Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Oil Change ?

I have a 1995 Ford Contour GL 2.0 4 Cil and since I got It I' ve been using 5W-30 motor oil, now that my car is over the 130,000 Km the Mechanic told that because of the high mileage I should think about using 10W-30 instead of 5W-30 , I would like to know if that is safe or not.

I also like to know what is the procedure to change the Automatic Translaxe oil filter, some people told me is very simple and others that is a real problem. Could you explain me how to do it.

Thanks for your comments.

Ricky

The ATX filter is inside the unit, and can't be replaced without dismantling the unit.

As far as the oil is concerned, I would stay with the 5W-30, unless you have a good reason to change.

this past summer I ran 10w-40 in my Zetec. I figured it couldn't hurt becasue of the higher temps of the summer and the miles (105k at the time) on the car. I have 5w-30 back in it because there wasn't enough 10w-40 for me to change the oil when I did. The only difference I notice was I think my temp guage was just a tad bit lower then before.

Only time I up the oil weight is to raise compression and oil pressure in a worn engine.

This might sound a little harsh but I would look for another mechanic. This engine should never have heavy oil in it, even when it is nearly worn out. Heavy oil will only accelerate engine wear. Whatever you do, don't change to heavy oil just because the engine is up in miles. Especially if the engine is still in good shape, stay with the factory recommended oil, 5W30.