Oil Recommendation

[Techniker]

I know that there have been hundreds of these posts and you are probably tired of reading them, but I value expert opinion. I have a 1993 Ford Explorer XLT with a 4.0L Ford Cologne engine. This engine is notorious for poor oil supply and causes valvetrain wear. I want to use an oil that works well for tappet pushrods since I think it will wear better. The vehicle may be an SUV, but it certainly feels like a truck and occasionally it gets run hard so I want the extra protection of an HDEO. We have heavy snow and sometimes it has to plow through it. It also occasionally pulls a fairly heavy trailer. I also question how well it was maintained by its previous owners. What HDEO would you recommend?

Thank you,
Techniker

 

[addyguy]

Rotella T6 5W-40.

 

[pidster]

Rotella T6 5w40 is in my Ranger's 4.0 right now. Will probably cheap out a bit and run dino 15w40 Rotella in it for spring and summer. No UOAs but definitely has a quieter and smoother sound vs 5w30. No power loss, no MPG hit that I've noticed.

 

[Techniker]

Thanks for the response. Does using 5W40 in an engine rated for 5W30 wear more on the engine?

 

[addyguy]

Nope. It 'may' actually decrease it, but that is a HUGE debate that usually gets locker here...short answer is no.

 

[dnewton3]

As I recall that is the only engine Ford has not back-spec'd for the 5w-20; they still recommend the 5w-30.

I would think either a 10w-30 HDEO or 15w-40 HDEO would work well for a very fair price. Or, you could step up to the new T5 10w-30 which is now prominently found at most WallyWorld locations. There is even a T5 10w-40 but you'll probably only find that at farm supply stores; I've seen it on the shelf at TSC. I would suggest sticking to a 10w-30 year round, if you have the ability, for your region.

I would encourage you to run out your OCIs and do some UOAs. You'll have a much better understanding where your engine is at, and where it's going, wear wise.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: Techniker
Thanks for the response. Does using 5W40 in an engine rated for 5W30 wear more on the engine?


If you are worried about the 40wt, you can run the rotella t-5 10w 30 and still have a nice HDEO syn blend oil.