Engine Oil

[Neuman 93XLT]

I drive a 93 XLT 4x4 with 65K miles and lately I'e been seeing a lot of ads for different motor oils. which is the best as it applies to the ford 4.0 OHV? (no mods). Does the oil make a diffence? What about synthetics or the filter? I live in ATL, so temps never really drop below freezing, but in summer it can reach 100-105. Thanks.

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-- Neuman
"So that his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know niether victory nor defeat." --TR

 

[mrboyle]

You know that little sticker under the hood that has the recomended oil weight printed on it? Vehicle manufacturers spend thousands of $$$$ testing what is the most effective oil for each vehicle they sell. It isn't critical to get the exact weight match, but get as close as possible (if it calls for 5w30, 10w30 is fine). As for brand, that is more of personal opinion than anything. Stick to a major manufacturer and stay with them. Use a good quality oil filter and change your oil every 3000 miles.

 

[Dignan]

Stay away from wax-based oils. I know that Penzoil used to be wax-based, but I noticed that the bottle now says "Pure Base" so maybe they changed it. I like Mobil 1, but as mrboyle said, it is a personal choice. As for the synthetics, it is a better oil, but on cars with high miles it can cause a leak. I changed to synthetics with about 35,000 miles wtih no problems, but I don't know about 65k (get an opinion from somebody that knows more about it than I do). DO NOT USE FRAM OIL FILTERS. Fram does not make a good oil filter, probably the best filter to go with is Deutch (spelling?).

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If everybody is different, how can anyone be normal?

91 Explorer XLT
4.0L OHV V6

 

[DCider]

I switched to synthetics @ 118,000 miles and have not had any problems so far and I hope that I won't.

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David Cider
'92 Explorer XLT 4x4 4.0L 4Dr 4...

Current Mods:
Hi flo cat and muffler, KKM Air intake, SuperChip, Magnacor wires and AutoLite Double Platnum plugs

Pending Mods:
JBA headers, 4" Suspension Lift, Tires & Wheels

 

[raven2]

Choosing a brand is personal, and any opinion on brand will strike up great debate, which there has been alot of, so do a topic search and you will find tons of it. Stick to major brands as stated earle. As far as filter, dont use Fram,
try Purealator pure one, Mobil 1, Bosch or K&N. I personaly like syn. blend oil.

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91 Sport
"Drive it like ya stold it"

 

[mattadams]

When I change my own oil I usually put in Mobil 1 but I am not really against any other synthetics. Like many other things youw ill put in your vehicle, you get what you pay for, and you get what you put into it. I guess what I mean is if you use the 50 cents/quart cheap brand of oil, cheapest oil filter, and change your oil every 5000 miles, don't be suprised when your engine craps out much earlier then you wanted it to. If you use the best oil, and change it religously at 3,000 miles (or with some synthetics you can usually go 5,000 with no problem, but NOT the cheap stuff) and use the best filter your engine won't get a lot of build up, the engine will run smoother and with more power, and it will alst longer, theres been plenty of tests done to backup what I'm saying so it's not just crazy ideas of mine Dead Link Removed

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Matt Adams
94 Explorer 4-door nick-named "Tippy"
http://bart.is-s.com/~explorers/explorer/explorer.html

 

[DCider]

What Matt said above can be vouched for. My friend the mechanic replaced an Explorer engine (4.0L) after 250,000 miles with about half in 4x4 mode. The owner runs logging crews in NorCal and used Castrol Syntec after it was broken in every 3000, like clock work. When he took the motor apart, it was clean, no grunge anywhere. The cylinders just wore out and lost compression.

I went with a different full synthetic oil but did use Syntec once when I couldn't find the oil I wanted. As stated above, use a known, good sythnetic and good oil filter regularly and you can't go wrong. Just match the oil weights to your environment. I went lighter when I went to Jackson Hole for a vacation. 5000 miles later I changed to a slightly heavier oil (10w40) from (5w30). I personally would not go to a (0w30) since I don't live in a freezer live some of the other members here! Dead Link Removed In Atl, I would think that the (10w40) weight would be in the ball park. In the dead of summer you may want to go to little heavier weight (15w40). I would not go with a (20w50) unless I was living in Death Valley during the summer! And even then I would be more inclined to stick with a (15w40).

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David Cider
'92 Explorer XLT 4x4 4.0L 4Dr 4...

Current Mods:
Hi flo cat and muffler, KKM Air intake, SuperChip, Magnacor wires and AutoLite Double Platnum plugs

Pending Mods:
JBA headers, 4" Suspension Lift, Tires & Wheels

[This message has been edited by DCider (edited 04-17-2000).]

[This message has been edited by DCider (edited 04-17-2000).]

 

[AgExplorer]

If you want the best, use AMSOIL. You won't have to change your oil for various weather conditions and your engine won't wear out. Better fuel economy and lower maintenance costs. More horsepower and 20 to 50 degrees F lower operating temperatures. The weather conditions in Houston are probably similar to those in Atlanta, hot in the winter and hotter in the summer. 5W-30 would be a good choice. It's also what Ford recommends.

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AgExplorer
95 XLT 4X2 4.0L OHV
AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants & Filters
NGK Platinum Plugs
Jacobs Electronics Wires

 

[pacman]

Remember that multigrade oil, like 10W30, is thinner (less viscosity) when cold (10W) and thicker when warm (30). So if you live in a very hot area, you may want to use a 10W40 or 10W50 (actually you may not even need multigrade oil, you may just need 30 or 40 weight oil). If you live in really cold areas, use a lower "W" number like 5W30 or 0W30. That way, the engine will turn over easier when it is cold but when it warms up, the oil will still do its' job.

Neuman, I would say you could go with 5W or 10W and 30 or 40.

By the way, on my 97 with 24k miles, I just switched to Castrol Syntec oil (10W30, it doesn't get real cold here in Cali) and a Mobil 1 filter (by recommendation of this board) and so far I am very pleased.

Pacman

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1997 Eddie Bauer 4x4 4.0L SOHC

 

[Xplor]

Okay with the Synthetic oils, I know for the fact you get what you pay for, but still a mystery for me if these oil will shorten the oil seals. I do want to keep my new explorer forever. So you people comment on this. My perference is synthetic, but will stay with the regular stuff to save the future expense of leaks, thats it there are some proof in this subject.....My tactics of changing oil, Syntheic 5,000 Convent. 3,000

Comments please

 

[raven2]

To the best of my knowledge, syn oil does'nt harm seals, I think what it may be (i may be wrong) is you may already have a bad seal, but regular oil does'nt
seap through, or it forms a sludge around the leak, thus stopping it.
Since syn. oil does'nt sludge, plus it claims to clean sludge away, combined with its viscousity, the leak now appears.

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91 Sport
"Drive it like ya stold it"

 

[jimiday]

OK, you be the judge...I saw an interesting story on one of the news programs about a year ago that compared name brand oil to "generic" types like Walmart, etc. They conducted their test using New York city taxi cabs. Each new cab was filled with a particular brand of oil (the viscosity was as recommended by the auto manufacturer) and the cabs were driven for 100,000 miles with oil changes every 3000. The motors were then broken down and inspected. Much to my surprise, there was literally no difference in the motors with respect to the brand of oil they used. The key is to change it every 3000 miles and use a quality filter.

Now, just so everybody knows, I am a die hard Valvoline user and only use Purolator filters but the evidence presented was pretty convincing. Comments?

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1996 Explorer Sport 4x4
4.0L OHV w/auto & 4.10's
K&N w/drilled box, Bosch P+4's, Borla Cat-Back

jimiday@aol.com

 

[GJarrett]

I think we have learned that oil is in relatively fine shape at 3,000 miles. With 3,000 mile changes even a cheap oil will perform well.

Some of you might not be aware of our ongoing oil experiment. If so, you might find the thread interesting.
Dead Link Removed

My 10,000 mile change will probably occur during the Moab trip.



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Gerald
"Nerves of Steel; Brain of Chipmunk"
'99 Eddie Bauer 4x4 4.0L SOHC aka "The Jeepeater"
Dead Link Removed
"What the heck is he doing out here in that thing???"

 

[D F Willy]

5w30 is reccomended by Ford for use in the stock explorer, 10w30 will work too, but i wouldn't suggest putting in synthetic after 65,000 miles, you might develop oil leaks

 

[David S.]

I switched to Quaker State 4z4 Synthetic a fw years ago. My 92 Explorer has 89,000 miles now and it does leak from the valve cover gasket. (Around $270 for parts and labor at Ford.) I think the leaks were already there, they just appear more easily with synthetics. At the moment I use a fram filter...that will change after reading other posts and a link somewhere about an unofficial oil filter study. The Mobil, Motorcraft, and Purolater I think were ranked hight. As far as the oils, they all have to meet certain standards set by the manufacturer. Just stick with a name brand, like the others have said here.

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Ogden, Utah
1992 XLT

 

[DCider]

I just would like to point something out here that has been stated several time. Synthetics oils in and of themselves do NOT cause leaks. They MAY make leaks appear more readily due to the high flow nature of synthetics. BUT, the damage that caused those leak(s), in one way or another, was/were already there. Before you used a synthetic, you just didn't know it was there and needed to be fixed. Dead Link Removed

Synthetics have more long chain molecules than dino oils and take longer to break down.

As posted above, most any decent oil of the right type and weight that is used AND changed "religously" @ 3000 miles will do your engine wonders.

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David Cider
'92 Explorer XLT 4x4 4.0L 4Dr 4...

Current Mods:
Hi flo cat and muffler, KKM Air intake, SuperChip, Magnacor wires and AutoLite Double Platnum plugs

Pending Mods:
JBA headers, 4" Suspension Lift, Tires & Wheels

 

[Rooster]

AGEXPLORER,
Any comments to D.C. Willy's post? I am very apprehensive to putting in SYN into my '94 with 78,0000+. All I read here on these posts is "beware of leaks". She doesn't leak now, and I would hate to get into nickel and dime, {chasing of}, leaks. I have read all the lit. you sent me and desire to turn my 4.0 into a syn running machine. Should I be concerned?

 

[David S.]

Rooster,

Go ahead and put it in...switched mine about the same age and miles as yours. Sure it leaks, but that tells me it should be fixed. And I plan on doing that in the next few weeks or so. I plan on keeping for at least several more years so its good money invested.

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Ogden, Utah
1992 XLT

 

[Jeff]

I have 65K on my '97 XLT SOHC 4WD. After running the factory fill for 1K, I switched over to Valvoline semi-syn for the next 4K. In hind sight I'm not really sure why I just didn't go with the Mobil 1 at the time but it seemed like the right thing to do to help the engine break in. From then on I used Mobil 1 5W-30 until 0W-30 hit the shelves.

In SoCal it never freezes unless you go to the mountains and I suppose from a temperature perspective, my engine would probably be quite happy on the 5W. Since most all engine wear happens at start up and the numbers show that 0W flows a bit faster than 5W, I reason that there can't be any harm in having the oil circulate faster. As far as Ford recommending 5W, 0W didn't exist at the time and both the Mobil and Amsoil websites clearly state that 0W can be used in any application calling for 5W. I also heard that GM was recommending 0W as well. Perhaps this is all academic and the only real difference will be my engine lasting only 1K miles longer 10 years from now.

If, as all the info suggests, there is no harm and only good in using 0W, why don't more people use the stuff? Marketing? Comfortable in using what they've always used? What ever the manual says? Too new of a technology?

If the SoCal climate really doesn't lend itself to the advantages of 0W, all things being equal I'll continue to use it. It freaks out the neighbors, co-workers and my Dad when I tell them that I'm using a zero weight oil. I've had no leaks and no problems.

 

[Xplor]

when I had my '92 explorer. I was running the regular oil and no leaks. Right after that I switch over to synthetic right before the 30,000 marker. Then one day, I check the oil and notice one of the valve cover gaskets was leaking. Therefore, I went to Ford to have that cover under warranty. I guess my best advice if your going to switch, then try to do it under warranty. After my new explorer hits 3,000 then am going to synthetic for good. If it leaks then I know that nothing is coming out of my pocket.