2010 f150 5.4

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Guys I am new to your forum but I have been reading here for years. Here is the thing My truck has 5k on it and I used 5w-20 motorcraft full synthetic and a 820 motorcraft filter I have noticed a REAL faint knock at hot idle and the dealer said all the 5.4 have that low knocking sound, I know this engine has cam phasers and they do make some noise but this don't sound like it is top end noise but you know how sound travels in these modular motors. I would like to know if this is a normal sound for these engines?? I wonder if 5w-20 synthetic blend would be better then the full synthetic is this possible??? Next thing is would it be better the use a 820 ford race oil filer, It flows better the the stock filter right? I can but the 820 ford race filter for 10 buck from the dealer. I would like to see this truck get over 150k like my last truck. This is my first new ford truck, Thanks for the help guys..
 
I have tried several oils in our 5.4 and to be honest 5-30 ultra has done very well as has MC 5-30. I have not been to impressed with the 5-20 in this engine. The cam Phaser is a rattle you will notice right away.5-30 has been proven not to affect the cam phaser operation and my expierence shows this to be true. Stick with the 820S the MC racing filters is good but not for the price and your truck won't know the difference

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I have been running 5w-20 Ultra and MC FL-820s filters since the first OC in my 2010. It has seen many miles of towing in extremely cold and extremely hot weather and 5w-20 has worked out very well with no problems. You can see my UOAs by searching the forums.

IMHO, 5w-20 was specified for your 5.4L and that is what you should use--I have had mine under enough load to "break" 5w-20 and it has not flinched. As long as your truck is under warranty I would not use any other filter than a FL-820s (it is made by Purolator to Ford specification and is a very good filter), you would have to spend more than double the cost to find one that is better.
Best of luck with the new truck and
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I would try what smoke said. PU 5w30 is the most consistently good smooth oil I have ever come across. I don't care for PU 5w20 but I would recommend trying the 5w30 to see what you think.
 
Thanks guys for all the info. Will 5-30w hurt anything? Why does it say in the manual to use only 5-20w??
 
5-30 will NOT hurt anything it's merely for CAFE purposes. Ford like to say heavier wieght oils affect the cam phaser operation but I STRONG disagree. As a Ford Tech myself I have seen no proof on my scanner that heavier oil changes has any affects on them. Hence why I use 5-30 in my own. I think you'll be very happy with the 5-30 and with the MC 5-30 being a very stout product as it's been reformulated for the ecoboost, it's a great bargin if you don't want to spring for Ultra
 
For some engines, you don't want to move to far away from a 20 grade if that is what is called for. In Honda's, I wouldn't move too far away from the recommended visc grade, just in case the change in the hydraulic properties of the oil interfere with proper operation of the VTEC system.
 
The cost is not the issue, I would like to use the best oil and filer I can use. Oil is a lot cheaper the steel.. But you are right about ford cam phaser issue because the first thing the service manger told me was make sure I ONLY use 5-20, I have never liked 5-20 and I said something about changing to 5-30 and he said don't do it you will have problems?? It sound like [censored] to me..
 
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yeah thats a bunch of garbage. 1st in all of my years I have never had a dealer send out an oil sample...especially with all of the early problematic cam phaser issues. What hurts the phase is improper maintance, aftermarket filters and there own quality issues.

I do 8-10K OCI with Ultra and my UOA have been awesome.

Try the 5-30 and let me know how it goes
 
If all you want is for it last for over 150,000 miles, there isn't any need to mess around with oil weights or "fancy" filters. Use a decent 5w20 oil and a regular old FL-820s changed regularly and there won't be any issues. You may as well just burn the rest of the money you'll spend otherwise. My last two F150's went 163,000 and 194,000 miles without any engine related issues before I sold them (needs changed, nothing wrong with the trucks), on dino oils on 4-5000 mile change intervals. One was totaled in an accident with 200+ on the odometer, and it still didn't burn a drop.
 
Originally Posted By: YANCEY
I have noticed a REAL faint knock at hot idle and the dealer said all the 5.4 have that low knocking sound,

Next thing is would it be better the use a 820 ford race oil filer, It flows better the the stock filter right?


A race filter isn't going to give you any more flow at idle than any other filter. The oil pump is a positive displacement pump ... so the flow will be the same at idle and lower RPM regardless of how restrictive the filter is. The ONLY time a less restrictive filter flows better is when the pump is at max pressure relief ... which is typically near redline on most engines.
 
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
The ONLY time a less restrictive filter flows better is when the pump is at max pressure relief ... which is typically near redline on most engines.


This is something I have trouble wrapping my brain around. You and many others, including the late, great Gary Allan have brought it up on many occasions but I just can't wrap my head around the concept. Mind explaining it again?
 
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