Experience with Motorcraft Oil

Anyone have experience with Motorcraft oil? While shopping for oil, I
saw that they have a synthetic blend that is only $2.49 a quart. All
others were $2.89 or more.

The label on top appears to meet the regular standards set forth by
manufacturers.

-KM

 

Check on bitog.com - they're bound to have discussed it there.

It may be great stuff, but personally I wouldn't buy a pre-made blend.
Why? Because you don't know what the percentage blend is. For all you
know, they're charging a 60/40 blend price and giving you a 3/97 blend.
Mix same-brand synth and non-synth to your own proportions.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Which would you regret the least: spending more for oil than you needed
to, or losing an engine to cheap oil?

 

General rule: All brand name oils are OK if you change them often
enough.

Specific heads up: The newest oils are not good for engines with non-
roller tappets and gear oil pumps.

Diesels need diesel ONLY oils. They have too much detergent for SI
engines.

 

Brent - Are there oil pumps in cars that are not gear type? What
specific changes have been made to give that result, and why were those
particular changes done - most likely to imporve some other aspect?

SI? is that an API oil classification? If so, is that non-diesel
application? Are you saying diesel oils in general have tooo much
detergent to be used in non-diesel engines? I need you to translate
your statement.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

was that at WalMart?
KS

 

Assuming you use the correct grade for the application...

That's the theory, but its being at least partially debunked as time
passes. Its starting to look like the zinc-free high pressure additives
work pretty well even in slider-cam engines.

WTF? The only possible problem with using diesel-spec oils in a
spark-ignition engine is if the engine is already a bad oil-burner, in
which case the diesel engine oil can potentially form slightly more
combustion chamber deposits.

 

No gear pumps were ever used in any B or A series Chrysler v8 or
slant-six, those were gerotor pumps like the slant-six pumps shown here:

http://www.slantsix.org/articles/oil-pump-gear/oilpumps.jpg

Also the 3.3/3.8/3.2/3.5/4.0 v6 engines use gerotor pumps, but they're
driven directly by the crankshaft instead of by a quill shaft off the
camshaft. I *think* your 2.7 also uses a gerotor pump just like the 3.3
family, but I'm not sure, as you know, I tend to walk the long way
around when a 2.7 is in the room.... ;-)

The POS vw-based engine in the early Horizon/Omni used a gear pump, IIRC

I think he means "Spark Ignition."

 

Right on all counts. I was thinking of gerotors as gear pumps, but that
was wrong. And yes - 2.7L also has a crank-driven gerotor.

I'm pretty sure the '86 Subaru boxer engine I used to have was also gerotor.

OK - thanks.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

The gerotor type is the most common today. This is different from the
traditional gear type pump which is still usually called a "gear
pump". The gerotor pump takes less energy to turn.

Oils are approved for spark ignition or compression ignition engines
or both, usually abbreviated SI or CI. The API designations start with
a S or C as a consequence.

SI engines can burn gasoline, E85,E100,M85,M100, propane, natural
gas, amd many other fuels and for some of those specific oil
formulations exist, but generally gasoline is the assumed fuel.

CI engines burn various petroleum distillates, and now, some biofuels
too, but for CI use diesel is the assumed fuel. Fuel type in either
case is a consideration of what the oil has to protect against.

As well, SI engines have higher peak combustion chamber temperatures.
The calcium and barium detergents in oils bother diesel engines much
less and so diesel-only oils can use a lot more of these detergents
than can spark ignition oils. SI engines that burn a lot of oil by
design usually use a nondetergent, magnesium detergent or ashless
dispersant oil. Harley Davidson has been selling magnesium detergent
oils for decades. Pratt and Whitney preferred entirely ashless
dispersants so the rest of the aircraft engine manufacturers went
along. I have owned various air cooled engines and used nothing
besides Aeroshell AD aircraft oil in them with good results. I have
also used Aeroshell in many liquid cooled SI car engines and even in
CI engines such as the Mercedes OM 616 and the two cycle 71 Series DD
although those oils are not optimum for these applications.

In modern ticky-tack car engines use what the manufacturer recommends
unless you have a specific reason to deviate.

In diesels use a good diesel oil like Shell Rimula or its Chevron
Delo or similar equivalent. Use only single weight oils in DD two
cycle engines and in any other engine with holes in the cylinder
walls!

In air cooled engines use an ashless dispersant oil, Aeroshell being
far and away the most available.

In classic car engines find out what is working for those engines
today and use that. Most rebuilt engines of any vintage are running
aftermarket performance cams, lifters and valve springs and retainers
as well as improved bearing materials, and generally speaking, even if
one wanted to use "the factory recommended oil" it isn't available any
more in its original formulation. Besides, there is no warranty deity
looking over your shoulder. The oils sold at WalMart may or may not
be good for these engines.

I tend to not like synthetics for material compatibility, and other
reasons such as poorer corrosion protection UNLESS you are operating
in very cold, very hot, or otherwise unusual conditions. True
synthetic oils are very energy intensive to manufacture so don't think
their use is necessarily "green". They should IMO be used in
conjunction with a bypass filter and oil analysis program. I think
bypass filters are a Good Thing and can do wonders for keeping an
engine clean along with proper crankcase ventilation.

 

No they do not. The reason people don't use them in normal cars is
because they are more expensive. However, diesel oils (ie: Delco and
equivalent) are used all the time in standard passenger car engines that
are used in stationary applications - like generators - where the engine
is run intermittently.

Ted