jmckinley Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 I've lost track of the latest advice on engine oil. What's the general consensus here? Synthetic? What weight? What change interval? I let the dealer do the first one and have no idea what they put in it. Probably drain oil from the previous customer. And, they did not reset the Oil Monitor which I didn't find out for a few thousand miles. So, I'll do this one myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edsel Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 I plan to go with 0W-20 and change every year or 10K miles. I'm pretty sure you can only get it in synthetic. I also believe that is what Ford is going to go with for 2014. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotomoto Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 (edited) It comes with semi-synthetic. My dealer gives a free first change and used mobil 1 5w-20 full syn at 3k miles. I changed it myself at 10k with 0w-20 mobil 1 full syn and will be using 10k intervals. These are the spec's from the OM: •Motorcraft SAE 5W-20 Premium Synthetic Blend Motor Oil (US) •Motorcraft SAE 5W-20 Full Synthetic Motor Oil (US) Edited October 21, 2013 by fotomoto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HannahWCU Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 How much of a mileage improvement should be seen with the change from 5w-30 to 0w-30? I am wondering if it is worth the potential warranty denial for using the wrong oil specification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMax-Traveler Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 How much of a mileage improvement should be seen with the change from 5w-30 to 0w-30? I am wondering if it is worth the potential warranty denial for using the wrong oil specification. I read somewhere that switching from 5W-20 to 0W-20 gives roughly a 1-2% FE improvement in colder temperatures. I wish I knew where I read that though. Either way, it's probably not enough to be noticeable, esp. with the difference in cost since 0W-20 only comes in full-synthetic (except for the Honda OEM 0W-20 blend -- which is why I always had to get my Civic serviced at the dealer or spend $70/oil change). Be careful though, b/c dealers have been known to test the oil if there's any question on a warranty claim, and if it's the wrong grade, void the warranty. Also, probably just a typo, but make sure it's 5W-20, not 5W-30. I just learned this today... (Thanks Wikipedia!) The difference between 5W-20 and 0W-20 is only on the "winter" grade portion (motor oils are multi-grade, the xxW part is the "winter" grade, the other part is the non-winter grade). So you'd only really see a difference in colder temperatures. jmckinley - I believe the recommendation for the C-Max is at least every 10000 miles (b/c the hybrid engine runs less often) or every year. But I'm planning on going with whatever the oil monitor tells me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edsel Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 I read somewhere that switching from 5W-20 to 0W-20 gives roughly a 1-2% FE improvement in colder temperatures. I wish I knew where I read that though. Maybe you got it from the Mobil 1 website? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Before we all rush to what we think is the oil specified for 2014's, I think it valuable to understand what the difference is, and if we'll notice. Here's a better link than the wiki... it has numbers! We're spec'ed for 5W-20, synthetic or synthetic blend, which I interpret as a Group 4 and Group 3 synthetic respectively. Motor oil is always a mixture of ingredients, mainly base oil and viscosity index improvers (VI's), plus some additive for longevity and performance. Group 4 full synthetics can frequently achieve a multi-grade rating without VI, a very good thing, as that means you'll get a lot of the 0W viscosity properties in a 5W oil if they both use the same base (likely with common top numbers). Next, consider how cold -30C really is - -21F for those Americans out there - it's the all time low temperature record in Rochester. I have started cars with 10W30 at -30F. If you get that cold on a regular basis, you need a block heater. For the rest of us, I'm thinking any full synthetic 5W20 is going to give the car most of the benefit of 0W-20 with no warranty drawbacks. As to change intervals, I plan to test the oil the first time mine requests a change (~15K), and change it anyway, but base future changes on test results. As to Mobil's claims of improved efficiency (Edsel link)..."Helps increase engine efficiency and improve fuel economy up to 2 percent, based on a comparison versus those grades most commonly used."Based on... grades most commonly used. This is not a comparison of 5W-20 and 0W-20, but rather of those grades against 10W30 or 10W40. I assure you! FE improvement will be nil if you're already using a full synthetic. But try using full synth oils... I have been for years, and (knock on wood) have yet to have any engine issues out to 215K, 220K, 240K and 330K miles... granted, all Volvo B230's. Have fun,Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotomoto Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 (edited) Since Ford has publicly stated that the 2014 will come with "New engine oil with reduced friction", I can only assume it will be an 0W-20 spec. What else is there? Mobil 1 0w-20 meets or exceeds both of Ford's specs: Ford WSS-M2C945-A Ford WSS-M2C930-A A 1-2% increase may sound small (and it is) but, just like bumping up tire pressures, it works all the time and takes 0% effort on the part of the driver. As always, YMMV. :) Edited October 21, 2013 by fotomoto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestead Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Since Ford has publicly stated that the 2014 will come with "New engine oil with reduced friction", I can only assume it will be an 0W-20 spec. What else is there? How about Motorcraft SAE 5W-20 Full Synthetic Motor Oil (US) BIG ROCCO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMax-Traveler Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Maybe you got it from the Mobil 1 website? Hmm, that wasn't it ... it was in an article somewhere... but good to see my memory wasn't too far off! Before we all rush to what we think is the oil specified for 2014's, I think it valuable to understand what the difference is, and if we'll notice. Here's a better link than the wiki... it has numbers! Awesome, thanks for the link! Always love learning more! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HannahWCU Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Also, probably just a typo, but make sure it's 5W-20, not 5W-30. Yes it was, Thanks for clarifying. Since Ford has publicly stated that the 2014 will come with "New engine oil with reduced friction", I can only assume it will be an 0W-20 spec. But remember, 0W-20 may be specified for the 2014 model year, but that does not make it specified for the 2013 model year. I'm not saying don't use it, also not saying it will cause a problem, I just want to be clear that 2013 CMax's specify that 5W-20 be used. Using anything other than the specified oil, may void your warranty. Personally, I will stick with 5W-20, it just doesn't get cold enough in my area of NC to justify the chance of a voided warranty. Now some of you that live well north of the Mason-Dixon line ... :stirpot: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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