5w20 wt and other propaganda

[Oilmeup]

Ok, call me paranoid but here is my opinion, and it is only an opinion.

I work for a police dept in Michigan. Are new fords are requiring Motorcraft 5w20 synthetic blend oil. I can not believe that this is would be adaqute in protection of these engines. I know the drum beat is new engines and tighter tolerences, but come on. I girlfriends nissan maxima that has 125,000 says 10w40 is ok. Hmmm, how things have changed.

If it were up to me, I would use that Delo 15w40 all year round. The cars are in a heated garage for winter, so there is no issue with start up lubrication, and they run constantly for the whole shift. You get what I mean. Someone please tell me if I am way off base here.


PS. I am happy with my oil selection for my personal vehicle, but are city machanic who use to race cars says he only uses Kendall motor oil.. I was just curious what the board opinion is on the Kendall, is it just another ok oil, or worth any more?


Frank/ Mi

 

[YZF150]

It's not about tighter tolerances.

 

[Oilmeup]

Ok, your right. Just on example I was giving.

Has it come down to they will do anything for "energy conserving" and early car trade in's?

 

[Ken2]

I think that Kendall oil used to be considered above average. It's now just another brand owned by ConocoPhillips Corp. Don't know if it's any different these days from ConocoPhillips other oils, 76, Phillips TropArtic, Conoco.

And, we're talking about engine clearances, not tolerances. The tolerance is the amount of error allowed in the clearance dimensions.


Ken

 

[Oilmeup]

Well, I guess it really doesn't matter since the police dept's get rid of the cars every year or two. But what about joe citazen who buys a new ford and has to use 5w20?

 

[mikemc]

I feel better about the 5w20 in my Ranger after reading some of the used oil analysis at this site (thanks to all who go to that expense and then share). What it is showing is that in the better 5w20's that meet Ford specs, there is no cause for alarm. I will probably switch to 5w30 after my warranty is over, but I'm not concerned that this oil will kill my motor in 36,000 miles.

 

[Oilmeup]

Yeah, I understand. I just don't like the idea that we are so focused on fuel economy that we lack in performance and protection.

 

[Mystic]

Police cars are involved in high speed chases-it seems to me that there is a need for thicker oil in those situations. I don't think they use 0W30 or 5W20 at the Indy Race Track (except maybe for qualifying). But in the case of Motorcraft oil, if you check it out-the 5W20 apparently is synthetic or partly synthetic. I think the Motorcraft Oil is actually Conoco Hydroclear and check out the information on the motor oil containers. That Motorcraft 5W20 is different than 5W30 and 10W30. I was thinking about using that Motorcraft oil in my own car, but I don't think anybody has tested it here. The Motorcraft 5W20 is supposed to be able to reduce wear very well. I wonder how the Motorcraft oil compares to Chevron, which is one of the most highly regarded conventional oils here.

 

[rbraughn]

I work for a State law enforcement agency, and our Fleet shop uses are you ready for this??!!!

Royal Purple....can you believe it....That must be why we wont get a raise this year

 

[Dr. T]

Aren't the ford's used part of a 'Police package'. Don't they have their own specs for parts? Isn't oil part of a Heavy Duty spec...don't tell me it's also 5-20?

 

[Mike_dup1]

People were worried about 5W-30 when that was recommended 10yrs+ ago and nothing became of all the worry. Now they are jumping on the 5W-20.

People are getting all worked up over nothing. They have a idea that one way is good, so everything else has to be bad. Same with synthetic oil. First it was "it will ruin the seals", then it was "it will ruin the engine", now they say "it costs to much", etc.

Just don't want to give anything a chance, just stick to the old ways.

 

[Patman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mike:
People were worried about 5W-30 when that was recommended 10yrs+ ago and nothing became of all the worry. Now they are jumping on the 5W-20.

People are getting all worked up over nothing. They have a idea that one way is good, so everything else has to be bad. Same with synthetic oil. First it was "it will ruin the seals", then it was "it will ruin the engine", now they say "it costs to much", etc.

Just don't want to give anything a chance, just stick to the old ways.

---

My feelings exactly! I stopped reading the Edmund's oil boards just because I was tired of all the 5w20 bashing on there. None of those guys have a clue at all, they just don't want to believe that oils under 9.3cst can possibly protect their engine.

I do remember when 5w30 oils were getting a bad rap too, and it was definitely unfounded. More carmakers will be specifying 5w20 in the future, and at the same time we will see more oil companies putting out better oils.

For those of you who hate 5w20 oils, do you honestly believe a 20w50 oil made with 1970's technology is going to protect your engine better than a 5w20 developed with the latest and greatest developments in oil as of 2003?

 

[MolaKule]

FWIW, I worked on my daughter's '98 4X4 Explorer this weekend (See Rear End thread) and had to buy a Hanes manual for it.

Just for kicks I looked at the tolerances on the Ford 4.0L V-6 and they are pretty darn tight.

I would not use an oil thicker than 10W30 for this engine, based on the clearances listed in the book.

 

[Jay]

Oilmeup, maybe you could convince the dept. to do regular oil analysis on the fleet to see how the oil is performing. It seems like a prudent thing to do no matter what oil they choose. We'd certainly like to see the 5w-20 reports here.

 

[buster]

I'm sure 20wts will do fine, but don't you sacrifice HT/HS as you go lower? If I had a Ford F-250 and was pulling a boat or whatever in summer heat, I would think a higher HT/HS would be better. Am I looking at this wrong? Based on the other thread, it seems HT/HS is very important. So how could Mobil's 0w-20 with a HT/HS of 2.6 really be that good? I also thought most tolerances stayed the same?

 

[Steve S]

Patman, 20w/50 oils purchased in 2003 has the latest stuff in it---
except Amsoil, which is 5 years ahead.

the proper oil for the proper application.

[ April 28, 2003, 10:09 PM: Message edited by: Steve S ]

 

[S2000driver]

I just bought a Honda Element (replacing my beater). The car calls for 5W20. I will use exactly that.

[ April 28, 2003, 10:27 PM: Message edited by: S2000driver ]

 

[Patman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Steve S:
Patman, 20w/50 oils purchased in 2003 has the latest stuff in it---
except Amsoil, which is 5 years ahead.

the proper oil for the proper application.

---

I am not saying that 20w50 oils don't get the latest technology, I'm simply saying that 30 years ago those thick oils were popular, so for those people still recommending viscosities from the past need to realize that the new oils can protect better than stuff from the past, so a thinner oil can indeed get the job done very well.

 

[metroplex]

ROFLMAO

Police Interceptors use the same engines, transmissions, and rear axles as the Civilian Vics.

Police cars do NOT get thrown out every 2 years, depending on your agency. Local departments keep them for 300k miles or more, which means they see a LOT of use. We still have 1994-1996 Caprices in service in my town with 300k+ miles. And keep in mind they idle for long periods of time so it might as well be comparable to 600k miles or so.

5W-20 is specified by Ford for gas mileage (CAFE/EPA issues). For Joe Sixpack who wants to keep their engines for years to come, 5W-30 should be used.

 

[TheLoneRanger]

Years ago I bought an engine out of a police car to transplant into a "street machine" that I had. The odometer showed about 60-70K miles. When I removed the pan and valve covers, the sludge was unbelieveable. I don't think the oil was ever changed, only topped up......

After a complete rebuild, it ran OK.