Ford Ka,which oil to use?

[sparkywilliam...]

Guys,

Ford Recommends Mobil FE Special 15w30 semi synthetic oil in the manual for my ka 1.3 2005 car but i wondered if something cheaper like Carlube 15w30 semi is ok to use? Its half the price (Eurocar parts) and seems like the trade use it. (Mobil is £30.00 for 5 Litres)

But I wondered what the 'FE' stands for? is it 'Ford Engine' or is the base oil/additives better quality.I plan to change it every 6k anyway.

Any advice appreciated.

[Chalky.]

Any semi synthetic 15 w 30 will be fine.

[chris-red]

At KA has an ancient engine used in the original fiesta I believe I'm pretty sure most cheap oil will be fine.
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[Chalky.]

[tahrey]

Car engines, particularly something so low tune and overbuilt as the enduras (think 4x giant CG motors stuck together but made out of granite, making about half the hp/L and rarely revving beyond 5k), don't require anything like the oil quality of an equivalent hard worked small bike so don't sweat it too much. I've never used anything fancy in my cars, just bog standard halfords or ECP semisynth 10w40, and they've been fine. They meet all the applicable standards, have similar additives, etc. (Tell a lie, i tended to use VW Quantum Synta Silver in my polo, but that's because GSF sold it even cheaper than the halfords stuff... And it's probably the same product in a different bottle... Must remember to see if they stock the Renault/Elf equivalent). So long as you quick to the cautious replacement schedule (as i do/did) it'll be a-ok.

Bit puzzled by their specifying such thick (and narrow grade) oil on a more modern car regardless of the engine though. Unless the seals fit poorly and the oilways narrow and prone to clogging, i'd probably try something a touch more multigrade such as the common 10w40, which will be thinner from cold (starts circulating quicker) but keep a bit of viscosity at higher temps so it actually still lubes the moving parts..i

[Robby]

On the old endura pushrod engine I would use just about any oil. My personal preference is the Chevron 10W40 diesel motor oil from costco, seeing as it comes in a 20l drum for under £20.

Modern ford engines must use the correct oil grade. I'm not sure of the reason (possibly tappet jacking), but I think the recommended oil is 10W30. Ford sell their own branded semi synthetic at a competitive price, which means it isn't worth trying to save a couple of quid on a different brand or grade. Quite a few problems have been reporting in car mechanics magazine from people using the wrong oil grade in a modern ford engine.

If the engine is very noisy or the oil light stays on for longer than you would like it to on start up on your old endure engine, I would go for a heavier oil. My old '84 Honda accord was happier on 20W50 than 10W40. A gallon of it was £7 from the local petrol station forecourt. I think I may be the only person to ever buy it. The little bit of sediment on the bottom of the bottle after pouring it into the engine always made me giggle.

[tahrey]

/sends mum to Costco for "a bucket of oil"

Hmm yeah there's probably something in the head that don' laak it. Solid tappets rather than hydraulic maybe, that kind of thing.

Always wondered who bought those 20w50 refinery dregs btw! Was considering whether it'd be any good as chain oil til i was tipped off about just using the engine waste. The £7-a-tin gunk is presumably of a similar consistency (and quality?) to what comes out of the sump at service time in most other engines?

[Kickstart]

[Robby]

[stutterin' sam]

I've been running my '04 KA from new on cheap own brand oil from Tesco or Asda ( whichever is cheapest at the time ) without any problems
60,000 trouble free miles so far!
____________________
It is said that if you line up all the cars in the world end to end, some idiot on a sports bike would be stupid enough to try and pass them.

[Frost]

If in doubt 10w40. Not likely to be too thick or too thin to damage anything. that 20w50 stuff is great for older engines the smoke a bit and burn a bit of oil. I used to use it in my old thumper, which was basically a tractor anyway

[tahrey]

Uh, then, if it's hydraulic tappets having issues, wouldn't 10w40 be better than 20w50 given that higher numbers denote thicker oil? Or 5w30 for preference?

Personal taste only, but with a manual that recommended that range of oils i'd go for the slightly thinner multigrade because it's unlikely to get seriously overheated but I would want it protected from cold, particularly around November-December time. Unless of course it's running rough as anything in summer and - like that old Civic - it's found the stickier stuff actually helps. Probably a prelude to a full overhaul being needed, mind.

The branding probably doesn't make too much difference so long as it passes minimum SAE standards, it's the grade and type that you need to look at. Just like full-ester 5w40 synthetic is recommended for highly stressed bike engines.

[stonesie]

If it's the endura engine then it will not have hydraulic tappets but they do like to turn thicker oils to sludge (known as 'Black Death') the old CVH lumps used to suffer from it too, another name for those engines is 'Rattler' because nobody can ever be bothered to adjust the tappets.

If this KA is a later Mk1 then it might have the 1.2 engine, which is much more modern and probably quite sensitive to oil grade.

[Kickstart]