And it says to use 5w 30 . i know you guys said to use 10w 30 but in the manual it says thats for 5.0's . So i picked up a jug of 5w 30 moble 1 and a mc filter. hopefully everything will be strait. doing the oil change for the first time i know i know,case of beer

 

I run 10w40 but I read in a Modified Mustang article last year Joe DaSilvia says to run 20w50 in the summer. In my opinion you'll be fine with 5w30 for your 2.3.

 

I run 10W 30 in my 2.3 Turbo....and for the 5.0 I run 10W30 in the winter and 10W40 in the summer. I know Joe is supposed to be some sort of guru but I completely disagree wtih running 20W50....it is too thick. I've only every run that weight in one car and that was to get it a little quieter as it had some valve train clatter and it was a Pontiac and not a Ford. I've put over 300K on engines with the weights I recommend and when opened to inspect they have been nearly perfect inside(this is with regular oil changes).

And NEVER run 20W50 in a 2.3!!!!!

You'll be fine with 5W30 though.....

....and whatever you do....NEVER take everything printed in a magazine as gospel....whether it's a parts comparison or a maintenance tip...ALWAYS get confirmation from other trusted sources as well.

 

thats why I stuck with 10-40

 

I'v had no problem running moble 1 5w30 so far. someone on another forum said that the car would start to leak running synthetic didnt make sense to me because if your car didnt leak before why now

 

Using synthetic oil may "cause" leaks because of the detergent (additive) package in the oil cleaning away the crud built up around old/worn seals. It's happened to both of my cars already - the infamous "rear main seal" leak on 5.0's that seemed to get worse after I switched to synthetic. Go figure. My '88 had about 135k miles, my '92 has 86k miles.

 

wheres the rear main seal so i can check mine? you got any pics? thanks

 

Sorry, no pictures - the rear main (crankshaft) oil seal is located at the rear of the engine block where the engine's crankshaft/output meets with the clutch or torque converter assembly that goes into the transmission bellhousing. Normally, one shouldn't be able to casually see it unless the transmission is removed from the vehicle. 5.0 V8 Mustangs are famous for having oil leaks from that area. Not sure if the 2.3L suffers from the same problem. Replacing it means removing the transmission.
The easiest way to determine if there is a rear main leak is to look underneath the car and check for oil seeping down the rear area of the oil pan and the bottom of the transmission area just behind the oil pan - it'll be coated in oily/dirty crud. You may wish to inspect the oil pan gasket itself as well. To double check, look from the top of the engine and check the area between the engine and firewall for signs of oil on the back of the engine and the top of the transmission bellhousing to eliminate the possibility of valve cover/intake manifold/pcv oil leaks running down to the oil pan. (At least that's what I've done).