oil and filter

[MNlotus]

i am about to do my first oil change on my seven and i have the ford zetec 2.0L motor. the sheet that i got with the car says use either

-5W30 non synthetic

-5W20 non synthetic

is there a reason to not use synthetic?and it does not say the oil capacity. does anyone know this.

Thanks,

Dan

[MHKflyer52]

Hi Dan,

 

You might want to read this link on the forum.

 

http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3632

 

A lot of good information about oil.

[MNlotus]

thanks, i think ill go with 5W30 non synthetic. i still don't know what the capacity is for oil on that motor. im gonna buy 5 quarts to be on the safe side, and i will have extra for next time.

[MNlotus]

even though it says 5W 20 on the oil cap, it should be fine with the 5W 30 right?

should i switch to 5W 20 next time?

 

went out for a long cruise and it seemed fine. should i switch over to 5W 20 though next time

Edited May 15, 2009 by MNlotus

[oilteq]

MNlotus

 

A few years ago I got tired of reading the press relaeses from Ford in the lubrication publications that said SAE 5W-20 is best for both fuel economy and durability. I believed it was half right. So, I went into work one morning and found the largest Ford dealer in Europe on the internet, Dagenham Motors. I called in the morning Central Time, afternoon in England, and asked to speak with the service manager. I asked him what viscosity grade is required for the Ford Zetec engine. He said “5W-30.” I asked, “what about 5W-20?” After this uncomfortably long pause, and he replied with his classic British accent, “But sir, 5W-20 is not available.” My point is that if 5W-20 is really better, it is better on both sides of the pond, not just the side with the U.S. EPA imposing CAFÉ (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements. For more than you ever wanted to know about this topic—I was invited by a hardcore lubrication magazine editor to write the following article, which is online here http://www.machinerylubrication.com/article_detail.asp?articleid=518

 

Again, I recommend avoiding oils meeting API SM or displaying the starburst symbol for most 7s. They have gutted the anti-wear package (zinc phosphate (ZDDP)) in these oils to make the cat last longer. Not a big deal in engines with rolling cam followers, but your DOHCs slide against the cam bucket, and in my opinion, you want more anti-wear additive. A racing oil with >1400 ppm zinc is a good choice, especially if you have a performance cam. An alternative that is far superior to a synthetic passenger car oil for your Zetec is a diesel engine oil (API CJ-4), which typically has about 1200 ppm zinc. At least in the Northern states, you should be able to find it in an SAE 10W-30 or 5W-40.

 

Blaine

[WestTexasS2K]

I would take OilTeqs advice, he knows oil. After his siminar at the 7s festival I went home and put diesel engine oil in all my vehicles plus all my small equipment.

 

Blaine I will be calling yall to get a few cases of Cenpeco shipped to me.

[Kitcat]

I never question advice about oil that is provided by a member named "oilteq"!

 

Any thots on what we Kent Crossflow owners should be adding? (No worries about the effect on our non-existent cat converters, of course). I am running Mobile One 15-45. It's been in the car for 23K miles (after the dinosaur oil break in period). All seems to be well.

 

Oils, manufacturers, synthetics, viscosity, change intervals, etc., have been a rich source of mostly uninformed debate on the many car forums where I hang out, so I am interested in your opinion.

 

Mike

Edited May 15, 2009 by Kitcat

[MNlotus]

k ill start putting in 5W 40. thats what i put in my lotus already

 

does anyone know an easier way to get the oil filter off? i punched a few holes in it with a screwdriver to get it off

[TheDingo8MyBaby]

I never question advice about oil that is provided by a member named "oilteq"!

 

Any thots on what we Kent Crossflow owners should be adding? (No worries about the effect on our non-existent cat converters, of course). I am running Mobile One 15-45. It's been in the car for 23K miles (after the dinosaur oil break in period). All seems to be well.

 

Oils, manufacturers, synthetics, viscosity, change intervals, etc., have been a rich source of mostly uninformed debate on the many car forums where I hang out, so I am interested in your opinion.

 

Mike

 

Kitcat - as our crossflows have flat tappets, it's very important to run an oil with zinc phosphate (ZDDP). I run valvoline racing VR1 5w-50 "not street legal" because it has ample ZDDP. You can also run diesel oil, which as oilteq said has around 1200ppm ZDDP, but it may be hard to find in a 50 wt.

 

Oilteq - interesting article. I also believe we're seeing fewer dispersants in todays engines due to things like gapless rings. It would be interesting to see the fuel economy on a few honda accords after 300,000 miles running 20 wt motor oil. The thinner viscosity oil doesn't apear to be hurting Honda's reliability.

 

MNlotus - buy a oil filter wrench. They should have various types that will fit your filter at the local autopoarts stores. Oil filters only need to be hand hight. I hate it when people crank down on them.

Edited May 15, 2009 by TheDingo8MyBaby

[Kitcat]

Just ck'd, the Mobile One & Redline oils I have been using have 1200 ppm ZDDP. By happenstance though, not thru any knowledgeable planning on my part. I never heard of ZDDP until today:).

[jlumba81]

Kitcat, what Mobile 1 oil are you using?

[MNlotus]

just wondering too is there a reason for the two drain plugs?

[11Budlite]

Is one for an oil temp sensor?

[Kitcat]

Jlumba: 15w50 Mobile One. Last coupla changes have been Redline full synthetic tho. Don't recall why I switched, probably read something on a tech forum like this one, did it, then forgot about .

Edited May 15, 2009 by Kitcat

[oilteq]

Kitcat - as our crossflows have flat tappets, it's very important to run an oil with zinc phosphate (ZDDP).

 

Oilteq - interesting article. I also believe we're seeing fewer dispersants in todays engines due to things like gapless rings.

 

Good advice for Kitcat.

 

I am glad you liked the article.

 

Actually today's oils have more dispersant. Each EPA mandate that requires less emissions out the exhaust seems to blow more contaminants into the oil. Therefore, more dispersant is needed to deal with more contaminants.

 

Machining is better than 15 years ago, and performance areas, other than anti-wear, of today's oil are gennerally better. With reasonable care, an engine can go over 200,000 miles. However, if you have modified the valvetrain, run at high RPM, run at higher than normal temperatures, etc., a slightly more viscous oil with additional ZDDP will make a big difference in engine life.

 

Blaine

[Kitcat]

Just had my first oil change on my '08 BMW M3-9.3 quarts of 10W-60 Castrol TWS full synthetic-wow!

 

Any thots on the use of this particular oil in a Kent engine? Seems like it might be perfect given the engine's loose build tolerances. It has 1000 ppm ZDDP.

Edited June 12, 2009 by Kitcat

[oilteq]

Keep in mind that a 10W-60 is SAE 60 at 212 degrees F. Assuming 10W-40 was recommended for the crossflow, if you are running 40 degrees higher than normal, a somethingW-60 makes sense. Otherwise, it sounds a little thick to me.

 

To put the ZDDP level in perspective, a typical diesel engine oil will have about 1200 ppm zinc (the Z in ZDDP) and 1100 ppm phosphorus (the P in ZDDP), as does Castrol GPS 20W-50.

 

Blaine