motorcraft........ nothing else period....

 

I understand that. the 15/40 was just an example of how vehicles can use different oils. As for specs, most oils have to meet a min standard. Everything else is gravy. Im org from Windsor at the Engine plant and the mini van plant they use bulk for all companies.
Here in Canada, also have seen Shell,Esso,Irving,PC tankers at Ford to GM dealerships with bulk oils. The only true MC oils are maybe the bottled ones, if that. Its like Ketchup, bottled for ______ made by Heniz. So to me oil is oil. Just change it/filter every 3-5K your good.

 

Motorcraft 5w-20 and a FL820S Motorcraft filter in my 08 F150 and my wifes 05 Escape
Motorcraft 5w-30 and a FL820S Motorcraft filter in my son's 01 Ranger

 

This is probably true. The dealer here uses bulk oil from whoever for their oil changes, MC bottled available on request for a higher price.

It would be best to use the recommended weight.

For those of you that do their own oil changes, the MC oil is priced very nicely and it really is good oil. It's a synthetic blend at dino price.

 

In regards to Motorcraft oils. No, Ford doesn't make them, Conoco-Phillips and Excelda does. If you want to say that Ford doesn't make it, essentially you are correct but using the same reasoning, Castrol, Royal Purple, and others don't make their products either. In this case, they are called blenders, they manufacture nothing. Castrol, as an example, will buy it's base oils from whoever is cheapest. They get their add packs from Infinium and mix the components to their specs. Does that make it bad? Most of the oils you buy are from blenders. Motorcraft oils have more synthetic base in the mix percentage wise than any other on the market
Some of you are paying a lot for a premium oil. But are you getting premium results? Have you gotten a report on the oil and did it actually show a premium? Probably not. No synthetic oil will yield more power, more fuel mileage unless the maker fudged the viscosity by going thinner than the Kinematic scale allows. Royal Purple got hammered from the Feds for making these claims. No base oil will make your engine last one mile farther, dino or synthetic. Any additive package that yields better numbers can also be made in a common dino base yielding the same exact results. So are you getting premium results from your premium priced oil?
I assume all of you know that Ford has recommended the 15w-40 oils for noisy engines. What is now coming out of that recommendation is that as the engine wears, it has a tendency for the valve train to be in an oil starvation condition. The final analysis is not in yet but the thought processes are that the oil is not getting there in sufficient amounts to provide lubrication because of the smaller journals which are great for the thinner oils but are too small for the heavy fluids. Allowing that a lot of the oil is leaking out of worn bearings in the low end, it's just not a good thing to do. If you're using the heavy oils, you may want to reconsider your choice.
Unless you've actually trended your engine with oil reports, your assumption that the oil you are using is good is in fact, an assumption. Not all engines respond well to synthetics, some all but demand it. The absolute first thing that happens when an engine is designed from a clean sheet is the lubrication specs are worked out. Considering that the Feds are wanting engine life and emissions to have a 150,000 mile design life, the lubes must be good. Read and understand the owners manual, use the correct viscosity, make sure it is API certified (some oils claim their products MEET certification but are not certified, some are listed in this thread) make sure it wears the Ford spec for your engine, sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

I ran MC 5W20 w/MC filter to 40k. I now run M1 5w20 w/MC or WIX oil filter.

Not sure why I switched other than I had a professor in tech. school that ran M1 in an experiment and had great results. Experiment was Dodge Caravan bought new, ran M1 oil and filters and only changed oil at 50k intervels. Changed M1 oil filter at 5k intervels and topped off with half quart. He ended experiment at 300K miles and tore the engine down. Engine passed factory specs. I'm sure he babied the van, and he was 70 years old too, but 300k is a lot of miles no matter how you drive it.

For what it's worth my local engine builder said he would never use or recommend Pennzoil or Quakerstate conventional oils. Gunkiest engines he tore down all used P or QS. He said best conventional is Valvoline. I myself used Castrol GTX back in the day until I looked in the bottom of the white quart containers empty and could plainly see deposit in the bottom.

 

I don't really have much knowledge about oil at all, but after reading all the replies, I will most likely go with MC and maybe M1.

 

If you go with M1, the EP is worth the extra buck a quart.

 

Mobile 1 here.

 

same. 5-20

 

Kraft- I used Castrol GTX for at least 20 years and have nothing but high praise for it. Kept the inside of the engines clean as a whistle and didn't really use oil either (pint or less in a 3k mi change) I also noticed the black deposit in the bottom of the bottle many years ago. Was also troubled by it but read somewhere that it was one of the additives, so from then on I just shook it up before pouring. I usually buy my oil at least 2 cases at a time, so it may sit a while before the last is used. Only noticed it in those cases where it had set for quite some time. Had to good a service from the oil to quite it. I'm sure it wasn't dirt in the oil.

 

I use the GTX also,(it was recommended to me by my engine builder)
I have also been using it for years with great results!

 

Regular Pennzoil 5W-30 for 11+ years. Have done every oil change myself, first one at 1,100 and every 5K to 6K+ after that, 220K on it now an no issues

 

I don't know about you guys but oil prices went up again, it cost me $29.40 for (1) 5qt jug of MC 5w20, (2) 1 quart MC 5w20, and a fl820s from walmart.

 

When I first got my 04 (11 months ago) it cost me $29 for 7 quarts of MC 5-20 and a FL-820s filter. Now it costs $39.

I just changed my oil last week and got the 5 quart jug, 2 quarts and a filter and it cost $36 if I remember correctly. Not worth it to me since you have to do math with the 5+ quart jug