What weight oil are you using in your MH

[Wanabee FTer]

I recently changed my oil in my '97 F53 460 MH. I know the service history since day one so I decided to stay with the factory recommended 10-30w oil. Only thing different is I used Mobil 1 instead of Dino oil. I know many people have their favorite brands they are going to recommend, but what weight oil are you using in your older MH and why?

[Damon Outlaw]

Ford had back spec'd my E350 1993 Allegro Bay Class C to 5w-20 so that is what I used (chemical synthetic) for maximum fuel economy, protection, and engine coolness from 2006 to 2009 with no problems.

[Ed-Sommers]

All answers to this is . . . follow DA BOOK.

Ed

[LonBoy]

Quick switch back to Dino ! going from dino to" Mobil One" is bad all the posts I ever read said unless your engine started with Mobil one dont switch .If you want a good oil semi syn. Brad Penn Makes the BEST oil going JMO .
Stick with the 5wx30.

[Wanabee FTer]

I wouldn't have switched to full synthetic if the engine had been neglected. The posts I've read say problems when switching with engines that have sludge and old oil deposits.

I've switched to full synth in my cars with higher mileage and have never had a problem.

If my engine was neglected and tired, probably would have gone with a blend oil with a higher oil weight rating.

[Damon Outlaw]

You are fine.

Contact Ford Motor Company for their latest viscosity and specification recommendations. Your manual is out of date. Or provide me with the year/make/model/engine size and the 8th character of the VIN and I can look up your engines current oil specifications.

You can switch to synthetic at any time, and back to conventional at any time. There are no compatibility issues. Motor oil cleaning ability has nothing to do with the conventional or synthetic base oils. It is about the detergency additives added to the base oils.

If you think you engine is dirty, there are engine flush products that will safely clean your engine. Just follow the directions. The one I am the most familiar with is made by AMSOIL. Just add the correct amount before you change the oil and filter, idle for 20 or so minutes, remove the oil filter and oil, then put a new filter in and add the oil. Very cheap, effective, safe and easy.

[Wanabee FTer]

Originally Posted by Damon Outlaw

provide me with the year/make/model/engine size and the 8th character of the VIN and I can look up your engines current oil specifications.

I was not aware that Ford changed the spec's for engine oil.

It's a '97 Ford F53 MH chassis 7.5 Liter 460 V-8 eighth character is "G"
The manual calls for 5-30w or 10-30w oil.
Are they now recommending a lighter weight rating?

[Damon Outlaw]

Yeah, Ford back spec'd to prefer 5w-20 several years ago and it shows this at the AMSOIL website lookup. 5w20 full chemical synthetic will have the advantage of better fuel economy, more power, better protection and cooler running.

1997 FORD TRUCKS F450 PICKUP 7.5L 8-cyl Engine Code [G]
LUBRICANTS & FLUIDS:
Engine Oil
Grade 1......API*[1]
Maximum Performance SAE 5W-20 Signature Series 100% Synthetic Motor Oil (ALMQT)
Performance Plus XL 5W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil (XLMQT)
Performance Synthetic 5W20 OE Motor Oil (OEMQT)
All TEMPS......5W-30, 5W-20 [2]

[1] Manufacturer recommends motor oil that is formulated to meet
Ford specification WSS-M2C930-A.
[2] This specification has been updated from 5W-30 to include
5W-20 per a Technical Service Bulletin from the
manufacturer. 5W-20 is the preferred recommendation.
FILTERS:
Oil Filter 25,000-Mile Ea Oil Filter (EAO15) [1]

[1] Except off road applications.


What is the factory recommended oil change interval? How often do you change your oil now? Do you use any oil between oil changes? How many miles on your engine? Do you tow?

At the end of this oil change, consider getting a Used Oil Analysis run. You can get kits that include 2 way postage and analysis for $25. This will help identify if you have any coolant, fuel, dirt or wear issues in your engine, and will also evaluate the condition of your oil.

[Bilito]

I am using penzoil 10-30 per the owners manual for my 91 ford 460

[Wanabee FTer]

Okay, found Ford TSB 02-1-9 from 2002 stating that 5w-20 is now recommended for most Ford vehicles, including all '93-'98 7.5 liter engines. My owners manual is incorrect.

I don't recall seeing this discussion in the past, or I missed it on my irv2 search.
I have a well maintained (documented) 460 Ford with 55K, burns 1/4 qt oil in 3,000 miles. As far as I can tell from the service records it has always had 10w-30 oil used in the past. I have owned it 2 years and have always used 10w-30 for the oil changes. The engine oil still looks clean when changed at 3,000 mile intervals, although I ran a little over this time.

From what I can ascertain from the TSB, the main reason for using 5w-20 oil is for better fuel economy. I will run the 10-30 Mobil 1 (that I just changed last week) for the rest of this season, then I will consider switching to 5W-20 synthetic.

Can I really expect any kind of improved mpg figures by switching to the recommended oil?

[Damon Outlaw]

Good job on finding the tech bulletin! This is one reason I always look up my vehicles in the AMSOIL lookup as lubricants and filters do change from time to time. They keep their lookup up to date.

1/4 quart per 3,000 miles is very good for a 1997! You should expect some loss as a little oil slips by the rings on every piston stroke to lube the cylinder walls.

Fuel economy should improve with a less viscous oil. Oil and mechanical drag impact mpg, power and temperature. You may not notice a difference, but it should be there on the order of 2-3.5% according to below. That may not seem like much, but calculate how much fuel you burn in a year and it adds up.

From http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.shtml

"Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil

You can improve your gas mileage by 1–2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1–2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1–1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.

Fuel Economy Benefit: 1–2%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.04–$0.08/gallon"


If you want to spend less on your 3,000 mile synthetic oil change, or would like to extend it to 10,000 miles/6 months or 15,000 miles/1 year, let me know and I can make a recommendation for a better chemical synthetic oil and filter than you are currently using.

[ronspradley]

I use AMSOIL 15/40 Marine/Diesel full synthetic. Have used AMSOIL in all my vehicles for 20 yrs. I like the Marine/Diesel synthetic in my MH because it has rust inhibitors that help when it sits for a long time between runs.

ronspradley

[gcsprayjr]

One of the reasons Ford changed thier recommendations to 5W20 is that the tolerances are so tight that heavy weight oils do not flow well enough to provide adaquate luberication to all bearing surfaces. There have been some main bearing failures in Ford products from owners using heavy weight oils.

[Freedom7]

I have 1992 F53 460 MH. I switched to Mobil1 Synthetic over two years ago. A local NAPA shop, which does all engine related work, told me Mobil1 was not a problem and to continue using it. I use 10W-30... Engine has 60,000 miles.