'92 Escort 1.4 with CVH engine.
Has a recon engine put in a few years ago - and have been chainging the oil every 12 months just before the MOT.
Was using 5W30, which would come out of the sump very dark brown.
the oil started leaking somewhere - think it was burning a bit - so used 10W40 at the last hange. This was in October.
The leaking has stopped but the oil on the dipstick is black and looking a bit thin, and smells a bit "petrolly" compared to whats in the oil can.
Should i change it now, or will it last thru till october again?
The engine is running fine by the way.
(the change from 5w30 to 10w40 made it run noticably smoother too)
cheers
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Hi,
I'm curious to know why you used 5W-30. I've only seen this grade in the top-end and expensive oils, I wouldn't have thought it was suitable for a '92 spec engine.
However, how many miles have you done since the change? I don't know what the change inteval is on your car, but the oil should go for at least 6k miles. Was the 10W-40 oil good quality, or really cheap? In fact what make and type of oil is it?
If you're worried about the oil then do another oil and filter change. I can't really see any reason why the 10W-40 should not be comparable, in terms of life, detergency, etc, with the 5W-30, unless you have really gone down market.
Regards, Rover Boy.
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Don't let Halfords change your mind about using 10W40. According to the oil guides, Ford's have changed their mind about using 10W40 in just about every engine back to 1980. Use 10W40, anything else will be too thin.
The petrol smell could be the engine running a little over-rich. What do the spark plugs look like? If they're black then it's probably overfuelling. If so, et fixed, then change the oil.
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I would check to make sure you are using correct oil..mfarrow made a good point..If you are overfueling.would get it sorted.Could be down to fuel washing the rings..and fuel getting into oil..?
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Steve
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I would use 10w-40. 5w-30 is for Zetec engines primarily.
I would also suggest if you are using basic semi-synthetics that you change your oil more requently 4-6000 miles tops as they do not have the life of fully synthetic oils.
Cheers
Simon
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Hi,
thanks for all the replies;
I was using 5W30 as this was listed as 1st choice in the Haynes manual, will be usig 10w40 from now on as it makes the engine run better, has stopped the leaking(wherever it was) and is cheaper!
The oil in there at the mo is normal Castrol (in the white can).
Interesting about the overfueling suggestion - Ive noticed a haze apearing in the headlights of cars behind when I thrash the engine at night, cant be oil mist as the oil level has stayed put since Oct.
I dont seem to get as many miles on a tank of petrol just recently either - could this have something to do with it?
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I dont seem to get as many miles on a tank of petrol just recently either - could this have something to do with it?
Most definately. Take it to a trusted garage to have it seen to. It's probably a failed sensor, though I'm concerned about the white smoke you're seeing: is the car loosing water or is there mayonnaise on the dipstick at all? Oil in the header tank? If so I would suspect a head gasket failure, which could go towards explaining the overfuelling.
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