hey my friend just got a 1999 ford f-150 with the 4.6...im going to help him with his first oil change...how many quarts does the 4.6 take and seeing that we live in a mild climate (san diego, ca) would 10w-30 be a good weight for the engine? thanks for your help.

 

It takes a hair less than six quarts. ( with the filter changed also) Put in five , run it up , and then check it. If you want max milage us the 5w-30w. If you want max protection you can get away with 20w-50w.
I am also a So. Cal. driver and have used 20-50 exclusively. the only trouble with 20 - 50 is if you get in really cold weather( freezing or below) it can make the starter work harder to turn over the engine on cold start. It also will lower your milage ( barely noticable but it is thicker) . I have 175,000 mi on my 99 4.6 and have had no problems with it. I always prefer to protect the engine rather than try to squeeze another 1/4 mile per gallon. Hope your friend enjoys his truck!!

 

You should be OK with a quality 5W or 10W 30 in your climate. One thing to watch for since its a used 4.6 is check the oil level about every 1000 miles or so initially in case you got a burner. My burns a quart in 5000 miles and I've only got about 39,000 miles. Started burning at about 30,000. Curiously, the oil burning coincided with a sharp increase in fuel economy from about 16 to 18 mpg. Sorry, I digressed.

 

Tiger, good advice about checking your oil....I bought a used '97 4.6 and I apparently have a "burner". I'll use a quart about every 1500 miles. Other than that, it runs great and gets surprisingly good gas mileage (17).

 

Actually, the 4.6 L uses 6.5 Qrts of oil. 6 Qrts. will be fine, but I just add the half qrt, because I'm obsessive! I don't think the truck will know the difference.



We have two 4.6L's both run synthetic 10W-30. The 97 Lariat runs Mobil 1, and mine runs Red Line. We tried running 20W-50 Mobil 1 (we changed it after 10 miles back to 10W-30), and the truck had a hard time accelerating on the freeway. Even if your engine is broken in, a 10W-30 oil will be plenty for even desert heat.

 

6 quarts with a filter change should bring the oil level right to the middle of the dipstick "safe" area between the minimum and maximum lines.

The engine will take more oil to bring it to the "Max" level, but it's not necessary. Factory specs call for 6 quarts. This is an old subject that has been debated for years on this board. I don't think anybody has seen an engine fail because they "only" put in 6 quarts of oil.

 

I agree with Dennis, that 6qts would be fine. However I do add more then 6qts to bring it to about 1/4" to 1/8" from the top hatch mark (full, max) what ever you want to call it.

I am like mf150 "I'm obsessive"...

 

I would also add it is IMPORTANT to check your oil level OFTEN. I check mine every time I fill up my gas tank, once a week.

 

Good Advice! This is even more important if a female driver fills up at the self-serve station! If you filled up and checked your oil today, be sure to check your SO's engine too.

 

Put me down for 6 quarts of 5w-30, and 12 oz of Auto-RX for Tiger and shaggnasty

Tiger, burning oil at 30k, from what I have read, is likely an oil control ring stuck in a grove, from too much carbon and varnish build-up. If that's the case, you'll see improvement after cleaning that crud out with Auto-RX.

 

I've never hear of Auto-rx. What is it, gas additive?

 

www.auto-rx.com
The product is great but their marketing leaves a lot to be desired as it comes across as snake oil. If you ever need an oil flush, this is the one. The rest will strip the engine.

 

I always put in at least 6 qts...usually 6.5, and save that half for the next change. Wednesday I went to Autozone and they had Motorcraft Fully Synthetic 5W-20 for $2.25 a qt. I used that and added a K&N FIPK and my first tank of mixed highway driving went over 19mpg!!! I usally get about 13-15 in the city and 15-17 on the hwy. 99 Expedition 4.6 3.30 gear.

 

You pour it into the oil. It's not an additive in that it does not change the properties of the oil, but takes on the properties of the oil it is mixed with. It's fatty acid esters that slowly disolves the deposits left behind when fuel is burned, and oil sludge.

You change out your oil filter, pour in 12 ozs and drive for 500 miles and change your oil. You can do this the last 500 miles before your oil change. You can drive for more than 500 miles, but as your engine is cleaned your oil filter is trashed.

In a normal engine the rings will move up and down in the ring grove and spin around the ring. If enough carbon gets past the rings and forms deposits, those deposits can limit the movement of the rings. This is referred to as stuck rings or rings stuck in a grove. Auto-RX will disolve that carbon and free up the rings so they can function as they were designed.

In a high milage engine the rings may be worn out, but that is not always the case. The ring groves may be so packed with carbon and soot that the rings don't flex and just aren't sealing as the should.

The best way to recover an engine is to drive 50 miles a day for a year. Good hot oil, especially synthetic, can do quite a bit of cleaning. Auto-RX does the same thing, only faster.

I'm running it in my truck now. It has 33,000 miles on it and runs good. I have noticed that the engine runs quieter. I've also been told that it runs quiter in my head. This may be true.

I have noticed that I can hear transmission sounds that I never noticed before. Try this once. Drive 30 miles an hour. Take your foot off the gas and let the truck coast for a bit. Step on the gas softly and listen for the coast clutch to kick in. No matter how softly I press on the gas I can hear the thunk it makes.

Maybe I could hear it all along and never noticed before? I don't know.

 

Here an interesting story on bobistheoilguy

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/...=000502#000000