this is my first ford,08 f1-50 lariat 5.4 s/c. i was just wondering what the best thing to do for a new truck(synthetic,break in do's,don't) etc.allso things to look for.i pull my 16 foot tournement fishing boat and in winter(i'm from north canada) were temps get pretty bad it will be starting cold.any suggestions would be great,i've had dodge rams so when it comes to fords i have no idea what to look for.

 

It is new. Drive it and enjoy it. I like to break in an engine first before I switch to a full synthetic. On any new vehicles I have had I waited till I hit 20,000 km (since you are a fellow Canadian) before making the switch. Everyone will have their own thoughts on that those are just mine. You should stick with what is recommended by Ford for oil and oil filter until you decide when you want to switch. I recommend staying with the Ford oil filter always or some quality aftermarket one with the same stye of anti-drain back valve. I have a Wix on mine now but I think I will go back to the factory Ford one after what I have read on this site, but again you choose.

You should not wait until the factory recommended interval to change your plugs. They get carboned up and break off in the head. Don't panic they have a tool and TSB on how to remove these that seems to work for most people. You may have been lucky and got the new head in yours. Some people that work for Ford have said they have corrected the head and will start using it on the 08's when the old ones were used up.

I have the 5.4 2 valve in my truck as apposed to the 5.4 3 valve in yours so I probably have missed something. Do searches and read, read, read. Everything you wanted to know about Ford trucks is here.

 

welcome to the forum. Stick with Ford Motorcraft parts. I believe your truck would of came with the 50/50 syn. 5w20 from the factory. I would continue to run factory oil until the truck is fully broken in 20,000kms or so. The first thing you'll notice about your new Ford vs. the Dodge is the truck is alot stiffer due to the fully boxed frame. I believe it says in the manual to not tow a trailer for so many kms. Look under the break-in period in the manual.

Bubba

 

thanx guys.yes i do have 5w20 and i will look into the break in about a trailer i never really read it through little dumb on my part but i kinda trust what guys have experianced or proper opinions on forums over what the manuals say anyway. thanx again.

 

sorry,i forgot to ask about the plugs.clearly thier is a problem with the plugs i have been reading some threads on the issue but it seems it's more about allready having the problem.should i just change them now?if so i probably would go bosch platnium.this does seem like a nightmare and don't want to chance it.