5W-20 in the new Ford?

[biglou]

That's what the owner's manual says, 5W-20. Anyone else running oil this thin? I have been using 10W-30 in the 97 Chevy since new. It was the 5.7L V-8. The new rig is a 2002 F150 w/4.2L V-6.

Any thoughts on this? Seems awfully hot up here to be running that oil. Maybe in the winter, I dunno. Whataya think?

 

[Lemming]

Lou,

I have a '98 4.6L and the manual calls for 5W30. I too thought that this was kinda thin for the Alabama summers but no problems so far. I did once put 10W30 in and the engine made all sorts of noise at start up, so I went back to the 5W30.

 

[yzracer49]

I work for a fleet maint company and started seeing the 5w-20 oil this year. We checked with Ford, They run that to help pass the EPA's emmision testing. Per Ford, is ok to run 5w-30 with no ill effect or voiding of the waranty.
What made us check was shops were asking for an extra $15-20 for an oil change.

 

[23jayhawk]

Lou, like you I was not excited about using that viscosity. Asked around, and apparently manufacturing improvements and so on have resulted in much greater control of journal clearances & tolerances. So Ford actually wants an oil spec'd for better flow. And they don't need to rely on viscosity so much, since a (-) crankshaft journal and (+) main cap is held to a closer range than in 'the old days'.

Now, that's what they said. Personally, I also believe there is some CAFE reasons hiding in there. My major gripe is that I can't find what I have used for years, Mobil 1, in that weight (so far).

 

[biglou]

I am going to break out the maintenance manual (if you want to call it that) that came with the truck and look at the oil weights for the outside temps and see what it says. My thoughts are 5 or 10W-30 in the hot part of summer, and the 5W-20 at other times.

I did notice a "LEW: Low Emission Vehicle" sticker on my driver's side window.

 

[biglou]

Nope. No temp range charts. 5W-20 is all they recommend. Oh well, time to put faith in the Ford engineers...

 

[23jayhawk]

BTW, how do you like the V6 in the new Ford? Adequate for light towing - like an open trailer with 2-3 bikes + gear?

 

[biglou]

Well, I haven't gotten on it too hard (only got 200 miles on it!), but it feels OK. Plenty of torque on bottom (for a V6), and fair at highway speeds. I guess it depends on what you are used to. The 350 Chevy was torquey like my 426! I was being totally practical when I bought this truck. In the 5-1/2 years I had the 5.7 Chevy, the only thing I ever towed was a friends 5 X 8 trailer with two bikes over to the car wash about 3 miles away. I think a couple bikes on a small trailer would be no problem. I'm sure that it is well within the listed capacity for the truck.

Tomorrow I'mgonna have two bikes, two guys and gear loaded up for her maiden voyage to the track. That will give me a good idea as to how it will perform overall.

 

[dirt bike dave]

Besides fuel mileage, the 5w is easier circulate, allowing quicker lubrication on start up.

A good forum for F150 owners is www.f150online.com

My '99 V-6 has been trouble free for 60,000 miles. It's not a powerhouse, but with a few mods it runs pretty good. With various incentives from Ford, the V-6 was $1,400 cheaper than the identical truck with 4.6l V-8.

 

[Tony Eeds]

BigLou - Is that your truck on the main page? Sharp!
Re: oil ... Chevy is going the same way. They listed 5-20 for my sub. It seemed thin to me also.

 

[biglou]

Thanks, Tony. :) The white one, that's me. The black Super-Duty belongs to Okie.

 

[WaltCMoto]

When I got my truck, that was the first I heard of this weight. I couldnt find 5-20 in the store , so I used the 5-30. No change in performance or milage. 4.6 v-8
Walt

 

[bwalker]

Lou, like you I was not excited about using that viscosity. Asked around, and apparently manufacturing improvements and so on have resulted in much greater control of journal clearances & tolerances. So Ford actually wants an oil spec'd for better flow. And they don't need to rely on viscosity so much, since a (-) crankshaft journal and (+) main cap is held to a closer range than in 'the old days'.

Complete BS. 5w20 was speced soley for cafe purposes with out regard for longetivity. Fords triton engines are in fact identical to the ones that speced 5w30. For you guys down south I would use 10w30 year round and for the northern people 10w30 summer/5w30 winter.

 

[dirt bike dave]

FWIW, Ford spec's 5w30 for my '99 4.2 (same engine as Lou's '02).

I agree with Bwalker, 5w20 is for CAFE reasons. I'll bet there are plenty of '97 F150's with 100,000+ miles that have been given 10w30 all their lives.

OTOH, Ford doesn't seem to think there is any harm in running the thinner oil. Ultimately they are responsible for warranty work and class action lawsuits if their vehicles suffer premature engine failure. IMO, they would not recommend 5w20 if they felt there were a risk.

 

[bwalker]

IMO, they would not recommend 5w20 if they felt there were a risk

They probaly realise that the extra wear occuring wont have any effect till the warranty is over. ;)

 

[dirt bike dave]

Good point - those warrantees don't seem to last very long!

However, Ford does have a major financial interest in keeping the customers happy enough to buy another Ford. The minor gains in corporate average fuel economy just wouldn't be worth it if their really was an adverse effect on reliability (JMHO, as always).

Bottom line, run what you feel comfortable with, and if its reasonably close to what the manufacturer reccomends, you should be fine. :cool:

 

[23jayhawk]

Ben - I see by your sig that you're in Michigan. Do you have some inside skinny here? I'm curious how much of the 'improved mfg. tolerance control' that I was told about is true.

 

[Tod]

I've been using the recommended 5w20 in my 2001 ZX3, running it as hard as possible :eek: for over a year and so far no problem except you can't hardly see the oil on the dip stick until it starts to get dirty.

Castrol GTX is the only brand I've see around my neck of the woods. Know who else makes the thin stuff?

 

[bwalker]

Ben - I see by your sig that you're in Michigan. Do you have some inside skinny here? I'm curious how much of the 'improved mfg. tolerance control' that I was told about is true.

Yes, I work in QC for a tier2 supplier. I get to deal with GM powertrain as well as the ford and Daimler powertrain units. Belive me when I say the triton engines are identical. BTW ask any tribologist what they think about the 5w20 oils and you will get a ear full.

 

[Tony Eeds]

bwalker - Not to change the direction of the thread, but .....
What is a tribologist?
Although my mind is still 18, it has been a long time since school. All the new words .... Everything in the world is moving faster except my scoot. :confused:
Also ... thanks for the info regarding 10W30 down south. My truck is 16 months old and has 66K on it and I want it to last for 250K.

 

[Highbeam]

I think a tribologist studies native american tribes. Their history and culture as well as the prefered chemical composition of 5w-20.

Seems awful thin. Heck even 5w-30 seemed too thin so I went to 10w-30.

 

[23jayhawk]

Tribology is study of bearings, lubrication, etc. - kind of a blend of mechanical & chemical engineering, along with materials science.