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Switch from 5w30 to 5w20 in the Explorer - Tech Service Bulletin

I have disassembled/assembled a wealth of engines, and gernaded more than a few-- none of them a 4.0.
and yes, I use 5w30 in the SOHC, until she gets yarded come spring
The sohc oil passages are ridiculously small and the stupid tensioner s require oil pressure at all times

So oil flow is very. Important
 



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Oh, the hydraulic tensioners? I need to install the RH manual one today.
@donalds tell me more about the 4.0 SOHC lifters? (I'm not sure what they are really called) that you referred to in another post about them making noise. Would oil viscosity affect them?
 






I don't think oil will affect performance in a hydraulic lash adjuster
But if air or dirt gets in then you get a tic tic every time that valve opens
Easy way replace them
Or my way because I'm broke
Dissembling th and clean the varnish,off

Cober ruger made a Vid
 






Thanks for the info. That is something that could have been addressed easier when I was replacing the front timing chain guides and had the head removed. However I'm not getting any noise out f them. IIRC the engine has 148K on it.
 






Thanks for the info. That is something that could have been addressed easier when I was replacing the front timing chain guides and had the head removed. However I'm not getting any noise out f them. IIRC the engine has 148K on it.
You would hear it
It would be loud. Enough to bother you to fix it

heck yea it's 8 o'clock coffee time my favorite
 






2000 4.0L SOHC JOB1. It's interesting --- and relevant to this discussion --- that the oil pressure gauge on the dashboard isn't actually an oil "pressure" gauge per se. According to a few comments I've read, the gauge is more akin to an "ON/OFF" sensor, i.e., it doesn't measure and report varying pressures across a wide range. Rather it reports that "there's pressure" or "there's no pressure."

I'm assuming the comments I've read are accurate. If so, it would be very interesting for someone to gather data using a gauge that reports oil pressures across a wide range, in a 4.0L SOHC, in a hot (temps at or above 95 F) driving condition, with 5W20, then with 5W30, and finally with 5W40.
 






Oddly, I searched and saw only minor reference to this sorta big deal that impacts this era 5.0L (and maybe, it's unclear) 4.0L Explorers. But not the 2001s. Read the TSB. It's very difficult to interpret about the 4.0L Explorers.

Ford's Technical Service Bulletin states that a lot of models formerly recommended for 5W30 are now recommended for 5w20.


This is interesting. I recently purchased a LOT of 5W30 on sale at Costco. Thankfully, I have other vehicles that can use it. I also purchased a LOT of 5W20 for a couple other vehicles. Now I just have to make a mental note and probably change it in the owners manual and on the engine.

I recently took my Explorer to a nearby Midas that offered a free semi-synthetic oil change coupon. I was unaware of this TSB. As is good practice, I confirmed with them what they were putting in - a Wix branded filter and IIRC Castrol semi-blend 5w30. They did a great job. When I got home and was filing the paperwork, I noticed the actual mechanic put in 5W20. I called them up, and they hinted it's changed but did not explain or show me the TSB, so they drained it all out and refilled it with 5w30.

To their credit they took a "customer is always right" approach. But in this case I would have liked to have been told I'm wrong and shown the TSB.

Anyway, before anyone else makes a similar tool of himself (or buys a big amount of 5W30), be aware that Ford has retroactively changed recommendations on a lot of its older vehicles.
The Ford engines of this era are known to have some small oil passages and it is always recommended to run 5W20 in order to minimize blockage and "pooling" in certain areas of the engine while cold.
 






4.0 OHVs are only 5W30. All the bulletins specifically exclude this engine from anything else, the mention the oil pump design.
 






4.0 OHVs are only 5W30. All the bulletins specifically exclude this engine from anything else, the mention the oil pump design.
@96eb96 - Can you tell us more about what the TSBs discuss about the oil pump design in the 4.0L?
 






@96eb96 - Can you tell us more about what the TSBs discuss about the oil pump design in the 4.0L?
I had a link but its dead. Here is some talk about it though...
 






I still wonder though can 20 weight at 212 degrees Fahrenheit provide a thick enough film to protect the bearings? Maybe when the engine is new but with 150,000 to 300,000 mile wear I would tend to think not. I looked at the date of the TSB, 2002, and even at that time some of the vehicles on that list could already have many miles on them.
 






The engine was designed for 30wt oil end of story.
Will it run other oils sure.
Run 20 wt if you want to but it's not correct.
Way she goes
 






The following information, coupled with the Ford TSB, convinced me to drain the 5W20 from my 4.0L SOHC and replace it with 5W30. The following content is from a 2010 post on "Bob Is The Oil Guy." The post has been edited for clarity.

“The oil system is over extended! Because the 4.0L Cologne was changed from a OHV to a SOHC, much more oil flow is now needed around the chains, the guides, and in the lifters, which are now in the head. To simplify, there are probably twice as many lube points in the SOHC compared to when it was in pushrod form. If the oil pump on the original Cologne was barely adequate then, it's running on the jagged edge now (with all the SOHC hardware to lube)! My buddy has a 4.0L SOHC. He gets free oil changes from the dealer. We suspect the dealer is using bulk 5W20 in everything, including his truck. Why? Because when he lugs the engine, the oil light comes on steady! The truck is only 3 or so years old!”
 






If a manufacturer recommended a thinner oil for an unknown number of vehicles and then damage occur to tens of thousands of vehicle engines, then would they sell more new vehicles?
 






I don't see any 4.0 Explorers: 1995-2001 that require 5W20?
"NOTE: IF VEHICLE IS NOT LISTED IN THIS APPLICATION, SAE 5W-30 OIL IS RECOMMENDED."

Was the 4.0 OHV offered in 2001? I thought only the 4.0 SOHC or the 5.0 were part of the 2001 line up. All my Explorers are 2000 and OHV.
 






Was the 4.0 OHV offered in 2001? I thought only the 4.0 SOHC or the 5.0 were part of the 2001 line up. All my Explorers are 2000 and OHV.
You are correct. 2000 was the last year of the 4.0. Probably the gas mileage and emissions did it in :lol:.
 












My takeaway is that all 4.0L engines for model years up to and including 2002 are supposed to use 5W-30.
 






In my 4.0 ohv with 170,000 in So Cal weather / hot summers I run 10w40.
Did this with my Ranger with same engine ...still ran great when I sold it with over 247,000 on engine.
 



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