Which Engine Oil !

[TDR|XTC]

Hello!

I will soon make the car a well deserved service and I want to change the oil myself! 

In the car's manual it says it has to be a "Ford Motorcraft Formula E SAE 5w30 WSS M2C912 B" engine oil.

And i found this Ford Engine oil and a Castrol Magnatec "STOP-START 5W-30 A5" (recommended by Castrol) which complies with the Ford WSS-M2C913-B. 

I also read that after 160 000km (which the car just ticked, and because in winter the temp here can go very low) it is recommended to go for a 5w40 oil soon!

What do you guys think?

 

Thank you!

T

[Tuha]

Hello I`m using 5W-30 and i think is enough for most of normal cars.(wide range of supported temp). I`ve attached oil specification related to temperatures.Hope it will help

[TDR|XTC]

Thanks for the graph Tuha, very straightforward !

I just bought the Castrol Magnatec STOP-START 5W-30 A5 for now, which on the specifications sheet is compliant with Ford WSS-M2C913-B.

Will do an engine flush aswell! Then change the oil.

Still, the ambient air temperature here can exceed 30 degrees very often. Should I go for 5w40, at least in the next summer?

 

[Mutton-Jeff]

This is a copy of a post by Oilman on another site : Indeed, cheapening tricks. Magnatec is a mineral oil with a very small percentage of ester added to give it polarity. I've seen chemical analysis!

So, what is a synthetic?

Well up until the Mobil vs Castrol case it was simple, it was and still is in my book "manmade" and built in laboratories by chemists. It still is and made of poly alpha olefin and/or ester.

However (shame on the judge), it no longer means this as Castrol won the right to call highly modified mineral oils (hydrocracked) synthetic and so the flood gates where opened!

Now oil manufacturers are able to call a smart looking can of cheap mineral oil with a small % of hydrocracked oil in it a synthetic, shameful but legal.

Real synthetics are out there but due to the costs of producing them not always the best option (bottom line) for oil manufacturers when they are compared with the profits made from mineral oils labelled as synthetics.

Basestocks used are the key and group IV / V are proper synthetics the rest are petroleum based.

Here are the basestock catagories which are clear but discovering what's in a tin requires chemical analysis as the word "synthetic" is now meaningless unless qualified.

Ignore the marketing hype and sales literature as it's generally misleading and look at the technical data on the oil, this will give you a good idea what's in the can!

Basestock categories and descriptions

All oils are comprised of basestocks and additives. Basestocks make up the majority of the finished product and represent between 75-95%.

Not all basestocks are derived from petroleum, in fact the better quality ones are synthetics made in laboratories by chemists specifically designed for the application for which they are intended.

Basestocks are classified in 5 Groups as follows:

Group I

These are derived from petroleum and are the least refined. These are used in a small amount of automotive oils where the applications are not demanding.

Group II

These are derived from petroleum and are mainly used in mineral automotive oils. Their performance is acceptable with regards to wear, thermal stability and oxidation stability but not so good at lower temperatures.

Group III

These are derived from petroleum but are the most refined of the mineral oil basestocks. They are not chemically engineered like synthetics but offer the highest level of performance of all the petroleum basestocks. They are also known as ?hydrocracked? or ?molecularly modified? basestocks.
They are usually labelled/marketed as synthetic or semi-synthetic oils and make up a very high percentage of the oils retailed today.

Group IV

These are polyalphaolefins known as PAO and are chemically manufactured rather than being dug out of the ground. These basestocks have excellent stability in both hot and cold temperatures and give superior protection due to their uniform molecules.

Group V

These special basestocks are also chemically engineered but are not PAO.
The main types used in automotive oils are diesters and polyolesters. Like the group IV basestocks they have uniform molecules and give superior performance and protection over petroleum basestocks. These special stocks are used in all aviation engines due to their stability and durability. Esters are also polar (electro statically attracted to metal surfaces) which has great benefits. They are usually blended with Group IV stocks rather than being used exclusively.

It is common practice for oil companies to blend different basestocks to achieve a certain specification, performance or cost. The blending of group IV and V produces lubricants with the best overall performance which cannot be matched by any of the petroleum basestock groups.

[TDR|XTC]

Good to know info! Thank you!

After I added the Castrol Magnatec STOP-START 5W-30 A5, instead of what the Ford people added, the fan issue i had, stopped. Maybe there was a poor lubrication of the engine which resulted in higher temps. I really don't know if that was the source of the problem but things now running smoothly.