Anyone still using 20w50?

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Is there anyone that still fans of 20w50 or is that weight obsolete now. I'm curious of using in my 88 Ford f150 302 in the summer.
 
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Originally Posted by mpack88
Is there anyone that still fans of 20w50 or is that weight obsolete now. I'm curious of using in my 88 Ford f150 302 in the summer.


I put 20w50 in a 88 Town Car with the 302. I thought it would blow up when I started it when the engine was cold as it made so much noise. Took it out a few days later and went back to 5w30 and 10w30. All was nice and quiet again.
 
Why not just be old school and use a 30W?

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Nothing wrong with it in the right application. It has never had many fans on this forum, but I've used it on and off over the years in Chevy small blocks

I like skyactivs suggestion of a straight 30 for your 302 as well. I think you'll actually find more people here favor 30 than 20/50.
 
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I have 12 quarts of 20w50 Castrol motorcycle to try in my Duramax LML next spring.
You can make your own 20W50 by adding SAE 50 to 15W40.
 
I use more 20W-50 than any other weight.

Having two old British Leyland vehicles around that spec it, plus badly worn rings on the one that gets driven the most by far means that I can easily chew through a lot of the stuff.
 
Originally Posted by mpack88
Well I don't see smoke, but it does use 1qrt every 1k.


Can't remember if that one had the intake with the PCV in a grommet on the back of it like the car engines, but if it does, there's a screen underneath it that gets plugged up and causes oil consumption. The 302 definitely does NOT need 20w-50, I'd run a cheap 15w-40 in it given your location and the fact it is consuming.
 
Originally Posted by mpack88
How cold or hot can straight 30 be used?
It's been stated, both here & in my GM diesel owner's manuals (6.2 ones) that 32F/0C is pretty much the minimum recommended temp for SAE 30 dino, although if a little warm up is allowed & it'll crank fast enough to start, I would go as low as zero to +5F. I've started (worn-out) engines with 20W50 below 0F before with no issues.
 
I use it in the lawn equipment. It's always on sale probably due to it being a not too common weight. I think the mower currently has 97 cent Royal Purple 20w50 in it atm actually.

If I owned a Nissan Frontier or similar vehicle I'd run it in summer, again because its always on clearance and the OEM allows it IIRC.
 
I messed up the oil pump on my 84 dodge Aries running 20w50 in the winter. It was in the teens. Car would barely turn over and when it started was ticking real bad. After that the oil light stayed on. That car was so easy to work on I changed the oil pump and rod bearing the next day. Replaces with 10w30
 
Originally Posted by mpack88
I messed up the oil pump on my 84 dodge Aries running 20w50 in the winter. It was in the teens. Car would barely turn over and when it started was ticking real bad. After that the oil light stayed on. That car was so easy to work on I changed the oil pump and rod bearing the next day. Replaces with 10w30


20º or so is about my lower limit to drive the MG, but I've noticed that it can be a bit reluctant to build oil pressure at those sort of temperatures.

There's no oil "light" in that car, but there is a real time pressure gauge(my year is electric, but most years actually have a pipe running from the side of the engine to the back of the gauge) and I have a good idea what is normal under different conditions.

I've often suspected that at low temperatures, the oil pump just has trouble pumping that syrup out of the sump.

I have at times run Delo or Rotella 15W-40 in the winter, something which seems to build pressure a bit faster and also makes cranking on a cold day a bit easier. I don't like what that does to my hot pressure, though, or my consumption(remember, worn rings-I have a bottom end that I'm planning on rebuilding this winter). I've also considered Mobil 1 15W-50. If it weren't expensive and difficult to find, I might run Castrol Edge 5W-50 year round.
 
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