5w/20 oil

[Ryan Fohey]

Just did an oil change on my truck and went with what I thought was Motorcraft Synthetic 5w30 and it is actually 5w20, Will this be alright for a few thousand miles or should I just change it out? I have swithed viscosities in other vehicles but this truck has 5w30 written all over it.



Thanks

 

[EddieS'04]

Your profile doenst say what year or how many miles. I dont think it will hurt. If you are high milage. You may hear more motor noise, such as cam chains.

Drive it If you do change it. If it is full synthetic, you should be ok for 3 to 4k.

 

[Galen Burden]

I have a 2008 V8 and it calls for 5w20. I put in 5w30 on one change by accident and I swear the gas mileage went down a 1/2 mpg or a little more. Only 5w20 from now on.

 

[John G]

In below-freezing winter temperatures I think 5w20 would be fine.



But if the temperature is hot, maybe not.

 

[Johnny O]

Motorcraft oil is a synthetic blend. The only Sport Trac engine that calls for 5w-20 is the Gen 2 V8. If you have the 4.0 V6, it won't blow up your engine but I'd change it sometime soon though, no more than 3000 miles. The 4.0 is one of the few, maybe the only, engine that Ford still specifies 5w-30 for.

Just a wild guess, but if you bought the 5 quart jug of Motorcraft at Wal-Mart, it only comes in 5w-20. For 5w-30 Motorcraft you have to buy the quart bottles.

 

[Ryan Fohey]

Thanks for the replies. It is a 05 with 40000miles. I think I will be changing it this week. It was only 17 bucks for a 5 quart jug and filter at autozone. No sense risking it

 

[Korey Kreiter]

The 4.0 is about the only engine which doesn't spec 5w20 -- and for a reason. I'd get it out now. MC oil is cheap at Walmart. Just dump the oil, and keep the filter.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Agree- Use only what the manual says. I recall Ford making a big deal about NOT USING 5W20 in the 4.0 liter engine, so there must be some problems with this engine and the lower viscosity oil. I would not drive it until I changed it and put the 5W30 in it.

 

[Johnny O]

Agree- Use only what the manual says. I recall Ford making a big deal about NOT USING 5W20 in the 4.0 liter engine,

That didn't stop the Ford dealer from putting 5w-20 in my old '05 on one of the free oil changes they gave me. :smack:

 

[VideoITGuy]

I just got two oil changes in one day this Saturday. The local service station I use (Hires Auto ) put 5W30 in my 08 4.6 V-8. When I went to pay the bill I asked them to follow the recommended oil specs for my vehicle. They looked at the last oil change I had done there and the Ford specs, apologized, and told me if I didn't mind waiting a few minutes they would drain the oil and replace it with the correct blend.

I appreciate that kind of attitude!

 

[H D]

I just returned from the dealership for my first scheduled maintenance (first one was free, the rest I'll do myself) and didn't realize until I got home and looked at the paperwork that they put 5W/20 in my '01 4.0L. I feel stupid for not looking while I was there, especially after reading this thread this week.



From this thread, I assume the consensus is that I should definitely be using 5W/30, but I'm not sure how bad y'all think it would be to drive around with this oil for a while. The dealership is about an hour away and I'm trying to figure out if its worth driving back over there later this week, change the oil myself (so I know its done right), or just stick with it for a few thousand miles.



Not trying to hijack the thread, sorry. Just didn't want to start a new thread on the same topic.

 

[David Ponder]

Hugh, Call the dealership and advise them of their mistake. Tell them you would like it corrected, and ask them if they want to send a tow truck or if they want you to drive it in. Be sure you get the name of the service writer you speak with, and then ask for the service manager. if he/she says the same thing, then you have service writer and a manager that advised you. That way if they tell you to drive it in, and something happens, its on them. My $.02.

 

[H D]

Thanks for your reply, Dave.



I spoke with the service manager, also the one I talked to when I went in for the service, and he guaranteed me that it would be ok (I know that doesn't mean much). He said he talked with a few other people within Ford and they said it would be fine and they talked about it in their morning meeting. Of course, I trust dealerships with my vehicles like I would a meth addict with a child, but as I understand it, I should be fine for a little while. I was hoping to keep this oil until the end of July, when I'm driving about 2k miles roundtrip from GA to NY. I am planning on changing it before the trip, unless I am convinced otherwise that 5W/20 will be damaging. Of course, I'll keep checking it to see if its breaking down prematurely and I always listen for odd noises.



The dealership I bought from, if anyone is interested, is Wade Ford in Smyrna, GA. I got a great deal on it, fully loaded 4x4, well maintained, very clean and with ~66k miles. They have been very helpful so far and didn't fight me at all when I took it in a few weeks after the purchase and fixed the infamous driver side door lock problem, free. The first oil change and inspection was free and that's the only reason I let them do it last week. They also fixed two chips in the windshield for free that day, although they may not know they were paying for it yet. Their glass guy was at another dealership, so I drove over there and told him Wade Ford said they were taking care of it since we didn't really discuss a cost, but it was chipped when I drove off the lot. :grin:



I see no reason to return there now, since I've gotten all the free stuff from them that I can and they're an hours drive away. I have a great local shop (Complete Automotive in Dallas, GA) that is always honest, keeps costs down and will actually tell me if its worth my effort and money to do it myself, even telling me how to do things and loaning tools if necessary. Thanks Wade Ford, its been great, except that you just dump 5W/20 in everything that rolls through.

 

[Phil Frady]

5W-20 may not be the best grade of oil to use, but it will not damage the Engine. Don't be suprised if you end up getting better gas mileage. You have your documentation of their mistake and the name of the person who said it was OK. If anything happens yo are covered. Just drive it & enjoy the ride.