racin75 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 i have a 2008 se 3.0 v6 and i happen to have a case of 5-30w synthetic and i know the car call for 5-20w. so all I'm asking is will changing the weight affect anything cuz 6 quarts of full synthetic gets a little pricy....thanks for any comments 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 i have a 2008 se 3.0 v6 and i happen to have a case of 5-30w synthetic and i know the car call for 5-20w. so all I'm asking is will changing the weight affect anything cuz 6 quarts of full synthetic gets a little pricy....thanks for any comments Don't use it - not worth the risk. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisw Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Always use the weight specified by the manufacturer. If your manual gives this as an option then use it if not don't use it. Many people have early engine failures by not following manufacturers recommendations. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 (edited) Always use the weight specified by the manufacturer. If your manual gives this as an option then use it if not don't use it. Many people have early engine failures by not following manufacturers recommendations. Can't make it any simpler than that. If the container doesn't specifically say that it meets Ford spec WSS-M2C930-A, then you shouldn't use it. BTW, Ford quietly changed the spec for 2012 to WSS-M2C945-A. Edited March 12, 2012 by drolds1 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chevy Guy Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Is the new spec backwards compatible with the old one? Seems to me that Ford wouldn't be playing fair ball to tie warranty claims to an old spec when the oil manufacturers follow the new one. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Is the new spec backwards compatible with the old one? Seems to me that Ford wouldn't be playing fair ball to tie warranty claims to an old spec when the oil manufacturers follow the new one. I cannot imagine releasing a new oil spec that was worse than the previous one. I'm sure there is a disclaimer somewhere that says if it meets the new spec then it also meets the old spec. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jim Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Ford starting using 5/20 in 2001 with the introduction of the Escape so 5/30 isn't a newer spec. I would only use 5/20 as long as the car is in warranty. When it is out of warranty, you can do as you please, but any oil related failure is on your nickel after warranty anyway. Ford specified 5/30 for the 2.5 and 3.0 V6 Duratec for many years. Using 5/30 is not likely to cause any damage. It might (only might, not for sure) cut your fuel economy very slightly. Some oil experts claim that 5/20 is not as good for your engine a 5/30, and that Ford made the change only to try to improve their CAFE (corporate average fuel economy). I don't agree. I think 5/20 is superior. Anyway, it is up to you, and I would not do it myself if it were my car, but I don't believe it will do any damage. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2011se25 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 In 2001 / 2002 Ford actually started back recommending 5W20 for many older models that called for 5W30 http://www.f150online.com/forums/v8-engines/77117-oil-tsb.html Also apparently engines with Variable Cam Timing can be affected by using improper oil http://www.fordedgeforum.com/index.php?/topic/3842-oilanyone-using-5w30-rather-than-5w20/page__view__findpost__p__37228 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Ford changed to 5W20 to improve fuel economy and save a couple pennies a barrel. 5W30 will be perfectly fine in the 3.0L - I use it in my wife's 07 Mariner which calls for 5W20. It's true that it could affect your warranty, but it's not going to cause a failure within the warranty period anyway, so it's a moot point. Note how Ford initially released the Ecoboost 3.5L with 5W20 but then quietly changed it to 5W30 in the second year. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Is the new spec backwards compatible with the old one? Seems to me that Ford wouldn't be playing fair ball to tie warranty claims to an old spec when the oil manufacturers follow the new one. Here's an interesting article on backward compatibility of oil. Apparently, there are exceptions. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monochrome11 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I wouldn't hesitate to put 5w-30 in a 2008 3.0L. I like to increase the viscosity a little in engines that are starting to get up in mileage. I don't think you will even see a reduction in gas mileage even though your engine may not have higher miles on it. That slight increase in high temperature viscosity will do absolutely no harm to your engine. I ran 20W-50 in an 89 Ranger the entire time I owned it after the first oil change. Ford recommended 10W-30 but I towed my race car and did a lot of off-road four wheeling with it in the desert. I felt it needed the higher weight oil to stand up to the harsh conditions. I drove that truck almost 200,000 miles and it used no more oil when I sold it than it did when it was new. I never had any oil related problems with that engine. In fact, I had no problems with that engine at all. The only time I felt it could use a lower weight oil was in the winter when I went to the mountains. After sitting all night in sub freezing temperatures, it would crank slow before starting. It did always start though. The co-worker that bought that truck is still driving it with over 250,000 miles on it now and it is still running strong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisw Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Not saying in any way that the different weight will hurt the engine. But if it did have an engine problem and they determined you had the wrong oil you would be on your own with no warranty. Not worth the risk while under warranty. Just do as the manual says and you don't have to worry about it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuda70383 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 look at it this way...at least you are chaing the oil. 8D what if he were to go 0-20w, would you guys give him the same responses??? i say use it. listen for cam engagement and watch for oil consumption. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 look at it this way...at least you are chaing the oil. 8D what if he were to go 0-20w, would you guys give him the same responses??? i say use it. listen for cam engagement and watch for oil consumption. If 0W-20 didn't meet the Ford spec - yes. And in some cases it doesn't. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjcollier07 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I wouldn't worry about it in the slightest. If you've got a case of oil you want to use and you can't use it otherwise, I wouldn't let that stand in my way. I especially wouldn't worry about it since you live in Texas. Running the engine in a hotter climate is going to raise engine oil tempurature a bit above what Ford is rating their engine's normal oil temp for. The 5W30 should be about as thin as a 5W20 when considering the temperature increase. This being said...when you're not wasting money by NOT using the oil you've got sitting around, always use Ford recommended oil, at minimum synthetic blend can't hurt by any means. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FusionRocks Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Go ahead & use the heavier,probably better for the engine(i cannot believe how hot my engine compartment gets)!Initial start-up won't be affected. As far as determining an engine failure caused by a slightly heavier viscosity(20 vs. 30),i would be surprised if a dealer could determine that at all. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PublicHair Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 Why do people cheap out on things such as brakes and oil????? If you can't afford it - take the bus. That said, if you car requires synthetic, use it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jim Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 Go ahead & use the heavier,probably better for the engine(i cannot believe how hot my engine compartment gets)!Initial start-up won't be affected. As far as determining an engine failure caused by a slightly heavier viscosity(20 vs. 30),i would be surprised if a dealer could determine that at all. It's highly debatable the the heavier oil is better oil. I'm of the belief that it isn't. Clear back when 5/30 started to become common instead of 10/30, I remember a conversation with a Ford powertrain engineer and he commented to expect to see thinner and thinner oils specified. He said to think in terms of "slippery water". This debate goes back decades. I remember when new cars were specified for 20 weight, but conventional wisdom was to use 30 weight. Engines running 20 weight lasted longer and didn't sludge up as badly. This really boiled up more when 10/30 was introduced. It was complicated with some early problems with blending 10/30 but that was short lived. It flared up again with the interest in 10/40 or even 10/50 and 20/50. Again, engines lasted longer with 10/30. So would your car run and not have any serious problems using straight 30 weight today? Probably, but it will behave best with what the factory specifies, 5/20. But it's your car and treat it however you think best. In the end it will be on your dime. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 So would your car run and not have any serious problems using straight 30 weight today? Probably, but it will behave best with what the factory specifies, 5/20. But what's your definition of "best". Everything is a compromise, you can't be the "best" at everything. 5W20 is clearly better for fuel economy. It's also a bit cheaper when you buy it by the barrel like Ford does. That's enough reason for Ford to consider it the "best". But is it the best for long term durability? Who knows, but Ford certainly has motivation to choose 5W20 for the fuel economy and cost reasons. As long as the durability is "good enough" to meet their arbitrary standards, it doesn't have to be better than 5W30. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jim Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 But long term studies have shown that engines last longer with thinner oil. This is nothing new. This dates back to arguments from the 50s and 60s. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 But long term studies have shown that engines last longer with thinner oil. This is nothing new. This dates back to arguments from the 50s and 60s. Then why did Ford switch the 3.5 EB from 5W20 in 2010 to 5W30 in 2011? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monochrome11 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Oils lubricate by maintaining a hydraulic film between the sliding surfaces. The higher the load, the harder it is to maintain that hydraulic film. The higher the temperature the thinner the oil film gets and again the harder it is to maintain that film. Low viscosity oils work fine for normal street use but don't work so well under harsh conditions such as towing, in very high air temp conditions, racing, etc. As soon as you start to get metal to metal contact, wear accelerates. Turbo charged engines tend to heat the oil as is goes through it and typically need higher viscosity oil. Higher viscosity oil is harder to pump and can have a tendency to starve bearings until the oil gets up to temperature. I imagine that is why we can get increased wear with higher viscosity oil in normal conditions. Engines in the 50s and 60s were lucky to see more than 100,000 mile before needing a rebuild. Todays oils are better but the designs of the engines are better today too, as are the materials to build them. Engineers just know more about engines today because of past experience and the use of computer programs. Engines are designed today with tighter clearances in the bearings and need lower viscosity oil. Going from 5W-20 to 5W-30 is not going to harm an engine that is well broken in. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FusionRocks Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 why run a multi weight oil at all? Fill it with 5w & hope for the best 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjcollier07 Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 Another part of thin oil has to do with how the VVT system was designed. For VVT solenoids that are oil pressure driven, they sometimes require a thinner oil to operate correctly. In addition, if you've ever seen inside of a modern engine that is 0W20 or 5W20 spec'ed, you'll see extremely small oil passages and jets that, if you put too thick of an oil in, wouldn't even come close to pumping an adequate amount of oil. With all of the research I've done on oil, both of my duratecs, which both obviously call for 5W20, I have 0W20 installed in both. PP in the 07 and ASM in the 11. It also could be placebo....but I really notice how much more willing the engine is to spin higher with a good oil in the crankcase. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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