My 'magic' oil - Valvoline Synpower 20W50

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: Bud_One
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
That's something that's always scared me off from Fords. A 15 year old car with under 100,000 miles should still be running like new. I see alot of Fords around here from that vintage that are smoking and knocking really bad. What exactly is making that happen to them?


Poor maint and a rough life ?

We have 3 bought new Ford vehicles, which we still have, a 1996 Zetec Contour, 2002 F-150 and a 2005 Explorer, both trucks have the 4.6 V-8. None of them use any really measurable oil between OCI's which usually run 7,500 to 9,000+ miles. All three are running as good as new. In most cases it's how you care for the vehicle will determine how long the mechanical's last. In salt states rust will kill the vehicle first sad to say.

Whimsey

 

[Bigdaddyeasy]

I have gotten over 200 k on all ford's I've ever owned.

I'd keep the 20w50. It's apparently working. Time will tell if it's just acting as a bandaid or not. I agree with going thicker at higher mileage too.

 

[JFK]

We would need to do some more testing to know if it is rod or main bearing. It could just as easily be oil pump or bypass related.

At this point though with it being such a long standing problem even if it started out as an oil pump or bypass issue chances are good the rods and main bearings have taken a hit.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: JFK
We would need to do some more testing to know if it is rod or main bearing. It could just as easily be oil pump or bypass related.

At this point though with it being such a long standing problem even if it started out as an oil pump or bypass issue chances are good the rods and main bearings have taken a hit.



Unlikely to be the pump with an SBF IMHO. Probably rod bearings, that's been the case on the few with low oil pressure I've seen apart.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Originally Posted By: Garak
It is.

If any of the taxis made enough noise that a 20w-50 would silence it, I'd take it behind the barn and shoot it.


Glad you're not opinionated or anything. The natural progression for older engines is to run thicker oil.



Define old? We ran 30-weight oils in most of our old boats, which were 1930's and 40's vintage. Perhaps if you have an engine with a wear issue that is self-clearancing so that it requires heavier oil to maintain proper OP

But then you have a wear issue that you are simply band-aiding.

Any engine that requires a heavier oil to maintain adequate OP has a problem. A heavier lubricant is not a solution to this problem, it is a temporary fix, albeit "temporary" in this context may mean several years depending on mileage accrued and the like and it may mean limping a vehicle along until it is no longer useful.

With respect to the engine in the OP's truck, I've torn down SBF's and seen SBF's torn down with 2x the mileage of this one with factory-spec oil pressure. Heck, I have one in my garage with 210,000 miles on it that will rock 32psi hot at idle with 0w-20 in it (which I ran in it one winter). Stock oil pump, stock bottom-end.

"Age" in this context seems to be a rather poor metric for determining whether an engine requires a heavier lubricant or not. Maintenance is a key factor and likely the issue with the OP's engine, not the mileage or years under its belt, both of which aren't really that high.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Originally Posted By: Garak
It is.

If any of the taxis made enough noise that a 20w-50 would silence it, I'd take it behind the barn and shoot it.


Glad you're not opinionated or anything. The natural progression for older engines is to run thicker oil.


Ummm I switched my 1969 428 Cobra Jet Torino from 20W-40/50 to 10W-40 years ago... Bottom end is 100% original with only exception of a replacement oil pump around 25 years ago(1991), runs fine with plenty of oil pressure... This motor has 107K mi, pulling a 3.50 gear, without O/D and has been beaten like it was a red headed step child... Installed another set of heads due to a burned valve a few years after after the pump replacement... Engine was out for detailing, or it'd never gotten the pump...

The OP's 5.0 has likely been run out of oil, even my '96 F-150 with 185K mi maintains enough pressure using 5W-30 to not trip the idiot gauge... And that's in 100* weather idling with A/C blasting... It had less than a quart of oil in the pan when I adopted it 2½ years ago, was afraid it'd never last but has been fine...

 

[turtlevette]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Originally Posted By: Garak
It is.

If any of the taxis made enough noise that a 20w-50 would silence it, I'd take it behind the barn and shoot it.


Glad you're not opinionated or anything. The natural progression for older engines is to run thicker oil.



But then you have a wear issue that you are simply band-aiding.

Any engine that requires a heavier oil to maintain adequate OP has a problem. A heavier lubricant is not a solution to this problem, it is a temporary fix, albeit "temporary" in this context may mean several years depending on mileage accrued and the like and it may mean limping a vehicle along until it is no longer useful.



And that just drives the personality type here bonkers. Right.

Have a rear main leaking, pull the engine and fix it.
Engine making some noise, jerk the [censored] thing out.

The reality is non OCD people find a way to extend "problem" vehicles 10s of thousands if not another 100 thousand miles using zero cost methods.

I took a nice ride to the cape today in the trans am. It has Lucas in the engine trans and rear. And stop leak in the coolant. And it just purrs down the highway. I'm having fun with it. You guys would have it in a thousand pieces rebuilding every little thing to get it un band aided. And I always have that option next summer or years from now.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Glad you're not opinionated or anything. The natural progression for older engines is to run thicker oil.

20w-50 is thick enough to affect fuel economy. It would be hard to notice and calculate out from the noise, but there is no way in holy heck that I'd run a 20w-50 in fleet use where a 20 or 30 is specified. A taxi in that situation needs to be fixed or put down, as it were. No Lucas and no 50 grade changes the fact that there's a problem.

 

[MetalSlug]

10w40 or even 15w40 is the HEAVY oil I would use if it on it last leg. 20w50 is just out off mind.

 

[mjk]

Best post ever....
I couldn't even imagine being at a BITOG gathering, without a handful of Mental Health professionals there to moderate the proceedings.

Quote:
And that just drives the personality type here bonkers. Right.

Have a rear main leaking, pull the engine and fix it.
Engine making some noise, jerk the [censored] thing out.

The reality is non OCD people find a way to extend "problem" vehicles 10s of thousands if not another 100 thousand miles using zero cost methods.

I took a nice ride to the cape today in the trans am. It has Lucas in the engine trans and rear. And stop leak in the coolant. And it just purrs down the highway. I'm having fun with it. You guys would have it in a thousand pieces rebuilding every little thing to get it un band aided. And I always have that option next summer or years from now.

]

 

[userfriendly]

Mental health care professional needed to cure my
"hate stick for 0W40 is somewhat disturbing".

Wow!

 

[JFK]

No we all self medicate with food, nicotine, affiance, THC if legal in your state, SSRI's, beer etc.....If all else fails we go to Walmart at 2am to look at oil! LOL

 

[userfriendly]

Bwwahahahah
Guilty on all accounts sans thc and nicotine.

 

[SoNic67]

Thanks for all your answers. Yes I know that the engine needs to 'go out' but if it works for now... I'll rather not spend the money on it (pulling an engine is not something that I would do myself on driveway).

And sure is not a general Ford case, I have/had three other Fords (3.0L V6) and none had oil pressure issues. But none had 5W20 in their engines from factory.

Gas mileage affected? That's a joke, on any SUV driven in town, the stopping and going at lights wastes more gas than anything. For what I use it is great, the fact that I use $10 of gas a week instead of $7 is absolutely irrelevant.
It is less than $100-150/week that would be the minimum payment on a new 'gas efficient' car.
PS: The average MPG around town is 16.5mpg.