:burn: Ok Marauderers, My new unit I use Motorcraft 5w20 with FL820 oil filter but that's for now because I will change for Amsoil 5W20 with Amsoil oil filter.
STRYKER.
...Sniper?
Ford speced 5w-20 to most of their motors in the 2001 model year. They then backspeced it for the previous years in 02. opinions of the switch are mixed, some have noticed increase engine wear, and premature failure, particularly in the fleet markets.
many believe the switch was merely to increase MPG, thus, better fitting for CAFE regulations. Ford was using 5w-30 in the 2v and 4v motors for numerous years prior with no problems, so most don't understand why they would switch it, other than to increase the MPG.
here is what Ford had to say about it:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=pagehead1 vAlign=top>Why 5W20 Oil? </TD></TR><TR><TD>https://www.fleet.ford.com/images/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text>5W-20 oil is a thinner oil with lighter viscosity that creates less drag on the crankshaft, pistons and valvetrain. Additionally, the oil pump can pump thinner oil more easily, improving oil circulation. Any increase in fuel economy may not be noticed by the average motorist. Machined internal engine parts are more precise than the parts of 20 years ago. This means that clearances between moving parts are smaller and more exact. Thinner oil such as 5W-20 can flow more freely through the engine while still filling the spaces. Thicker oil is harder to push through the spaces between the parts. This causes the oil pump to work harder, which in turn increases oil pressure while simultaneously decreasing oil volume. A lack of oil volume results in a decrease of lubrication and cooling, which may decrease engine part life.
The lighter viscosity of 5W-20 oil flows faster at start-up compared to higher viscosity oils, which helps reduce engine wear in critical areas by lubricating parts faster. Valvetrain components at the top of the engine require immediate lubrication at start-up.
Oil additives are not recommended as noted in the owners manual. The American Petroleum Institute (API) certifies that oils such as Motorcraft 5W-20 already contain the necessary additives for friction, detergent, etc... The addition of additives may interfere and react with the additives already present in the certified oil.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Some highlights in the discussion about it on CVN:
All of this discussion misses a couple of important points:
1. Ford and their large fleet operators know these engines better than anyone else.
Yup, and they all also know that these engines don't even start to wear out until 200K...
2. Ford's biggest interest in encouraging fleets to use 5w20 is to improve reliability and therefore retain fleet business. A very small improvement in gas consumption would not be enough to influence many customers - an additional 20k in engine life sure would. As pointed out above, the fleet users are typically the hardest on the vehicles of all users - it is critically important to Ford that they see excellent reliability and engine life.
Then why do they encourage using oil that is so thin that a police car will be smoking after extended idle periods within 50,000 miles? 10W-30 in the south and 5W-30 further north has sufficed for these engines for quite some time and continues to do so, despite all this BS hype about 5W-20.
No way would Ford have written this article for FLEET users if they did not believe strongly that following this advice would increase engine life.
Actually, Ford suggests using 5W-20 to make Uncle Sam happy. The other benefit is that if engines fail from it, they hope they will make more money selling crate motors or replacement cars. That's my two cents.
Try to 2nd guess them if you want.
It's hard to call it second guessing when most of their first guess are so idiotic lately.
The fact that earlier vehicles were supposed to use different viscosity does not affect any of this. Most Ford dealers around here are now following Ford's advice to use 5w20 in ALL 4.6's regardless of age unless the customer requests otherwise.
Which is another good reason to change your own oil. It's not like it's hard to do.
Actually, due to their agreement with the EPA they HAVE to tell everyone to use 5w20. They have to keep repeating it and chanting it and they're only allowed to say, "5w30 is alright if 5w20 isn't avialable, then go back to 5w20 next time".
That's why it's on the oil filler cap. In the manual. On stickers on the hood. Billboards in time square. Smoke signals from the hills. Etc.
And Ford doesn't care if the consumer (either fleet or retail) will experience a 0.6% increase in mileage (what their tests showed), but rather reducing their CAFE fines.
BINGO. You just hit the nail right on the head. There simply isn't anything different about a Romeo 2001 4.6L SOHC V8 and a Windsor 2000 4.6L SOHC V8 to require the 2001 to use 5W-20. Late model Toyotas in foreign countries can use synthetic xW-40/xW-50s with their "advanced, tight clearance OHC engines" or even dino 15W-40 in hot climates. What makes Ford engines so "high tech" that it needs a 5W-20 synthetic blend.
Has anyone here heard of engines being siezed using 5W20 in the cars its Spec'd for?
Right now i know of 3> 4.6's> 03 and higher that sit in Miami traffic everyday with their a/c Never Off in this jungle heat and none of these use a drop of oil.
BTW my warrenty is till 70k on the engine and was already told to use the 5w20 or my warrenty will be void.It was mentioned the last time i brought it in for the 30k service.
I still haven't heard of engines being seized with 10W-40, 10W-30, or 5W-30 (OHC or OHV) when the oil is changed regularly. Heck, some people haven't changed their oil for 200k and the engine doesn't seize. We're talking about metal wear measured in PPM. I'll stick with 5W-30 for the 01-up modular engine. It's what the 91-00 mod engines used and I see no reason to change (other than to comply with warranty requirements).
I'd like to see the modular engines that grenade for using 5w-20 oil. They don't exist to my knowledge. Lots of myths here.
Ford started recommending 5w20 in Cvs 6+ years ago. HOW many police depts are running 5w20 motor oil to this day, I would GUESS not many?
I have talked to MULTIPLE fleet managers who had engine failures using 5w20 when it was first introduced in 2001. They switched to 5w30 or a greater weight (like they were using before 5w20 was recommended) and engine failures drastically dropped in their situation.