5w30 accedently instead of 5w20?
My boyfriend told me it was alright to put 5w30 in my ford f250 super duty 4x4 truck. Its older and standard but I worry that damage will be done to my truck.
It should be fine, it's only an issue in the winter but then again, it is a ford, jk. Relax.
Firstly it is a complete and total myth that a thicker oil is better for older higher miler engines - it is just wrong.
If 5W20 is recommended for the truck then 5W30 is wrong and when hot the engine is not going to get the full benefit of the lubrication it should have. How much the accelerated wear will be is impossible to judge but - do you want to take the chance?
If 5w 20 is recommended then that's what should be used.
It's to do with the viscosity (thickness) of the oil as it reaches correct temperature.
The oil used may not lubricate the engine properly which could lead to quicker wear and higher running temperature.
Don't worry about it change the oil when next change is due
I have restored 2 Mercedes Benz and 6 classic Motorcycles and the Oils i need for my 1964 220 Sb is no longer available so i use GTX 3 and add 0.14 Zinc and use 10w 20 10w 30 0r 5w 20 depending what is on Special low Prices
It will be fine. There's always some overlap in recommended grades.
It will be fine. For example, older Ford 4.6 litre engines called for 5W-30. Later Ford recommended 5W-20 for the same engines so I don't think any harm will come from running 10W-30.
The bigger issue is not only the viscosity it is the rest of the oils spec codes.
Oil for gas engines should never go in a diesel engine and vice versa.
Modular engines can use 5W-30 without ill effect. The 5W-20 recommendation has more to do with CAFE standards than anything else.
5W-20 is usually specified on newer vehicles to reduce internal resistance and drag on internal engine parts and thus improve fuel economy slightly… Every little bit helps to meet fuel economy targets. So running 5W-30 will not hurt the engine at all but may lower your fuel economy slightly. For an older truck with some engine wear, it may even help lubricate better than the slightly thinner 5W-20 oil. Startup is actually the worst time for engine wear when there's just a thin film of unpressurized oil between metal parts like bearings. So a slightly thicker grade oil can help avoid engine bearing wear at startup. Some race cars use a hydraulic accumulator tapped into the oiling system to pressurize the oil system before startup to reduce the need to teardown/rebuild an engine for wear or to help pressurize the system in hard turns, etc. When the oil sump pickup may get exposed.
I wouldn't worry about it and just change back to 5W-20 on the next oil change if you like.
Actually 5w-30 is far superior to 5w-20
- Why would people buy older foreign cars instead of brand new American cars? I see it all the time, people driving 7-8 year old Mercedes or BMWs that they paid probably paid around $20,000. They could of easily gone out and bought a brand new Ford or Dodge, but they didn't. They bought a Mercedes with over 100k miles. All worn and torn on the inside. But aslong as they're shining on the outside I guess.
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