPlease
john_pifer
We Bought a 2024 Odyssey
2 3 4
Replies
73
Views
2K
john_pifer
Graham Piccinini
2003 Lexus GS300
2
Replies
39
Views
3K
Graham Piccinini
B
Under the valve cover, 2008 Crown Vic
2
Replies
37
Views
4K
HankHill
Back
Top