How many quarts are recommended?

What brand?

Synthetic vs. Normal? I have had people tell me DON'T go synthetic until motor broken in and others tell me that I should go sythetic right from the start. Opinions?

Engine type: 5.4L FX4
Minnesota weather sub zero alot of the time in the winter. Stored in garage. Driving very short distances (400 mi/month)

Keep in mind, I'm not asking for what the BOOK recommends, I would like to know your personal opinions on what YOU, the driver that has owned F150's for a long time, recommend.

 

Until you find out exactly what you want to use I would suggest using the Motorcraft 5w20 semi synthetic. Thats what it calls for so there would be no warranty issues. My manual says it holds 7 quarts.

 

I would change to Amsoil on the second change.

 

Dude, I looked at this issue to death and finally decided to run a syn. blend because it has a little better vis. than most dino oil's,now there will be someone tell you to run mobil1,thats fine if you want to run 0w-20,and pay 4 to 5 dollars a quart,also they will say it's better,all I can say is go to a amsoil site and look at all the data,test on diff oil's,now Im not saying to run amsoil but,just look at the test result's and you will be find you can choose a good syn. blend and be fine, I chose 5w-20 castrol syn. blend,7 quart's and a motorcraft filter.

 

If, however, you decide you would like to try AMSOIL then I would be grateful to have the opportunity set you up so as to purchase it wholesale. It is some awsom stuff.

If interested send me an email to:

lariat54@comcast.net

Thanks, Screwdrive

 

I did the first oil change today at 2,832 miles.

Observations:

1) I couldn't get enough torque on the filter wrench from the underside to loosen the filter. I ended up going from the top drivers side with the filter wrench. I am going to look for a vertical drive filter wrench. I think that would make pulling the filter from below much easier.

A word of advice - use mechanics gloves. There are alot of "scratch the hell out of you" spots around the filter.

2) I thought from looking at it that the oil filter "drain tray" drained out the front from that little scoop you see.

Nope, it drains from the back side directly in front of the differential through a hole on the skid plate (at least on the FX4).

3) My local Checker doesn't stock Mobil 0W20 or Mobil filters and their high end Purolater filter was $12.50. Until I get time to do more digging, I decided to run Motorcraft 5W20 syn blend and the FL820S filter from Ford.

Total cost for 7 quarts and filter: $28.37

I was surprised how good the oil that came out looked. I'm sure the 7 quart capacity has some affect on that, but it really did look pretty good.

4) I prefilled the oil filter about 3/4 of the way up. Thats about all you'll be able to do without it leaking out - at least with the Motorcraft filter. Interesting thing I noticed is that the extended life Motorcraft filter seems to soak up alot less oil than a Fram Tough-Guard. Could the Motorcraft filter be utilizing a synthetic filter media? I don't know, but I'm gonna find out.

Another thing (which I believe another member noted in the past) is that the grey factory filter and white replacement filter, even though they are the exact same part number the factory grey filter is ALOT heavier. Even after I drained the filter for 20 minutes. I mean like 3 times heavier. Odd.

Even with prefilling the filter, the truck made a noise I have never heard upon startup for about 1 second. Sort of like the girl in the Excorcist right before she puked green and her head spun around.

Not sure whats up with that, but the oil pressure on the gauge shot up after that 1 second period and the devil girl sound stopped immediately too.

Other things I found while going over the truck:

1) The rubber protection boot on the drivers door jamb main wiring harness had come out. Just pushed it back into it's seat on the jamb.

Thats about it. I'm gonna do an oil analysis with the next change at 6k miles to see how everything looks, but so far so good.

I am very happy with the 5.4 3V at this point. Seems to be a very good motor.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with Motorcraft 5w20 syn blend and the FL820S filter. I'm going to change my oil next weekend since the dealer won't do my free oil change until 5000 miles. I plan on using the Motorcraft synthetic blend and filter, plus both are on the shelf at Wal-Mart. I plan on just seeing what the oil looks like first to see if I am going to change it every 3000 or 5000.

 

Well dgdee, I'm sort of **** about this stuff, and I'll throw my opinion out there for what its worth.

In my mind, nobody cares about your vehicle as much as you do.

Yes, there are very good dealers out there, and not so good dealers, but...

Changing oil for a dealer or quicky lube joint is a 15 minute deal. Do it as fast as possible. Move 'em in, move 'em out.

I use the oil change time to go over every square inch of the vehicle. Check the tire pressure, fill the windshield fluid, vacuum the interior, look for abnormal things. Twice a year I detail the engine compartment. Etc...

Sort of quality time with the truck if you will.

 

blitzkrieg

Ya I do the same thing. Actually I have never let anyone else change my oil, and I have been driving since 1979. I don't even know if I will even use the free oil change. I don't know if its worth $25 to take a chance and let some 18 year old oil changer bull shxxin with his buddy and puttin 5 qts of 20w50 in my new truck! It happens.

 

BlitzK...The answer to your oil filter removal is a 36 flute Super Graphite #6 filter wrench by Flotool made specifically for the Motorcraft filter. It's a perfect fit to the MC flute pattern and molded protrusions around the flute rim make hand removal/tightening easy, but there is a 3/8" drive if you prefer to use a socket wrench. If it's not available at your local auto store, type 'Flotool' in Google for links to retailers.

By the way, 7 quarts of 5W20 MC syn-blend and a MC 820S filter is $14.86 at WalMart. I usually stock up with both when I'm in the vicinity.

 

Thanks Grim - I will go hunting for that filter wrench before the next oil change. I looked like a pissed off cat got ahold of me using my standard swivel wrench.

I have a thing about Walmarts business practices, so I have never shopped there and never will. But thats a subject for another time and another place.

 

Well I'm a tech at a tire store. I use our own Valvoline 5w-20 oil plus a CarQuest Premium filter. I won't use the CarQuest redline as those filters are junk. The Premium line has a blue lable and has a silicone check valve. It's made by Wix, which makes awesome oil filters. I've always used Valvoline in all my other vehicles, and I don't see anything changing that anytime soon, plus it's free for me.

 

I would venture to guess most of the protection you can give your engine is in the attention you pay to performing regular oil changes, moreso than the oil itself. But everyone has their choice of oil and filter combo. Here's my 2 cents...

I have a story I would like to share about my experience with Mobile 1. I myself am very **** about my oil changes. In my 90 Mustang I used Mobile 1 tri-synthetic, changed at every 3000 miles. When I first switched to the tri-synthetic my oil still came out dirty after 3000 miles. But after about 5 oil changes it started coming out very clean. I also started using a K&N oil filter at this time BTW. I later stripped all the parts off the car to sell it and noticed the heads looked like brand new. The engine had 130,000+ miles on it and the ridge at the top of the cylinders was no more than .001" per side (I used a dial bore gage). And I swear with God as my witness you could still see the cross-hatching in the cylinders. Even the guy I sold the car to noticed them and was amazed.

Maybe it's just a combination of three extremely high quality components - Ford, Mobile 1, and K&N

Now I agree that paying $5.00 for a quart of oil is ridiculous. But what's a guy to do when I've had such good luck beating the he!! out of a 5.0 only to find it's in that good of shape after 130,000+ miles? I drove that car to speeds of 135mph and even made quite a few runs down the drag strip with it. I hated to tear it apart, but my heads and intake wasn't part of the sale. Is Amsoil really that good? I thought about going with Royal Purple, but it's just as pricey. I would consider switching to Amsoil, but I've never used it personally.

Another thing to consider...
If 4 1/2 quarts will hold up and stay clean for 3000 very hard driven miles, wouldn't 7 quarts hold up and stay clean even longer? I plan to let my oil changes go a little longer with this truck. Somewhere in the 4-5k range. If it starts looking dirty between changes I'll cut it back a bit. Anyone else consider this?

 

I would recommend either the Mobil 1 0w-20 or the Motorcraft 5w-20. It's a toss up between the two with Motorcraft having the price advantage, and M1 having the January advantage.

 

I always thought the "W" was the viscosity amount the oil changed in the winter? i.e. 5W means it changes 5 viscosity in the winter. If that is the case wouldn't the 5W-20 have the advantage since it adjusts for colder climates? Or am I mistaken on what the "W" means?