Where are the oil experts?

Here's a quote from Dave in this thread: http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthr...50rwhp-or-at-least-mine&highlight=mobil+15w50

"However, I am an absolute FIRM believer in the value of the 15w50 Mobile 1 oil. The best thing you can do for your motor and I'm sticking to that."

Dave didn't build my motor either but my car does see a lot of track time, although none lately. To each there own, run what you think is best for your car.

Thanks for the link! Yes, I'm trying to figure out which is best for my car! (Without it devolving into an Amsoil commercial...) :p
 
The most important thing regarding oil selection is selecting one that complements the operating clearances in your engine. When Ford made the SC they matched 5w30, with 30 being the important #, with the clearances in a new SC engine. Since none of of you have new SC engines, you can't follow that recommendation anymore. I suggest you get an oil pressure gauge and select an oil viscosity that will generate at least 35psi oil pressure at fully hot idle but no more than 50psi (at least 30 minutes of driving, preferably on the highway). This is not because 35psi is a magic number, it's because I know that is a number that will get you good results. That's a good place to start and then in some cases some modifications from that formula based on a variety of application specific conditions can be implemented.

Beyond that most of it is all marketing hype.

PS. And yes there is a big difference between 15w50 and 20w50.

Fortunately, I just bought a mechanical oil pressure gauge, which I will install very soon.

So here's the question then: Given my situation and that part I posted earlier from the engine builder, what weight oil should I start with that might give me the best chance of hitting those psi sweet spots? (To see if I can get lucky and get it right on the first try :D) Dave, I believe you may have offered some guidance to Rob (90sc35thann) when he was putting it all together a few years ago...
 
The most important thing regarding oil selection is selecting one that complements the operating clearances in your engine. When Ford made the SC they matched 5w30, with 30 being the important #, with the clearances in a new SC engine. Since none of of you have new SC engines, you can't follow that recommendation anymore. I suggest you get an oil pressure gauge and select an oil viscosity that will generate at least 35psi oil pressure at fully hot idle but no more than 50psi (at least 30 minutes of driving, preferably on the highway). This is not because 35psi is a magic number, it's because I know that is a number that will get you good results. That's a good place to start and then in some cases some modifications from that formula based on a variety of application specific conditions can be implemented.

Beyond that most of it is all marketing hype.

PS. And yes there is a big difference between 15w50 and 20w50.

This type of information is why this place is awesome.....it cuts right through the noise to something tangibly useful.
 
Fortunately, I just bought a mechanical oil pressure gauge, which I will install very soon.

So here's the question then: Given my situation and that part I posted earlier from the engine builder, what weight oil should I start with that might give me the best chance of hitting those psi sweet spots? (To see if I can get lucky and get it right on the first try :D) Dave, I believe you may have offered some guidance to Rob (90sc35thann) when he was putting it all together a few years ago...

I don't understand why you guys are so worried about it. Put some Walmart 10w30 in it and go from there. I think some people try to read way too much into this. If you never drive the car and don't abuse it, then it makes little difference what oil you put in it. I'm just saying that viscosity is a lot more important than some magical additive.

Side note: If you use an additive, make sure it's the same brand as your oil. Not all base stock and additive packages are compatible, regardless of what the package says.
 
Hmmm, is everyone really on the same page? Because you are contradicting what Mikey said about the necessity of syn oil in vehicles that don't see a lot of miles:



Your saying that syn oil with a good additive package is actually better for cars that don't see a lot of miles?

I realize there are a lot of varying opinions when it comes to oil, but I was hoping there would be some consensus on the fundamentals, lol!

So, pricey syn + good additive package is:
1. Overkill in my application, or
2. Best bet in my application
??

I wasn't saying that one oil is better or worse than another, just that given the low mileage your car sees, you won't be taking advantage of the advantages a synthetic oil offers, since the oil needs to be changed every year regardless, and I would actually reccomend changing it twice a year unless it is stored in a climate controlled garage. To answer your question, the pricey synthetics like Amsoil are definitely overkill in your application. As was stated by XR7Dave, which brand synthetic oil you run is far less important than what viscosity you run. Also as he said, based on the clearances Ford specified, you want a 30 weight oil. Your engine builder mentioned running slightly larger clearances for the ring gap and the piston to cylinder wall, but as long as your bearing clearances are the same as factory spec, you should still be running a 30 weight oil. If someone has an old worn out engine, or if it was rebuilt with larger than stock bearing clearances for some reason, then a 40 or 50 weight oil might be better suited to that engine. Given that your engine was rebuilt, and not by you, and you don't know the actual bearing clearances, deciding on a weight based on actual pressure readings is a good idea.
 
I would not be afraid to run NAPA oil. It was run in the last company F-250 that i had. That truck went 254,000 plus. Two altenators, a fuel pump, two tune ups. Nothing done at all to that 5.4 Triton. No oil consuption no leaks. It was an 04 four wheel drive. I work for a company that does heavy construction and landfills, this truck was not babied. It was sold at auction. But you know that Valvoline makes NAPA oil. 5-30 summer. 5-20 winter. Full synthetic since it was new, I think the first two changes were motorcraft oil and filter.
 
Last edited:
I don't understand why you guys are so worried about it. Put some Walmart 10w30 in it and go from there. I think some people try to read way too much into this. If you never drive the car and don't abuse it, then it makes little difference what oil you put in it. I'm just saying that viscosity is a lot more important than some magical additive.

Side note: If you use an additive, make sure it's the same brand as your oil. Not all base stock and additive packages are compatible, regardless of what the package says.

I guess because I don't want to just throw any old oil in it and hope for the best, lol. I'm pretty sure I'm not the first to want to understand as much as I can about any given aspect of my SC... And I'd rather start with an informed decision than go through a more expensive and time consuming trial and error when it comes to buying oil and doing oil changes, on a car that needs about 1 oil change a year. Although interesting how you mentioned to start with 10W30, which is also the oil that Rob used, which led me to this post to understand why, when there are so many different oil weights and viscosities that seem to be used by folks here.

This type of information is why this place is awesome.....it cuts right through the noise to something tangibly useful.

I agree!
 
I wasn't saying that one oil is better or worse than another, just that given the low mileage your car sees, you won't be taking advantage of the advantages a synthetic oil offers, since the oil needs to be changed every year regardless, and I would actually reccomend changing it twice a year unless it is stored in a climate controlled garage. To answer your question, the pricey synthetics like Amsoil are definitely overkill in your application. As was stated by XR7Dave, which brand synthetic oil you run is far less important than what viscosity you run. Also as he said, based on the clearances Ford specified, you want a 30 weight oil. Your engine builder mentioned running slightly larger clearances for the ring gap and the piston to cylinder wall, but as long as your bearing clearances are the same as factory spec, you should still be running a 30 weight oil. If someone has an old worn out engine, or if it was rebuilt with larger than stock bearing clearances for some reason, then a 40 or 50 weight oil might be better suited to that engine. Given that your engine was rebuilt, and not by you, and you don't know the actual bearing clearances, deciding on a weight based on actual pressure readings is a good idea.

Actually, that was really directed at George, not you... It is stored in a garage, but not a heated garage. I will install the gauge and start with a 5W30 and see what the readings are. As far as the mileage I put on it, I'm pretty sure I'm not unique in that area considering how many have multiple SC's that are not daily drivers, and not driven in the winter, or in the rain, etc... (Obviously if an SC is a track only vehicle that is a whole different ball of wax!)
 
Actually, that was really directed at George, not you... It is stored in a garage, but not a heated garage. I will install the gauge and start with a 5W30 and see what the readings are. As far as the mileage I put on it, I'm pretty sure I'm not unique in that area considering how many have multiple SC's that are not daily drivers, and not driven in the winter, or in the rain, etc... (Obviously if an SC is a track only vehicle that is a whole different ball of wax!)

I am confident you will be pleasantly surpeised after all this is said and done that the 5w30 viscosity wi.l give you 4he psi sweet spot reading your looking for and that I am on point.

I havent gotte. Super technical with you and tried to keep it simplistic as this is b3ing overly analyzed

Good luck and let us know the results
 
I am confident you will be pleasantly surpeised after all this is said and done that the 5w30 viscosity wi.l give you 4he psi sweet spot reading your looking for and that I am on point.

I havent gotte. Super technical with you and tried to keep it simplistic as this is b3ing overly analyzed

Good luck and let us know the results

Lol, George no offense, but you have come across as an Amsoil fanboy or sales rep trying to help Amsoil sell more oil!

I'm sure if you tried to get "super technical" it would be interesting, considering the spelling in you last post... :eek::p (Cutting and pasting from other sources does not count as being super technical, but all of the looong Amsoil propaganda that you cut and pasted into all those posts, which you know as well as anyone that nobody was going to read through, only serves to sabotage my original legitimate inquiry by making it impossible for anyone to quickly scan through the thread and add to the discussion...)

And I never disagreed with you that 5W30 was wrong, I only was trying to get clarification from you about what I thought were contradictory statments.
 
Lol, George no offense, but you have come across as an Amsoil fanboy or sales rep trying to help Amsoil sell more oil!

I'm sure if you tried to get "super technical" it would be interesting, considering the spelling in you last post... :eek::p (Cutting and pasting from other sources does not count as being super technical, but all of the looong Amsoil propaganda that you cut and pasted into all those posts, which you know as well as anyone that nobody was going to read through, only serves to sabotage my original legitimate inquiry by making it impossible for anyone to quickly scan through the thread and add to the discussion...)

And I never disagreed with you that 5W30 was wrong, I only was trying to get clarification from you about what I thought were contradictory statments.

I wasn't trying to be a Amsoil salesman, just sharing in what I feel is a top notch quality product.

Sorry about the spelling in the last post, I was on the Samsung pad and its small and my eyes were hurting last night when I sent that I was tired.

Exactly my point as I said I wasn't trying to get technical in my input, but I was just trying to send some technical info supporting the product quality itself to maybe help you decipher what you feel about it.

I don't feel its propaganda or I wouldn't have shared it. There are a lot of positive reviews and independent studies to prove it.

I wasn't trying to sabotage your original inquiry at all, I felt I was helping you.

I do understand about what your saying regarding the long posts pasted, I was somewhat in the end being playful with you.

I may not come off as being educated or articulate as you are always sure to correct me, but no offense taken!

Glad you don't disagree about the 5w30 before I am doubtful they built your engine with some substantial different bearing clearances unlikely!

Best of luck with your choice I gave you my input, have nothing more to say about it for now unless you ask me directly
 
I wasn't trying to be a Amsoil salesman, just sharing in what I feel is a top notch quality product.

Sorry about the spelling in the last post, I was on the Samsung pad and its small and my eyes were hurting last night when I sent that I was tired.

Exactly my point as I said I wasn't trying to get technical in my input, but I was just trying to send some technical info supporting the product quality itself to maybe help you decipher what you feel about it.

I don't feel its propaganda or I wouldn't have shared it. There are a lot of positive reviews and independent studies to prove it.

I wasn't trying to sabotage your original inquiry at all, I felt I was helping you.

I do understand about what your saying regarding the long posts pasted, I was somewhat in the end being playful with you.

I may not come off as being educated or articulate as you are always sure to correct me, but no offense taken!

Glad you don't disagree about the 5w30 before I am doubtful they built your engine with some substantial different bearing clearances unlikely!

Best of luck with your choice I gave you my input, have nothing more to say about it for now unless you ask me directly

I would just ask that in the future if you could post a link to the page that happens to contain a lot of information, instead of copying and pasting all of it into the thread, it would help in keeping a clean and unbloated look to the thread! I'm sure others would appreciate it to! :D

As far as 5W30 is concerned, like I mentioned it it what I'm using now, and what I have always used. A little birdie told me last year that 5W20 is the correct spec now, so I thought I'd post here and see what others thought would be appropriate for my circumstances before I do my next OC.
 
I would just ask that in the future if you could post a link to the page that happens to contain a lot of information, instead of copying and pasting all of it into the thread, it would help in keeping a clean and unbloated look to the thread! I'm sure others would appreciate it to! :D

As far as 5W30 is concerned, like I mentioned it it what I'm using now, and what I have always used. A little birdie told me last year that 5W20 is the correct spec now, so I thought I'd post here and see what others thought would be appropriate for my circumstances before I do my next OC.

I totally understand your right, I am still getting used to this social media stuff and what's proper educate.

Yes I did tell you that spec was changed which it was.. but it was mainly for fuel conserving more then anything. What you run (5w30) is fine they ran it in the SC before ever changing spec. I thought I was clear when I mentioned the bulletin/change per Ford. That's why I maintain either choice is fine 5w20 or 5w30 but if to choose between those then 0w20 or 0w30 is ultimately the best out of those viscosity because 0w flows better at start up where the majority of wear occurs at that time, and w20 / w30 is were the oil viscosity (thicker) is at operating temp where needed. w50 is a wider rang of protection it wont hurt at all just prob not necessary unless like I mentioned the engine is extremely mod out running 11's and 12's but just recapping if and when I run W50 it will be 5w50 not 15w50 the 5w will flow better at start up for much better protection - now again if the engine has wear that justifies this or bearing clearance when built is dramatically different then yes 15w50...

For you and I 5w20 or 5w30 high quality synthetic, with properties to protect as well for short trips, long term sitting yada yada is what we need
I feel comfortable with the product I am using.

I really didn't mean to strike up such a concern I apologize on that level :D
 
I just followed Dave's recommendation and installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge to periodically check pressure at cold and hot idle. I don't remember exactly what weight I'm currently using but I think it's Valvoline 5w40 full synthetic and I get around 85-90 psi cold start (depends on temp) and hot idle is around 40 psi. I could probably use 5W30 but just feel better using the 40 weight when racing it. BTW, you don't need to put the oil pressure gauge inside the car, you can just mount it under the hood like I did.


David
 
I just followed Dave's recommendation and installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge to periodically check pressure at cold and hot idle. I don't remember exactly what weight I'm currently using but I think it's Valvoline 5w40 full synthetic and I get around 85-90 psi cold start (depends on temp) and hot idle is around 40 psi. I could probably use 5W30 but just feel better using the 40 weight when racing it. BTW, you don't need to put the oil pressure gauge inside the car, you can just mount it under the hood like I did.


David

Well, I have an electric oil pressure gauge I need to install to fill up my 3 gauge pod. I want to use the tee fitting to keep the stock sending unit along with the gauge sending unit so the low oil pressure warning light will still work on the dash. I just hope I can fit it all in that tight space...
 
Back
Top