Motor Oil...

[Stan Coryell]

I don't think we have debated motor oil in a few days, so here it goes.

I have three Fords, 1999 Mustang GT with a 4.6, 2011 F150 with a 3.7, and a 2025 Explorer with a 3.5l twin turbo. The Explorer calls for 5-30 synthetic blend, the Mustang and pickup call for 5-20 (both have over 130k miles). I'm thinking of switching everything to 5-30 10-30. I run Motorcraft Synthetic Blend in all the vehicles. Thoughts?

I recently switched from (10-30 conventional) Fram to T4 Rotella in my tractor and all the other small engines. I noticed my mower (JD D130 with 23 HP Briggs and Stratton) is using a considerable amount of oil that started when I switched to the T4 a few weeks ago. Honestly I don't think that engine likes the T4.

What's everyone's thoughts on running the Motorcraft 5-30 blend in small air cooled engines? It would be nice to only stock one oil. I really don't put that many hours on anything to worry about the added cost.

Edit: I miss typed the weight of oil I plan to use. It should read that I plan to use w5-30 synthetic blend in all gasoline engines.

 

[Scott 730]

Another post here where location matters. Where are you from??? Climatic conditions can make oil viscosity choices different depending what kind of ambient temps are expected.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

That’s interesting ford had been 5w20 for quite awhile it was always a pain in the buns for me to get grandpas explorer oil instead of using the bulk 5w30 for everything else. Glad to know that’s changed.

5w30 should be fine for the air cooled engine possibly slightly more oil consumption than the 10w30. The farther north you are the more appropriate the 5w30 choice will be

 

[olddavid]

5W-30 might work for the older models but the 2025 you want to be careful with. You need an oil to reduce engine deposits as it is likely direct injection (the F-150 might even be). Also, the twin turbo might need a different formulation. I would go with the recommended there. I'm a bit surprised Ford is ok with synthetic blend on the Explorer and not recommending full synthetic.

 

[560Dennis]

Put 300k miles of all brands from monthly sales at AZ with bundle filters , that oil was conventional 5-30 sae,semi synthetic,and synthetic in my 4.6 98 f150 . Still be running it if the body of the truck don’t return to dirt in NEO .

You do as you wish , I refuse to deviate from OEM standards change as recommended time interval and you will be fine .
Oh I would change every quarter with the truck ,just easy to remember rather than logging down numbers ,works for at the distance driven.

 

[RJKeith]

They all want 5w-Something. so I think I would stick with the 5. Probably best to stick with the manufacturer's recommendation.

 

[Texasmark]

I don't think we have debated motor oil in a few days, so here it goes.

I have three Fords, 1999 Mustang GT with a 4.6, 2011 F150 with a 3.7, and a 2025 Explorer with a 3.5l twin turbo. The Explorer calls for 5-30 synthetic blend, the Mustang and pickup call for 5-20 (both have over 130k miles). I'm thinking of switching everything to 10-30. I run Motorcraft Synthetic Blend in all the vehicles. Thoughts?

I recently switched from (10-30 conventional) Fram to T4 Rotella in my tractor and all the other small engines. I noticed my mower (JD D130 with 23 HP Briggs and Stratton) is using a considerable amount of oil that started when I switched to the T4 a few weeks ago. Honestly I don't think that engine likes the T4.

What's everyone's thoughts on running the Motorcraft 5-30 blend in small air cooled engines? It would be nice to only stock one oil. I really don't put that many hours on anything to worry about the added cost.

You need to pay attention to the oil pump installed in a particular engine. My current, relatively new, vehicles are pretty atimant about the oil you use to the point where they even mold the type required into the fill plug on the engine. I would highly recommend that you follow the instructions of your engine mfgr. if you expect to continue your current performance out of your engines.....I used to be an old school, heavy oil guy but one day I learned that there are constant high pressure, low flow pumps (Dodge I had), and low pressure high flow pumps (Chevy I had). Each preferred a different viscosity oil.

 

[sotxbill]

I don't think we have debated motor oil in a few days, so here it goes.

I have three Fords, 1999 Mustang GT with a 4.6, 2011 F150 with a 3.7, and a 2025 Explorer with a 3.5l twin turbo. The Explorer calls for 5-30 synthetic blend, the Mustang and pickup call for 5-20 (both have over 130k miles). I'm thinking of switching everything to 10-30. I run Motorcraft Synthetic Blend in all the vehicles. Thoughts?

I recently switched from (10-30 conventional) Fram to T4 Rotella in my tractor and all the other small engines. I noticed my mower (JD D130 with 23 HP Briggs and Stratton) is using a considerable amount of oil that started when I switched to the T4 a few weeks ago. Honestly I don't think that engine likes the T4.

What's everyone's thoughts on running the Motorcraft 5-30 blend in small air cooled engines? It would be nice to only stock one oil. I really don't put that many hours on anything to worry about the added cost.

T4 has heavy heavy heavy alkali content to fight acids,,,, that also doubles as a super cleaner. You simply cleaned all the goop and sludge out of the briggs and now it can breathe. On the acid to alkali scale of 1 to 14 and water being neutral at 7, T4 is around 11 to 12 iirc... so its a very heavy heavy heavy cleaner designed for diesel engine use to stop sludging and soot build up. When I worked in a machine shop just out of HS, we changed the engine cleaning vat every 6 months and believe it or not, we used alkali in the vat to clean blocks and heads. NOT acids that damage metal.

 

[sotxbill]

5w20s are for" CAFE", so they can sell more big cars. It not about engine wear anymore as most all engine last over 100,000 miles easily. Test show that you can get 1% or more.. fuel economy. Look at the very same vehicle oil recommendations in other countries that dont have a "CAFE" standard.

 

[Ozlander]

5w20s are for" CAFE", so they can sell more big cars. It not about engine wear anymore as most all engine last over 100,000 miles easily. Test show that you can get 1% or more.. fuel economy. Look at the very same vehicle oil recommendations in other countries that dont have a "CAFE" standard.

Ford engineers even admitted their "CAFE" oil would result in higher engine wear.
Which is why I use 10W-30 in my Yukon that calls for 0W-20 that has 165,000 miles and doesn't use any oil.

 

[ss55]

I don't think we have debated motor oil in a few days, so here it goes.

I have three Fords, 1999 Mustang GT with a 4.6, 2011 F150 with a 3.7, and a 2025 Explorer with a 3.5l twin turbo. The Explorer calls for 5-30 synthetic blend, the Mustang and pickup call for 5-20 (both have over 130k miles). I'm thinking of switching everything to 10-30. I run Motorcraft Synthetic Blend in all the vehicles. Thoughts?

I recently switched from (10-30 conventional) Fram to T4 Rotella in my tractor and all the other small engines. I noticed my mower (JD D130 with 23 HP Briggs and Stratton) is using a considerable amount of oil that started when I switched to the T4 a few weeks ago. Honestly I don't think that engine likes the T4.

What's everyone's thoughts on running the Motorcraft 5-30 blend in small air cooled engines? It would be nice to only stock one oil. I really don't put that many hours on anything to worry about the added cost.

You will always get a wide range of opinions on engine oil. If you want to pick and choose until you find an opinion that you agree with then this is a great place to ask your question.

If the one year old 2025 is still under warranty I would follow the the manufacturer's recommendations to a T until the warranty is off.

For the two older vehicles 5W-30 is easier to find than either 5W-20 or 10W-30. It sounds like you don't put a lot of miles on them so a synthetic blend might be overkill. As they need oil topping off the 10W-30 bulk oil should be fine.

For small air cooled engines check the manufacturer's recommendations. Generally mowers and other engines used in hot weather run higher oil temperatures than water cooled engines so engine oil breaks down faster. They do better with straight weight oil like 30. Snow blowers and other engines used in subfreezing weather still need multi-weight oils for easier starting. Some small engine manufacturers have accepted that most owners will never change the oil in small engines as owners consider those machines disposable, so the manufacturers now only recommend topping off the life time oil shipped with the engine - follow at your own risk.

 

[NDIHC]

5w20s are for" CAFE", so they can sell more big cars. It not about engine wear anymore as most all engine last over 100,000 miles easily. Test show that you can get 1% or more.. fuel economy. Look at the very same vehicle oil recommendations in other countries that dont have a "CAFE" standard.

When I was in a class for the auto manufacturer where I used to work we were told, unofficially, to use 5w30 instead of the recommended 5w20. They were having rod bearing problems. They didn't make it official because if they did they'd have to do a recall to change all the Monroney labels and fuel mileage estimates. The oil caps would all have to be changed and most likely cash payouts made because even though the gas mileage difference would be miniscule, when you figure that tiny bit over the hundreds of thousands or millions of cars affected would change their CAFE status. Of course if you look at the owner's manual they usually list several acceptable oil weights based on different ambient temperature ranges.

 

[Stan Coryell]

Another post here where location matters. Where are you from??? Climatic conditions can make oil viscosity choices different depending what kind of ambient temps are expected.

I live in South Jersey, 20 miles from Philadelphia, PA. No extreme weather conditions.

 

[Stan Coryell]

5W-30 might work for the older models but the 2025 you want to be careful with. You need an oil to reduce engine deposits as it is likely direct injection (the F-150 might even be). Also, the twin turbo might need a different formulation. I would go with the recommended there. I'm a bit surprised Ford is ok with synthetic blend on the Explorer and not recommending full synthetic.

I miss typed the original statement. I am considering switching everything to the W5-30 synthetic blend that the Explorer calls for.

I was also surprised about the blend, but the service department confirmed that Ford specs synthetic blend for that engine (WSS-M2C961-A1).

 

[Stan Coryell]

Put 300k miles of all brands from monthly sales at AZ with bundle filters , that oil was conventional 5-30 sae,semi synthetic,and synthetic in my 4.6 98 f150 . Still be running it if the body of the truck don’t return to dirt in NEO .

You do as you wish , I refuse to deviate from OEM standards change as recommended time interval and you will be fine .
Oh I would change every quarter with the truck ,just easy to remember rather than logging down numbers ,works for at the distance driven.

I agree. All oil changes are at 5k miles.

 

[Stan Coryell]

Thanks everyone. A couple fellows gave some good ideas as to why the Briggs and Stratton is using oil. I'll keep an eye on it qnd see if it improves.

I have been running Fram Conventional 10W30 in all the regular engines without any issues. The vehicles have always gotten Castrol GTX or Motorcraft The past 4 years or so, Motorcraft.

Fram is no longer available so I switched to Rotella T4. With the mower drinking oil runningthe T4, I considered running GTX. GTX is very close to my cost of Motorcraft Sythetic Blend. If I'm going to pay for Sythetic Blend, I'd prefer to stock one weight, 5W30, which meets the spec of the newest and most expensive vehicle my wife has ever allowed me to gaze upon...

It's tough not asking these questions in person. I appreciate everyones time and input. I'll follow up with the mower in a few months.

 

[timcasbolt]

I don't think it's possible to keep just one oil on the shelf with modern engines. My truck and tractor (diesel) use the same oil, but my diesel car is different. It would be a waste to use $11/qt oil in my lawn mowers. I tend to follow the manufacturers recommendations.

 

[johnlobb]

I have a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan with 150K miles. The valve covers started leaking and since my buddy owns a car repair shop, I took it there and had him do the job. I was sitting in the waiting room reading a cool car magazine and he came in and wanted to show me something. We walked out to my car and he had the intake manifold and both valve covers off. He was amazed at the absolute spotless condition inside the engine. I said, Amsoil is what I use. He said, I've done many of these and this one looks like it's brand new! Mostly 5W 30 but sometimes 5W 20. After seeing a number of Youtube videos on the subject, I think I'm going to go with the 5W 30. But I'm sticking with the Amsoil.

 

[Texasmark]

5w20s are for" CAFE", so they can sell more big cars. It not about engine wear anymore as most all engine last over 100,000 miles easily. Test show that you can get 1% or more.. fuel economy. Look at the very same vehicle oil recommendations in other countries that dont have a "CAFE" standard.

I don't know the meaning of the word CAFE, but my lowly little Honda Element is adamant about using 5w-20. Has over 125k miles, change oil when I feel like it, don't have to add oil between changes, use WM brand of synthetic oil.

 

[Dingo3]

I don't know the meaning of the word CAFE, but my lowly little Honda Element is adamant about using 5w-20. Has over 125k miles, change oil when I feel like it, don't have to add oil between changes, use WM brand of synthetic oil.

Corp.Average Fuel Economy