First oil change for new Ecoboost?
 

I don't see an early oil change for engine break-in in the manual (2014 F150 with 3.5 Ecoboost). Did they do away with recommending an oil change earlier than the normal interval for brand new engines or what? Personally, I'm inclined to do an oil change at the first 1,000 miles for my new truck and then start going with the normal change interval after that.

Does Ford even recommend the early oil change for new engines these days? I thought it was odd that I didn't see anything in the book about it.

They don't, but I did an oil change at 1,000 miles too. I don't believe in the "junk left after manufacturing" happens very often. I'm sure someone has, somewhere, so it might be better to call me highly skeptical.

What I do know is that metal contaminants are at their highest during this time from oil analysis (Blackstone is my favorite vendor now). And I did an oil & filter change.

I considered using break-in oil like I have on my aircraft engines, but I decided against it. In a/c, you never use synthetic oil of any kind and you run them at full power at low altitude (at or below 3,500') to ensure ring seating. I'm not confident the average knowledge/expertise level of the person I'd be explaining why I deviated from a synthetic blend they describe in the book - which could lead to a warranty-void decision.

I've done the early oil change practice on every engine I've used in the last 40 years and all of them (from racing engines to my personal auto) have had exceptional service records. My Brand X pickup had 195,000 miles on it when I sold it - it used about 3oz of oil in 4,000 miles and it was completely clear, regardless of the time of year.

Thanks. I planned on using the Motorcraft 5w30 synthetic blend since the cost is good and it's easy to find.

I took my new 5.0 in at just under 3,000 miles for its first oil change. I got looked at sideways by two of the service reps and asked why I was changing it already by one other. I was told I was wasting money by doing one that soon. I've only had two new vehicles, but I've heard plenty of places that it's generally good practice to have the first oil change in the first couple of thousand miles.

My response to the question and remarks was that I didn't know how long it had sat before I bought it off the lot and that $60 or so was well worth it to me. They still didn't get it. Oh, and my first oil change was complimentary, so it was free to me.

I got mine changed at 1500 miles.. Now i do every 5-6k

I am switching over to Pennzoil Platinum Ultra 5-30 at the next change. This oil begins life as liquid natural gas and is built up from there. Have been reading LOTS of info on it for around 3 months and have had conversations with a few users. It keeps pistons far cleaner than Mobil 1 and will withstand more short trip driving than other oils over all. I will start doing OCI's at the one year mark. However, I will be sampling the oil during that time. It is dry here in Ca. so I won't have too much problem with moisture. If Labnerd can throw a few comments my way, that would be great.

If you can find it locally Liqui Moly is a really good oil. When I bought my Audi it had Mobil 1 in it and I ran it for a while. That car has an oil temp gauge and runs BW K03 turbos similar to the EB. Highway driving in the summer it would show oil temps of 215-225* depending on how hot it was outside. I switched to Liqui Moly and my oil temps dropped by a good 15-20 degrees. I'm going to switch my truck over from Caster oil synthetic to Liqui Moly at the next change.

I figure an oil change is cheap insurance against future problems... especially if you are changing it yourself.

So go ahead and change it. Don't feel bad!

Thanks everyone. I'll install my new Fumoto drain valve when I do my first change. Make life easy :-)

Pennzoil Ultra Platinum is a multi based oil. It's mostly a GTL (gas to liquid) technology that yields a reasonably high VI Gp III base oil. So why would it make a difference? For one, the NOACK (evaporation from high heat) is lower than any other out there. That means for you folks having deposit issues with oil that is cooking off thru the PCV might see that go away. Oil usage should go down if that's an issue for your engine. The volatility is less than the base oils used by Amsoil, if that gives you a clue. The base oil is made right at the source of the gas, Qatar. It yields a very pure base oil. Pennzoil uses an ester to bind the add pack which right now is the best in the business. It has calcium to about 2500ppms. Calcium is a detergent. The formulation also includes proprietary organic additives that are not going to show up in spectroscopy so be careful when examining any reports on it. Because it is an ultra low sulfur oil, the TBN will also show lower than what you might expect in virgin analysis but this oil is for real.

As most of you know, I'm not a fan of synthetics. Most are grossly over hyped and don't deliver the premium results you should get from paying a premium price. The Ultra Platinum may be the oil that convinces me otherwise in regards to direct injected engines. The cleaner the engine the better. The fewer deposits generated the better. Ultra Platinum wins in all of these areas. It's not going to make the design defect of combustion chamber deposits completely go away but it will certainly limit them in regards to deposits from the oil. If I had an EcoBoost, this would be my pick to use in it.

FWIW, you'll start seeing oils marketed as SAPS compliant. That means low sulfated ash, phosphorus, and sulfur. Be extremely cautious as what you put these oils in. They will not work in older flat tappet engines and damage will occur. For a modern OHC or roller engine, no problem.

You ever check out the 'Motorkote' product? There's a trucking show on overnight Mon-Fri and many of the truckers swear by it to reduce friction/heat in their engines, etc...and gain MPG by using it. The manufacturer is on the show several times a year taking questions from the drivers. Just curious about your thoughts on that product if you've seen it. They claim it's not an additive and doesn't mix with the oil....just uses the oil as a carrier. And you don't leave out oil to use this....you add your normal amount of oil and then 2 ounces per quart of the Motorkote at the same time. They suggest using it only once every 4th oil change since it lasts for awhile.

Here's the guy talking about the product:

Yea, saw that on UTube. Not a fan of the "quick test demos".

I am already using the Liqui-Moly additive..........Sure makes the engine more quiet.

Glad to hear.....I did a lot of reading before I ordered it.

Motorkote. Gotta love a clown that wants to demo LUBRICITY with a Timken Bearing Extreme Pressure test unit. That's kinda like using a thermometer to tell how fast yer truck is going. Motorkote is owned by Great Brands....who also owns Duralube. This is one of the scam companies that makes broad claims to milk the unknowing from their money. Wanna screw up yer engine? Here's the product to do it with. From Wearcheck Canada, who did extensive testing of it for a client who lost a diesel engine that made the results public, it is 283,700ppms CHLORINE. That's 28.4% in volume, chlorine. As we've chatted here before, chlorine does not belong in any crankcase unless you just like corrosion. Combined with combustion gases you'll get a healthy dose of hydrochloric acid. This is another one of those companies that will make absurd claims and when the going gets tough in the legal dept, they'll just change the name on the bottle again and keep screwing folks out of their hard earned money. So in short, this is in the running for The Snake Oil Award.

Forgot to mention, Liqui-moly. You understand that it's molydenum disufide, right? That's a crystalline dry lubricant and has no place in an engine. Liqui-moly are crystals ground to 3 microns averagely. It doesn't take long and this stuff is in the oil filter, not in the oil. It is not the same as the moly used in most oil formulations. That would be molydenum dialkldthiocarbamate which is a clear liquid.

Thanks for the input. I'll save my money and take the bite on the $48 or so for 6 quarts of the Pennzoil Ultra. I see it on Amazon for $48 for a pack of 6 quarts and I have Amazon Prime, so free shipping. I see Walmart has it too, but their web site says in stores only and there's no price listed. I'll stop by and check their price too.

By the way Labnerd...using that oil, what would be a reasonable oil change interval for my light duty driving? Mix of highway and back roads...no towing and low elevation (Cincinnati area). Change every 7,500 miles?...more than that?

I would push 10,000 with EOA's at first to see how well it fares. Pick up a can of Lubri-Moly too. I used a can at first change, will use half a can from now on. I purchased my Penn at Amazon also, free shipping. Order it with the Lubri-Moly and that too ships free.........

I wouldn't push any oil past the recommended 7500 OCI including the extended change motor oils. Some of these EB engines are shearing oil pretty bad. There are a lot of high stress pulses in these little engines making big power. Heat and shearing are ripping the oils apart which is why this engine requires a 5w-30 rather than the Ford normal 5w-20. The 5w-30 has a higher HTHS rating at the main bearings where shearing is worse.

My expectations is that Ford is going to address all issues with the 3.5 EB problem by dropping the 3.5 engine. They have a much better 3.7 EB that they can detune to the same power level but it's a much lower stress engine in that configuration. This engine is coming out in the Lincoln making 450HP.

Aussie, putting any moly additive in an engine is not smart. The MO2 that you are using ends up being filtered out after just a few miles. There has never been an MO2 additive that worked in any engine. It's like throwing a can of dirt and oil in the engine as the MO2 is a dry powder lube just like graphite. It does not work despite many makers attempts. Save the bucks.

Thanks, I will use your advice. Just oil and 7,500 changes.......good call.

So, would using a different oil than the 5w-30 be even better? 10w-30 or?....or just stick with the 5w-30 (pennzoil ultra platinum) and don't worry about it?

By the way, I found the Penzzoil Ultra Platinum (with 'Pure Plus' - the type made from natural gas) at my local WalMart for just over $25 for a 5 quart jug. That's only around $5 per quart...the cheapest I've seen it anyway. I picked up an individual quart also to make it 6 quarts. That individual quart bottle was just over $7. FL500S filter was just over $9. All in stock. All together, just around $43 for great oil and filter.

Pennzoil must have came a long way since a few years ago.. When i bought my 03 Kr the ford mechanic did a oil change and when the truck was done he asked what oil i used,i told him valvoline or motorcraft.. he said that was good and to never use pennzoil, then he pointed to 4 vehicles and said all of em are getting a new engine due to sludge buildup and they all had pennzoil oil in it.. Since then i have never considered pennzoil.

Times and oils change........

I normally wouldn't have used Pennzoil as my first choice either, but after hearing about this particular type of oil and learning that Dodge uses this in all their SRT vehicles from the factory, I think it's got a good reputation.

As long as Labnerd said its good, then it must be.. I may switch one of these days.. Just hard to beat the price for MC oil and Filter.

I hear ya. I'l admit I'm temped to just stick with the Motorcraft 5w30 synthetic blend (and I definitely would in a normal engine), but I'm also paranoid about getting future problems with carbon buildup on the intake valves the PCV dumps into (and labnerd says this Pennzoil we're talking about would do better at not building up the crud like normal oil)...and overall, just having two turbos spinning around I imagine that's very tough on oil. I just want to play it safe and give it really good oil since I plan on keeping it for 10-12 years. I normally wouldn't worry about using a certain oil as long as I was using 'good' oil, but since this is a high performance twin turbo, well, you know...

By the way...draining the oil....

Question.
I've heard people say if you put the truck on ramps, the oil from the filter will only drain from the rear and it's easier to keep from making a mess. Does that mean if the front is on ramps on an otherwise level driveway, the oil from the filter spout is not going to also dump all over inside that aluminum pan mounted under the engine and it'll flow directly out through that hole you open up by removing the big cover on the bottom of the aluminum skidplate/cover?...or is there no way to avoid that?

I waited till 8,000 miles on my new ecoboost to get the oil changed

Correction. Apparently Walmart only had the Platinum, no the 'Ultra Platinum'. I'll have to look again when I'm there sometime, but I only saw the one in the silver bottle, not black that the 'Ultra' comes in. And on Amazon, it's not in stock for another month or two (so they say)...and back up to over $50 for 6 quarts.

I think I'll stick to the readily available Pennzoil Platinum (made with natural gas) at oil changes around 5,000 miles or so. I think that would work out well.

that is definitely a good idea!

Have lots of cardboard on the floor when you do the first oil change. When I did mine the oil hit the sway bar and sprayed everywhere. The second time I had the fumoto valve, but it wasn't in yet... so I used a bunch of cardboard to channel the oil down into the pan.

Yesterday I did my first oil change with the fumoto valve (3rd overall oil change) and it was a piece of cake - stick a piece of tubing over the end of the valve, put the other end in the oil pan, and open the valve.

I think the fumoto valve took a little longer to drain, but overall I saved about 30 minutes of cleaning up oil so I'm ahead for the day!