Topping up with oil not specified by manufacturer

[arizonaSummer]

Hi guys, I own a Ford Mustang GT that specifies 5w20 however I have read here that thicker oil can help with valvetrain noise. So I bought Shell Helix Ultra API SL 0w30 oil (gold bottle), only to realise it is not Ford approved.

Can I still top-up my 5w20 with this? I'll probably only use a litre or two. The 5w20 is Shell if it makes any difference (grey bottle)

Thanks

 

[JavierH19]

Lol. That oil is better for your GT than the 5w-20 which can be met with a syn blend formulation since it's not strict at all. At least GM's dexos 1 gen 3 is stringent enough to where I have yet to see a syn blend be able to meet it, all are full synthetic. The SL blend could cause lspi in the ecoboost version one but yours is the na 5.0.

 

[ripcord]

Yes! You can use that Shell oil without any issues whatsoever. The engine in your Mustang will absolutely not know the difference. Many, many Ford owners chose to run 5w-30 instead of 5w-20. Ford even specified 5w-50 oil for track use in the Mustang, so it will be fine to top off with 30 weight oil.

 

[kschachn]

Here is a recent thread on the subject of using a 30-grade in place of a 20-grade. In that thread I’ve linked some other threads on the topic. They may be useful.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/5w20-or-5w30-for-2020-kia-forte-ex-south-florida.387099/

 

[Son_of_shots]

Hi guys, I own a Ford Mustang GT that specifies 5w20 however I have read here that thicker oil can help with valvetrain noise. So I bought Shell Helix Ultra API SL 0w30 oil (gold bottle), only to realise it is not Ford approved.

Can I still top-up my 5w20 with this? I'll probably only use a litre or two. The 5w20 is Shell if it makes any difference (grey bottle)

Thanks

If you are going to honestly show your oil receipts to Ford or an oil company if you have a warranty problem, then of course you can't use an oil that is not approved by Ford. The Ford stamp of approval exists to help you as a consumer.

 

[kschachn]

If you are going to honestly show your oil receipts to Ford or an oil company if you have a warranty problem, then of course you can't use an oil that is not approved by Ford. The Ford stamp of approval exists to help you as a consumer.

Really. Can you show me in your owners manual where it says that the warranty is predicated on this approval? I didn’t know Ford had oil approvals. I also didn’t know that they were a condition of warranty.

 

[ATex7239]

Lol. That oil is better for your GT than the 5w-20 which can be met with a syn blend formulation since it's not strict at all. At least GM's dexos 1 gen 3 is stringent enough to where I have yet to see a syn blend be able to meet it, all are full synthetic. The SL blend could cause lspi in the ecoboost version one but yours is the na 5.0.

PZ Gold is the only one left I think.

https://www.shell-livedocs.com/data/published/en-US/394f475d-2020-4120-8c41-073de0099a7c.pdf

 

[dubber09]

My view is the older the oil is (mileage and engine hours wise) in the engine the looser the selection is for top up oil. Top up oil of heavier weight may be beneficial on fuel diluter engine.
There are industry specs and approvals and there are manufacturers specs and approvals e.g. API is for industry and Dexos is for manufacturer.

 

[IndyIan]

Hi guys, I own a Ford Mustang GT that specifies 5w20 however I have read here that thicker oil can help with valvetrain noise. So I bought Shell Helix Ultra API SL 0w30 oil (gold bottle), only to realise it is not Ford approved.

Can I still top-up my 5w20 with this? I'll probably only use a litre or two. The 5w20 is Shell if it makes any difference (grey bottle)

Thanks

Yep I would use it, ford will never know what oil you topped up the car with. TBH I am a bit surprised you need to top up the oil much at all? What is your oil change interval?

 

[Cujet]

My new 5.0 powered F150 specifies 5W-30. Nowhere in the manual does it specify anything lower than a 30.

For extreme cold, below -20ºF, they suggest 0W-30

It is fairly well known that 5W-20 is not the ideal oil for most 5.0 drivers.

 

[arizonaSummer]

This is not related to the warranty which has expired, it is to stop the valvetrain (bbq tick) noise. My manual specifies 5w20, as do all UK mustangs registered 2015-2017, I change the oil every 2500-3000 miles

 

[Cujet]

This is not related to the warranty which has expired, it is to stop the valvetrain (bbq tick) noise. My manual specifies 5w20, as do all UK mustangs registered 2015-2017

And yet that very same engine specifies 5W-50 when the "track-pack" is ordered. As they expect a more enthusiastic driver.

It is well known the Coyote engines do well on oils with more viscosity than 5W-20. But I've already said that.