I'm coming up on 3K in my Screw. Do y'all get an oil change at 3K or 5K? On all of my past vehicles it was always 3 months, regardless of miles. The owners manual says 5K, but the dealership says 3K.

Also, what would be better...regular oil or synthetic? Is everyone using 5W20 as Ford recommends?

All the questions...for now.

Thanks all!

 

The Motorcraft 5w-20 synthetic blend has been turning in some great used oil analysis. Your not going to find anything better for average driving. It has the same HT/HS rating as Mobil One at a much lower price. If you regularly pull a trailer, I would suggest moving up to a 10w-30 preferably a Group III basestock. I would recommend oil changes at every 3500 miles especially considering your intake system will allow about 3x the Si of the factory. Nothing to worry about, just change oil at 3500 or less.
In regards to your post about oil additives. The SL rated oils of today need no additives and adding an additive may detract from your oil rather than enhance it. The only gas additive that Ford recommends is Chevrons Techron. It works in lab tests.

 

It's your choice between 3k and 5k either regular or synthetic. Better to use regular at 3k and synthetic at 5k. No oil should wear out in 3k.

Anybody who makes a living changing oil will recommend 3k as his boss advises him to say, but oil analysis at 5k have been very good. The problem with going 5k is the simple fact that you don't save much money if you do the math.

There is a guy right now testing Mobil 1 in a Camaro doing 0il analysis every 1000 miles. He is currently at 7000 miles and the oil tests good, but keep in mind that he has to replace the oil he drains out for testing with new oil.

I like to run regular oil 3-4k in the spring, summer, fall, and synthetic 4-5k in the winter. I'm at 3,800 now.

These engines run cleaner than they did in the days of 3000 mile oil changes and oil quality had improved. I have given clearance to my family to drive their cars 4000 miles each oil change.

 

If there's any topic on this board that you'll get more different responses to I don't know what it would be. Here's my $.02 on the issue.

Your owners manual (or supplemental documentation) should note two different oil change schedules. The first is a 3000 mile schedule for heavy use (trailering, heavy payloads, etc). The second is the 'standard' schedule which notes changes at 5000 mile intervals. On either of these two schedules Ford recommends use of 5w20 oil (Motorcraft in particular). I follow the latter schedule, but use Mobil 1 Tri-Synthetic 5w30 oil and a Mobil 1 oil filter. Bear in mind that my truck is a daily driver that is also used to tow a 16' tandem axle box trailer (approx. 6000 lbs.) and a 21' inboard skiboat (approx. 4500 lbs) on a regular basis.

According to a friend of mine which also happens to be the Service Manager at my local dealership (and who owns a SuperCrew himself), he noted that he follows the same schedule and uses the same products that I do on his 2002 SuperCrew.

In the end, you have a lot of choices. Good luck deciding for your truck.

 

Hey Bigdeal,

Way off topic here but where did you purchase your Lightning tails? They look sweet! How much were they if you dont mind me asking?

Thanks!

 

I bought them off Ebay from Atascadero Ford (i.e. www.fordpartsonline.com). They're real OEM lights, and I got the pair for $180 total! That's about the best deal I've run across for 'new OEM' stuff. These guys were good to buy from. If you're looking for a set, I'd also suggest calling Teresa at Southwest Ford (i.e. www.oemfordparts.com). I've bought a bunch of stuff there and would highly recommend them. Good prices and super customer support/service. Good luck.