Had a talk with a mechanic in Tucson that changed how I think about oil weights

I've always run 5W-30 in my old Ford F-150 because that's what the manual says. But a guy at a shop in Tucson told me these desert engines do better with 10W-40 because of the heat. He showed me a bearing he pulled from a truck that ran 5W-30 for 150k miles - it was toast. I switched two months ago and my oil pressure is way steadier on hot days. Has anyone else here had good luck running heavier oil in a hot climate?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_robinson205d ago

Well, I ran 20W-50 in my old Jeep Cherokee for years here in Phoenix and never had a single valve tap.

brooket435d ago

Never had a single valve tap" - that's because the engine was too busy crying for help to make any noise. Classic Phoenix logic!