[lets_FOCUS]

Has anyone ever tried a heavier weighted oil in their PZEV Duratec? I feel like with 5W-20 I may as just save money and dump in some vegetable oil, it's SO thin!

Obviously Ford recommends it for a reason, and I haven't had any probs for 95,000 miles with it, but I feel like the engine might perform better with maybe 5W-30.

Any input? I don't want to try it and find out the hard way that it's a bad idea, but if it may help my engine, I would definitely give it a shot.


Oh and in case anyone was wondering, I would consider myself a severe driver, lots of stop and go, and plenty of fast accelerations. The weather here is 80-100 in the summer, and below freezing in the winter, too. I know these often play a role in selecting oils, but I don't know too much about what difference any of that would make.



Thanks a lot guys!

 

[SD.Norm]

Why fix what isn't broken? Also remember all oils have different viscosities cold and hot. And if it is designed to run 5-20 probably good idea to run it. As for the temperature thing then you are talking the first number the viscosity when cold and a lower is better for that because then it moves and protects the engine better at a cooler temperature. You might try a 0-20 in my car I run 0-30 but it calls for 5-30. But in the end it is you car and your call. I am not an expert on oil and if I got something wrong please correct me.

 

[Spinal]

theres quite a few people here who use 5w30...i do, never had any probs. and switching it to the thicker oil got rid of that rattle when i started my car in the morning during the winter months.

 

[Fordcus Fan]

5w20 is 5 weight oil with a boiling point of 20w & 5w30 has a boiling point of 30 weight. I use the 5w30 in the summer & the 5w20 in the winter for the first 75k in all 6 of my focuses I own/owned. After 75k miles I use 10w30 in the summer. I would only use 0w oil if I lived in Canada or Alaska in the winter time. I use only RP oil in my SVTF's though. The only thing that hasn't changed in the last 35+ years working as a mechanic is that all my mechanic corhorts have different opinions on what oils you should use. Its up to you if you believe "If it isn't broken don't fix it" or "If you wait for trouble it will come"

 

[honhon]

5w20 is only used by companies now to get better mpg... thats the only reason.

if i were you, i would go with 5w30, because it seems like you beat on it alittle more than normal

 

[warneej]

I run 10w30 in mine to keep my oil pressure up in racing.

 

[jetrinka]

5w30 is good for me.

 

[uh60james]

I remember a lot of older cars actually had a range of oils you could use. Like the manual would say 5w-30 to 10w-30 and basically say to adjust based on your climate. Don't see any reasone why you still cant do that.

 

[ST 2K5]

Hmmm I should try 5w30...all Ive used is mobil 5w20 since she had 5000 miles

 

[metallicnotazx5]

Stick with 5w20. I've seen plenty of cars that use 5w20 with 200k+. Honda and Ford have both been recommending this oil since the turn of the millennium. Unless you're racing I'm guessing no one here is smarter than an engine designer to say your car should use 5w30.

The ZETEC that says 5w20, I'd use 5w30 since the engine was designed before 5w20 was commercially available. But if your car has a duratec I would DEFINITELY stick with 5w20 or 0w20.

 

[lets_FOCUS]

Hmm, good points made here, thanks for all your input. I personally feel like 5w20 is too thin, and that it doesn't work as well as an oil with higher viscosity. I would imagine a heavier oil would work its way through the motor and stay in the top half better without running back into the oil pan so fast. Granted, the engine is constantly moving and re-lubricating.

I understand that they must have picked that weight for a reason, but is that accommodating to all climates and driving styles? I wouldn't think so, I just don't understand the differences enough to determine what is best for me. I think I may stick with 5W20 for now and try 5W30 in the summer to see if it feels different.

I like the point of "don't fix what's not broken," however who's to say that it is running its best? I will have no way to tell until I try something out!

 

[BobInCt]

Stay with the 5W-20. If it makes you feel better use Mobil1 synthetic. Remember, 20 weight oil does not have 66% of the viscosity or 30 weight, it has more than that. Also, thicker oil puts more stress on oil pump gears. Don't give up flow for pressure.

Bob

 

[USARice]

Stay with the 5W-20. If it makes you feel better use Mobil1 synthetic. Remember, 20 weight oil does not have 66% of the viscosity or 30 weight, it has more than that. Also, thicker oil puts more stress on oil pump gears. Don't give up flow for pressure.

Bob

The only mechanic I ever trusted to do a job right (and overcharge me every time) always said that. Thinner oil is better for the oil pump. The stuff Ford puts in (also available other places, even Wallyworld) is a synth blend and ironically enough is the same exact oil I switched my dual purpose DD/AutoX Tracer long before I bought the Focus.

 

[lets_FOCUS]

Bob, thanks, makes sense. I know they recommend 5W20, so that's all I've tried, I had no idea what a heavier oil would do. I am slowly learning about engines and everything, but as for now I am certainly no mechanic. I don't want to strain any parts of my engine if I don't have to, and I don't do any racing so I don't need any higher oil pressure!

 

[lets_FOCUS]

Oh and I do use Mobil1 Full synthetic, it's pricey, especially since I change mine every 2500-3000, but I want to make this car last as long as possible! Paying a little extra for oil every few months is a small price to save my engine from needing major repairs as often.

 

[lets_FOCUS]

Okay, so now to open a whole new can of worms, I know my preference, but I'm curious to hear everyone else's.

Conventional, Synthetic Blend, or Full Synthetic?
What do you use, and why?

I run Mobil1 Full Synthetic, I have used other brands of full synth but they just don't make the engine feel as smooth as the Mobil1 does in my opinion. I have used Conventional and Synth-Blend, and they are fine and well, but again don't run in my engine as smooth as Mobil1.

 

[honhon]

full synthetic

there are way more than enough oil conversations on the internet to back it up.

 

[lets_FOCUS]

full synthetic

there are way more than enough oil conversations on the internet to back it up.

Agreed! It's worth the few extra bucks! The only reason I've heard conventional is better is that it has larger particles, so it will have less tendency to ooze out through old gaskets, however if you're having that problem why not just get new gaskets, right? Valve cover gaskets aren't that hard to do, neither are oil pan gaskets, those are the only two that really ever leak..

 

[USARice]

Well, you're right, those are the easy ones, but how about your main seals? Not so easy unless you happen to have the transmission out for some other reason (clutch install f/i). I made the switch from dino to blend at 130k in my tRacer once it started autox duty and didn't have any leaks. During the winter the idiots at grease monkey put full synth in and everything leaked all to hell. Oh, on that car I also had a seal at the cap that leaked. Put blend back in it and the leaks went away except at the cap. Full is great if you start at low miles, but you're just asking to find problems otherwise and not all gaskets are easy to do if you're not used to tearing apart our engine or taking the tranny off. Just my experience.

 

[metallicnotazx5]

Agreed! It's worth the few extra bucks! The only reason I've heard conventional is better is that it has larger particles, so it will have less tendency to ooze out through old gaskets, however if you're having that problem why not just get new gaskets, right? Valve cover gaskets aren't that hard to do, neither are oil pan gaskets, those are the only two that really ever leak..

no what happens is conventional oil does not have the cleaning power of synthetic oil, and when you run conventional oil for sometime it will sludge up and block seals from leaking quickly or at all. When synthetic is used it keeps the seals clean, but when a seal is going to leak it's going to leak. And that's why some people say don't use synthetic after a certain mileage of using conventional, because the synthetic will clean away the sludge and expose pre existing leaks.