Picking the right motor oil
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slow2day said:
If you can give me some information about how to order that manual, I might get one for myself from eBay.
Does the manual mention different oil weights for summer and winter, or does it just recommend 10W30 period?
Tom
Vagabound said:
The manuals on eBay come and go and sometimes it can be hard to find one for an older vehicle. What I bought actually is for a 95 and it's a 3-volume set that covers mechanical,vacuum & electrical and it was $70. There may be some differences between a 93 and a 95 but nothing major. I'll fill in with info available on the online Ford forums. Just search eBay listings:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/Service-Re...w=1993+ford+econoline+service+manual&_vxp=mtr
You have to read the descriptions carefully to make sure you get the right manual. One listing says "Econoline F-150", which is a pickup and not a van.
Vagabound said:
See post #12. Most vehicles call for lighter weights in the winter, heavier in summer.
https://www.valvoline.com/about-us/faq/oil-types-weights-and-viscosity-faq
highdesertranger
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I would shoot an Email to Wix and ask them I they make the Microguard and if they don't tell them the the guy at such and such store was trying to tell you different. also ask them if it's the same top of the line filter as their other filters. as for the oil I would never run a 5w-xx, but I am very rarely in temps below zero. actually the last couple of years I have ben running diesel oil in my gas motor, Delo 15-40, Chevy 454. this was on the recommendation of several well respected diesel mechanics. seems to work fine for me the motor is very old and well worn. in fact this years RTR will be it's last ride. highdesertranger
highdesertranger said:
Delo and Rotella is good stuff...
I run it in my motorcycles...it doesn't have all the 'energy conserving' friction modifier crap in it...
user 15722
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An older Ford with a 5.8 engine? Gosh, I'll be the bad guy...
You could spend a fortune on fancy oils/filters, and other tune up items and probably exceed the value of the vehicle before it dies.
Run any kind of 10-30 and a filter that's on sale for the cooler months and 10-40 for the summer if you are working it hard up and down the hills.
Operate the vehicle as though you want it to last and it probably will run longer than any of the magic products offered to the public.
A newer vehicle with fresh motor might be the place to start with all the fancy stuff in hopes of longevity. The newer engines are superior tech.
Good luck, wheels.
You could spend a fortune on fancy oils/filters, and other tune up items and probably exceed the value of the vehicle before it dies.
Run any kind of 10-30 and a filter that's on sale for the cooler months and 10-40 for the summer if you are working it hard up and down the hills.
Operate the vehicle as though you want it to last and it probably will run longer than any of the magic products offered to the public.
A newer vehicle with fresh motor might be the place to start with all the fancy stuff in hopes of longevity. The newer engines are superior tech.
Good luck, wheels.
Scott7022
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My old 2006 Dodge truck said it took 0W40 oil and ten Qts of the stuff expensive as hell. Before I bought that truck I didn't know 0 weight oil existed. A Dodge tech buddy said run 5W30 but get the proper oil can as it had five larger holes instead of eight smaller one. Higher flow rate. His opinion of oil was past dino it was all snake oil, but cans were the bug bear and most he pulled were wrong.
Looks like 10W-30 is the recommended viscosity. Your best bet would be to get Mobil-1 Full Synthetic oil and a decent brand filter, like Wix. Change it at least every 5000 miles or 6 months and you'll be fine. Stay away from cheap filters like Fram. Get a quality filter if you care about your engine, especially in colder months. Can't afford premium brand filters/ Go with AC Delco then.
BTW, most oils sold as Full Synthetic are not really synthetic at all. They can sell it as synthetic due to a marketing strategy and the law that allows them to do this. This does not mean they are bad for your engine. A real 100% synthetic based oil is a lot more expensive.
Also, thicker oil is not always better. 95% of engine wear occurs during the first minute after a cold engine start. This is why synthetic oils are a lot better for use, especially in cold climates. It simply flows better at cold temperatures and will reach critical engine parts quicker after a cold start. This is why a quality filter with a well performing anti-drainback valve and an large surface quality filtering media is very important too.
Oil is not only used to lubricate engine parts but to cool them as well. Thicker oil does not flow as fast thus it may not provide adequate cooling. Stick with a manufacturer recommended viscosity.
I personally use AMSOIL Signature series oil in all of my vehicles and motorcycles. I buy it online, directly from Amsoil with my Preferred Customer discount. After the discount it comes to a reasonable price. Their filters are excellent too.
I started using Amsoil brand after I tried it in my V-Twin motorcycle engine. The engine ran noticeably cooler, quieter. Gear shift quality and clutch were a lot smoother too. It was hard to believe but the oil made that much difference. Since then, I only use their oil for everything. Obviously I'm not affiliated with Amsoil in any way, Just a happy customer.
BTW, most oils sold as Full Synthetic are not really synthetic at all. They can sell it as synthetic due to a marketing strategy and the law that allows them to do this. This does not mean they are bad for your engine. A real 100% synthetic based oil is a lot more expensive.
Also, thicker oil is not always better. 95% of engine wear occurs during the first minute after a cold engine start. This is why synthetic oils are a lot better for use, especially in cold climates. It simply flows better at cold temperatures and will reach critical engine parts quicker after a cold start. This is why a quality filter with a well performing anti-drainback valve and an large surface quality filtering media is very important too.
Oil is not only used to lubricate engine parts but to cool them as well. Thicker oil does not flow as fast thus it may not provide adequate cooling. Stick with a manufacturer recommended viscosity.
I personally use AMSOIL Signature series oil in all of my vehicles and motorcycles. I buy it online, directly from Amsoil with my Preferred Customer discount. After the discount it comes to a reasonable price. Their filters are excellent too.
I started using Amsoil brand after I tried it in my V-Twin motorcycle engine. The engine ran noticeably cooler, quieter. Gear shift quality and clutch were a lot smoother too. It was hard to believe but the oil made that much difference. Since then, I only use their oil for everything. Obviously I'm not affiliated with Amsoil in any way, Just a happy customer.
GypRat said:
Finally found an AMSOIL website that allowed me to look up my vehicle (most either would not list E-350 as a choice or didn't go back to 1993). In any case, the recommended oil of any type from them is 5W20.
For the time being, I'm leaving the oil that I just put in there. That will give me 3,000 miles to learn more and consider whether a switch makes the most sense.
Thanks to all for the good info and advice.
Tom
P.S. - Slow2day -- sorry to tell you, but the manual page you posted is unreadable. You likely reduced the photo file size to post it, but too much. Zooming it to read it makes it illegible.
^ The pic is 640 x 480 which is what the board specifies. What you see is a thumbnail and clicking on it should open up the full pic. Works fine in FireFox anyway. Anyone else have trouble seeing the full pic?
The choice is yours on oil but I'd say that because of the superior lubrication qualities of full synthetics such as Amsoil, they feel it's OK to recommend a lighter oil from what Ford does. Since you're not using Amsoil though, well good luck. If you're going to be doing just regular driving and not hauling too much,or doing extended runs through hot weather, you'll probably be fine.
The choice is yours on oil but I'd say that because of the superior lubrication qualities of full synthetics such as Amsoil, they feel it's OK to recommend a lighter oil from what Ford does. Since you're not using Amsoil though, well good luck. If you're going to be doing just regular driving and not hauling too much,or doing extended runs through hot weather, you'll probably be fine.
