Oil again - be careful of Castrol Edge 5W-50!

[coboss]

Long story how this happened, but I ended up with the Boss up on ramps, drained of oil, but no oil to put in it. I had 9 bottles of Mobil 1 5W-50 in the garage, but six bottles were USED oil from a change I had forgotten about. Doh!

I called my wife and asked her to stop at NAPA on the way home from work. She arrived with 9 bottles of Castrol Syntec Edge 5W-50, since they were out of Mobil 1. No big deal, I figured, so I filled the car, started it for a minute, checked it, and then decided it looked too much like rain to go to the track anyway, and put it back in the garage.

As I was cleaning up, I looked more closely at the bottles. It said "Specially formulated for classic cars." WTF?

After some internet sleuthing, here is what I found: Castrol now makes a 5W-50 and a 20W-50 with extra zinc, which is supposed to provide better wear protection for "classic cars". Apparently this oil is only recommended for cars WITHOUT CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. Crap. I just wasted $60 and an oil filter. Luckily I decided at the last minute against going to the track.

So, who knows the FACTS behind what would have happened to my car if I had driven 100 miles round trip plus two hours of track laps? No conjecture, but real knowledge. I read everything from it wouldn't matter at all, to I would have burned my cats in one hour.

Anyone?

 

[Jabooh]

Well, all I can tell you is that I use Castrol Edge 5w50 and have for 24,500 miles and have no issues with my cats or anything.

I have the oil tested at various mileage and it seems fine.

 

[Berol]

I just switched to this and don't have any worries at all.

Even if the cats go south, there are so many people who take the cats off of Mustangs that you could probably pick up a set ready to bolt in for all of $100 or $150. Most people just want to get rid of them.

 

[coboss]

Well, all I can tell you is that I use Castrol Edge 5w50 and have for 24,500 miles and have no issues with my cats or anything.

I have the oil tested at various mileage and it seems fine.

There are now TWO flavors of Castrol Edge 5W-50: one is the high zinc version for "classic cars" and the other has normal zinc levels. The version the NAPA sold my wife has an all black label, the other version has the usual green and red Castrol label.

 

[Jabooh]

Ok well, I am using the black bottle that indicates Classic Cars. Looks like the zinc is for better lubrication during initial startup and the break in period. What I read said it may harm the Cats but nothing definitive.

 

[2012-Boss]

The extra zinc and moly in oils for classic cars provides high pressure protection against scuffing and wear for flat tappet camshafts, lifters, non-roller / sliding rocker arms, etcetera. It can damage the cats over time.

 

[PeteInCT]

Well, all I can tell you is that I use Castrol Edge 5w50 and have for 24,500 miles and have no issues with my cats or anything.

I have the oil tested at various mileage and it seems fine.

Ditto - there is no issue with this oil.

-Pete

 

[KBBOSS1086]

I've used both versions of this oil this my second oil change. Car nw has 33k miles with lots of track time. I did have a CAT efficiency code and and had a converter replaced at around the 13k mileage mark, but I'd find it hard to believe that the oil caused this after only 3k miles. No issues since then.

Also, I believe the CAT's are warranttied for 10 years so even if the oil does harm them it may be worth it if the zink provides some additional wear protection.

 

[101blur]

Well, all I can tell you is that I use Castrol Edge 5w50 and have for 24,500 miles and have no issues with my cats or anything.

I have the oil tested at various mileage and it seems fine.

wow 24,500 miles on one oil change and you track it too... and Here I am changing my Amsoil sig every 5k or 2 track events LOL

 

[2012-Boss]

The OP is referring to a specific Edge formulation for classic cars, not the formulation that meets the Ford spec for our cars.

I would not use the classic car formulation in our cars. If it is the oil I am thinking of, it has over 1300 ppm in zinc. Our engines are designed to use a much lower zinc level and have very little sliding metal to metal contact like engines did 40 years ago. The elevated zinc will damage modern emissions systems over time while providing little, if any, additional wear protection in a modern engine.

Now, if you have a vintage Mustang, this is the type of oil you should be using but in a viscosity more suited to older engines.

 

[coboss]

I sent a query to Castrol about this and they responded within a few hours, which impressed me. I really wanted some take on the zinc content, but instead I got sort of the legal reading, which I guess is to be expected:

"Thank you for contacting Castrol North America.

Castrol EDGE SAE 5W-50 does not meet Ford WSS-M2C-931-B therefore this product is not recommended for use in a 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302.

Castrol always recommends following the guidelines of the engine manufacturer for the recommended oil (i.e. SAE grade, API rating and manufacturer specifications) specific to your application. This information can always be found in the vehicles owner’s manual or by contacting the manufacturer directly.

Castrol Consumer Relations"

Note that they said "Castrol EDGE SAE 5W-50" not specifically the version for classic cars. I googled around and found a post on a Canadian Mustang site with a specific response from Castrol from 2012 saying that they had CHANGED the formulation of the "regular" 5W-50 Syntec and that it no longer met the Ford spec.

http://mustangcanada.com/forums/s197-mustangs-05-14/11007-castrol-syntec-5w-50-a.html


So, I'm sure this has been asked before, but other than Motorcraft, which we know is not great oil, what 5W-50 does meet Ford WSS-M2C-931-B????

 

[Jabooh]

wow 24,500 miles on one oil change and you track it too... and Here I am changing my Amsoil sig every 5k or 2 track events LOL

No that's multiple changes. I pick an oil and stay with it.

 

[captdistraction]

It won't hurt the boss's cats. If it does, I have a fresh set anyone can buy for cheap.

 

[Berol]

Just went back and looked at a used oil analysis I had done on Motorcraft 5w-50 when I was using that.

My sample came out with 700 ppm Zinc, with universal averages at 859 ppm.

I'll have a sample done with the Castrol shortly. However, if it is in the area of 1300 ppm I am not concerned about this at all. Certainly not concerned enough for me to drain a pan of 8.5 quarts of unused synthetic oil. It may accelerate damage to cats, but I really doubt it's going to eat through them.

I'll post up results once I send the sample in.

 

[Jabooh]

Here are mine.






These are my samples. The one with GTX is really the Edge. All are the black "classic cars" formulation.

 

[Berol]

Thanks for sharing. Looks like you're averaging around 1100 ppm on Zinc, which compared to 870-ish on the Motorcraft, isn't a huge jump IMO.

For the OP, if you're looking for another oil that meets Ford's Spec, Amsoil makes one. But you'll pay the same price you're paying for the Motorcraft. It's a great oil but you also have to put up with Amsoil's cult and propaganda.

 

[coboss]

Which Castrol Edge was analyzed? As I mentioned, there are now two Castrol Edge 5W-50 products: one has a black label and is labeled "Specially formulated for classic cars" and the other is the old red and green label version. Castrol say the black label has "at least" 1300ppm of zinc.

 

[VoodooBoss]

I ran into this three years ago and bought some of the classic car formula. I use it to top off the oil and figure a few ounces here and there won't hurt. My car no longer burns oil so I have enough to last another decade. LOL

 

[Jabooh]

Which Castrol Edge was analyzed? As I mentioned, there are now two Castrol Edge 5W-50 products: one has a black label and is labeled "Specially formulated for classic cars" and the other is the old red and green label version. Castrol say the black label has "at least" 1300ppm of zinc.

I indicated it was the black bottle.

 

[302 Hi Pro]

The good news is that there are no elements with escelating trend lines. As far as the zink, I wouldn't be to concerned about it as what is shown in the crankcase is necessarily what is going through the exhaust.

If you have a Peterson CVC upgrade then you only have to worry about oil consumption past the piston rings, (blow-by), and/or valve stem seal leakage, which should be minimal as oil consumption is not mentioned in your thread.

So, IMO I would not be concerned about any damage to the catalytic converters from using this oil. I also see that you run your oil lube time between 8,000 to 9,000 so I would be keeping an eye on silica content.

I would suspect the Moly content would be Piston Rings or Crankshaft and perhaps Camshaft elements, but here are a few questions:

1. What is the source of the Magnesium in our engines?

2. What are the elements of the Main and Rod bearings?

3. Do we have a specific coating on our piston skirts?

Interesting thread, thanks for posting.

Dave
302 Hi Pro