Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

5W20 or 5W30

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    5W20 or 5W30

    Is it true that Ford changed recommended type of oil for modulars from 5W20 to 5W30 only for ecological reasons ? I mean which oil will be better for engine, not for eco-freaks. When I was bought my 09 GM I poured 5W20 Amsoil Signatur Series oil, but I think that engine runs a little bit louder at cold start than before. I don't know what type of oil previous owner used, car don't burn oil. At the begining of january I will change oil and filters and I wonder if I should use 5W30.
    '09 Grand Marquis LS - Light Ice Blue / Medium Light Stone, J-mod, dual exhaust with Magnaflow 11224, PI intake, Marty's tune

    #2
    When the 4.6 was new in 1991, Ford recommended 5W-30. Sometime in 2002, it was switched to 5W-20 eek out a little more MPG. I originally ran 5W-20, then switched back to 5W-30. I saw no real difference in economy or how it ran. In my case, my car is now past 200K, and doesn’t use oil. It would have probably done the same on 5W-20, but I prefer the OE recommended spec in this case so I have used, and will continue to use 5W-30.

    Oil filter wise, always use a good filter with a silicone anti-drainback valve. Typically I’ll use Motorcraft or Wix.


    My Cars:
    -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
    -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
    -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
    -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

    Comment


      #3
      I would use 5w30, my '98 was very happy on that. Thicker stuff than that really makes them run shitty.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by knucklehead0202 View Post
        I would use 5w30, my '98 was very happy on that. Thicker stuff than that really makes them run shitty.
        They don’t have super large oil passages, so it makes sense. IIRC my service manual (1997) says the heaviest permitted was 10W-30 for very warm climates, but 5W-30 was preferable for most climates.


        My Cars:
        -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
        -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
        -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
        -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

        Comment


          #5
          I use 5W30 because that’s what the motor was designed for. No sense in reducing the life of the motor over less than a mile per gallon
          2010 Mercury Grand Marquis LS “The Douche” - 70mm throttle body, P71 airbox, 21mm rear sway bay, dual exhaust, Dodge rims, 89K and counting. 4/2018-
          1966 Ford Thunderbird (390FE) “Fordy McFordface” - engine rebuild No. 3. 11/2016-
          RIP 2005 Buick LaCrosse CXS “Jumba” - gone too soon, 229K. 6/2017-2/2018
          RIP 2001 Chevrolet Tracker LT “Featherbrick” - gone too late, 156K POS. 6/2016-9/2016.
          Sold 2005 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - 198K. 6/2016-4/2018

          Comment


            #6
            just info. My 02 5.0 Mercedes specifies 0W40. In theory that provides the least startup damage and sufficient high temp protection when engine temps call for it. It sounds so logical.
            03 Marauder DPB, HS, 6disk, Organizer Mods> LED's in & Out, M&Z rear control arms, Oil deflector, U-Haul Trans Pan, Blue Fuzzy Dice
            02 SL500 Silver Arrow
            08 TC Signature Limited, HID's Mods>235/55-17 Z rated BFG G-Force Comp-2 A/S Plus, Addco 1" rear Sway, Posi Carrier, Compustar Remote Start, floor liners, trunk organizer, Two part Sun Visors, B&M Trans drain Plug, Winter=05 Mustang GT rims, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R-2 235/55-17
            12 Escape Limited V6 AWD, 225/65R17 Vredestein Quatrac Pro, Winter 235/70-16 Conti Viking Contact7 Mods>Beamtech LED headlight bulbs, Husky floor liners

            Comment


              #7
              I've been running Motorcraft 5W-20 Semi-synth oil that is spec'd for my 03 LX Sport along with a Motorcraft filter since I bought it in '08 w/54k on it. Now has a bit over 200K on it and still runs just fine, and I do have a habit of driving it a bit hard once in a while. The mod motors have tighter tolerances for things so you don't want a thick oil, and just run a quality filter. If you can't get a Motorcraft filter then I'd go for a Wix filter.
              These are highly engineered precision vehicles, the first step in diagnosing the problem is to strike the suspected offending part sharply and repeatedly with a blunt object, then re-test.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by jaywish View Post
                just info. My 02 5.0 Mercedes specifies 0W40. In theory that provides the least startup damage and sufficient high temp protection when engine temps call for it. It sounds so logical.
                FWIW, Mobil 1 offers a 0W-30 synthetic that says it meets requirements for 5W/10W-30 applications. I did use it in the ‘97 one time, and it behaved fine with it, no weird sounds on start up or the like. Probably would work even better for colder climate owners where cold temp start up oil flow is important.


                My Cars:
                -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

                Comment


                  #9
                  When I change oil after purchase I used K&N oil filter. Few days ago I bought Motorcraft filter and I will use it now. Probably I will stay with Amsoil 5W20 with Motorcraft filter - I'm curious if I will notice any difference.
                  '09 Grand Marquis LS - Light Ice Blue / Medium Light Stone, J-mod, dual exhaust with Magnaflow 11224, PI intake, Marty's tune

                  Comment


                    #10
                    My '08 P71 with 200K gets Motorcraft 5W20, because thats what the owner's manual stated. I use only the FL820S filter as well. The car was fleet maintained by a Massachusetts state mechanic until 150K, and it had a Motorcraft filter on it when I got it. I can only assume they used Ford stuff to service it throughout its life.

                    It has had a noise in the top end of the engine since I started driving it 2 years ago with 150K on it. 5W30 didn't help (tried it once), and it doesn't use any oil. I change it on a 4k mile OCI, and I expect that the engine will continue to run and operate as normal, noise and all.
                    **2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: 5.0/ 6 spd/ 3.73s, 20K Cruiser
                    **2006 MGM,"Ultimate": 4.6/ 2.73/ Dark Tint, Magnaflows, 19s, 115K Daily Driver
                    **2012 Harley Davidson Wide Glide (FXDWG):103/ Cobra Speedsters/ Cosmetics, 9K Poseur HD Rider
                    **1976 Ford F-150 4WD: 360, 4 spd, 3.50s, factory A/C, 4" lift, Bilsteins, US Indy Mags, 35s Truck Duties

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I follow the owner's manual recommendation of 5W-20. I put full synthetic in my MGM and it seems to run smoother. More so when I tried Royal Purple.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Another 5w20 synthetic user here + motorcraft filter.

                        Alex.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          5w20 in the PI swapped 93, 5w30 in the wife's stock 2K CV. Both synthetic. everything gets Motorcraft filters since they're cheap at Walmart. Only 10˘ (or is it 20˘?) more than the POS Fram. Both as spec'd by the model year of the engine. Both run great with NO odd noises.

                          Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                          rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                          Originally posted by gadget73
                          ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                          Originally posted by dmccaig
                          Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I run 5w20 Valvoline MaxLife in mine. Years ago I switched around between 5w20 and 5w30 in the '96, never really saw any difference other than maybe slightly smoother idle when its really cold. In the '97 Townie I found out it will chug regular synthetic, set out with the intention of dumping cheap conventional in it and found that MaxLife was on sale for a couple $$ more and decided to try that. Astonishingly it went from a quart in 700 miles to a quart in 2k miles, a consumption rate that stayed pretty steady as long as I had either MaxLife or Quakerstate Defy in it. I put synthetic in it again after a few OCIs with the high mileage juice and it went right back to a quart in 900 miles. So there is something to the high mileage stuff, at least for whatever is causing my oil consumption (likely valve seals cuz early 4.6). I was running 5w30 in it until I changed my Mom's old Accord to MaxLife and that car called for 5w20 so I started buying it in bulk when on sale and running it in both cars. No real difference as far as I can tell in any respect in the Town Car between the 5w20 and 5w30 so I just kept using the 5w20. I've put 70-some thousand miles on it in my ownership, inside of the motor is clean and healthy from what I've seen as I've opened things up. Since it became a habit that hasn't ended badly, the '98 gets the same 5w20 MaxLife cuz why not?

                            Always, ALWAYS a Motorcraft filter. Back before I knew any better I put a Fram on the '96 and couldn't figure out why it knocked on startup. Learned about the anti drainback valve and its importance in a 4.6 and swapped in a Motorcraft filter. Startup knock went away. Motorcraft filters are well made, cheap, and readily available so I really can't think of any reason not to use them and have used them ever since.

                            A lot of people over think this. 5w20 and 5w30 are both fine for this engine. Use whatever makes you feel warm and fuzzy. Just use a quality filter and make sure the oil is full and you'll be just fine.
                            -Steve

                            2006 Audi A6 S-Line FWD ~132k miles, stock.
                            1998 Mercury Grand Marquis LS HPP ~102k miles, slowly acquiring modifications.
                            1997 Lincoln Town Car Cartier ~145k miles, Ported Plenum, Gutted Airbox, Mechanical Fan Delete, Contour E-fan Retrofit, Dual exhaust, Cats ran away, KYB Gas-A-Justs, P71 front sway bar, air ride reinstalled, Blinker Mod, Projector headlight retrofit, Caddy 4-note horn retrofit, Wood rim steering wheel, rustbelt diet plan..
                            1996 Mercury Grand Marquis GS 117,485mi. R.I.P. 7/14/12

                            Comment


                              #15
                              I'm after oil change - I stay with Amsoil Signature 5W20 but I change filter from K&N to Motorcraft. I think that cold start is more smooth now
                              '09 Grand Marquis LS - Light Ice Blue / Medium Light Stone, J-mod, dual exhaust with Magnaflow 11224, PI intake, Marty's tune

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X