Re the universal averages: if you look at wear metals ppm per 1k miles, your 36 ppm of iron is above (worse than) average, but not drastically. other wear metals are great (except “maybe” chromium…though hard to call 1 ppm bad, but maybe not stellar). Another guy’s 3.5 EB Blackstone reports show iron univ avg at 20 and copper at 13.
Re the universal averages: if you look at wear metals ppm per 1k miles, your 36 ppm of iron is above (worse than) average, but not drastically. other wear metals are great (except “maybe” chromium…though hard to call 1 ppm bad, but maybe not stellar).
1) I live in Texas, hence heat. I don’t like how “thin” Pennzoil is fresh out of the bottle, even their Ultra, especially in the heat. That might not be an issue if there were no fuel dilution further lowering viscosity. And it might not be an issue in Nebraska climate…might even be a benefit. I ran Platinum and Ultra a few times, and tested twice. I had similar ending viscosity results to yours, even in winter (when not hot, nor brutally cold). But I would want an oil that ends up testing as a 30 grade (>9.3). Your Havoline did, your Pennzoil did not. So, maybe start with a thicker oil, or maybe go back to Havoline (though I don’t know what its virgin viscosity is, but it ended up better). But, it’s also quite possible using the same 0w40 in this truck that you run in your hemi would work very well. Plenty of other Ecoboost owners are doing 0w40. There are other “thicker alternatives,” whether European, or diesel, or high mileage version, lots of options. assuming good pricing, using the Havoline again may make the most sens…but read #3 below.
2) regarding fuel dilution, unfortunately it’s not uncommon in this 3.5 EB motor. Now, Blackstone kind of cheats, claiming a fuel dilution reading which is really only an estimate based on their flashpoint reading. A different lab (Oil Analysers via Amsoil, TestOil, and possibly even John Deere Oilscan) test for fuel more directly by a gas chromatography test method, considered more accurate. I‘ve had results of 4-5% with similar viscosity to yours. 1% is low. 4-5% is not. I’m implying they “underreport“ fuel dilution percentage. I’m not alone in this belief. BTW, 365 is a low (compromised) Flashpoint…I would have thought even Blackstone would interpret 365 flashpoint result as higher than 1% fuel. It may not matter if your viscosity never gets below 9.3 in the Ford, but if it does, like yours did, knowing how much is due to fuel, vs how much is due to shearing. If your goal is to have oil with the proper viscosity, how you mitigate somewhat depends on the source of the viscosity loss
3) given fuel dilution, changing your oil more often is considered a decent strategy. Say, at 5000 miles. Now I don’t do that (though probably should), but I attempt to beat the odds using ultra-expensive oil for my long summer road trip. on the other hand, in the “off-season,” I change it at 3000 miles or so still using “above average” full synthetic (end result is 2 changes per year). It would be smarter to run more equal intervals summer and winter, but I hate using a quickie lube in some town I may never see again to even out the intervals. My summer trips are typically 7500-8500 miles, so I change it right before the trip, and usually right after. My upcoming change will be to Amsoil Signature Series, the cheapest summer oil I’ve used since 2018…so yes, my wallet has been lightened. And I’m nervous about it making it through the “summer.” Even change intervals makes sense if you can do it…but maybe not 10,000 miles, or
anywhere near that.
all just my humble opinion.
1) I live in Texas, hence heat. I don’t like how “thin” Pennzoil is fresh out of the bottle, even their Ultra, especially in the heat. That might not be an issue if there were no fuel dilution further lowering viscosity. And it might not be an issue in Nebraska climate…might even be a benefit. I ran Platinum and Ultra a few times, and tested twice. I had similar ending viscosity results to yours, even in winter (when not hot, nor brutally cold). But I would want an oil that ends up testing as a 30 grade (>9.3). Your Havoline did, your Pennzoil did not. So, maybe start with a thicker oil, or maybe go back to Havoline (though I don’t know what its virgin viscosity is, but it ended up better). But, it’s also quite possible using the same 0w40 in this truck that you run in your hemi would work very well. Plenty of other Ecoboost owners are doing 0w40. There are other “thicker alternatives,” whether European, or diesel, or high mileage version, lots of options. assuming good pricing, using the Havoline again may make the most sens…but read #3 below (Keep change interval shorter).
2) regarding fuel dilution, unfortunately it’s not uncommon in this 3.5 EB motor. Now, Blackstone kind of cheats, claiming a fuel dilution reading which is really only an estimate based on their flashpoint reading. A different lab (Oil Analysers via Amsoil, TestOil, and possibly even John Deere Oilscan) test for fuel more directly by a gas chromatography test method, considered more accurate. I‘ve had results of 4-5% with similar viscosity to yours. 1% is low. 4-5% is not. I’m implying they “underreport“ fuel dilution percentage. I’m not alone in this belief. BTW, 365 is a low (compromised) Flashpoint…I would have thought even Blackstone would interpret 365 flashpoint result as higher than 1% fuel. It may not matter if your viscosity never gets below 9.3 in the Ford, but if it does, like yours did, knowing how much is due to fuel, vs how much is due to shearing. If your goal is to have oil with the proper viscosity, how you mitigate somewhat depends on the source of the viscosity loss
3) given fuel dilution, changing your oil more often is considered a decent strategy. Say, at 5000 miles. Now I don’t do that (though probably should), but I attempt to beat the odds using ultra-expensive oil for my long summer road trip. on the other hand, in the “off-season,” I change it at 3000 miles or so still using “above average” full synthetic (end result is 2 changes per year). It would be smarter to run more equal intervals summer and winter, but I hate using a quickie lube in some town I may never see again to even out the intervals. My summer trips are typically 7500-8500 miles, so I change it right before the trip, and usually right after. My upcoming change will be to Amsoil Signature Series, the cheapest summer oil I’ve used since 2018…so yes, my wallet has been lightened. And I’m nervous about it making it through the “summer.” Even change intervals makes sense if you can do it…but maybe not 10,000 miles, or
anywhere near that.
all just my humble opinion. By the way, here is another 3.5 with a steady diet of Motul Eco-lite…not a household word among Ford users, but I think surprisingly good, though almost 2x the price of Pennzoil at Walmart (but you won’t find The Motul on a Walmart shelf, so harder to source too).
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...tul-8100-eco-lite-5w-30-5690-mile-oci.369187/