Synthetic oil

Hi

I have a 96 escort LX (5w30 oil) and i'm wondering if its ok if i use synthetic oil in the engine. The reason why i'm asking is because I know alot of people with older cars like mine are using it, saying its better for the engine.

Sure. You might even get better gas mileage and longer service between oil changes. Synthetic oil is designed to go 5000 to 7500 miles between oil changes, but i would not go beyond 5000 with any oil.

Ditto to Franco
But on an older engine the advantages of High tech oil is not that MUCH because it is the contamination that is the problem? Because of that I would not go with an extra long time between oil changes. Older engines have hard valve guide seals, a little ring blow by, and a little coked up hear and there. So it is the crap floating around in the oil that is the problem and not the oil itself.

Changing the oil even with cheap oil every 3-4 thousand miles or 3 months will probably give you a better bang for your buck than 5-8 dollar a quart oil ever will. Today even cheap oils don’t have the wax in them that they did 20 or 30 years ago therefore they don’t crud things up like they use to.
New oil has rust inhibitors in it that will help prevent corrosion and that is one of the biggest killers of an engine next to cold start up.

But that is just my opinion

FYI-I believe there is a Technical Service Bulletin that says to start using 5W20 in all Fords. This supersedes your manual.

5W20 is Fords own synthetic blend. So yea, they are going to push 5W20 as the go to oil for Fords. I still believe that the cost of straight synthetic is worth it. Less friction on engines and longer between oil changes. Also saves time.

5W20 is Fords own synthetic blend. So yea, they are going to push 5W20 as the go to oil for Fords. I still believe that the cost of straight synthetic is worth it. Less friction on engines and longer between oil changes. Also saves time.

The TSB didn't say anything about synthetics. It was regular motor oil. I think it affected all Fords (except diesel) from sometime in the 80's on. With overhead cams you need the oil to pump fast when it's cold. I have seen, and used, the 5W20 you're talking about though. Wal-Mart used to have a reasonable price on it. :2cents:

Here's the TSB: http://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/fulltext/show_article.php?tsb=02-1-9

FYI-I believe there is a Technical Service Bulletin that says to start using 5W20 in all Fords. This supersedes your manual.


what really?..what is the reason for that?..and can you provide a link to the bulletin?..

I found something. I'm not sure if it includes the escort since its only pertaining to the taurus or sable.



http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_type_of_oil_and_how_many_quarts_goes_in_a_199 6-2006_Taurus_or_Sable


1996 FORD TAURUS SHO 3.4L DOHC 32 Valve 8-cyl "Yamaha" Engine Code N = 6.6 Qts W/Filter Ford Motor Company reports that the company's switch from recommending 5W-30 viscosity motor oil to 5W-20 viscosity motor oil has saved 700 million gallons of gasoline since 2001. By reducing load and internal friction, lighter viscosity 5W-20 motor oils reportedly increase fuel economy by a half mile per gallon. In addition, Ford reports its use of 5W-20 oils has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by about one million metric tons a year. Note: Ford issued a TSB (technical service bulletin TSB 02-1-9) regarding the 5w20 superseding 5w30 Owners Manual specifications. Applies to the majority of the car products back to the early 1990's.

according to this http://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/fulltext/show_article.php?tsb=02-1-9

the 1996 ford escort is not listed for the SAE 5w-20 standard

thanks guys for letting me know about the 5w30 to 5w20 switch over..Would there be any problems or issues switching from 5w30 to 5w20 on my next oil change?

There's no problem switching over. This summer I've been running 15W40 because I live in the Death Valley area. I think after this summer I'll run the 5W20 year-round. My opinion is that this lighter oil has to do with the overhead cam engines. They need oil pumped quickly.:cool:

Now you guys have me confused? I thought we were talking about using a Synthetic oil for the Escort. A lighter oil is not a Synthetic. If you go 5W20 Ford it's just a 3000 mile fluid Synthetic blend, really no different than your 5W30 you're currently using, because you change it out every 3k i assume. No matter what the TSB say's it's not going to beat a fully Synthetic oil. Back to your first question Chris, yes it's ok to use a fully Synthetic oil in your Escort.

thanks guys...i went to two stores and the 5w20 seems hard to find theres only one brand( Quaker State) that has it. The autoshop was actually putting in 10w30 in my car so i'm going to start doing the oil changes myself again and use 5w30..its easier and cheaper...right now the 5w30 4L Quarker State bottles are on sale for 8 bucks and the 5w20 only come in 1L for 5 bucks each..

I flushed my Escort(96) with engine flush when i did my first oil change and switched to synthetic

Many years ago I tried switching over to a synthetic blend.

Even though it was the same weight rating, the oil seemed much thinner in the engine.

I had more power because it was "lighter" oil, but the engine was noticeably louder and that made me uncomfortable with it.

So I got rid of it after about a week or two. Friction, makes an engine louder.

Currently have ~232k, no smoking or signs of impending failure; and drove with a cracked head for some time. In that time it has only been necessary to replace a few roller lifters.

For the Winters and Summers, the only oil I've ever used is Castrol 5w-30. I can tell the difference between different brands of oils just by running them through my fingers. Castrol is better. I don't like Penzoil and Valvoline. During the particularly hot months, I'll blend in between 25% and 50% 10w-30. Engine is a little quieter with the blend.

In short, let your ears tell the story. Louder during starts, go lighter. Louder during running, go thicker. Gets louder after some time, change the brand of oil that you use; it's failing. In the past I've heard it recommended that older cars continue using mineral-based oils as opposed to synthetic and synthetic blends. The reason for the thinner oil in newer cars is for the tighter tolerances (and cooler running temps) built into today's all alloy engines.