A Minor Issue

The oil pressure light blinked on the Escape the other night. Came on at idle and went off when RPM rose above 1k.

Fords are notorious for running low OP at idle and when at operating speed after they get a few miles on them.

I have just turned 110k on this engine so I was not surprised.

The specs call for 5w20 oil, which is about like pouring water in the crankcase, but I know that in Europe the same engine calls for 10w30, and since it was time for an oil change anyway I overruled the tech at Walmart and had them replace the oil with the heavier grade.

The tech looked at me like I was wearing red long johns and had grown horns and wanted me to sign a liability waiver. I reminded him that if they had been out of 5w20 they would have used 10w30 and never told me the difference and he blushed red and mumbled something I could not understand.

Anyway, it solved the problem. The orange light that looks like an oil can is no longer shining and all is well with the world.

My last V6 3.0 Ford went 225k, got a rebuild and went another 250k, and I am hoping this one is as good.

My 1987 V-8 351 had low oil presser from day one....idle would drop down to almost nothing on the gauge.......at one point I had the oil pump and pic-up change out ...pretty much the same thing.
Had 227K on it when I sold it it to a farmer.....and he ran the heck out it till he wrecked it.

I gonna guess you are good......
BTW those techs also let air out of your tires....for a smoother ride(?)....any way I tell them every time ...."Don't mess with the tires".

They had to mess with the tires this time Hunter. I had a slow leak that was draining about 5psi each week and making the low tire indicator light come on. That was driving me crazy too.

I did not realize that each tire had a separate radio transmitter inside the tire body attached to the valve stem!! Boots the price of a new valve stem up a bit. Fortunately that was not my problem, I had a slow leak around the bead due to corrosion.

Too freekin' many sensors, thing-a-ma-bobs, doo dads, bells and whistles. No wonder the price of a new vehicle is beyond the reach of 90% of the population. Every repair to this buggy I have made has been the repair of a broken sensor! The mechanics are perfect at 100k but the sensors are wearing out!

The entire dashboard can be lit up like a Christmas tree and not a thing wrong with the engine.

LOL....Mileage lights on the dash of the 1999 come and go......and the display on the radio is out....everything still works....just won't light up.

Seems there is a growing number of us older guys driving the smaller SUV and PU's.....Escape, S-10, Ranger.....What's up with that?

My car wash guy (owner) has been trying to buy the 1999 F-150, and even suggested I get a Ranger or other little old guy vehicle....

Now looking at this situation....
Why would I want to borrow money for a newer smaller vehicle.....when this one is paid for and has only 127K miles on it....(when I can see the display.....)....and is in good enough shape for me to spend $20 bucks for their Deluxe wash?

He still ask me about buying it every time I stop in.
I like getting the undercarriage washed and bugs cleaned off....by their guys.......and they keep wiping it down as long as I talking with the boss.

Got my half a million miles out of several Ford trucks. Rode the Rode the Ride of Shame being towed back home from Atlanta By a Chevy. LOL Still have a Jeep that has points. Wish I had a Ford that didn't need a computer to tune.

The tpi sensors are in each tire with a radio transmitter that communicates with the pcm. I had one go out in the caliber I used to own. $180 to fix. That hit me hard.

Using 10 w 30 in that escape may not be a good idea. You are correct that it is fine on the engine, but it really isn't good for the heads. Those heads have very tight tolerances and requires a thinner oil to properly lubricate. Short term, not a big deal. Doing it over a long period of time might create some problems though.

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Originally Posted by natertot

Using 10 w 30 in that escape may not be a good idea. You are correct that it is fine on the engine, but it really isn't good for the heads. Those heads have very tight tolerances and requires a thinner oil to properly lubricate. Short term, not a big deal. Doing it over a long period of time might create some problems though.

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My thoughts almost exactly. But checking the owners manual will usually give a range of viscosity's good/safe for the engine

That gives me a choice of using the 5w20 and not having pressure to pump to the heads and having the engine clattering and the light on constantly now and throwing a rod in a couple of thousand miles, or using 10w30, which is the standard oil for this vehicle everywhere in the world other than the U.S., and getting another 30-50k out of it.

Right now the cost of rebuilding the bottom end is more than the value of the vehicle, so no need to think about rebuilding the lower end to get the pressure up where it belongs. Buy the time I wear it out with the 10w30 I will be way past the cost effective mark and I will trash it and start over.

Word is that ford uses 5w20 in the U.S. to get past the fleet fuel mileage requirements. The thinner oil allows a small boost in mileage and when you sell as many trucks as Ford does just a few % points makes a difference. If you buy the same engine in any other part of the world the oil filler cap has 10w30 on it.

Same thing for the "high mileage" oils recommended for vehicles over 100k. A thicker oil with conditioner for the seals. If I had opted for the High Mileage oil change, at twice the price, I would have gotten 10w30 with more additives.

I would seriously doubt that small difference would have any thing to do with engine life.

More importantly is the mileage on that change and the seasons changing.
DW car get only 3-4k miles a year, but oil gets changed late fall, spring, and mid summer......no matter what the mileage.

When 9/10 of my owners manual is nothing but corporate a$$ covering and "Thou shalt not's"....and almost NO important information, the only reason to keep it after the warranty period.... is a$$ wipe and fire starter.