Ok to use 5w30 in my 4.6l V8

[blue89turbo]

Hey guys,

I know that the filler on the truck and the manual say 5w20 but I have a pile of 5w30 and would prefer to use that instead...

Any issues with that?

Thanks for the help!

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Sell the 5W30 on Craigslist and use the proper, recommended weight oil for the application.

 

[Yadkin]

Oil is cheap compared to engines. If you have oil in the unopened and sealed containers, you can probably exchange it at the store that you bought it from. I just did that last week with 15 qts that I bought on sale, and then traded the car in and my new ride takes a different weight.

 

[Black Dynomite]

Follow what the manual says. In my case, 5W30 is ok.

 

[turborich]

5w30 is just fine. It's what I use. The only reason Ford went from 5w30 to 5w20 was for "fuel mileage" I run 5w30 across the board in my Explorer, Expedition & Focus. Use a decent quality oil & filter, change it when you should & you'll be good to go.

 

[IZwack]

The only reason Ford went from 5w30 to 5w20 was for "fuel mileage"

Curious, got any proof that Ford made this decision based only on MPGs instead of mechanical specifications of the engine (tolerance) ?

 

[matt0248]

What does your owners manual say? I'd use that.

 

[blueoval9erlifer]

Use whatever you want. all the numbers tell you is the viscosity of the oil it will still lubricate the engine. 5w 20 if im not mistaken is like a 20 weight oil when its warm and 5 when its cold so a 5w 30 is 30 weight warm and 5 cold it will help your fuel mileage to use the 5w20 since it is a lighter weight oil. i have however used 30 weight in engines as they get older that specified 5w20 because they started using some oil at 175,000 miles or so and that would slow the usage of the oil. no it did not cause my engine to quit unless you think that is the reason i only got 330,000 out of the ranger.

 

[shadowless127]

When I had my '03 4.6L I used 5w30 changed every 3K miles and never had any issues.

 

[LangleyD]

I've been running Fully Synthetic 5w20 for a couple years now, but a friend suggested that I run Fully Synthetic 5w30 because the car has 190,000+ miles. Is he right?

 

[kifferarri]

As a side note, back in 2002, ford changed the oil spec to 5w20. In a lot of cases, that weight was not available due to being so new on the market. So the dealerships were using 5w30 in the vehicles. 5w20 is strictly for gas mileage. My explorer is a 2002 with a 4.6L up here in the great white north we call Canada. I have been using mobil 1 syn 5w30 since the day I got it. With 240,000km on the clock and the cold we get, things have been going very smooth. I use 5w30 because that's what my other 2 vehicles are using, and I prefer to only have to carry one type of oil on hand. I probably could squeeze a little more gas mileage out of my ploder using 5w20, but with a lift and big tires... I don't think that's much of a concern. lol

 

[Definca]

Good to hear that the I will not have to return the case of 5/30 wt I just picked up at Costco. my 4.6L engine has 175K miles on it anyway. I will be running dino oil on this too! but with a motorcraft filter.

 

[drdoom]

I'm gonna have to say no.

 

[Tyleryac]

If the manual, oil cap, and Ford Engineers say to use 5W20, why are you using 5w30?

 

[Joe in NY]

It all depends upon temp and use of the motor. Do you tow a lot and run high temps? Then heavier oil. Just a run a round vehicle in the cold? Lighter oil. Look in any manual for any motor ever.... A matter of 10w is not a big deal... Now going to straight 50w. Thats another story...

 

[Definca]

From everything I have found and researched about why Ford required the 20wt spec is that it was for fuel mileage. Living in CA where it gets hotter rather than colder the 30wt should prove to add protection on hot days. The engine has 175k miles on it and I will be happy to roll the dice on it now.

 

[Michowski]

Hey guys,

I know that the filler on the truck and the manual say 5w20 but I have a pile of 5w30 and would prefer to use that instead...

Any issues with that?

Thanks for the help!

You can run it just fine, you won't have any problems.

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

Go for it. Not gonna hurt anything.