synthetic oil

[Jhonny]

i just got a 04 explorer with 122,x.. miles 4.6 SOHC v8 need SAE 5W-30

too late for synthetic ?

synthetic or high mileage?

with brand not too pricey

amsoil is good but i don't want to spend $50 just on oil, I want to replace it every 3k miles

 

[aldive]

too late for synthetic ?

No. Unless its leaking.

synthetic or high mileage?

Synthetic.

with brand not too pricey

amsoil is good but i don't want to spend $50 just on oil, I want to replace it every 3k miles

You are wasting good oil swaping at 3k.

 

[rumpledoll]

It's a waste to swap a synthetic oil every 3k, it can last much longer. For 3k intervals use a good quality dino oil like Pennzoil yellow bottle, Motorcraft or other.

IIRC, the V8 4.6 is specified for 5W-20 rather than 5W-30.

Rumple

 

[rumpledoll]

Spot on! Even for regular dino oil 3k is too often.

Rumple

You are wasting good oil swaping at 3k.

 

[Carguy3J]

I like Mobil 1. Walmart has it for $22 for a 5 quart jug. Amongst the "sea" of silver jugs on the shelf, look for the one that has "SUV" on the label. Quaker State "Q" full synthetic is also pretty good. As Al said, if it's not already leaking, then there shouldn't be any problem running synthetic.

While I believe the factory spec is 5W20 (I'm pretty sure Ford also updated the spec for the older 4.0-SOHC to 5w20, from 5w30); given the mileage, it might be better to use the 5w30. It may also be easier to find.
As for the change interval; again I agree with everybody else. Unless you are running very rich, have a lot of blowby, or some other mechanical issue contaminating the oil in some unusual way, 3,000 mile changes are a waste. The Mobil 1 should easily be good for 6,000-7,500. Really, it will probably go longer, but I'm not comfortable with that, personally. I saw they even recently came out with a Mobil 1 version that is LABELED for 15,000 mile change intervals. Not sure I would try that, unless maybe I owned it since mile 0, and knew that the motor was perfectly maintained all along.

Also be sure to use a quality filter. I prefer the Fram ToughGuard. They are the silver ones, with the black "grippy" stuff on the bottom. Along with better filtration then the plain orange fram's, they also have anti-drainback valves incorporated in them.
There will probably be a TON of people who are about to dispute my preference for Fram. For whatever reason, this board has developed some sort of mass hysteria/fear of Fram. I have used them for 15 years, on every kind of vehicle, including my dirt track stock car (Chevy 350) that saw 6500rpm twice every lap, with oil pressure at 70psi. ...and no, it wasn't a "racing" filter. Fram ToughGuard, right off the walmart shelf. I have NEVER had any of the "problems" that some people claim are a "common" issue with fram's.

Yes, synthetic may cost a little more upfront, (about $10 for Mobil 1 vs. Walmart "house" brand conventional) but it will pay for itself. Along with fewer oil changes, you should also see improved fuel economy, and less wear on the engine leading to longer engine life.

 

[gail]

hi my name is gail. ive got a 97 explorer weith 185,000 miles and i use castrol 20-50. suggested by my mechnic. i change it every 3000 miles and it runs great. im female so i may or may not drive as hard but it works for me.

 

[Jhonny]

if 3k is too much for Synthetic will factory recommended 5k be right or still too fast?

I guess I'll go with Amsoil, but now I'm confused about what grade of oil to use the manual said 5w-30 but i see diff in other places

 

[aldive]

My OCI is over 25k miles using Amsoil 0w30 ( with excellent UOA results ).

 

[Jhonny]

if 3k is too much for Synthetic will factory recommended 5k be right or still too fast?

I guess I'll go with Amsoil, but now I'm confused about what grade of oil to use the manual said 5w-30 but i see diff in other places

i check the online manual and saids diff (5w-20) but then amsoil said i can use
0w-20, 0w-30

 

[rumpledoll]

For the 4.6 V8 Ford specifies, as you found out, 5W-20. The first number with the "W" is the winter weight and indicates how well the oil performs at low temperatures as specified in SAE J300. The lower the number the more easily the oil flows at low temperatures. The second number is the "hot" oil viscosity defined at 100C. Look at the charts here.

Generally you can always use an oil with a lower "W" number than what the manual specifies with no harm. For example, if your manual specs a 10W-30 oil you can safely use a 5W-30 or a 0W-30 to get better low temperature performance.

For winter use, using Asmoil 0W-20 would be fantastic. I would use it year round in your motor. My 4.0L V6 is spec'd for 5W-30 and Ford specifically does not allow a 20 weight (e.g. 5W-20) in this motor due to the oil pump not being able to effectively get the required pressure with lower viscosity oil. I am currently using Castrol Syntec 0W-30 oil "German Castrol" as it is a thick 30 weight oil with good low flow properties that has completely quieted my chain rattle.

Rumple

i check the online manual and saids diff (5w-20) but then amsoil said i can use
0w-20, 0w-30

 

[blu02]

For the 4.6 V8 Ford specifies, as you found out, 5W-20. The first number with the "W" is the winter weight and indicates how well the oil performs at low temperatures as specified in SAE J300. The lower the number the more easily the oil flows at low temperatures. The second number is the "hot" oil viscosity defined at 100C. Look at the charts here.

Generally you can always use an oil with a lower "W" number than what the manual specifies with no harm. For example, if your manual specs a 10W-30 oil you can safely use a 5W-30 or a 0W-30 to get better low temperature performance.

For winter use, using Asmoil 0W-20 would be fantastic. I would use it year round in your motor. My 4.0L V6 is spec'd for 5W-30 and Ford specifically does not allow a 20 weight (e.g. 5W-20) in this motor due to the oil pump not being able to effectively get the required pressure with lower viscosity oil. I am currently using Castrol Syntec 0W-30 oil "German Castrol" as it is a thick 30 weight oil with good low flow properties that has completely quieted my chain rattle.

Rumple

WOW!!! I was actually wondering if there was a certian weight oil that would quiet the death rattle. I know its not "fixing" the problem but it would be nice not to hear that ****( like nails on a chalk board to me)till i can get around to fixing it. Any specifc procedures for swiching to synthetic?

What do u guys think of royal purple?

 

[Jhonny]

WOW!!! I was actually wondering if there was a certian weight oil that would quiet the death rattle. I know its not "fixing" the problem but it would be nice not to hear that ****( like nails on a chalk board to me)till i can get around to fixing it. Any specifc procedures for swiching to synthetic?

What do u guys think of royal purple?

aldive said after he drains the old oil he puts one quart of the same oil through, them fill it with synth (the 1st time only)

 

[dmstangu]

WOW!!! I was actually wondering if there was a certian weight oil that would quiet the death rattle. I know its not "fixing" the problem but it would be nice not to hear that ****( like nails on a chalk board to me)till i can get around to fixing it. Any specifc procedures for swiching to synthetic?

What do u guys think of royal purple?

I use Dead Link Removed. It's a little pricey, but I only change it once a year. When I switched to synthetic, the Amsoil dealer where I bought the oil threw in a freebie: Dead Link Removed. You pour it in the engine before you drain the old oil, let the engine idle for 15-20 minutes then drain the old oil and put in the new synthetic oil. Don't forget to use a quality oil filter as well.

 

[rumpledoll]

Amsoil SSO 0W-30 also quieted the chain rattle on my Ex, but the German Castrol (GC) 0W-30 quiets it even more, which is expected as the GC is a thicker oil with a higher HTHS than the SSO:

SSO - 100C viscosity 10.3, HTHS 3.2, TBN 13+
GC - 100C viscosity ~12, HTHS >3.5, TBN ~10

Basically by using GC instead of SSO one is giving up a longer drain interval (SSO has better TBN) and a bit of fuel economy for, perhaps, a bit less engine wear - although that is arguable and I do suspect that the two give about equivalent protection. I am running GC because I wanted to see if it would completely eliminate the chain rattle. The GC did so while the SSO almost did so.

I would use either.

Rumple

 

[lubelizard]

Run an AutoRX treatment through the engine, then a quality dino or semi-synthetic like Amsoil XL series, since your change intervals are 5000 miles or less. Even with regular dino oil, 5000 change intervals are more than adequate. Frequent oil changes do more harm to an engine than good, unless the engine experiences enough severe driving it depletes the oil's properties. Run a quality filter as well, such as Purolator, Motorcraft, Wix, Mobil 1, Amsoil.

The AutoRX is a slow, but effective, process. It will remove gunk and contaminants from the engine, and help rejuvenate the seals without swelling them.

Before you change your oil, it'd be a good idea to run an induction cleaning through the engine, or a stout application of intake system cleaner, like Redline S1 or Amsoil PI.

 

[aldive]

Frequent oil changes do more harm to an engine than good,

Huh? Please explain.

 

[ShawnTRD]

Frequent oil changes do more harm to an engine than good

Huh? Please explain.

I've heard that before. Not sure why. Maybe they mean more harm for the environment.

 

[jasongt06]

I run Mobil 1 0w-20 in my 07 Mustang GT 4.6 and it runs excellent. I also run Quaker State 5w-30 in my 05 Exp 4.0 and it runs very smooth. Since both are under warranty I change the Mustang @ 7.5k & the Exp @ 5k. I know the M1 could go past 10k easy. I would have no trouble pushing the QS to 7-8k.

 

[royal_explorer]

You should Change your Oil to Royal Purple. I use all the products and have never had a problem with my truck.

 

[1_v8_merc]

I would stick with 5w-20!

If you read the owners manual, it will explain it.
(it has to do with extremely tight piston ring and valve clearances, and something about the cylinder head angles or some crap....so they really make it sound like you could damage you engine if you use anything thicker than 5w-20....WILL it damage you engine? Probably not, but I just stick with what they say, just to be safe....NOTE This was for the 4.6Lv8 engines....I have no idea about the v6's.)


It's never too late to switch to synthetic.

All this crap you hear about "being too late to switch" or "switching often" or "mixing oils" is just that......crappy MYTHS!

Just put whatever type or brand YOU want in the truck.
(although I would stick with 5w-20 or whatever the owners manual says.)

But being Regular or Synthetic is the SAME pretty much.
Obviously you can go a little longer between oil changes with synthetic.

It's funny because Synthetic ISNT even really synthetic!
(i'll let you google that one.)


Motor Oil is one of the most largely disputed topics ever....yet doesn't even matter what-so-ever!


Arguing which brand of oil is better, is like arguing which brand on bottled water is better....or which brand of beer is better.....they all do the same thing, it just comes down to personal preference.
(yet everyone SWEARS by THEIR favorite brand! )

Gotta love it.......(or not)