Bronco - Motor Oil Compilation List that meets Ford Spec WSS-M2C961-A1

[buschris]

I do not see a debate at all...just sharing of data. Some like the minutia of the detail, others may not.

Speaking only for me, until I see the fuel dilution percentages on a trend, I will not set an arbitrary OCI for the 2.7L. I prefer to make fact based decisions.

even the crappy oils of today far surpass those of 20+ yrs ago. I don't think you can go wrong with a major branded FS oil. Go cheap

Sponsored

 

[CarbonSteel]

even the crappy oils of today far surpass those of 20+ yrs ago. I don't think you can go wrong with a major branded FS oil. Go cheap

Yep; totally get that, (am no stranger to oil, API, and ASTM), but need to understand the dilution and subsequent viscosity reduction to determine the change interval. Based upon my first change it was 2.5% with a 16% reduction in viscosity in 1000 miles. If it remains there or increases, the OCI will need to be low and thus "cheap" (within reason) makes some sense because using an extended drain oil will not.

 

[Realtor]

Do tell.

According to the owner's manual for all Bronco engines (2.3L, 2.7L, and 3.0L) there are two oils noted--the specifications which are listed in the sheet are the EXACT same ones noted in the owner's manual. If you have different information, then share it.:

1. 5W-30

2. 0W-30

And speaking of paying attention to detail you might notice that not once in the post, but twice there are statements:

" NOTE - many of these oils have statements like "Recommended For" or "Meets Requirements Of" and this is not necessarily the same as "Approved", just keep that in mind if warranties are a concern. "

and

"Meets (NOT BE FORD APPROVED)"

If anyone overlooks that, I am not sure how to help them better understand.

So Far, only Motorcraft Synthetic in our Broncos and GT350. I trust other oils, as well. I'll make sure they are Ford Approved first!

 

[Tricky Mike]

y'all really overthinking this oil debate. just pick an oil and change every 5-8k depending on your usage

Pretty much agree. I just make sure it's full synthetic and has LSPI protection.

 

[timhood]

Updated with @CarbonSteel's great 5W-30 compilation list:

Here are all of the 0W-30 and 5W-30 commonly available oils there are on the market that I could find that are "comparable to Motorcraft". Last I checked, Phillips 66 made Motorcraft oil.​

​

NOTE - many of these oils have statements like "Recommended For" or "Meets Requirements Of" and this is not necessarily the same as "Approved", just keep that in mind if warranties are a concern.​

​

The sheet has comment permissions so if you see one I missed or see an error, feel free to comment.​

​

Link To Google Sheet​

__________________________

Original post by @telenerd

For those wanting to know what alternative oils meet the Ford Specs (WSS-M2C961-A1) according to the service manual Ive started on a list. Please reply to thread if you see something missing! One stop shop. Yes another oil thread!

1. Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30
2. CASTROL GTX FULL SYNTHETIC 5W-30
3. Amsoil OE 5w-30
4. Mobil 1 Advanced Full Synthetic 5w-30
5. Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic 5w-30
6. Motul 8100 Ecolite 5w-30
7. Quaker State Full Synthetic
8. Kirkland Signature Full Synthetic 5W-30
9. Havoline Synthetic Blend

I think it would be helpful to combine columns 5 & 6 into one, with the header "Meets WSS-M2C963-A1 (0W-30) or Meets WSS-M2C961-A1 (5W-30)". As is, while viewing in the forum, it appears that none of the 5w-30 oils is an acceptable option. Since the specs are mutually-exclusive to their specific weights, a "Y" value in the combined column would mean the oil meets the spec that is appropriate for that weight.

Actually, as I think about it, those columns really aren't needed unless there is going to be some desire to list oils that are not meeting those specs since everything on the list thus far does meet the specs.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I think it would be helpful to combine columns 5 & 6 into one, with the header "Meets WSS-M2C963-A1 (0W-30) or Meets WSS-M2C961-A1 (5W-30)". As is, while viewing in the forum, it appears that none of the 5w-30 oils is an acceptable option. Since the specs are mutually-exclusive to their specific weights, a "Y" value in the combined column would mean the oil meets the spec that is appropriate for that weight.

Actually, as I think about it, those columns really aren't needed unless there is going to be some desire to list oils that are not meeting those specs since everything on the list thus far does meet the specs.

Done! Columns are combined, but the single column will remain if only for the note in red.

 

[TABadlands]

I don't care what Ford says. Amsoil Signature Series is the best Synthetic Oil. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum is great too.

 

[JodyT]

Sorry, but I'm confused on how the list works. For instance, I see that Mobile 1 Advanced Full Synthetic 5w-30 oil is listed above and I think we are saying it is "approved" for the Bronco. I followed that hyperlink and saw on the Mobil website that the Mobile 1 Advanced Full Synthetic 5w-30 meets or exceeds the requirements of FORD WSS-M2C961-A1 but I don't see where it states it is "Approved". I guess I don't know what oils we are stating are "approved" for our Broncos. Please help me be not confused . . . .

 

[CarbonSteel]

Sorry, but I'm confused on how the list works. For instance, I see that Mobile 1 Advanced Full Synthetic 5w-30 oil is listed above and I think we are saying it is "approved" for the Bronco. I followed that hyperlink and saw on the Mobil website that the Mobile 1 Advanced Full Synthetic 5w-30 meets or exceeds the requirements of FORD WSS-M2C961-A1 but I don't see where it states it is "Approved". I guess I don't know what oils we are stating are "approved" for our Broncos. Please help me be not confused . . . .

EDIT - I bought the Ford spec and have updated the sheet. All oils listed meet the requirements of the spec.


Thus the reason for the disclaimer. Ford does not help with this issue either and this has been an historical problem for all Ford specifications. In all of my years, I cannot say that I have ever seen Ford issue approvals--I do not believe they do it. You will see things like "Meets or Exceeds Requirements" or "Use where xxx is specified", but not "Approved By Ford".

Does that mean these oils should not be used? Not at all. From what I have been able to gather WSS-M2C961-A1 simply means a 5W-30 oil meeting ILSAC-GF6A, API SP, and API SN Plus specifications. All of these oils meet that requirement, and some have even more strict requirements like Dexos.

Trying to download the WSS-M2C961-A1 specification documentation is nearly impossible (like all Ford specifications). I may try to buy it just to see what it says.

 

[mike8675309]

Yes, all 3 Bronco engines have the same requirements

Of the 3, only the 2.3 doesn't have a rubber belt bathed in oil running the oil pump. If I have a 2.7 or 3.0 I would make sure any oil I use meets the factory requirements. I'm not as worried about it on the 2.3, but that's me.

 

[JBlanco]

Oil the Magical Elixir. Everyone is looking for that silver bullet.

After watching many "I Do Cars" videos on YouTube, oil is less of a silver bullet compared to the frequency of changing it. I use easily accessible Penzoil Platinum and change it every 3k miles.

 

[RagnarKon]

Isn't Pennzoil Ultra Platinum compliant?

no, only the regular version.

I hesitate to do this because I'm about to muddy the waters. BUT, just an FYI for those confused as to why Pennzoil Ultra Platinum doesn't meet the spec while Pennzoil Platinum does...

The WSS-M2C961-A1 specification wasn't published by Ford until July 2020, and it effectively replaced the old WSS-M2C946-B1 spec. This TDS document on Pennzoil's website was published 2 months earlier in May 2020. It would be impossible for Pennzoil to compare Ultra Platinum against unpublished specifications. There is a very good chance that Pennzoil Ultra Platinum DOES meet the new spec—they just hasn't updated the technical data sheet yet.

Keep in mind both the 2.3L and 2.7L existed in the Ranger and F-150 prior to Bronco's release, and were largely unchanged for the Bronco—some oil pan differences, different routing of hoses/wires, few other misc things, but that's pretty much it. If you go back to the 2020 user manuals for those vehicles, the old WSS-M2C946-B1 specification is indeed listed. Therefore it is almost certainly fine to use oil that lists the WSS-M2C946-B1 spec.

I absolutely wouldn't fault anyone for sticking with WSS-M2C961-A1 just to be 100% sure. But if you have a bunch of WSS-M2C946-B1 oil sitting around in your garage, I would have no issues using it in the Bronco. I personally have a bunch of Motorcraft Full Synthetic that I bought new in 2021, but at that point in time Ford still had the old label on it.

2.7L (F-150):

2.3L (Ranger):

 

[CarbonSteel]

So curious data-driven minds (me) wanted to know what is special about the two Ford Bronco oil specifications:

• WSS-M2C963-A1 (0W-30)
• WSS-M2C961-A1 (5W-30)

So, I just purchased the official Ford specification document which is named WSS-M2C960-A1 and includes the following specifications (buy your copy here):

• OIL, ENGINE, GASOLINE, ILSAC GF-6, SAE 5W-20 - WSS-M2C960-A1
• OIL, ENGINE, GASOLINE, ILSAC GF-6, SAE 5W-30 - WSS-M2C961-A1
• OIL, ENGINE, GASOLINE, ILSAC GF-6, SAE 0W-20 - WSS-M2C962-A1
• OIL, ENGINE, GASOLINE, ILSAC GF-6, SAE 0W-30 - WSS-M2C963-A1

In the end, there is NOTHING special about the specification and ultimately requires two things:

1. Shall meet all requirements of “ILSAC GF-6A for Passenger Car Engine Oils” plus the following:
All production needs to have an API license in the country where the product is manufactured or sold in.

2. Non-Ford branded engine oils that want to claim these specifications must meet all performance requirements in item 1.

I will be going back through the spreadsheet and any oil that does not meet ILSAC GF-6A AND have an API license (SP) shall be removed (EDIT- sheet is updated). This means the oil has to clearly have the API Starburst on it. Ergo, as an example, and despite whatever emotional responses there may be, Amsoil Signature Series oils are not API certified:

But their OE oil is:

@telenerd

 

[CarbonSteel]

I hesitate to do this because I'm about to muddy the waters. BUT, just an FYI for those confused as to why Pennzoil Ultra Platinum doesn't meet the spec while Pennzoil Platinum does...

Pennzoil Ultra does meet the spec--the WSS spec only requires ILSAC GF-6A and API SP. I updated the sheet to include it.

 

[Big L 65]

I am doing my first oil change and this will be the first time stepping away from Motorcraft.....I ran only Motorcraft lubricants on all my past 2017, 2018, and 2020 Ford F-450s with zero issues driving in all weather conditions and all seasons. Now for my 2023 Bronco I am looking at these brands....brands are my least concern its more performance and reliability for 5,000 Mile runs. Also, note oil filters and the quality of them.

Choices on Oil:
Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil
Mobil 1 Truck & SUV Full Synthetic 5W-30 Motor Oil
Mobil 1 Advanced Full Synthetic 5W-30 Engine Oil

Choices on Filter:
FRAM TITANIUM™ OIL FILTER FS3614
Mobil 1 Extended Performance Oil Filter M1-102A

Just close your eyes and pick you can’t go wrong with those choices

Sponsored