I swithched to Synthetic oil about 10K ago and really have not noticed any difference other than once in a while I get a low level light but its not low. I was told that it may be do to the Synthetic oil being a light weight or the composite of the oil this can happen. & its expensive so I am going to switch back to the 5W20. Any reason not to switch back?

 

how many miles are on your truck? it will be ok to switch back as long as you dont keep switching. i use valvoline high milage 5w20 because im at 146k miles and havent had any problems with it, conventional oil will be just fine unless you have a problem with only going 3k on oil, synthetic will allow you to go about 8k on an oil change. thats if you wanna pay the price, i dont put that many miles on my truck so changing my oil every 5 or 6 months isnt really a problem. and thats long enough for me

 

I don't think you can beat the 5-20 Motorcraft Blend, for these engines. But, as stated, you need to quit switching.

 

You have another thread on here that your truck goes into failsafe mode and the low engine oil light comes on and now this thread that you're changing the type of oil you put in your engine. Starting to wonder if there's an oil related problem...

Whether it's synthetic, a blend or straight conventional, you should be sticking with 5W-20 prescribed by Ford for these engines. I'm not sure if switching between these 3 types as long as it's the correct viscosity is an issue, but I have heard many recommendations to stay with one type but always the same/correct viscosity. The only exception generally accepted being to go to a slightly heavier viscosity on a high mileage engine (5W-30).

 

your right, stay with the manual recommended oil weight is the best thing to do, as far as switching between the different types of oil, thats not a good thing to do. just stay with one and you will be fine,

 

Unless you are using RP or the high end Amsoil, you can switch all ya want- they're just about the same as a blend anyway only costs more. Most of the synthetics on the market today are a GP III dino based oil.....the same base that is used in some of the base of the normal oil you buy but don't get yer eyes poked out buying it. Just stay with a name brand in the correct viscosity, use an oil that wears the Ford spec on the bottle, and you can't buy a better oil regardless of how much you spend. If you are using the RP or Amsoil PAO oils, I wouldn't make it a habit of changing back and forth but a time or two won't hurt.

 

I have not been switching between oils. I have always ran Valvoline 5W20 conventional and I switched to Valvolibe Synthetic 5W20 about 10-12K mile ago and that is when I first saw the low oil light come on but it never stays on so I am going to switch back to the 5W-20 conventional. Plus I dont think for the extra cost it makes that big of a difference.

 

The difference is in how long you can go between changes. If you increase the interval the extra cost goes away. The synthetic did not cause your low oil light problem. That is a separate issue.

 

I understand being able to lengthen between oil changes but they say every 7K to change synthetic so its like 2-1 and I am not sure if that is really a cost benefit! I spoke to a Ford mechanic who said that he has seen it before and when changed it never came back. It cant hurt to see I guess.

 

Even the Motorcraft Syn Blend 5W20 will go 7K miles so go with that and save yourself some cash. It is an excellent oil.

 

I may do that! Thanks for everyones input! Much appreciated!

 

Ok............. As for the not being able to switch oils once you've been using an oil for along period of time is a myth. Years and years ago that might be true but now you can switch as much as you want... I wouldnt really recommend it but it can be done.

As long as you stay with the same weight oil it shouldnt matter what you use. Synthetic oil is better no matter what anyone says and you can definately go 5-6 thousand miles without the oil starting ro break down opposed to a conventional oil that can start to break down after 3,000 miles. In order to see any difference in gas mileage or anything you would have to be using it for quite awhile. I dont understand why car manufactures say that you can get your oil changed every 5,000 or some even up to 10,000 when they dont know what type of oil your gonna use. The oil manufacturers usually only recommend 3,000 mile oil changes.

Valvoline is a great oil and recommends changing your oil every 3,000 miles no matter what.... Synthetic or not. But like I said synthetic will stand up against higher heats and longer oil change intervals. If you get it changed every 3,000 miles with no problem then stick with conventional. If you seem to go over alot then go synthetic.

As for the Valvoline Max Life its recommended for vehicles over 75,000 miles, it has an additive that reconditions the seals and could possibly stop leaks. Ive seen it done multiple times after an extended period of use. The regular Maxlife is a synthetic blend either way and they also have the Maxlife full synthetic oil, so if you have over 75,000 then maybe try that.


I have 220,000 miles on my 5.4 and it doesnt leak a drop. I just use the basic conventional Valvoline 5w30..... I dont see any need to switch to anything other than the conventional especially if it seems like its doing exactly what its supposed to thats why i've just stuck with the basic stuff. Some people notice a difference in synthetic and some people dont.

You can experiment with different types of oils as much as you want.... Its just up to whether or not you notice any types of differences between them.

 

3000 mile oil changes are no longer necessary due to better oils, cleaner fuels, computerized engine management, and tighter clearances, but if you feel you have to do it, it's your truck and your money and you are not hurting anything except the environment by disposing of more oil. Of course Valvoline and the other oil manufacturers are going to recommend 3000 mile oil changes - they are in the business to sell oil.

I have no problem whatsoever following the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation of 5000 or 7500 miles with any oil that meets specs, and I run my Mobil 1 EP to 10k without worrying one bit, it's good for 15k but 10k is a convenient interval for me.

 

I switched last night back to Valvoline 5W-20 conventional premium. No the interesting thing is after I never got my low oil light at all. & mt truck seemed to even run smotther this morning. is that strange?

 

Yes, your truck should not know the difference. Sounds like you got a mislabeled bottle of a heavier weight or another part of the story is missing.