I just bought a 2000 gt convertible. The car has 136xxx miles on it. I dont know what kind of oil he used to put in there. So should i go with Mobil 1 full synthetic even with that many miles? Will it create any problems like oil leaks because thats what i saw in another forum. And should I buy 5w-30 like the manual says? i live in Indiana, but not taking the car out in winter.
Should I use Mobil 1 motor oil?
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bigjock, if you're not sure you could always use a synthetic/conventional blend. Or go with a heavier weight like 10W30.
I used to use Mobil 1 and my car was burning about a half-quart or so between changes. I switched to Royal Purple and now I'm going 5k+ miles between changes with not a drop burned. My vote goes to RP.
In my new motor, I am using NAPA 15w40 for the summer and 10w40 in the winter only because I am in Colorado (NAPA oil is actually Valvoline).
The reason manufacturers started going to 5wxxx is because it is thinnner and causes less internal friction on the tight clearances in todays modern engines and gives a lower initial emissions reading. It also "in theory" reaches the heads/cams quicker. Here is something I fould out a while back and I have never looked back. First, a thinner oil drains out of the engine faster and has less filming capabilities. A thicker oil forms a film that stays where it should....say the cylinder walls or heads/cams....which is where you want it on startup. It doesnt matter how thin the oil is, it doesnt make it to the cylinder walls or heads before the pistons start to move. Second, most vehicle fleets use a thicker oil (15w-40 year'round). Go take a look at MHS's website. He sees fleet vehicles with 400,000 miles that still have the crosshatching in them. In the "old" days, people had issues starting their cars with a thicker cold weight oil. This was caused because the crank was actually dipping into the oil (our cars dont do that). The cold oil was adding weight and friction on the crank making it harder for the engine to turn over.....again, not a problem for the mod motors.
The first number is the viscosity at 0*F, that why it is followed by W. The second number is the viscosity at 212*F. So a 5w30 and a 25w30 is the exact same thing when your engine is at operating temperatures (keep in mind, your engine is actually hotter than what your water temperature says).
Here is a nice chart I found. This is the lowest temperature this oil should be used at. Anything lower than these numbers, you should go to a lower first number.
20w50 = 0*F
15w40 = -10*F
10w30 = -20*F
5w30 = -30*F
0w30 = whatever
I am no expert, but I have learned a few things over the years. Hope it helps. The bottom line.....thinner oil (0w-10) more MPG and more HP, thicker oil (15w40) more protection.
The reason manufacturers started going to 5wxxx is because it is thinnner and causes less internal friction on the tight clearances in todays modern engines and gives a lower initial emissions reading. It also "in theory" reaches the heads/cams quicker. Here is something I fould out a while back and I have never looked back. First, a thinner oil drains out of the engine faster and has less filming capabilities. A thicker oil forms a film that stays where it should....say the cylinder walls or heads/cams....which is where you want it on startup. It doesnt matter how thin the oil is, it doesnt make it to the cylinder walls or heads before the pistons start to move. Second, most vehicle fleets use a thicker oil (15w-40 year'round). Go take a look at MHS's website. He sees fleet vehicles with 400,000 miles that still have the crosshatching in them. In the "old" days, people had issues starting their cars with a thicker cold weight oil. This was caused because the crank was actually dipping into the oil (our cars dont do that). The cold oil was adding weight and friction on the crank making it harder for the engine to turn over.....again, not a problem for the mod motors.
The first number is the viscosity at 0*F, that why it is followed by W. The second number is the viscosity at 212*F. So a 5w30 and a 25w30 is the exact same thing when your engine is at operating temperatures (keep in mind, your engine is actually hotter than what your water temperature says).
Here is a nice chart I found. This is the lowest temperature this oil should be used at. Anything lower than these numbers, you should go to a lower first number.
20w50 = 0*F
15w40 = -10*F
10w30 = -20*F
5w30 = -30*F
0w30 = whatever
I am no expert, but I have learned a few things over the years. Hope it helps. The bottom line.....thinner oil (0w-10) more MPG and more HP, thicker oil (15w40) more protection.
I would stick to the Motorcraft 5w20 blend.If the engine has high miles and wasn't taken care of then, the full synthetic with all of its cleaners, could actually loosen any build up that might be blocking any potential problems, if that makes any sense. Anyways, as much as I hate Wally World, you cant beat their deals on bottled oil there. Just get a good quality filter and you should be fine.
The only concern with changing to synthetic now is the development of an oil leak or making leaks worse. If you have leaks now, then the leaks will be worse with synthetic oil. There is also a bit of a cleaning effect with synthetics, where they may move some dirt and sludge away that was helping to block oil from a seal that would otherwise leak. If you think the engine was abused with extended service intervals and such, don't take the risk of changing to synthetics.
Personally, I like mobile 1. That's what has been in my GT since she had 50k miles. I have 196k now, and I typically go 7k miles between changes. I often run 5W-20 in the winter and 5W-30 in the summer, but it varies.
Yes, manufactures started recommending thinner oil because of the reduced clearances and desire for improved fuel economy and emissions. Funny thing, I enjoy getting better fuel economy and putting out fewer emissions too.
I can see the argument for putting heavier oil in a fleet vehicle. They often times see continuous operation and extensive idling. I remember reading a story on new york taxi cabs that said the engines aren't even turned off between shifts, meaning they are NEVER cold started unless maintenance is performed. Yeah, a heavier oil that won't break down as easily is a good thing for them. Another point to keep in mind: oils with a large difference between the winter rating and hot rating tend to break down faster. For example, a 15W-40 will last longer and be more effective than 5W-40. It takes extra additives and such to give the oil the cold flow properties.
My personal opinion is that as long as you keep sufficient oil in your engine and it gets changed on a regular schedule, the engine life (in wear) will exceed that of the car. Obviously, if you follow the manufactures recommendation, you won't go wrong. They have done testing with the recommended oil in temperatures colder and hotter than you'll ever see, and with load conditions and a number of run hours you could never replicate.
Personally, I like mobile 1. That's what has been in my GT since she had 50k miles. I have 196k now, and I typically go 7k miles between changes. I often run 5W-20 in the winter and 5W-30 in the summer, but it varies.
Yes, manufactures started recommending thinner oil because of the reduced clearances and desire for improved fuel economy and emissions. Funny thing, I enjoy getting better fuel economy and putting out fewer emissions too.
I can see the argument for putting heavier oil in a fleet vehicle. They often times see continuous operation and extensive idling. I remember reading a story on new york taxi cabs that said the engines aren't even turned off between shifts, meaning they are NEVER cold started unless maintenance is performed. Yeah, a heavier oil that won't break down as easily is a good thing for them. Another point to keep in mind: oils with a large difference between the winter rating and hot rating tend to break down faster. For example, a 15W-40 will last longer and be more effective than 5W-40. It takes extra additives and such to give the oil the cold flow properties.
My personal opinion is that as long as you keep sufficient oil in your engine and it gets changed on a regular schedule, the engine life (in wear) will exceed that of the car. Obviously, if you follow the manufactures recommendation, you won't go wrong. They have done testing with the recommended oil in temperatures colder and hotter than you'll ever see, and with load conditions and a number of run hours you could never replicate.
While I agree that water-thin oils are being adopted to reduce pumping losses and thus to increase fuel economy, I don't buy that it's also because modern engines run "tight clearances." There is nothing particularly tight in terms of clearances in a modular engine that would require such thin oil.
Ford used/uses 5W50 motor oil in its GT and GT500 modular engines which to me suggests that even Ford recognizes that in high-performance Mods a heavier oil is a "safer" oil.
I've used mobile 1 for a while and haven't had any problems. That being said it is expensive and I'm probably going to swap to something cheaper next oil change like the motorcraft blend.
My car and most cars on here probably don't get enough miles or hard driving to warrant a higher grade oil to "protect the engine". I'd rather have the theoretical increased fuel mileage and higher HP of the ford recommended 5w20.
My car and most cars on here probably don't get enough miles or hard driving to warrant a higher grade oil to "protect the engine". I'd rather have the theoretical increased fuel mileage and higher HP of the ford recommended 5w20.
I would just stick with good old motorcraft blend. You can pick up a motorcraft filter, a 5 qt jug of oil +1 additional qt for just under $20 i believe. I started running valvoline syn power from day one I owned my stang and havent looked back but I started at only 30k. Wait till you build the engine and then make the switch.
FWIW, my dad's 92 E-150 van has 570,000 miles on the completely stock motor. Ran 5W-30 conventional Valvoline (yay Mark Martin!) since day one, changed at 3k miles on the dot.
In my car, I run full synthetic 5W-30 Valvoline, but only so that I don't have to change it as often. I normally go around 6000 miles between changes.
And as always, ONLY use a Motorcraft filter. FL820-S
In my car, I run full synthetic 5W-30 Valvoline, but only so that I don't have to change it as often. I normally go around 6000 miles between changes.
And as always, ONLY use a Motorcraft filter. FL820-S
That's incredible about your dad's van Will! +1 to the FL820-S filter.
Another thing to keep in mind is each year that goes by oil gets better. Check out the following link:
http://www.upmpg.com/motor_oil_rate_gas.htm
The best conventional oil available for my car in 1998 probably can't perform as well as the least expensive oil available today that meets the API's SN and GF-5 standards.
I actually would love to see an experiment where 2 identical 4.6 2V engines were driven on alternating days one using conventional oil from the mid 90's and the other using the latest conventional oil and compare the two after 100K miles of driving w/ regular 3k mile changes. Difficult study to perform, but in any case the results would be interesting. This study could be more interesting if a synthetic was introduced as well where the oil change interval was doubled.
I read a TSB not to long ago that 5W30 is better for the motor than the recommended 5W20. I'm using Amsoil 5W30 with the 1 year oil change intervals with no problem. Never had a problem with 1 year oil changes in any of the cars me and my family uses and have used in the past.
Some people say running synthetic results in oil leaks. Those people would have oil on their garage floor regardless.
Synthetic is supposed to be more tolerant of high temps. If my blower manufacturer said run Mobil 1, well, I'd run Mobil 1, since I already spent the money on the blower it's not like an extra $20 every oil change puts me in the poor house.
I've seen a 289 that still had the cross-hatching after decades running dino oil. I will not buy the BS saying modern oils are so much superior than the same SAE rated oil from two decades or four ago that it makes ANY difference. The SAE spec covers all. Differences amount to additives and those additives' tolerance to high temps.
Mobil 1 is great oil, but the reason to use it isn't because it is "better" for a stock engine than dino grade, it's because you are lazy about oil changes and hope the lubricating compounds don't break down as fast as the stock oil. It won't make your car faster, it won't get better mileage, it just might tolerate longer oil change intervals - if the filter doesn't clog and bypass dirty oil into your engine and cause excess wear in the meantime with the crap it isn't filtering anymore.
If I had a blower or turbo, I'd buy whatever they said just to avoid failure. Telling customers to use only Mobil 1 avoids calls from that guy who put used tractor oil in his car "'cuz it's fine." And blowers get hot. Very, very hot. Hotter than engines is my guess, given engines also have a water cooling sytem while blowers have nothing. They compress air, absorb the resulting heat, and also have high speed bearings. An oil that can tolerate far higher temps than most engines generate is good protection, considering they draw their oil from the engine sump.
I'm a big fan of Valvoline oil, but for voodoo reasons, not logic or science. But I run Ford synthetic blend because it says Ford on the sign where I get my oil changed, matching the badge on the back of my car. Just seems logical. Or superstitious, but changing my oil at my dealer with what they recommend just makes me more comfortable.
Synthetic is supposed to be more tolerant of high temps. If my blower manufacturer said run Mobil 1, well, I'd run Mobil 1, since I already spent the money on the blower it's not like an extra $20 every oil change puts me in the poor house.
I've seen a 289 that still had the cross-hatching after decades running dino oil. I will not buy the BS saying modern oils are so much superior than the same SAE rated oil from two decades or four ago that it makes ANY difference. The SAE spec covers all. Differences amount to additives and those additives' tolerance to high temps.
Mobil 1 is great oil, but the reason to use it isn't because it is "better" for a stock engine than dino grade, it's because you are lazy about oil changes and hope the lubricating compounds don't break down as fast as the stock oil. It won't make your car faster, it won't get better mileage, it just might tolerate longer oil change intervals - if the filter doesn't clog and bypass dirty oil into your engine and cause excess wear in the meantime with the crap it isn't filtering anymore.
If I had a blower or turbo, I'd buy whatever they said just to avoid failure. Telling customers to use only Mobil 1 avoids calls from that guy who put used tractor oil in his car "'cuz it's fine." And blowers get hot. Very, very hot. Hotter than engines is my guess, given engines also have a water cooling sytem while blowers have nothing. They compress air, absorb the resulting heat, and also have high speed bearings. An oil that can tolerate far higher temps than most engines generate is good protection, considering they draw their oil from the engine sump.
I'm a big fan of Valvoline oil, but for voodoo reasons, not logic or science. But I run Ford synthetic blend because it says Ford on the sign where I get my oil changed, matching the badge on the back of my car. Just seems logical. Or superstitious, but changing my oil at my dealer with what they recommend just makes me more comfortable.
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