Why does it seem everybody is using 5W30 in their V10 My 2001 SD 250 calls for 5W20 . I always figured too lite for this motor. But what do i know.

 

The older V10's called for the 5W30 so lots of people are running it. Some guys with newer 10's also use the 30 since it just doesn't feel right to put in the real light 20, especially for hot summer temps. If you want to use the 30, check with your dealer for any warranty issues they might have, most seem to be allowing use of the 5W30 with no problems.

 

Ford will void your warranty in a newer V-10 for 5w30. Dealer may or may not. 5w20 is ford recomendation for all current v-10s and retroactively for all old ones.

DeJaVu - people used to spout this same stuff about 10w30 and 5w30 just feeling wrong and using 10w40 instead. Me - I use what the OEM says, even if it is sewing machine oil. Bear in mind that the 5w20 is semisynthetic or full synthetic, so it is probably better than the 5w30 dino juice most are using.

You get more wear at startup than even in hot weather. Better flowing oil protects better at start up.

You probably will not have any trouble using 5w30 in a new V-10, but why on earth go against the manufacturer requirements for lubrication - ever??

-Jim

 

Because the manufacturer has money as their driving force for change. Notice Ford says that it improves emissions and gas mileage. Both of these issues are big influences on manufacturer's decisions.

CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) ratings are an average of all car's MPG sold by a manufacturer. If they do not meet a certain level, the manufacturer pays a penalty.

I could see Ford deciding it was cheaper to change all the documentation (and grab a chance to charge more for oil) than it was to pay the penalties.

On the other hand, they may have decided to switch to 5w20 because it actually did help the engine and it was a way to reduce warranty costs.

However, in my V10, with only 300 miles on it, I switched to good ole Castrol GTX 5w30, and it got a lot quieter. To me, that means that the crap that was in there wasn't doing it's job as well as the thicker oil. What I heard sounded like timing chain and general valvetrain noise. It's not there anymore with 5w30.

art k.

 

Does anyone know if our heavy duty trucks are included in the CAFE standards? It seems like they might not be since they aren't rated by the EPA.

 

I was under the impression that light trucks were not under the CAFE program, but recently heard some Congressmen were trying to get the ratings upped on light trucks. They didn't say "enact", they said "tighten" restrictions on light trucks.

My '01 F250 says it's a ULEV (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) for '01 on the engine compartment sticker. I was amazed... but glad. I live in pretty-much metro-area NY. We are required to have the California-grade emissions systems.

By the way, I don't think they mean the same thing as a ULEV car. It just meets the '01 EPA standards for ULEV heavy duty vehicles.

art k.

 

As far as I know, the SD line up does not contribute to Ford's CAFE rating. Currently any vehicle over 8800 GVWR is exempt as it is considered a "commercial" vehicle. However, I understand that the greens are doing whatever they can to change this.

That's the beauty of the HD light truck (3/4 and 1 tons) for the manufacturers, there's big money to be made. Just try to find published fuel economy data, especially from Ford, for the 5.4 (in an SD), the V10, or the PSD. It doesn't exist, or if it does you need some kinda security code to get it.

Waxy

 

So, it sound like CAFE wouldn't be a consideration for Ford to spec. a 5-20W oil...