Valvoline 10-30 every 4500-5000 miles. I Drive alot of highway miles. Used same in my Chevy S-10(allowed to say that here???) with 230,000 miles until I recently noticed my head gasket is about to go. Worth fixing at 230,000 miles???

 

I use Mobil 1 5w30 and a K&N Oil Filter that I get at Advance Auto Parts. I change my oil every 5K. The quality of the K&N Oil Filter is very impressive. When the oil comes out it looks a bit darker than when it goes in, but you can still see through it.

99 F150 XLT 5.4L OWP

 

dkt, Chevy worth fixing - isn't that some kind of oxymoron.

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99 F150 XLT Silver 2WD S/C 4.2 5-speed, Superchip, Flowmaster muffler // Rear door switch guards - check them out at http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/show/5031

 

Mobil 1

 

Opps! Double post!


[This message has been edited by kmonton99 (edited 09-30-1999).]

 

I am also an ASE Certified "Technician", and have been for years, and let me first say that the 4.6L SOHC motors have been plagued with problems since that motors release. The most common is a code 332, which is fixed by cleaning under the EGR valve. There are also ALOT of problems that have been reported from not using the factory recommended replacement parts, including the correct viscosity motor oil. Now, I've never heard of anyone losing a motor over it, but I have heard some pretty strange stories. I have heard of transmission failure from using an aftermarket fluid, I have also heard, many times, of a very rough idle that was caused by using aftermarket plug wires. Those in the know in my profession have come to the conclusion that, at least when it comes to the 4.6, it is very important to use only factory replacement parts. It is also very important to flush the cooling system regularly and to use the correct type and amount of coolant when refilling. There is a coolant tube located under the intake manifold that seems to deteriorate rather easily. That's not a very fun job, either.
Just my nickel.
Take care,
-Chris

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'95 Eddie Bauer F-150 SC & '64 Falcon/Ranchero
-------------------------------------
Are you A.S.E. Certified ? If so, ask me about
iATN...the best tool you'll ever have ! ! And it's
free

 

I made my oil decision today. I haven't changed the oil in my truck yet (at 1400 miles).

I bought a case of Castrol GTX 5w30. I just can't see spending three to four times as much on Mobile 1 or other synthetics, although I labored over the decision while in the store. I almost went with Mobile 1, but then thought: conventional oils have been fine for the past umpteen years, with stories of engines outliving the useful life of the rest of the car. Why switch now? If the synths were limited to a 50% price premium, then I'd probably splurge. I just can't see it being all that beneficial, especially the way most of us drive our trucks.

Now I must admit I splurged for the Mobil 1 oil filter . . I read a review of it where it got high marks. It was roughly double the price of the Motorcraft filter.

Just my 2 cents. If my truck reaches 150,000 miles with Castrol, I'm sure I'll be ready for something new anyway.

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'99 XL 2x4 4.2L SC 5-Spd SC Black over Silver
Penda Liner, Chrome Tubular Step Bars, Prime Designs Bug Deflector

 

Doug, As many other people have pointed out, what is really important, aside from the viscosity, is the frequency at which you change your oil. If you make sure to change it every 3000 miles or less, I believe you won't have any problems using regular oil vs. synthetic. That being said, let me share with you the fact I learned that convinced me to use Mobil 1. A couple of years ago, Mobil aproached a major Indy racing team (I believe it was PENSKE), and tried to convince them to change oils. They decided to use Mobil 1 in one of their cars that was racing at the Indy 500 that year, and to use the conventional oil they had been using in their other two cars. When the race was over, one of the conventional oil cars did not finish (I don't believe it had anything to do with the oil). After the race, they tore down the motors. The cylinder walls in the motor that used conventional oil looked as if they had been chromed, which , up until then, was normal. On the cylinder walls in the motor that was run with Mobil 1, you could still see the hash marks left from when it was honed. Needless to say, that was the last race that they used anything other than Mobil 1. Just some food for thought.
Take care,
-Chris

------------------
'95 Eddie Bauer F-150 SC & '64 Falcon/Ranchero
-------------------------------------
Are you A.S.E. Certified ? If so, ask me about
iATN...the best tool you'll ever have ! ! And it's
free

 

I will never run RPM'S like they do at Indy, but I will alway use Mobil 1 Tri-Synthetic 5w-30 in my truck!

 

Only Mobile 1 for me too. 5W/30 every 3-4000 miles. I have heard only good things about it,and my dad drove an astro van for 12 years and got just over 300,000 miles. But it was actually the tranny that went that made him retire it. That's good enough for me.

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98 Triton XLT Extended, Buckets, CD, bug shield,billet grille,80 watt Wizard ultra white bulbs,K&N,Flowmaster,dueled w/3.5 stainless turndowns at rear bumper. Black nurf bars, 3% tint, 2" drop w/17X8 MB Motoring wheels on Dunlop rubber.Smoothed tailgate. Black/Gray




[This message has been edited by Mike H (edited 10-02-1999).]

 

OK, I don't like the price of Mobile 1 over the regular oils, but with all the good that is said about synthetic, and Mobile 1 in peticular, I decided to get some, jug of 5 quarts $15 at Walmart. I also got a Mobile 1 filter, Autozone.

I am unhappy to have been a Fram man all my life until yesterday with the site on oil filters! Boy do I feel stupid to have not considered the far reaching importance of a quality oil filter like the Mobile 1 and others.

I do'nt know why, but after changing the oil today I ran the engine for a while with nothing unusual. Then several hours later I proudly got into the truck and told my wife to listen how quite the engine is with the new combination. It started nice and smooth without the usual small noise that usually happens in the first second of spinup after it sits for hours, (a kind of a rattle sound, upper valve train I guess). This time though within seconds we started to hear a slight knocking sound that quitely went away within 5-10 seconds! What was that? It never has done that befor? I have to admit, it scared me!

Why? Is it because of the change to Mobile 1 Synthetic? I will be interested to see what it does in the morning at 48 degrees?

It has 14,000 miles on it has been treated like a King, only an occasional romp on the gas pedal to get to 70MPH.

Stock
1998 XLT Supercab, 5.4L, 4x2, does'nt know what gravel is!

Anyone have some insight on this???

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See if it does it in the morning. With the low miles you have on it, I can't believe it's the Mobile 1, but the timing of it is odd. If you were in a high mileage vehicle, then I would say that the Mobile 1 could have been a factor, but not with only 14,000 miles.
I am curious about this one too.
Take care,
-Chris

------------------
'95 Eddie Bauer F-150 SC & '64 Falcon/Ranchero
-------------------------------------
Are you A.S.E. Certified ? If so, ask me about
iATN...the best tool you'll ever have ! ! And it's
free

 

Mike H:

You mentioned your dad used Mobil 1 in his van for 12 years . . I didn't realize they'd been around that long. I tought that synthetics were a relatively new phenomenon.


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'99 XL 2x4 4.2L SC 5-Spd SC Black over Silver
Penda Liner, Chrome Tubular Step Bars, Prime Designs Bug Deflector

 

I have used Castrol Syntec 5W50 in several of my vehicles & had good results, actually stopped minor oil useage in my 94 Ford Aerostsr 3.0 L, it always used 1 quart of oil between changes (3000 miles)with Castrol GTX 5W30 regular oil with only 18000 miles on it, I switched to the Syntec and it hasn't used a drop since with 101000 on it now , oil pressure is as good as when I bought it, but I had used the Fram oil filter, not anymore though.

 

Great thread on oils so far. Lots of good info. Here's my two cents (more like a dollar): I will get my new truck soon and have to decide if I should follow the oil specified in the manual, or use something I believe is better, which may get me into warranty trouble. I'm a Ford loyalist to the extreme, but I've got a news flash for those dedicatd to Motorcraft oil and filters. It's my understanding that Ford does NOT make oil and filters. These items are supplied at any given time by the company that Ford has awarded the contract. After that, the "Motorcraft" logo goes on. You may not really know what you're getting. I bought a new 94 Thunderbird that included free service for the first 12,000 miles. At that time, I heard out that Sun oil company was the current supplier of the Motorcraft oil, and was under scrutiny at that time because some independent testing of random bottles of oil showed that it didn't meet the current minimum specifications. Did I go to Ford for the free service? No way. Earlier in this thread, someone talked about the 5W-30 being specified to meet CAFE standards, and I have heard the exact same thing. A slightly thinner oil on the low end will tend to add to the vehicle's mileage, which is very desirable for the manufacturer. Is it the best oil for long term engnine life? I don't know. My father has been an operations manager for 25 years, responsible for the longevity of a fleet of trucks. One of his goals is to get the most mileage out each vehicle. He tells me that the oil industry is very competitive and formulations are changing constantly and any oil you buy today is much better than what was available ten years ago. He's in touch from time to time with the petroleum engineers from the manufacturers that decide how to formulate their oil. He also performs his own endurance tests. One test for a good winter oil is to get several test tube samples of oil, add a ball bearing, cap it, then put it in the freezer overnight. Then, turn them all upside down at the same time to see which ball bearing hits first. A good summer test is to put several samples in small metal cups, place them on the grill, fire it up, and see which one takes the longest to burn up. By doing these things, his oil choices routinely result in 250,000+ miles out of his fleet engines, and these are vehicles that idle all day long between stops, in Ohio weather that fluctuates between -10F in winter to 95F in the summer. What's he using now? He uses Kendall GT-1 High performance 10W-30 in the winter months, and Kendal Super-D 3 15W-40 in the summer. I've been using this combo for nearly 4 years in my wifes double overhead cam 96 Contour, changing it every 2000 miles. When you take off the oil filler cap, you can see one of the cams and the top surface of the head. There is no sludge, no varnish, and all metal surfaces look brand new. Would Ford approve of this? Probably not, but I feel I'm doing the best thing for the engine. As far as oil filters go, I have a NAPA store near work, and have known for years that WIX makes their filters, and you can't get a much better filter than that without adding too much back pressure. The worst I've seen is the Fram. So what am I going to use on the new truck? I'm still debating the warranty thing. Any thoughts?

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On order:
2000 XLT Black Sport, Flareside, 2WD, Ext. Cab, 5.4L Auto. Other options include: 3.55, Class III tow, 6-way Captains chairs w/CD changer in console, Remote entry , and Slider window.