Oil+filter recommendation for 2005 Ford Focus (2.0l?)

[marsrun]

I recently purchased a 2005 Ford Focus ZX4 with ~130k miles. I believe it has the 2.0l engine, not entirely sure the difference between it and the 2.3l or if it matters. In the past I have had most maintenance aside from basic stuff like wipers and bulbs done by shops. I am new to DIY maintenance but I want to take good care of this car and save some money.

Last oil change by the previous owner was ~1.4k miles and 10 months ago with conventional oil done at Jiffy Lube. Not sure on the filter as I haven't gotten under it yet. Dipstick shows above max.

Currently this car will see 90% short trip miles. I live in the Northeast US. As I understand it this could matter due to environmental temperatures but are there any other factors?

I'm planning to do a 5k mile OCI, at least for the first change. I might push this longer in the future but I'm not sure. Please advise.


I am looking at the oil change bundles at Advance Auto Parts. Seems like there are some good deals, particularly considering that, as I understand it the Carquest Premium and EP filters are highly regarded. I'm curious how the Premium and EP filters compare as both are free options with the bundle.

Also, the spec'd filter is the 3614. I have read some comments about using a 3600 in place of the 3614 as they are nearly identical aside from the size difference. What are the pros and cons of such a substitution? Would you recommend this for my application?

I know these filter questions are probably a better fit for the filter specific subforum but it feels redundant and spammy to make an entire separate thread with all the same info. The filter and oil obviously are related so hopefully it's not bad form to also ask this here. Let me know one way or the other please.


The oil options I'm considering are listed below in order of (uninformed) preference. I'm open to any advice or suggestions of options not listed as well.

• Castrol Edge High Mileage 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $35.99 oil+filter bundle, -$15 AAP (store gift card?) rebate, -$10 Castrol rebate= $11 effective.

Given the mileage of the vehicle I'd like to use this over the standard Edge but AAP's website says: "Does Not Fit your 2005 Ford Focus ZX4" Not sure why that would be. AutoZone, NAPA, and O'Reilly all say it's compatible. Seems Advance might have a glitch but maybe they know something the others don't? Hopefully the community here has some insight.

• Castrol Edge 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $35.99 oil+filter bundle, -$15 AAP (store gift card?) rebate, -$10 Castrol rebate= $11 effective.

AAP says: "Exact fit for your 2005 Ford Focus ZX4" others concur.

• Castrol GTX Full Synthetic High Mileage 5W20. $29.99 oil+filter bundle, -$15 AAP (store gift card?) rebate, -$10 Castrol rebate= $5 effective.

Killer price for a complete full synthetic oil change. Castrol does also have another $5 rebate for the Castrol GTX specifically but I'm guessing you can't double dip? I'm not sure if the $6 difference compared to the Edge is worth it.

• Mobil 1 Advanced Clean 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $37.99 oil+filter bundle, -$15 AAP gift card= $23 effective.

Competitor to Valvoline Restore and Protect, much better priced with the current rebate but still way more expensive than Castrol. I'm willing to be an early adopter as I don't expect Mobil 1 to put out garbage but maybe that's naive. Being such a new option my local store has new API SQ/ILSAC GF-7 jugs, the couple jugs of the other oils that I checked were older API SP/ILSAC GF-6 .

• Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $37.99 oil+filter bundle.

Seems to be the flavor of the month. Not sure if I would see any benefit and I'd prefer to save some money.

• Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $37.99 oil+filter bundle.

Not flagged by Advance as either "exact fit" or "does not fit." AutoZone does not show it when I filter by vehicle but Again kinda expensive. Not quite sure how this compares to the other fancy stuff.

• Pennzoil Platinum (and High Mileage) 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $34.99 oil+filter bundle.

Both regular and high mileage Platinum are flagged by Advance as "Does Not Fit your 2005 Ford Focus ZX4." Oddly AutoZone lists both as compatible.

The Pennzoil Platinum and Ultra Platinum seem to be highly regarded. However, again there is the compatibility flag.. Could this be due to the natural gas aspect? Possibly another glitch? I get conflicting info from AutoZone.

How does Advance handle their gift card rebates? I spoke to an employee today and they told me you have to submit it online which is somewhat tedious for a store gift card. Does it take long to process and arrive? It would be nice if they just issued you the gift card at checkout, they obviously know you've bought it. guess they don't want it to be too easy.


Thanks in advance for your guidance. Apologies in advance for any dumb uninitiated beginner questions. I did some research but I'm very new to this, it's a rabbit hole, and my time is limited.

 

[YZJB]

Any full-synth 5W-30 with API SQ. These engines aren’t picky, but I wouldn’t run a 5W-20.

 

[pbm]

Welcome to BITOG. I've had a few Foci so here's my take.

The 2.0 in your 2005 is Mazda MZR based and the same engine family as the 2.3 and later 2.5. They are excellent, long lasting engines and not very particular about oil. I'd start with 5w20 or even 0w20 depending on your location and if it needs top offs I'd then go with 5w30.
As far as the 3614 vs. the 3600....I use the 3614 on my 2014 2.0 Focus because the 3600 hangs a little below the engine and could get hit by road debris....I can't remember if my 2006 was the same but I think it was....on the 2.5 in my Escape I use the 3600 often because it's protected by the engine.
At 130K I'd check if the spark plugs have been changed. You may find oil in one or more of the cylinders spark plug hole which is a sign your valve cover gasket needs replacing....a fairly easy job.
I'd also change the air filter, ATF and filter and of course the coolant....I think the OE coolant was 'Motorcraft Gold' which is really
G-05....you could use basically any coolant after a complete flush.

While not luxurious that era Focus was a good basic car and should last a long time ....I've seen some with 300K and one with over 400K miles. Good Luck with it.

 

[ATex7239]

GTX full synthetic high mileage gets my votes if consumption isn’t an issue. And Restore and Protect if consumption is an issue.

Low strung 20 yr old engine - any decent full synthetic should do.

 

[Panda87]

Good on you for wanting to take full ownership of the car! Getting more familiar with it by doing your own oil changes pays dividends in more ways than simply saving you money.

Given the choices, the Mobil 1 Advanced Clean bundle would be the best strike of value and quality. Since you have an engine with an unknown history, an oil with a little more focus (heh) on cleaning would be a good idea. Valvoline Restore and Protect can be had for less at Walmart.

As mentioned by PBM, get the transmission fluid drained and refilled as well. Do not get it flushed, just a simple drain and fill.

 

[twX]

Also, the spec'd filter is the 3614. I have read some comments about using a 3600 in place of the 3614 as they are nearly identical aside from the size difference. What are the pros and cons of such a substitution? Would you recommend this for my application?

A larger filter will drop less pressure. On cold starts in freezing weather, it won't bypass as frequently or for as long as a smaller filter would. It will have a higher dirt holding capacity, so is less likely to clog on long OCIs, or if used for multiple OCIs. Its efficiency should also be a bit better because the pressure drop will be smaller and the media will stay cleaner, which will result in less particle shedding.

However, as Panda pointed out, it'll be more likely to be damaged by road debris, and that could kill your engine. It's not worth taking that chance.

I am looking at the oil change bundles at Advance Auto Parts. Seems like there are some good deals, particularly considering that, as I understand it the Carquest Premium and EP filters are highly regarded. I'm curious how the Premium and EP filters compare as both are free options with the bundle.

The Carquest Premium is a bit more efficient than the EP, but the EP probably has a higher dirt holding capacity. For 5k mile change intervals, I'd just use the Premium. They're both very good filters.

I'm planning to do a 5k mile OCI, at least for the first change. I might push this longer in the future but I'm not sure. Please advise.

For 90% short tripping, I wouldn't push it much past 5k. I might even shorten it a bit for a winter OCI.

 

[rumcapital23]

5W-30 Restore and Protect

0W-30 ESP

0W-40 Euro

 

[GaryMX5]

I had a 2004 Focus (actually bought it new for my younger son to commute to J.C.). It got a steady diet of 5w-20 Motorcraft semi syn. and Motorcraft filters from Walmart for about 85K miles. I'd stay with 5w-20 and 5K OCI, but would recommend something like Quaker State Full Syn. or Valvoline Advanced Protection Full Syn. A Super Tech filter would be just fine for a 5K OCI. You can get both from Walmart and probably end up spending less than 30.00 or so. Also, there's no downside to using Super Tech Synthetic oil from Walmart if you want to save a few more bucks. It's a very good bang for the buck oil.

 

[rollins.]

Great engine ! Automatic or manual?

The air filter is service-free btw.

If you start having weird charging issues with the dumb intelligent charging system (accompanied with loss of lights or some instrument gauge function) remove the 1A fuse(Battery voltage sense) in the box under the hood and measure the charging voltage - without the 1A fuse it will stabilize in a narrow frame. The check engine light will illuminate but everything will be working fine. AFAIK the connector on the alternator got upgraded at some point.

https://cdn.dealereprocess.org/cdn/servicemanuals/ford/2005-focus.pdf

Stick to Ford-specified coolant,PS and transmission fluid. Engine oil, I'd use ACEA A3/B4 or C3 SAE 0/5w-30 or 0w-40 . You will get some fuel dilution with short trips in winter.

MT can be noisy at idle and have some shifter tower trouble (check out some forums or YT videos).

 

[wtd]

A family member had a 2008 Ford Focus which he bought at 89,000 miles from the daughter of the original owner and the car had used 5W-20 Motorcraft blend and a Motorcraft filter up until that point. He continued to use the same oil and filter up until the car became unusable due to a transmission issue at 179,000 miles and he got rid of it soon after. The engine still ran great with no issues.

 

[marsrun]

Thanks for the info and your input everyone, good food for thought. I also really appreciate the advice as far as other items to look into.

I already had spark plugs and coolant on my list of things to at least inspect if not replace. I have some questions about the plugs but that's a topic for a different thread. There is a bit of vibration at idle but not too bad so I'll be looking into the motor mount(s). I am aware of the "lifetime" engine air filter from some research.

Gas mileage seems subpar for a 4cyl so among the other items I am considering replacing that non-serviceable air filter with an aftermarket assembly that takes typical replaceable filters. Dorman originally made one (part no 258-519) but that option is a bit expensive, currently $236.79 on Rock Auto. There is a knockoff of the Dorman made by SKP (part no SK258519) for only $71.99 so I'll probably go with that.

The transmission is Automatic. Thanks for mentioning the ATF as that wasn't something I had thought of/know much about. I will definitely be checking the ATF and getting it and filter changed one way or the other.

MT can be noisy at idle and have some shifter tower trouble (check out some forums or YT videos).

MT=Manual Transmission?

 

[cb4017]

I had an 08 Focus with the 2.0L and MT. I seem to recall I ran 5w-30 synthetic in it. Don't remember which brand.

I do remember it was reasonably sporty and would get close to 50 mpg.

 

[Carlostrece]

I recently purchased a 2005 Ford Focus ZX4 with ~130k miles. I believe it has the 2.0l engine, not entirely sure the difference between it and the 2.3l or if it matters. In the past I have had most maintenance aside from basic stuff like wipers and bulbs done by shops. I am new to DIY maintenance but I want to take good care of this car and save some money.

Last oil change by the previous owner was ~1.4k miles and 10 months ago with conventional oil done at Jiffy Lube. Not sure on the filter as I haven't gotten under it yet. Dipstick shows above max.

Currently this car will see 90% short trip miles. I live in the Northeast US. As I understand it this could matter due to environmental temperatures but are there any other factors?

I'm planning to do a 5k mile OCI, at least for the first change. I might push this longer in the future but I'm not sure. Please advise.

3500-5000 mile OCI or 1 year, whichever comes first. I like to change oil in summer because it's more comfotable in summer in my climate. Probably same in your climate.

I am looking at the oil change bundles at Advance Auto Parts. Seems like there are some good deals, particularly considering that, as I understand it the Carquest Premium and EP filters are highly regarded. I'm curious how the Premium and EP filters compare as both are free options with the bundle.

I don't have a Carquest near me. Carquest Premium filter is excellent and made by Premium Guard.

I have a NAPA near me. I buy a NAPA Gold filter which is excellent and made by Premium Guard.

Also, the spec'd filter is the 3614. I have read some comments about using a 3600 in place of the 3614 as they are nearly identical aside from the size difference. What are the pros and cons of such a substitution? Would you recommend this for my application?

I cannot give you a specific, definate answer because I'm not familiar with your model of car not those sizes of filters.

For cars in general, a longer filter is beneficial if its fully compatible with your engine but detrimental if not fully compatible. I use a longer filter on my Buick, but I know with 100% certainty that it's compatible.

You need to make sure it's fully compatible before using a longer than stock filter. If you're not sure, then use stock size filter.

O recommend you prefill your new oil filter as much as possible, especially if it's a longer than stock size filter.

I know these filter questions are probably a better fit for the filter specific subforum but it feels redundant and spammy to make an entire separate thread with all the same info. The filter and oil obviously are related so hopefully it's not bad form to also ask this here. Let me know one way or the other please.

The BITOG filter subforum or a Ford Focus ZX4 model specific forum are most likely to know if you can safely increase filter size (length) with a fully compatible filter.

The oil options I'm considering are listed below in order of (uninformed) preference. I'm open to any advice or suggestions of options not listed as well.

• Castrol Edge High Mileage 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $35.99 oil+filter bundle, -$15 AAP (store gift card?) rebate, -$10 Castrol rebate= $11 effective.

That ^ would be a good choice. However, a better choice would be 5w30 Castrol Edge High Mileage Advanvlced Full Synthetic. 5 quarts $27 at Walmart.

A better (but lower cost) choice would be 5w30 Quaker State High Mileage Full Synthetic. 5 quarts $21 at Walmart.

A much better choice would be 5w30 Valvoline Maxlife Extended Protection High Mileage Full Synthetic. 5 quarts $29 at Walmart.

A much better choice would be 5w30 Chevron Havoline Lifelong (high mileage) Full Synthetic. 6 quarts $28 at Walmart, $25 at Amazon (free shipping). Don't let the low price fool you. This is a very good oil, especially for high mileage cars.

I suggest buy a Carquest Premium, NAPA Gold, Autozone STP XL, Oreilly Microgard Select, Valvoline Premium, or Premium Guard XL. Those are all excellent premium filters made by Premium Guard.

Then buy your oil from Walmart, or maybe Amazon, if you want to save $10; or you could use an autostore oil & filter package deal sale to save $10.

Given the mileage of the vehicle I'd like to use this over the standard Edge but AAP's website says: "Does Not Fit your 2005 Ford Focus ZX4" Not sure why that would be. AutoZone, NAPA, and O'Reilly all say it's compatible. Seems Advance might have a glitch but maybe they know something the others don't? Hopefully the community here has some insight.

Edge High Mileage 5w20 is compatible with your car for sure, but Edge 5w30 would be a better choice, or any other 5w30 high mileage full synthetic oil. Especially the 5w30 High Mileage Full Synthetic oils I recommended.

• Castrol Edge 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $35.99 oil+filter bundle, -$15 AAP (store gift card?) rebate, -$10 Castrol rebate= $11 effective.

AAP says: "Exact fit for your 2005 Ford Focus ZX4" others concur.

• Castrol GTX Full Synthetic High Mileage 5W20. $29.99 oil+filter bundle, -$15 AAP (store gift card?) rebate, -$10 Castrol rebate= $5 effective.

Killer price for a complete full synthetic oil change. Castrol does also have another $5 rebate for the Castrol GTX specifically but I'm guessing you can't double dip? I'm not sure if the $6 difference compared to the Edge is worth it.

• Mobil 1 Advanced Clean 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $37.99 oil+filter bundle, -$15 AAP gift card= $23 effective.

Competitor to Valvoline Restore and Protect, much better priced with the current rebate but still way more expensive than Castrol. I'm willing to be an early adopter as I don't expect Mobil 1 to put out garbage but maybe that's naive. Being such a new option my local store has new API SQ/ILSAC GF-7 jugs, the couple jugs of the other oils that I checked were older API SP/ILSAC GF-6 .

• Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $37.99 oil+filter bundle.

Seems to be the flavor of the month. Not sure if I would see any benefit and I'd prefer to save some money.

• Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $37.99 oil+filter bundle.

Not flagged by Advance as either "exact fit" or "does not fit." AutoZone does not show it when I filter by vehicle but Again kinda expensive. Not quite sure how this compares to the other fancy stuff.

• Pennzoil Platinum (and High Mileage) 5W-20 Full Synthetic. $34.99 oil+filter bundle.

Both regular and high mileage Platinum are flagged by Advance as "Does Not Fit your 2005 Ford Focus ZX4." Oddly AutoZone lists both as compatible.

The Pennzoil Platinum and Ultra Platinum seem to be highly regarded. However, again there is the compatibility flag.. Could this be due to the natural gas aspect? Possibly another glitch? I get conflicting info from AutoZone.

The high mileage oils I recommended have better viscosity at full operating temperature than those you just listed.

I have been told that GTL & G3+ have equivalent performance and are both excellent.

Valvoline Maxlife Extended Protection High Mileage Full Synthetic is GTL.

Havoline Lifelong (high mileage) Full Synthetic is G3+

And both of those have higher viscosity at full op temp, which is a good thing for a high mileage engine. Higher than what? Higher than any other off-the-shelf high mileage synthetic oils that I know of. Signifigantly higher than Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage.

How does Advance handle their gift card rebates? I spoke to an employee today and they told me you have to submit it online which is somewhat tedious for a store gift card. Does it take long to process and arrive? It would be nice if they just issued you the gift card at checkout, they obviously know you've bought it. guess they don't want it to be too easy.

I don't know. There's no Advance Autoparts in my town.

Thanks in advance for your guidance. Apologies in advance for any dumb uninitiated beginner questions. I did some research but I'm very new to this, it's a rabbit hole, and my time is limited.

Keep it simple. Use any of the oils and filters I recommened. 5w20 is OK for your car, but 5w30 would be better.