Hi. I read a post here concerning 5w20 oil in Explorers. It mentioned timing chain issues. After 1,200 miles of having 5w20 installed in my 05 Eddie Bauer, powered by a 4.0 with 160,000 miles, I ended up with a timing chain issue and entire top end of the engine. After a 300 mile trip at highway speeds is when the noise was obvious. The weekend before my wife said she heard a noise but I figured it was the radio.
The morning after the trip, when it started cold it sounded like there was no oil on the lifters. I have recordings of it taking 5 minutes to quiet down. Prior to that the engine never made any noise even starting at -25°F. As soon as I found out that it had the 5w20 I changed it back to the 5w30 but it was too late. In fact, prior to changing it at one point in the trip when it was starting hot I thought my battery was dying or my starter was dragging but apparently the engine was binding. When the engine was torn down there was a timing chain issue as well as some lifter damage. There were posts stating that the oil pump would not build enough pressure with the 5w20. I found a TSB that referenced the use of 5w20 in 01 and 02. TSB 2-1-9. I could not find any other documentation concerning this. Can anyone comment on this? Can anyone point me in a direction to find additional information concerning issues with 5w20 in 4.0 engines. Thank you for the help. Matt
The morning after the trip, when it started cold it sounded like there was no oil on the lifters. I have recordings of it taking 5 minutes to quiet down. Prior to that the engine never made any noise even starting at -25°F. As soon as I found out that it had the 5w20 I changed it back to the 5w30 but it was too late. In fact, prior to changing it at one point in the trip when it was starting hot I thought my battery was dying or my starter was dragging but apparently the engine was binding. When the engine was torn down there was a timing chain issue as well as some lifter damage. There were posts stating that the oil pump would not build enough pressure with the 5w20. I found a TSB that referenced the use of 5w20 in 01 and 02. TSB 2-1-9. I could not find any other documentation concerning this. Can anyone comment on this? Can anyone point me in a direction to find additional information concerning issues with 5w20 in 4.0 engines. Thank you for the help. Matt