[-qaz-]

OIL 101
first number is the temp range, w means it can be used in winter, last number is the viscosity of the oil (how thick or watery it is or 'its ability to flow').

5w30 is what the ford manual that is in your glove box (or would have been iif one of the owners before you didnt loose it) says.

10w30 is fine if it doesnt get too cold where you live (nyc 10w30 is fine)

5w just means it can work in colder temps compared to 10w

back in the old days in an old engine people used to move up to 10w40 (or 5w40) to use thicker oil to compansate for the wear of the engine. Many old-oldskool people still do this.

If you use oil that is to thick (40 or 50 weight) it will take power away from the engine because it alone will be a load on the engine.

If the oil is to thin it will be to watery to actually protect the engine from friction.

Synbthetyc oil are supposed to be better and have a lower friction coefficient and are a less of a load on engine even if its the same grade oil as the non-synthetic. In fact synthetic oil can improove your millage by a bit. (i get about 2 mpgs more)

A while ago FORD had a TSB which stated that after new testing they have concluded that many of their old engines can in fact use 5w-20 instead of 5w-30. Vulcan was one of the many many engines listed in the TSB. This tsb was on the old boards somewhere and started many debates if 5w20 is to thin or not. In fact i think if you get a new vulcan it will have 5w20 in it. I have used 5w20 in my vulcan and it worked fin no obviouse difference, it was a non synthetic 5w20 yet i got the same milage as with synthetic oils do to the lighter weigt.

Thats all i got to say about oil, probably said to much. I rether give you the info and have you make the decision then saying 'use 5w-30'.

Now what kind of accident did you have with the car? Could it be something got damaged from the accident and caused this problem?

 

[Racer X]

10w30 is NOT fine in NYC.

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by SixFoFalcon@Jan 9 2004, 02:41 PM
The block will only crack if Bob Gervais drives and/or maintains your car. 

It's possible, but very unlikely. 

We need to add the finger smiley. <_<

Back on topic, have you noticed the coolant level going down? How do the plugs look?

On almost every headgasket I've had to do, the coolant emulsified with the oil, and looked exactly as you've described.

 

[Lazarus]

Ok...sorry, lapse from computer access. I rearended a car. Other than major front body damage, completely destroying my radiator and fan, denting my oil filter, and a slight front end misalignment everything else *seemed* fine. Within a week after the accident and two trips to the junkyard i had replaced my radiator and fan, changed the oil and filter, put on a new bumper, hood, grille and headlight assembly. The car was running again. Shortly thereafter i noticed the radiator i had just put in had a slight leak (no big deal, i feed it and when i get some money ill get a rebuilt one) so yes the radiator coolant is perpetually a little low, but i never let the temp guage climb (i'v only had to add coolant once). I havent checked the plugs recently...last check they looked fine...White smoke does come out of the exaughst, even when the engine is warm, but im not sure if its an unusual amount. The engine does seem a bit weaker than i remember (perhaps compression loss).
On a related note, as im beginning to think that it must be the head gasket, does anybody know a good place, perhaps online, to get the gasket kit for removing and replacing everything related to the head gasket (i think it comes with the bolts and everything as well). The lowest price i could find was at autozone and they wanted 90 bucks. Other places found online seemed to want even more...Do any of you know any places to get cheap repacement gaskets etc.?
Also i want to thank everyone for the great response to this thread...TCCA folks kick a$$.

Brian

 

[Guest]

Autozone it the cheapest. The head gasket set and bolts come separately, those are about $30.

Before you go ahead and tear into things though, do a compression test (wet and dry), check the plugs, and pressure check the cooling system. Let us know what you find.

 

[Lazarus]

I am not exactly in the position to do the compression check nor do i think i could afford it...seems like that sort of thing adds up real fast...and im not big on doing maintenance on the rest of the cooling system since i know im gonna replace the rad, and hoses in the relatively near future...can i buy something that would allow me to do my own cylinder pressure check? I have literature describing what the correct compression should be and i have a description of how to do the check, just not the tools...what would i ask for and what would it cost?

Brian

 

[Patrick Norris]

Originally posted by Lazarus@Jan 10 2004, 07:16 PM
I am not exactly in the position to do the compression check nor do i think i could afford it...seems like that sort of thing adds up real fast...and im not big on doing maintenance on the rest of the cooling system since i know im gonna replace the rad, and hoses in the relatively near future...can i buy something that would allow me to do my own cylinder pressure check? I have literature describing what the correct compression should be and i have a description of how to do the check, just not the tools...what would i ask for and what would it cost?

Brian

It is actually very simple to find out. Find a rad shop or any shop that doesn free quotes. They will take a sample of your coolant and check for hydrocarbons. If there are any in the coolant then it means you have a leak. Some places may even do a pressure test but I am not sure.

 

[Guest]

Compression testers are available for about $25 at Autozone. They also may loan them free, along with a bunch of other tools. The way it works is you pay for the tool, and upon return of the tool you get a full refund.

 

[Lazarus]

That sounds like a good plan, i'm gonna try and do the tests tommorrow and i'll keep you all posted on what i find! Thanks!

Brian

 

[Lazarus]

ok...today was attempt one at pressure tests. removed all the plugs and got everything ready and attempted to screw in a pressure tester i had borrowed...hmm doesnt fit...well thats ok ill just run up to...ohh wait...yeah. So i just cleaned up the plugs and fixed the gap on each one. Interestingly i checked my oil...no chocolate milk sludge, a little steam though. The PCV valve had a lot of sluge on it, I cleaned it of and gave it a shake and it was doing just fine. If today has taught me anything its that trying to work on your car when its 30 degrees out is not so fun. Mabey ill just wait till it warms up to do the pressure check...anyway I thought id keep you all updated. <_<

Brian

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the update Brian. Keep us infomormed!