Has anyone changed from 5W-20 to something else?

I have been considering doing my next oil change with 5W-30 instead of the recommended 5W-20. There is a lot of clatter in the engine (valves? lifters? I dunno but it's dang noisy!) and have been lurking on BITOG reading some. My van's past 100K miles so I'm not worried about warranty issues. It's wearing extremely well according to the last UOA. If it's going to be a wash on wear, mileage and OCI, I'll take the quieter option. YMMV.

I've been all over the map with oil weights ... my '99 has 260k miles ... (Yes, I did a light "driveway" engine overhaul @ 200k miles) ... but my engine has never had nuisance internal noises. I currently prefer MOBIL1 0w-30.

You didn't mention year model? You may have something loose ... in the intake system(?).

Mine's an '03. I've had the intake apart for the iso bolt fix and such, but I never have checked it for loose components. Thanks for the tip. This is definitely mechanical-sounding though. It sounds very much like what I've heard people describe valve clatter as sounding like.

We have a 2000 w/ a 3.8L, 102K km.

The manual says the oil I'm supposed to use is 5W30. That's what I've always used.

We have a 2000 w/ a 3.8L, 102K km.

The manual says the oil I'm supposed to use is 5W30. That's what I've always used.

They moved to the 5W-20 sometime before 03 (or maybe that was the year), CAFE standards and all that rot. I'm just thinking that 5W-30 might help quiet down all the clatter from the engine. Maybe I'm crazy. I think it's worth a shot. I'm learning.

You sure it's coming from inside the engine? Is it constant?

Our 2000 Winnie has some clatter. But my mechanic (he takes on the tough stuff where I don't think I can do it in one day....plus he has a hoist...something my wife won't let me buy for my garage...go figure) and I have narrowed it down to the serpentine belt, tensioner pulley bearing, or idler pulley bearing, or a combination thereof.

We only get the clattering occasionally at low idle.

With regards to the oil, that explains why my '05 Escape (bought used last month) says to use 5W20.

The clatter is usually only on startup. The pulleys and belt were changed last year, so I'm thinking it's not that.

Ford 3.8L engines were rated for 5W-30 until around 02-03. The 20 weight provides just enough less resistance in the engine that it apparently lets them squeak by on the mileage required by the EPA.

Pardon me for not having a clue :) Just wanted to make mention of a comment on changing belt. Most recommendations I've seen say that when you change the belt you should change the idler and tensioner at the same time.

Last year I had some noise in the idler so I just had someone pound in a new bearing for me. It worked great, quiet and smooth. Had them do one in the tensioner as well.

But here we are a year later and I'm having noise in the engine when AC comes on. Further investigation reveals the same noise when pressing "up" on both power windows at the same time (when windows are already up).

Recommendation was to change the tensioner. Funny thing, the belt is absolutely fine though. (My model is a 2001).

Pin pointing noises is a real pain and can take time. Can always look into something like the "engine ear". But if you do find the noise, you'll be certain how to fix it.

No, you totally have a clue! That's a great place to start looking for noises. Fortunately, my tensioner and idler pulley are new from last year and are not the source of the noise (I checked them first).

Clatter ONLY on startup......I would try a different brand of oil filter.
I currently use Wix on my '96.
I would not think that this would be the oil viscosity.......

If one had the clatter all the time.....that would be another story.

As far as oil viscosity......My '96 manual says 5W-30, but FORD issued a TSB that states that 5W-20 is now recommended.
I have 213K miles on mine....and use 5W-20 in it since the TSB came out.

I have used Mobil 1 and Redline 5W-30.

I have been considering doing my next oil change with 5W-30 instead of the recommended 5W-20.

It depends of the temperature. The more is hot outside, the more you should increase the oil viscosity.

5W-20 is perfect for hard winter. But in summer, it's better to use 5W-30 or even better, 10W-30.

Clatter ONLY on startup......I would try a different brand of oil filter.
I currently use Wix on my '96.
I would not think that this would be the oil viscosity.......

If one had the clatter all the time.....that would be another story.

The clatter is only on startup. I've used the OEM filters from the get-go. I'm not sure where to find Wix filters around here, though maybe NAPA is a good bet. Will look for these. Are these OEM filters known for causing the clatter issue?

It depends of the temperature. The more is hot outside, the more you should increase the oil viscosity.

5W-20 is perfect for hard winter. But in summer, it's better to use 5W-30 or even better, 10W-30.

Serge- you're absolutely right. Good advice on viscosity. I know this engine was rated for 5W-30 until 01 or 02, when they changed to 5W-20 for CAFE standards. The extreme cold temps up here warrant the 20 in winter. I'm about to move south soon, and may end up keeping the 5W-30 year-round if I'm happy with it's performance. Going back to Motorcraft Syn Blend as it's well regarded and is quite a bit cheaper. Plus I don't have to worry about sub-zero starts with moving south! Will also move back to 3K OCIs.

From what I have read, the Napa "GOLD" is made by Wix...and is the same as the Wix brand.
I read that many of the Motorcraft filters are made by Purolator and are also a good filter.
HOWEVER, as you are having this noise at startup, I would try a Wix / Napa GOLD filter and see if that helps.

From what I have read, the Napa "GOLD" is made by Wix...and is the same as the Wix brand.
I read that many of the Motorcraft filters are made by Purolator and are also a good filter.
HOWEVER, as you are having this noise at startup, I would try a Wix / Napa GOLD filter and see if that helps.

Wow- great info!! I will try this and post back. Thanks!!

Tensioners. But not the belt tensioner ... the hydraulic/spring-assisted chain tensioner under the front cover. I've never heard of a problem with the tensioner on the 3.8 ... but the early 2.5 Duratec's had a rash of failures.

I'm now hearing a hiss type of sound in there, as I'm getting informed here and listening a little more carefully. With the hood open, I hear a release of air, like air brakes, when the engine shuts off. Intake leak?

Intake manifold vacuum drops to zero as soon as the engine is shut off,so there should be no 'hiss' there.
However, there are two vacuum resivoirs that will hold their vacuum when the engine is switched off. One is the brake booster. The other one is connected to the interior ventilation system. If these systems are leaking, they will hiss briefly when the engine is shut off.

Wait a minute after the engine is switched off, then step on the brake pedal. You should be able to get 1-3 'power' brake applications before the pedal gets hard. If not, then the brake booster is not holding vacuum as it should. This is a safety issue, since this reserve is designed to give you some power braking ability even if the engine stalls.

If the brakes are good, then it's likely a leaking vacuum hose elsewhere. Ideally, you will want to stop the leak because it can upset the idle speed, affect the function of a vacuum controlled device and likely will eventually get worse.
Try listening carefully around the engine or under the dashboard for a whistle/hisswhen the engine is idling. Hopefully it's just a loose/leaking vacuum line.

Also, the Air Conditioning system makes some hissing sounds after the vehicle is shut down. This is the refrigerent in the system.
Completely normal sound.

Wait a minute after the engine is switched off, then step on the brake pedal. You should be able to get 1-3 'power' brake applications before the pedal gets hard. If not, then the brake booster is not holding vacuum as it should. This is a safety issue, since this reserve is designed to give you some power braking ability even if the engine stalls.

If the brakes are good, then it's likely a leaking vacuum hose elsewhere. Ideally, you will want to stop the leak because it can upset the idle speed, affect the function of a vacuum controlled device and likely will eventually get worse.
Try listening carefully around the engine or under the dashboard for a whistle/hisswhen the engine is idling. Hopefully it's just a loose/leaking vacuum line.

Brakes are as solid as ever. I'm pretty anal about this in particular.

Also, the Air Conditioning system makes some hissing sounds after the vehicle is shut down. This is the refrigerent in the system.
Completely normal sound.

I'll get a close listen to the A/C on the next shutdown I have a chance to be here for (my wife drives the 'star). Thanks for the good tip- it helps a lot to narrow down possibilities!