I own a 1998 ford explorer with the 5.0 and it's 2 wheel drive. I was wondering what weight oil i can use year round and what brand is the best to buy? Since i've owned the truck,a year now,i've been using valvoline max life 5w-30 with the fram tough guard oil filter. I live in Rhode Island so the winter isn't too bad. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanx guys.

 

I am not a fan or 5w30 for year round use. I can see it in a cold winter but not in hot summer. If your temps stay above zero at the coldest, 10w30 will work fine for you and is a better choice too for a older engine with a few miles on it too.

 

Yes, I generally agree, but RI does not get hot, not really. Also, here is what CR had to say about 5w-30 versus 10w-30:

So my vote is that if he is getting good results with the 5w-30, stick with it.

 

I question your quote because 5w30 drains off of parts easier as engine cools and leaves less film strength behind to protect parts at startup plus 5w30 by design has to have more VI (Viscosity Improver) added to the oil to achive a wider weight range rating and VI adds no lubricating properties to the oil itself, it actually detracts from it some. The reason that they push 5w30 and 5w20 today is because the lighter oil has reduced power loss to oil shearing in engine to squeeze out that last fraction of MPG, not because it offers superior protection.

 

All I can tell you is that CR tested both 5w-30 and 10w-30 and found what they found.

I wasn't in the lab, so I didn't do the testing.

 

I think if the manufacturer says to use 5/30 weight oil year round then there should be no problem in using it.If your engine is using a lot of oil, leaking or burning it, then use something heavier to try to slow that down or have the engine rebuilt.

 

Stick with 5w30 oil if the owners manual suggests it however,your choice of oil filter leaves something to be desired. I prefer a Motorcraft,Purolator, or Wix filter.

 

The reason why i'm using fram is because my grandfather bought it for me. I usually use the nascar select oil filter from napa with the spin flow technology. I also put a can of that engine restore in with the oil change and it works quite well. Should i use something other than the engine restore along with the 5w30?

 

There are better and more reliable oil filters than the one you suggested: Baldwin, Wix, Hastings, and Donaldson, for example.

 

the engine restore snake oil is not needed. it is nothing more than copper shavings in a 60w oil. may hurt more than it helps.

 

I have a 2000 Explorer (wife's car) with a 5.0. I have used Mobil 1 5w30 since day one and have had no consumption issuses and I am changing oil at 7500 - 8000 miles. Mine now has over 150,000 miles on it by the way. Ford has approved this engine for the 5w20 so I think 5w30 should be plenty thick. I too would not use any snake oil additives but also agree I would not use the Fram filter when Motorcraft, Purolator and Wix filters are readily available and for little if any additional money. I would even use the Walmart Supertech or most of the parts stores house brands first. Otherwise keep doing what has worked so far.

 

If you change your oil and filter regularly and at the specified mileage then your choices almost don't matter as long as you use the mfg specified API and SAE rated oil.

But, you will find most of us have our particular religious beliefs in what is good for our engines. My religion is synthetic and I don't worry about oil weights too much. But with dino oils, it can make more of a difference.

First off, check your manual and read what they mean by Severe Duty Cycle versus Normal driving. Most city dwellers actually should change their oil on the Severe Duty cycle... stop and go, long idling, short trips etc.

Next, most modern engines were designed with either 5W30 or even 5W20 oil specified( I recall 5W30 being recommend back as far as about 1980). I have read on this site, that the Ford 5W20 oil is excellent semi syn and a very good fit for the newer say 2002 and up engines. The tighter tolerances of modern engines does not work well with an oil that is too thick.

Unless your engine is old and or burns oil, you do not need a xW40 or 50 oil. That is for smokers. Unless you live in Alsaka or somewhere that it stays in the below 0 ranges, you do not need a 0Wxx oil.

In non freezing conditions a 5W or 10W oil is pretty much the same on startup so it doesn't matter much. We're talking 5 points here and mostly marketing.

At normal engine temperature, the last part of the oil weight is what matters then. A 5W30 and a 10W30 are supposed to flow exactly the same, ie 30 weight at operating temps. There are some additional VI improvers in the 5 versus 10 so there is a bit of truth in the statement that the 10W is more lubricating than 5W, but not much. Where this really matters, at least 5-15 years back was when we used a lot of wide viscosity spread oils like 10W40. The spread then required a lot of VI improvers which at least with the formulas back then, tended to "burn up" and clog up an engine. I am hoping the oil makers have fixed that problem but sicne I use syn I don't worry about it.

If it were me and I wanted to use dino oil I would go with a good name brand oil of 5W30 weight. I would feel safe with a 10W30. If it got hot, say over 90 degrees on a regular basis I might go to something like 15W40. If I had a smoker, I might go to 20W50 in summer and probably 10W30 when it snowed.

But since I use syn, who cares what VI spread is there or how hot it gets?

As far as filter choice there has been a lot of discussion on quality. Do a google search for "oil filter study" and you will get some interesting reading, note it is a bit old and manufactures may have changed things.

My personal preferences are Purolator(especially the house brands made by Purolator, save a buck), Wix. I hear Motorcraft are excellent filters(but often made by Purolator and others). The Fram has gotten a bad rep. I never had a problem with Fram but they do appear to be built less ruggedly than the ones I have looked at.

Once again, change regularly and use the specified rating oil.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

Stick with 5w30, it can safely be used year-around. Modern SL SM rated oils, will easily take the heat. 10w30, is also okay, but do not use anything else, if you feel your engine is normal / tight for the mileage. The key is changing the oil, and using a good oil filter every time. Purolator, WIX, Motorcraft, etc. Commercial oil filters are excellent too, especially Baldwin, Hastings and Donaldson, the later, who makes one heck of a full commercial oil filter line. Good luck. Just try to avoid using oil, where it's beyond black, additives are spent. Then high engine heat begins to bake and cook those deposits and varnishes onto engine parts, especially lifters, valve springs, etc. One those parts get varnished, and sludged, when baked on. It causes problems, when the engine is cold, and those moving parts almost have glue on them, from neglecting oil and oil filter change intervals.