Heaviest oil for Ford 5.4 modular motor?
- Thread starter bamorris2
- Start date
- Status
I'd read this thread before making any final decisions...
I think the consensus is that 5W-20 Motorcraft delivers great UOAs and will protect your engine just fine...
You might also be advised that your engine is specifically engineered to take a thinner oil (tighter tolerances and smaller drain holes) than older engines...
I think the consensus is that 5W-20 Motorcraft delivers great UOAs and will protect your engine just fine...
You might also be advised that your engine is specifically engineered to take a thinner oil (tighter tolerances and smaller drain holes) than older engines...
Yeah, if you must run a "better oil," I think M1-0W-40 or GC would also be good options...
Try Valvoline straight 30; it might do the trick.
I dont believe that tighter tolerances and smaller drain holes, even if that was true 10w30 can get in anywhere 5w20 can. When these engineers reccomend a 5w20, they take into acount the amount of gasoline saved to the total cost of engine replacement and come out with a formula that by using this economy/milelage/durability/costs per mile etc..This would all come into play and everyone would have to use thier particular sitiuation to suit themselves. Really how many people trade a car before 100,000 overall, not just on this site, that comes into the stat's that determine thier oil recomendations and dont forget the CAFE, so its easy to see why they recommend a lighter fuel economic oil. The tighter tolerances and smaller channels are balony, otherwise you would hear a loud grinding with straight 30 WT!
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2002
- Messages
- 39,798
Go as heavy as you want. Get a synth and use it long enough to justify its added expense. Your losses will be minimal if your events are long enough. No matter what you put in there, it's likely to be trumped somewhere in startup visc by some other member using 5w-20 in MN, NB, ND, SD, AL, or many parts of Canada at some point in the year. Their engines survive just fine.
I think it's unnecessary ...but if you want to do it ...then go ahead and do it.
I think it's unnecessary ...but if you want to do it ...then go ahead and do it.
I have been using Mobil 1 5w-40 TDT in my 2004 F250 5.4 since its first 1000 mile oil change. I now have about 45,000 miles on it. I have done uoa on every change. I am happy with this oil. I am experimenting with 8000 and 10000 mile oci's. Philip.
What is the climate like in your location?
It's all a conspiracy. Yeah, engine technology hasn't improved.
BTW, does anybody have any evidence that 5W-20 causes catastrophic engine failures?
FWIW - the 5-cyl modular engine in my '95 volvo recommends a max viscosity of 15w-40 for extended towing and mountainous driving. The cut-off for the 15w-40's use is a little down from 32 degrees.
I was going to talk about clearances and how they might compare, but I'd need to do some research, and besides Gary made a good point on how lower grades of oil in colder climates act like or exceed such heavier grades at or above 60 degrees and still function fine. I would think though that MPG would take an increasing hit as one uses the vehicle for shorter and shorter trips, and I personally would not hammer the peddle until things are well into the warm-up phase.
Take care.
I was going to talk about clearances and how they might compare, but I'd need to do some research, and besides Gary made a good point on how lower grades of oil in colder climates act like or exceed such heavier grades at or above 60 degrees and still function fine. I would think though that MPG would take an increasing hit as one uses the vehicle for shorter and shorter trips, and I personally would not hammer the peddle until things are well into the warm-up phase.
Take care.
For me, it's not that I'm concerned that 5w20 will cause "catastrophic engine failure". It's just that using 5w20 causes alot of start-up noise for me. I went to PP 5w30, and it quieted it some, but it still happens occasionally. I'm looking for suggestions on what oil may help it even more, while not severely penalizing fuel economy.
Then by all means continue to use it. And I'm sure there's no problem going a little heavier. But I think 5W-20 has been out for going on a decade now, and there has been no major problems associated with the weight.
Indeed, there has been far more anecdotal evidence produced that shows one may have a marginally larger number of problems if too heavy an oil is used...
And BTW, my brother is a former service-writer for Ford, and confirmed that Ford's numerous TBs on the subject repeatedly stated that their newer 4.6L & 5.4L engines required thinner oils...
Indeed, there has been far more anecdotal evidence produced that shows one may have a marginally larger number of problems if too heavy an oil is used...
And BTW, my brother is a former service-writer for Ford, and confirmed that Ford's numerous TBs on the subject repeatedly stated that their newer 4.6L & 5.4L engines required thinner oils...
Central Indiana, 4 weeks a year in the low 90F's, 4 weeks a year a little above 0F. I tow heavy in the summer months. Philip.
Ok, what do you guys think about Redline 5w20 or 5w30 for my application? I've been doing alot of research on this forum, and it appears that RL has an overall higher viscosity compared to other oils, yet is very MPG-friendly due to it's ester base... Thoughts??
What anecdotal evidence(Iam not even sure what that word means) is there that heavier oil causes problems. I have known people that used 20w50 forever or a straight 30 or 40 wt in Pennsyvania without problems. Everyone knows Ford has issued TBs, they started the 5w20, then bragged they were saving X amount of fuel and stopping X amount of tons of pollution etc...I want to hear where thicker oil caused any significant problems, because I dont believe it causes anymore or less than thin. It still comes down to common sense of your ambient temperature what wieght oil to use, because it is going to effect the viscosity.
GO TO WALMART, GET THE MOTORCRAFT 5w-20 SYNTHETIC BLEND AND CALL IT A DAY...
rob
rob
Ford had a problem with some heads ticking on startup. You can attempt to mask the problem with heavy oil but the real fix requires heads to be replaced or lifters. I believe there is a service bulletin out on them. Big money if not under warranty.
It basically means knowledge gained through the observations of various stories told. I usually go for the ones that seem to be verified by independent sources, since I am in no way a chemical engineer nor is my degree in a technical field...
I'd say that there is little evidence that heavier oil causes any problem in most engines. I've personally have had 20W-50 in an engine (basically an 80s vintage Mazda 1.6L which called for thicker oil and 10W-40 was the thinnest preferred oil) in the dead of a Buffalo winter, and noticed no significant problems directly related to the weight, not at start up, never.
My point is - what is the problem with using lighter oils where the application specifically recommends them? Just because you have a large V-8 doesn't necessarily mean that one has to use a heavy oil in a modern engine machined with very tight tolerances. Indeed, a thinner oil is shown to lubricate such engines better...
Well, if a thinner oils saves you gas without causing problems and a thicker oil doesn't cause problems, but uses more gas over time, why not go with the thinner oil?
Maybe. But you may be wrong. If you read that thread I linked/bumped on police Ford Crown Vic's, you'll see where I posted that a Florida police dept. had their MC filters shooting off the stem because they were using SAE50! Also, one guy related that a few engine failures in his Crown Vic fleet were related to the switch to 15W-40. Who knows? But I think it's safe to say that you're safer using 5W-20 in these engines than you are 20W-50. Though, using a PAO synthetic like M1 0W-40 may mitigate that somewhat...
- Status
Similar threads
