Wrong oil in the car and disappearing oil?
I have a 2008 ford escape the place where i've been taking my car has been putting in 5W30 oil in my car rather than the 5W20 it is supposed to have. Will this cause damage to my vehicle and could this cause the oil to disappear (it's not being burned off as there's no smell and its not leaking as there's no spots under the car)?
Using 5w30 oil in an engine that specifies 5w20 won't damage anything but you might notice a slight reduction in fuel economy as compared to when your run 5w20.
As for your other issue, oil doesn't just disappear. It either leaks out (which you say isn't happening), it burns off (which may be happening - there's not always a giant cloud of blue smoke, especially if the amount of oil being burned is less than a quart every 1000 miles or so) or it's leaking into the coolant because of a leak in the head gasket or crack in the cylinder head or block.
Check your coolant and its level - if you notice oily residue in the coolant or that the coolant level seems to be rising over time without you adding any coolant to it, that's where your oil is going and you likely need a major repair or worse. If the coolant looks fine and the level isn't rising and you don't see any external oil leaks, then the missing oil is being burned off because there's really nowhere else for it to go.
Grandpa needs to get up to speed on newer engines with variable valve timing because using the wrong oil viscosity CAN cause problems. Read the warning below about what can happen.
If the oil isn't leaking, it's being burned. Those are really your only two options. You wouldn't see smoke coming out the tailpipe because the catalytic converter would burn it off. Of course, that'll wreck the converter over time. Get a compression and cylinder balance test done
http://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/motor-oil-viscosity-warning/
Is the oil pan posessed?
No it won't cause the oil to disappear and is not an issue. You need to tell us at what rate the oil is disappearing as in how many miles per quart.
To protect your engine's warranty, use Motorcraft SAE 5W-20 or an equivalent SAE 5W-20 oil meeting Ford specification WSS-M2C930-A. SAE 5W-20 oil provides optimum fuel economy and durability performance meeting all requirements for your vehicle's engine.
Do not use supplemental engine oil additives, cleaners or other engine treatments. They are unnecessary and could lead to engine damage that is not covered by Ford warranty.
This information can be found on page 265 of your Owner's Manual, and it will be titled "Maintenance and Specifications." If the oil is equivalent to SAE 5W-20 oil then your vehicle should be fine. If you need further assistance, I recommend contacting your service manager at your Ford Dealer. They'll be in the best position to answer your inquiries.
You can locate a dealer here:
http://owner.ford.com/...ateADealer
Have a great day!
If you think 5W-30 running through your Ford just wait till you start using the correct thinner 5W-20 which will disappear faster.
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