I was reading the back of the moble one 5 quart jugs and it showed that the 5w-30 met MORE specs than the 5w-20. That is crazy sense the 20 wieght is a newer formulated oil spec.
But everyone tells me to use 5w20 in my Zx2. I picked the 5w30 until I get some answers as to why the 5w30 meets more "specs" than the 20 wieght counterpart
Dustin

 

...the most important "spec" is meeting the manufacturer's requirements or recommendation for your particular engine.

At this point in time, there have been, and are, more manufacturers which specify 5W30. I believe only Ford and Honda, up until a couple years ago, switched their recommendation to 5W20, so there are fewer "official" specs that 5W20 is required to meet at this time because relatively few mfrs require it. I think Chrysler is now on the 5W20 recommendation, and it is my guess that more manufacturers will eventually go that route as well.

For what it's worth, I believe a lot of NASCAR cars are now running 5W20 for races, and even 0W5(!!!) for qualifying--but those engines are built to use that oil weight. Here's a racing oil dealer selling lots of weights, with some background. (The 0W5 is used to qualify restrictor plate engines, because they don't run a very high oil temp--for racing, they use a 0W20 with the plates, 5W20 without--and state the latter is good for 500 mile races at 9500 RPM. Makes me not worry too much about 5W20 being too thin. And the 0W5 is recommended for Pro Stock drag cars too!)

http://www.steveschmidtracing.com/categories/joe-gibbs-racing-oil-1.html

If you have a recent Ford, the primary spec you (and I) are interested in is the Ford spec, which is a long letter/number combo--I believe the last 2 numbers are "29" for 5W30, and "30" for 5W20. I'd bet a good chunk of money that the Mobil1 meets the "30" spec for Ford, and would just go with that...unless your Ford still requires 5W30 (the 4 liter Explorer engine through maybe 2006 needed the 5W30 because the oil pump design of that German engine had too much clearance to develop sufficient oil pressure with the 5W20--and they were working to change that).

It's not the number of specs, but meeting the right spec, that is the concern.

George

 

George,
It is a 99 Zx2 That Last I heard recommended 5w30 and people here have recommended 5w20 for the reason that is is an DOHC motor and it uses oil Pressure to control the veriable cam timing (VCT) Just how? I have no idea how the oil pressure would affect the cam timing.
I have heard that the Zetec is VERY sensitive to the oil it uses. I have only used 5w30 moble 1. It is still on the indent on the full mark at the end of the 5k OCI and is dry underneath the car. I HIGHLY doubt that if I used the 5w20 it would change, however I am concerned about the moble 1 's ability to protect my Zetec in Texas?? I will use it without hesitation if it will protect the engine, and not accelorate the wear. Plus better fuel mileage. One thing I wander about is that I'm told this engine uses solid lifters, they are noisy when cranked in the morniing for about 3 seconds,Maybe do to have a POS FL 2005 oil filter instead of a wix or M1, would the 5w20 quiet it?

 

I found this quick link to a thread on the Ford TSB that back-specced 5W20:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...-01-1-9-a.html

It looks like the 1999 Zetec is NOT on this list (the 2001 Zetec is--and the 02 and up Zetecs came with the 5W20 recommendation from day one), so you should still be using the 5W30, which is what I use my 2003 Mazda Protege5, similar twin cam four to yours (mine is the same engine they used in the 2.0 liter Probes of the 90's, actually).

The Zetec does not have variable valve timing, nor does my 2.0.

As for filters, I use Motorcraft 820S's on my van--these have the silicone anti-drainback valve--but your Motorcraft application may not--so you might seek out a silicone ADBV filter--you'll see the orange color thru the holes in the perimeter of the filter.

Edit--your Zetec is a solid lifter engine. Have you had the valve adjustment checked on it? (probably every 30 or 60k miles?--check the manual)

George

 

Even though you don't have VCT, the way this works is that the camshaft "shifts" in relation to its drive gear at different engine speeds. Basically, the engine is normally in in "slow run" mode, likely with a spring holding the cam in one position in relation to the cam gear. When the engine hits a certain RPM point, a valve opens and pressurizes a little piston which moves the cam in relation to its gear and holds it there--kind of like what happens inside automatic transmissions to make them shift, hold gears, etc.

Many newer engine VCT designs (and also many newer auto transmissions) use electric solenoids to accomplish these things instead of hydraulic oil or fluid pressure. The electronics are more consistent, and can be run by the car's PCM (computer) to change behavior according to different criteria.

George

 

George,
Are you sure the Zx2 does not have varible cam timing? It says VCT right on the cam cover. What does that stand for then?I'll look in my owners manual tomarrow. Question though. What makes the 01-newer zetec any diffrent from my 99? I was under the impression that the Zetec 2.0L DOHC did not change from 98-03 in the zx2s.

 

I never gave much attention to the Zetec because I never considered a car that had one of those motors, but here's some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_Cam_Timing

As they had to do with the Explorer 4.0, they likely reduced some clearances in the bearings or the oil pump as a running change in anticipation of the move to 5W20, without changing anything else that would make for a power difference.

...and I learned something new today...

 

i would like to get my hands on moble 1 0w30 but I have yet to find it in Texas. I "guess" the 5w30 is what needs to be used then. Like I stated before ZERO oil comsumption even with 150k about 180k adjust with engine hours and dry as a bone underneath. I or (moble 1) must be doing something right then. I just would like to get rid of that pesky little start up tick of what I think is the lifters priming up becuase most cars turn over 2-4 times then they start, the zx2 busts right off so it doesn't have a chance to pre-lube

 

I checked on the Internet and belive you do have solid lifters--these do not need to be "primed" or pumped up like hydraulic lifters which sometimes "leak down" when the engine sits.

It could be part of the VCT system that clanks around a bit, but I don't think going to a lighter oil will make a diff--I'd stick with the 5W30 if I had your motor. Now looking for an oil filter with a silicone anti-drainback valve might make a diff (because the filter will stay full of oil better--if your current ADBV is leaking oil). This will help get oil to the valvetrain faster. Check some of the oil filter specs on the Internet and try to find one for your application that does have the silicone ADBV. I don't think I'd pay the price for a Mobil 1 filter if I could get a Wix, high end Purolator, or NAPA Gold or something like that--look for the orange inside the perimeter holes.

Sounds like you're fine with what you're doing, and with solid lifters, you probably should check/adjust the valve clearance if you have not done that. Loose clearances will definitely make for a valve tick although I'd expect it to linger longer than a few seconds--they tighten up when the engine heats up. I just sold a '98 Acura 2.5 TL which had a 5-cyl engine and had solid lifters, and the engine did make some lifter noise (and I did have them adjusted every 50k miles or so)

George

 

I would not use anything thiner than specfied for your engine. In fact, I would be inclined to use 10w30 instead of 5w30. If it gets very cold, run a 10w30 synthetic.

You can run 5w20 if it's back specified by the manufacturer, but even then I would want the more robust spec of the 30 weight. Redline synthetic oil has a 5w30 that has the HT/HS rating of a 10w30. That would be an excellent choice. Run it for a year OCI as it's $9 a quart. Redline is about the best oil out there.