Oil Change

[Matt R]

Put in 4.5 quarts like it says. Plus, after 9 oil changes, you'll get basically a free one (you'll only need a filter). Think of it as your own discount member card.

If you're using Mobil 1, then by adding 5 quarts every time, you're wasting $2.50 each oil change. And risking damage to your engine.

 

[Redeemer]

Hmm think that could be the reason my car would stall out? I put 5 quarts in mine.

 

[93rev2sev]

I doubt your car is stalling because of an extra half quart of oil. That's usually a idle control valve or a post MAF intake track leak.

 

[ohsigmachi]

DO NOT PUT 5 QUARTS!!!! Overfilling will do several bad things.

1. Zetecs need an oil temperature of around 220-250 degrees for proper lubrication and viscosity. Overfilling the oil (or installing an oil cooler) will cause the heat to be spread out more and you will have low oil temperatures during operation. This causes severe cylinder wall wear, and prevents moisture from burning off in your crankcase. Other than severe on-track racing use, Zetecs do not need any oil coolers or additional capacity. If you overfill, use a bigger filter, oil cooler, etc. you are wearing out your engine for no reason. Some cars can benefit from this, but ours does not.

2. Overfilling can cause rotating parts like the counterweights on the crankshaft to come into contact with the oil which aerates it and whips it into a froth. This is difficult for the oil pump to pump, resulting in low oil pressure which will cause engine failure.

A quart low is always better than a quart over, if you're ever in doubt.

I pour 4 quarts in, start the engine, run it for 15 seconds, and then turn it off, wait 30 seconds, and check it. I then add to bring it to the full mark and not over.

My opinion on oil is either go with full synthetic or the cheapest conventional oil you can find. As far as dino oils go, they are all the same. I have used no-name brand 5w30 for over 100k miles on my zetec and I expect to get another 200k out of it. We can argue about this till everyone is blue in the face but my two cents is this: buy the cheapest API-SL/SM oil you can find and save your money for something that matters.

Wow, where to begin...

1. I'm not sure where you got the info about Zetecs needing high oil temps, but I can tell from an oil chemistry standpoint it's hogwash. The closer you keep an oil to the 180-190 degree temp range the longer the useable life of the oil will be. As far as getting moisture and fuel to evaporate out of the oil it's is much easier on the oil if this process happens at or below 220 degrees. At temperatures above that, the process takes on a much more oxidative effect (read sludge). It really should be more a function of time rather than temp, hence people who drive lots of short trips where the oil never reaches operating temps are considered "severe condiction" drives, as oposed to people who have several minutes of sustained speed driving every day (longish highway commute) allows the oil to warm up gradually.

Running an oil cooler, extra half quart, or oversized filter will have absolutely no effect our cast iron cylinder walls, as long as the oil is an API certified oil in the proper weight the zetec will generaly last forever (even if its not a certified oil, good luck getting a zetec to wear out before the rest of the body craps out).

2. Have you ever had a zetec opened up? There is no way in HALE that extra half a quart of oil could EVER cause crank aeration. Furthermore the windage tray/sump-pickup design in the zetec is an award winning design that keeps the oil cloud extremly well controlled.

As far as your comments about oil choice I agree to a great extent, there are a few standouts in the conventional oil field though.

 

[pre98zetec]

good luck getting a zetec to wear out before the rest of the body craps out).

Sad truth

I just parked my 96 the other day. Going to start taking parts off it for my other one. The body is too rotted to really keep driving it. It's sad because that motor starts up and runs just like the day I bought it

I run the whole 5 quarts in both my zetecs.. over 200k so you can tell there's obviously no problem. 5 quarts is exactly the full line on the dipstick.:shrug:

 

[mcgarvey]

I have always been taught that oil has to remain at a sustained 212F or higher in order to boil off moisture. I understand that it can evaporate at lower temperatures, but it is at this point that it is forced into a gaseous state and ejected from the crankcase under pressure via the PCV system. At lower temperatures the enclosed nature of the engine prevents most of the moisture from leaving.

Feel free to prove me wrong, don't worry you can't offend me.

 

[ohsigmachi]

I have always been taught that oil has to remain at a sustained 212F or higher in order to boil off moisture. I understand that it can evaporate at lower temperatures, but it is at this point that it is forced into a gaseous state and ejected from the crankcase under pressure via the PCV system. At lower temperatures the enclosed nature of the engine prevents most of the moisture from leaving.

Feel free to prove me wrong, don't worry you can't offend me.

It still evaporates or gets burned off, just more slowly the PCV system operates no matter what the oil temp is...212<220+ degrees