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Not sure I trust 5w20 anymore

Ebm

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A few weeks back I got laughed at on this forum by a few members for questioning the 5w-20 oil spec. I also believe the switch to 5w-20 was because of CAFE standards. I've been running 5w-30 in mine since I've owned it, but recently switched to 0w-30 to try it out. So far so good.
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careature

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Ford engine tolerances aren't any different now then they were 7~8 years ago. Two factors in oil properties prevent engine wear: 1) viscosity and 2) anti-wear additives. Viscosity is the primary propertiy that keeps parts separated with a thin shearing film of oil. Anti-wear additives help prevent wear when the viscosity can't keep parts 100% separated and metal-to-metal contact occurs. I'm also bumping up to a 5W-30 even for mostly normal street driving because I want a good first line of defense against engine wear - specifically more viscosity.

It's no secret that Ford went to specifying 5W-20 (and back specifying on older engines) because if CAFE.
wish I could do this. My engine ticks with > 5w20
 

BmacIL

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One very, very, very important acronym everyone should get to know when choosing between oils (even of the same weight rating): HTHS

People also forget that while the bulk temperature of the oil doesn't get that hot during street driving or even spirited road driving, local temperatures in the highest load areas and climb quite a bit. Thermal breakdown happens a milliliter at a time...
 

Burkey

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5w/30 is THE spec for these cars in Australia. Not sure if that helps any of you to make your decision but clearly it’s good enough for Ford Australia.
Also worth noting that the BBQ tick is barely even a thing over here.
 

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5W20 is fine on the street - you aren't doing anything on the street to ignore the factory's engineers. Synthetics are excellent oils these days. On track, you could sheer a 5W20 down so use 5W30 due to sustained higher heat. 5W30 seems to be fine in my engine on the street, as was 5W40 but I did wait much longer to drive when I had 5W40 as even though they all had a 5W the 5W40 wanted more time before the engine warmed up and I felt it was fine to start driving (speaking of after a cold start). When I tracked 5W40 Liqui Moly (sans aftermarket oil cooler) it sheered a little bit only after 3 track days and thousands of street miles, per oil analysis. If you are debating oil and not getting it analyzed... stop.
 

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As for any “warranty” worries, is there really a HUGE difference between a w20 and w30 oil when it comes down to it??

I also doubt running w30 vs w20 will ruffle any CAFE skirts, nor would it have any impact on emissions results...

I don’t see an issue running 5w30 daily in a Coyote.
 

GT Pony

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I changed oil and filter today. Been running Motircraft 5W-20 synthetic blend. My engine was pretty quiet on that, and does not have the BBQ tick.

Decided to try Valvoline Advanced full synthetic 5W-30 (it's dexos1 Gen2, latest stuff). Engine seemed a bit quieter with the hood open in the garage - the valve train seems a little quieter.

Anyway, looking at various Valvoline synthetic UOA, it looks to not shear down much, unlike Motorcraft which will shear down 20~25% in 5000 miles.
 
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careature

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I changed oil and filter today. Been running Motircraft 5W-20 synthetic blend. My engine was pretty quiet on that, and does not have the BBQ tick.

Decided to try Valvoline Advanced full synthetic (it's dexos1 Gen2, latest stuff). Engine seemed a bit quieter with the hood open in the garage - the valve train seems a little quieter.

Anyway, looking at various Valvoline synthetic UOA, it looks to not shear down much, unlike Motorcraft which will shear down 20~25% in 5000 miles.
Viscosity?
 

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careature

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Updated post, went with 5W-30.
I tried 5w30 redline - tick.
5w20 redline - tick

oils above are group 5 synthetic with good set of additives.

5w20 pennzoil ultra platinum - no tick.
 

GregO

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I tried 5w30 redline - tick.
5w20 redline - tick

oils above are group 5 synthetic with good set of additives.

5w20 pennzoil ultra platinum - no tick.
Shell owns Pennzoil

Phillips 66 owns Red Line Oil

Is there a possible pattern to the additive package used ?
 
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careature

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Surprise. As I think I stick with 5w20.

Here's my post from another thread:

You know what I now think after above research?

Engines with the tick have tighter clearances than engines without the tick.

Right, not the other way around!

Factory oil is most likely is break-in thinner oil.

Thinner oil penetrates better, so no tick, plus it looses viscosity over time.

This is also why tick goes away for some if they just keep driving. Oil looses viscosity and penetrates better, so the tick goes away.

Then people make the oil change and new thicker oil does not penetrate well, thus metal to metal contact - engine is ticking immediately following oil change.

So those whose engine is ticking should look for high quality thin oil that would penetrate better.

Doesn't it explain all?
This thread explains why

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/post-bbq-tick-users-which-oil.111293/
 

Condor1970

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Surprise. As I think I stick with 5w20.

Here's my post from another thread:

This thread explains why

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/post-bbq-tick-users-which-oil.111293/
I don't think the tight clearances with lack of oil flow is what's causing the tick. The more I read about this, and the more I experience what's happening with my own car, I really think the tick is the very early stages of piston slap. If anything, guys using heavier oil, 5w30 or even 5w40 and Ceratec additives is lubricating the cylinder liners better to help provide better cushioning and thus quieting of piston slap noise.

I say this because my tick slowly changed from a very small intermittent BBQ tick at idle, into no longer ticking at idle, but now a more noticeable tick once you rev up and exceed 1,000rpm. The tick begins around 1,000rpm intermittently, then becomes a constant tick above 1,500rpm, even when the engine is fully warm.

After driving the car very hard for several minutes at higher RPM (~3,500rpm) to heat up the engine under load, the metals swell and seal the pistons, and the tick is almost completely gone.

After shutting down the engine and letting it cool, the tick comes back after restarting.

This is a perfect example of piston slap, and it all started with a very light intermittent BBQ ticking sound at idle when new.


I also think the possibility of the engine now having a plastic oil pan is why the noise is mostly heard from underneath. The sound of piston slap is insulated by the heads on top, so the cylinder is acting like a sound tube and fires the noise downward, right into the oil pan. Since the oil pan being made of polymers are more flexible than metal, the oil pan itself may also be acting like a speaker of sorts, making the noise inside the engine much more noticeable.
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