I have a question about oil...

[Adam_Dodson]

ok would you continue to run 5w20 in an F150 5.4 3v with say 430rwhp and 480tq? I feel this oil wont quite have the shock absorbing capabilities of say a 30wt. Opinions?

 

BTW this is with 10psi of boost.

[Bruce Amacker]

How about trying a 5w-40 full synthetic? I'm not a big supporter of synthetic engine oil, but this might be a good application for it. I'd suggest staying with a multigrade oil with a 0w or 5w cold rating.

 

 

[Aaron]

5w40 synthetic over here...with something with over 400psi of cranking compression, then 40psi of boost on top of that, it's proving out alright. (6.4 L)

 

I personally wouldn't run 30wt in that paplication.

 

Find out what they are running in the Cobra Jet drag pack cars...they are rated at 420hp by NHRA, but there have been reports of 750hp.

 

Stock eliminator car

[Adam_Dodson]

we have one customer with a similer setup he always brings his own oil and uses scamsoil 0w30 signature series, lots of hype out there on this oil. Has an API of SM/CF so if it can protect a diesel as well then maybe??

[DwayneGorniak]

I'd say 5W40 as well. 30 weight is for freakin lawnmowers.

[Adam_Dodson]

sorry by 30wt i was meaning 0w30, 5w30, 10w30 ect. I would never run strait 30w in my truck haha

[cbriggs]

The shelby gt 500 mustangs are running 5w50 synthetic, s-c engines around 500 hp mark i beleive.

[Adam_Dodson]

i just cant seem to find a strait answer anywhere as to if this will affect the VCT operation. I cant see it i mean any oil at operating temp is thinner then the 5w20 at -40c after only running for a minute.. and they seem to run ok then...

[Jim Warman]

If you run an oil with low kinematic viscosity at low temps (something like a 0W30 or 0W40 (don't discount 5W40), you shouldn't get into trouble... the 5W20 spec was as much as (or more) for improved CAFE numbers than anything else.

 

FWIW, I have yet to see any Scamsoil product with an API rating... they will say "the same as"... but the containers never bear the American Petroleum Institute logo (or blessing).

 

If you take Bruce' advice and look at a synthetic, be sure to research the differences between PAO base stocks and "pretend" base stocks.

 

As it stands, your main concern will be the oils ability (and the oil pumps) to maintain a hydrodynamic wedge on main and connecting rod journals... rule of thmb on the old cam in block engines was 10 PSI oil pressure for 1000 rpm... 'T' a mechanical gauge into the system... (used to be you could put a "real" oil pressure sender in place of the dorky thing... some simple experimenting would show if that still works). Since you aren't blueprinting the bottom end, oil volume "shouldn't" be a concern... Do they even make high volume pumps for modular engine? But, if you run into an oil delivery concern to the heads, you'd expect the phasers to let you know.

 

FWIW, back in the 80s and early 90s, I heard several claims that running 10W30 in some GM cars would pump up the lifters and result in a start-stall until you went back to 5W30.. I don't recall ever having it happen to me... but I don't recall using 10W30m in them, either...

 

Another FWIW... we use "off the shelf" 5W30 in pretty much all of the exotica.... of course, most of these get oil changes usually after much less than 50 hours of operation.... This assures that we have no shear or viscosity change... we rarely cut filters open to look for debris...

[Adam_Dodson]

got some Mobile1 0w40, wasnt cheap!

[cbriggs]

The gm 2.3 dohc i4 ( used to be quad 4) mid to late 90s had oil pressure regulator issues that would pump up lifters and cause a start stall. I had a guage on one at -20c or so, hit 175psi oil pressure before it stalled. ( This may be what youre thinking of Jim)

[Adam_Dodson]

ya i did some research and apparently in australia and other countries without CAFE regulations Ford doesnt use 5w20...so im thinkin no problems.

[Jim Warman]

I'm thinking you are right, Chris.... It is rare for me to work on cars (or has been in the past). I never did pay attention (or the info might not have been offered) to engine size when I read the anecdotes.

[Aaron]

I vote that Chris' posting abilities are removed. He said.....he said....he said QUAD 4.

 

Kidding

 

I hate those damn things.

 

I worked at the Indy shop for about 4 years, and I got to see lots of them inside...way more than any one person should ever see. That shop was awful for trying to bandaid shit up or patch it up so it would work another day or two.

[cbriggs]

The worlds worst water pump job belongs to that engine as well. Sorry for bringing up the quad 4. Wierd things stick in my head, that was probably 10 years ago...

[LARRY BRUDZYNSKI]

Not to mention the horrible vibration that POS had.

[BrunoWilimek]

It's bringing back memories from long ago. The tech beside me got the fun job of assessing and re-assembling one of these p.o.s.'s after the owner tore it apart to fix it and got in over his head. Then he traded it in, so it had to be put back together. The first time he started it up, he must have had it mis-timed, because it rapped like crazy, bending some valves in the process. It finally got put back together, but many hours were spent on it before it was a runner.

[Aaron]

The worlds worst water pump job belongs to that engine as well. Sorry for bringing up the quad 4. Wierd things stick in my head, that was probably 10 years ago...

Kinda similar to an edge....'cept worse.