5w20 when truck calls for 5w30?

[jimbo231]

I am always leary when getting my oil changed. I always wondered if someone used 5w20 instead of 5w30. I would have no way of knowing but I was wondering would it be bad for my engine since it's thinner?

 

[celly]

I am always leary when getting my oil changed. I always wondered if someone used 5w20 instead of 5w30. I would have no way of knowing but I was wondering would it be bad for my engine since it's thinner?

5w20 is now recommended for a lot of Ford applications (even those who currently shows 5w30 in the owners manual). Which engine do you have? (year and model not evident in your profile).

 

[jimbo231]

5w20 is now recommended for a lot of Ford applications (even those who currently shows 5w30 in the owners manual). Which engine do you have? (year and model not evident in your profile).

2001 explorer sport with 4.0L sohc

 

[hoss_hanna]

depends on climate alot if its cooler where u live then the thinner oil wont hurt, but to resolve this issue i would just start changing the oil yourself, save some coin and u can make sure its done right, i have seen many problems from those quick lube shops messing up a simple oil job....

 

[techieman33]

Aldive ran 0w-20 in his sohc. As long as it's a good quality oil it'll be fine.

 

[SoNic67]

The oil type is a crucial parameter when they design the engine. Tolerances and play for all the lubricated parts are derived from there.
Using a lower viscosity oil can lead to temporary fail of oil film (higher loads) and metal-on-metal contact. That can happen even if the average oil pressure it is OK. That leads to increased wear. Usually it is OK to use a higher number oil for higher milage cars (that have bigger play because of wear) but not other way arround.
Sure, if you drive like a granny it might be OK and you even might see a better gas milage.
I hate those people when are in front of me at the stoplight.

 

[jimbo231]

Besides doing it myself what is he best way to make sure It's getting done properly? I hate asking to go out and watch them do it.
Also, could I tell if it was 5w20 and breaking down by heat? Would my engine temp gauge go up?

 

[hoss_hanna]

short of watching them i don't know a cheep way of telling for certain the weight of the oil in your trk (you could get a test done at another shop but it aint cheep)

 

[celly]

Aldive ran 0w-20 in his sohc. As long as it's a good quality oil it'll be fine.

Actually, Al ran 0w30. I run the same in mine and have since I got the Eddie.

Dead Link Removed

I remember reading a while back that 5w20 is the recommended oil for most Ford products and even going back a few years where 5w30 was recommended. I can't remember which 2nd gen engine however still has the 5w30 recommendation (it was an exception to this new 5w20 mandate). It was either the SOHC V6 or the 5.0. Someone put up a link to a Ford bulletin a while back. I tried Googling it earlier today with limited success.

 

[celly]

UPDATE:

I found someone else who referenced this 5w20 thing and they confirmed 5w30 is still recommended for the SOHC V6. I remember reading the TSB they referenced out there on the www and it confirmed as much. I'd stick with 5w30 if I still owned a SOHC, but that's just me.

 

[celly]

One more time!

I found the TSB and they specifically single out the 2001 model year and suggest 5w30 for your engine.

THE “EXCEPTION 2001-2002 VEHICLES” SHOULD BE SERVICED WITH SAE 5W-30
MOTOR OIL.

4.0L Ranger, Explorer/Mountaineer, Explorer and Explorer Sport Trac

 

[justinf89]

A little late but what about a '97 sohc? I couldn't find anything about it.

 

[Rudy602]

If you want it done right.....

 

[booya]

I have a 2003 ford ranger with a 4.0 sohc and i put 5w-20 in on the last oil change to see what happens and it seem as though when you put the 5w-20 in when it call for 5w-30 the engine idles down slight to 500 rpm when the idle should be at 800 rpm. I checked all normal indicators of idle fluctuation... not the iac (idle air control) valve and not the egr. hope this helps...... also it wont hurt really but it will NOT help your gas mileage and it is not cool when your idle isnt constant .

 

[swshawaii]

I have a 2003 ford ranger with a 4.0 sohc and i put 5w-20 in on the last oil change to see what happens and it seem as though when you put the 5w-20 in when it call for 5w-30 the engine idles down slight to 500 rpm when the idle should be at 800 rpm. I checked all normal indicators of idle fluctuation... not the iac (idle air control) valve and not the egr. hope this helps...... also it wont hurt really but it will NOT help your gas mileage and it is not cool when your idle isnt constant .

How can lower viscosity oil reduce your idle speed by 300 RPM?

 

[SoNic67]

The Explorer engines up to 2001 where DESIGNED with 5W30 specs in mind. Simply stating in a TSB that "5W20 will work" is reckless. Ford did that to comply with CAFE standards, with no intent to protect or inform the clients of adverse issues.
Sure, lighter oil will have less drag inside engine, but it will protect less the engine that was designed to 5W30 semi-synthetic oil. Using full synth helps but not that much.

My 5.0L started to have low oil pressure after 90k of 5W20... because that what is spec'ed in the owner manual. Now I have to run 5W40 to keep pressure at idle above 5psi.

Good luck to all the people that want to save a few cents in fuel (mileage is almost the same) in exchange to trashing their engines.

 

[waskly]

the 5w20 was if if you went with the motorcraft 5w20 blend oil.

all 4.0 exploreres up to 2010 are still 5w30.

 

[koda2000]

as far as oil weight, i'd stay with what the manufacturer originally recommended for your engine. as far as knowing what the oil change place is using... i have no idea how you can easily tell (probably the cheapest stuff they can buy). i've always changed my own oil. your owner's manual should have a chart regarding engine oil weight, listing the best oil for the climate you live in.

 

[AlexSport'00]

What if you put in 10w30? (I did one time since Autozone didn't have any 5w30 in stock. Seemed to work fine and the guy up there said it wouldn't hurt since it's a high mileage engine.)

 

[koda2000]

mixing 10w30 with 5w30 won't hurt anythink. i suppose if you did it in equal quantities you end up with 7.5w30. the 5w or 10w is the weight for winter starting ease. once the oil warms up it's the number after the "w". so 5w30 or 10w30 is the same thing once warm. again if you check the chart in your owner's manual, you'll see that the operating range of suggested weights overlaps quite a bit.