Thinking about switching

[fordman65]

On my current car an 01 Mercury Sable 171k miles. I have run Castrol GTX 10W-30 the first 100k, after that the Castrol HM 10W-30 or 5W30. When I changed my oil a few weeks ago, I noticed a little yellowish (not real bright) varnish.
My question is should I consider switching to something Pen Plat. 5W30 or Mobil Super HM 5w30? At this mileage would it hurt too go to the recommended 5W-20?

I am looking for some feedback.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: fordman65
On my current car an 01 Mercury Sable 171k miles. I have run Castrol GTX 10W-30 the first 100k, after that the Castrol HM 10W-30 or 5W30. When I changed my oil a few weeks ago, I noticed a little yellowish (not real bright) varnish.
My question is should I consider switching to something Pen Plat. 5W30 or Mobil Super HM 5w30? At this mileage would it hurt too go to the recommended 5W-20?

I am looking for some feedback.


Where was this varnish? PP is very good oil. I would not alter the weight from the owners manual for mileage unless you are burning oil. I am not a fan of HM oil just for the sake of HM.

 

[fordman65]

The varnish was under the PVC and under the oil cap. There was not a great deal. Between oil changes, I may loose a quart, but my valve covers are leaking a little. Ford dealer mechanics told me it was not unusual for a car to use a quart between oil changes. I am currently running 5w30, the owners manual calls for 5W-20. My only concern is with the mileage that I have on the car switching to a the thinner 5W-20.

 

[donnyj08]

if its spec'd 5w20 id use 5w20. i see no advantage to thicker oils. i believe the ford motorcraft 5w20 oil that for recommends is borderline a 30wt anyway. i could be wrong there. but 5w20 oils protect excellent, and all the manufactures going to 20wt oils now days and cars are lasting longer than ever, leads me to believe that todays thin oils actually protect engines better. the engine will probably not burn any more oil on a 20wt either. lots of 97-2001 ford modular v8's would use considerably more oil on a 30wt oil. this was according to a local ford mechanic. and after switching my old 97 4.6l and 99 6.8l v10 to 5w20 oil, they did in fact stop consuming as much oil. as far as varnish, that is no concern, especially if its just light and yellow, that to me means its clean. dark varnish or sludgy areas are a concern. i would recommend castrol gtx 5w20. your car has done well so far on castrol, give their 5w20 a try. i prefer 20wt oils.

 

[LeakySeals]

At that age and mileage a 5w30 may be what you need anyways. I would go with Mobil 1 High Mileage over the Mobil super HM. I had bad varnish 90k ago. It never returned using M1 HM. Walmarts loaded with it $26.50 5qt.

 

[GumbyJarvis]

Id go with Rotella T5 10w30

 

[moto94536]

Me too. I always use chevron supreme or mobil super 5000. I look at the sears ad,they have Pennzoil Platinum for $3.99 /qt. I was thinking about qs synthetic from walmart $21.

I think pp is better and save me $1. anyone use pp?how is it

 

[moto94536]

so which is the better deal? all 5qt.

pennzoil plantium $20 at sears.
quaker state synthetic $21 walmart
motor craft synthetic blend $18.33 at walmart

 

[TuBon_gRips]

IMO the PP is the best of the lot, but the Motorcraft won't be far behind, especially at that price point. I don't like changing brands, so if it was me I'd consider long and hard what I want to run long-term and end up going with the PP.

Edit: Seeing that you're coming from Castrol HM, you may want to go with the Motorcraft, as it's more similar to your current fill. If you do decide to go with PP, consider running that Motorcraft oil for 2-3k to transition to the full synthetic.

 

[crazyoildude]

do not switch you made it all these miles and now you want to experiment with things? If it aint broke dont fix it!

 

[moto94536]

well I have to switch.. I only have abut 7 qt of chevron supreme. so I have to start buying oil from walmart.

walmart have mobil super 5000 for $14. motorcraft blend $18.

well motorcraft is good right. police vehicle like ford crown vic use motorcraft oil.