Motorcraft 5W-20

[shadetree]

i thought the light weight was for when its cold, so its easier to start, than thickens when it reaches operating temp? i remember my owners manual has a chart, it recommends 5w30 for where i live (-20 to 90deg)(not exact, i cant remember) and 10w30 and so on, in warmer climates. do they not apply this anymore? i know toyota, you can run 0w20, warmer you can run 5w20.

Yes, you are correct, as I indicated. The first number is the ability of the oil to flow cold to a set standard. It is not a viscosity rating. The lower the number, the better the oil will flow. This higher number is the viscosity rating, the thickness of the oil at test temps. Use what the owners manual recommends. shady

 

[thegoat4]

Also, along with age and experience, there must be some common sense, and the ability to think for ones self, not follow the crowd. In this vein, I ask, if this product is this bad, and has this many problems, why is it the number one product in the country, and why isn't there information from experts stating that it is bad? Otherwise, I'm making decisions based on rumors. shady

I like that. "Don't follow the crowd....It can't be that bad--the crowd loves it!"



A well-honed argument you got there, shady.

 

[Joshs93four-oh]

I believe that one of the reasons that car companies are using thinner oils is because internal engine clearances are getting smaller. Had myself a learnig experience once- Put a head gasket on a nissan and when the job was done I could not get it to start for over a month. Beat myself up thinking that I had the cam timing wrong the whole time. Only had 100 psi compression. The problem? Well my dumbass was trying to get it running initially on a fresh oil change of 10-40 synthetic. As a last ditch effort I changed it back to 5w-30, compression shot up to 200 psi, started right up! The 10w-40 was simply too thick to get back up into the cylinders and any that did make it up was getting washed back down by fuel from extended cranking. So when a comany says 5w-20 0w-20 etc there is probably a good reason. Maybe it was my nissan's one ten-thousandth nominal piston clearence. By the way, I agree with wicked sludge on the filter issue. Seems like one of the few knowledgeable persons I have run across on this forum that bases his answers on experience not heresay or what a book says. When you do things a million times a day the same way with no problems you tend to have a strong opinion. Dont forget that the purpose of this forum is to help each other out, though.
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Rohypnol rehab dicussion

 

[Joshs93four-oh]

By the way, I have been running NOTHING but 5w-30 in my 93 4.0 and guess what? The valvetrain is NOT worn because the oil makes it to those poorly lubricated rocker arms faster. Not to say that it will never happen, but just turned 120k and not a single sound besides the mechanical noise of the fuel injectors.
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Honda ZB50 history

 

[erik2282]

In my 2000 3.0L Ranger I use a 400LS(or something like that) Motorcraft oil filter. They are about 3.39 at Walmart. I heard something negative about Fram oil filters so i stopped using them. I just feel more comfortable using stock equipment. They cost about the same at Walmart anyway.. not that big of a deal to me...

I use Valvoline Premium 10w-30 or 5w-30, which ever is easier to get off the shelf. Its pretty much the same thing if you live in area where it doesnt get really cold. I live in Houston, Texas.

 

[Dave]

Might as well give my $.02 and experiences.....

I don't hate Fram. Used them for quite a few years. Never seen a Fram with bad threads. Never crushed one while installing or removing it. The gritty stuff on the end is great but not a primary concern when buying a filter (at least not for me). I have (yes, me personally....not my uncle's friend's ex-boss' twice removed kid brother) experienced two Fram filters with bad anti-drainback valves. Lots of lifter noise and bearing knocking on engine startup. After hearing this awful noise over a few days, I figured I had better do something about it. Changed out the Fram for a Motorcraft and the startup noise went away. This has happened twice to me with Fram filters.

Being a motorhead and always wanting to learn, years ago I cut open several brands of oil filters (used filters of course, I'm not spending hard earned money on new filter just to cut them open). I don't have micrometer eyes nor do I have "super feelers" on the end of my finger tips....the media appeared the same in each filter. There is simply no way to tell one media paper from another without specialized equipment. Plus the media was still soaked with used oil. The Fram was, however, built with cardboard. Yes, the end caps were cardboard. The NAPA, Motorcraft, and AC all had metal end caps. In my opinion, metal end caps seem just a little better than card board. The by-pass valve in the Fram was plastic. The others were metal with rubber seals.

Is Fram the worst oil filter made? In my opinion, "No". There are worse oil filters out there. I have experience with them also but this post is not about them. Is Fram the best made oil filter? Again "No". I've seen better. I use NAPA filters (made by Wix) and have for close to 10 years now. I've never had a problem with them. There have been some Motorcraft and AC filters thrown in in the last 10 years but mostly NAPA.

Bottom line....form your own opinion and use whatever has been good to you over the years.

Good luck.
Dave

 

[erik2282]

In what year Rangers did Ford start saying, use 5w-20? What's the difference in my '00 Ranger and the new ones that you can no longer use 10w30?
my dad's '03 F150 4.6L calls for motorcraft premium 5w20.

 

[almostclueless]

Shady just wants to argue.....


Maybe all fram filters aren't bad, but I can tell you with the user experiences out there about some fram filters, I'm DEFINITELY not going to stake the longevity of one of my engines on one.

 

[shadetree]

Shady just wants to argue.....

Gee, I'm sure glad you know what I "want" to do.

My point:
On last checking, Fram outsold it's nearest competitor, Purolator by 2 to 1, and outsold all filters in total. With this many filters out there, and with the supposed problems they are purported to have, there would be some data somewhere to back up the contention that this is a bad product. I have as yet seen none.

With this much product in production, there are going to be occasional problems. This happens with any product including Ford, but they are still sold and driven.

Problems are always: I had a friend that had this problem, or I knew this guy, or I read this on the net, all hearsay, assumption, and inuendo. I'm not a crowd follower, and have no desire to be on the "hate this product bandwagon" because everybody else does.

Of all my years of using this product, I have had not one problem that could be blamed on the product. If I did, I still would not forgo using the product for the above stated reasons, and if I stopped using a product evertime I had a problem with one, as I said before, I would probably be walking and naked.

With all the talk about filters, if there is a worry, spend the extra bucks and use premium filters which get very high ratings. Then you can rest peacefully knowing you have done the best for your vehicle. shady

 

[pillen140]

one of the old guys at my work told me about how they used to use toilet paper rolls as oil filters during the war. you thought fram was bad! how bout charmin! it does have nice cushy ripples though! ha ha.

 

[skippy]

one of the old guys at my work told me about how they used to use toilet paper rolls as oil filters during the war. you thought fram was bad! how bout charmin! it does have nice cushy ripples though! ha ha.

still used in pneumatic building control air systems,i have to change em once in awhile.

 

[pillen140]

i hope everyone there is full of sh%#, so you never run out of filters.

 

[skippy]

be nice.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

i really hate to start this back up again...but shadey, you want numbers? how about the 7-8 guys on this single thread that have personally experienced frams low quality?

and the reason i personally dont use fram is because of my personal experiences with them. in a sense i was hating fram before it was "cool"

 

[pillen140]

i am, just dont want anyone to run out of filters.