Which oil??
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Houston USA
Which oil??
Trying to decide what oil to use on a '93 5.8 with 96K miles. I assumed it would be either 5W-30 or 10W30. When I go to the Motorcraft site, they reccommend 5W-20 as the first choice!
That's what I run in my '01 Excursion, but I'm surprised they would recommend it for this engine.
Any input or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Joe
That's what I run in my '01 Excursion, but I'm surprised they would recommend it for this engine.
Any input or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Joe
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Joined: Jul 2001
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Considering where you live, I would suggest a 10w-30. There are several that are very good oils including the Motorcraft line which is Hydroclear in a red bottle. Very good stuff. Havoline is another as well as Chevron Supreme. Kendall, 76, Phillips, and Citgo oils are now a blend and should be top performers. I would not suggest the Xw-20 in your engine as it is not and was not designed for this weight oil. It might work with satisfactory results in a fridgid environment but is going to run too thin in your heat for that engine design. It works great in the newer Tritons.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
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I'd say go with Valvoline Maxlife synthetic or regular depending on what you already use. I was told that 5W-30 and 10W-30 are so similiar it does not matter wich one you choose. The guy knows his stuff too. He attends one of those tech colleges.
Kyle
Kyle
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Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Medina, Tn.
Man, that's a loaded question. Almost like asking what tires to go with. My preference is Castrol 20W50 but like I said, everyone has their opinions and preferences. I have used it in my 302 for over 13 years with no problems whatsoever. However, I change to Castrol 10W40 for the Winter months but you may not have to where you live. A friend of mine is a Chemical Engineer and did his thesis on oil types and proved that Castrol is one of the best that you can buy and that Quaker State is one of the worst. Of course, things change over the years so do oils.
Good luck with your decision. I would almost say that if you do regular maintenance of your Bronce, any oil would work OK.
Good luck with your decision. I would almost say that if you do regular maintenance of your Bronce, any oil would work OK.
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Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Reno,NV
I personally use Castorl Syntec 10w30 and I live in Reno. Hot summers and colad as hell winters. It has been good for me. As long as it's not Quaker State or Penzoil I think you should be ok. BTW Ford suggests 5w20 because it is a thinner oil and allows the motor to spin more freely. As a result they get a miniscule reduction in emissions. They do this because car manufactures get taxed by the feds baised on the emission output of their WHOLE fleet line up of that year. So any reduction helps them. Using 10w30 wouldn't hurt your motor but they suggest and use the thinner for those reasons. Hope it helped.
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Senior User
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From: Houston USA
Hi all,
Thanks for the responses. Didn't mean to start a brand war and I should have been more clear in that I wasn't looking for a brand but a weight.
I'm also aware of the reasons Ford specifies 5W-20 in new vehicles. What surprised me was the recommendation of that weight in a 1993 vehicle!
Anyway, I'll likely go with 10W-30.
Thanks again.
Thanks for the responses. Didn't mean to start a brand war and I should have been more clear in that I wasn't looking for a brand but a weight.
I'm also aware of the reasons Ford specifies 5W-20 in new vehicles. What surprised me was the recommendation of that weight in a 1993 vehicle!
Anyway, I'll likely go with 10W-30.
Thanks again.
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,899
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From: Lynnwood, WA
I wouldn't use 5W20 in a '93 351 with around 100k, unless I were around the arctic circle, or some other cold place. I use 10W40 in the summer, 10W30 in the winter in WA. I got 150k miles on the engine.
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I am not sure when or where I read a bulletin from ford headquarters but it stated that they have found all EFI engines through the 90's should use 5w-30 oil year round due to the fact that ford has such tight toleranced engines. I personally always use castrol 5w-30 in mine.
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