2015 F-150 3.5L V6 Ecoboost - Havoline ProDS 5w-30

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May 3, 2015
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115
Location
Nebraska
2015 F-150/3.5L Ecoboost
Havoline ProDS 5W-30
Napa Gold 7502
Mileage at sample: 109,713


I didn't record starting mileage at last oil & filter change for an interval, but the OLM was at 11%. This was done through Oilscan via John Deere. I mainly wanted to see if anything was showing up at this point in the motor's life.


OilAnalysis.jpg
 
What are your thoughts on the iron at 24? Not really high but IMO elevated. I don't dig into the 3.5 UOA deeply so maybe it is on par. 15Lariat 5.0 here so very different engines.
 
Iron is often “normalized” as a ppm per 1k miles. 2ppm per 1k isn’t too bad for these motors, but it sounds like you have less than 10k miles, so more than 2ppm/1k. How much over, depends on the mileage. but probably not alarming.

im glad I have zero Chromium on any of my UOA’s, any vehicle, but I’ll let smarter people than me (like @dnewton3 ) comment on whether 1ppm is any concern.

Copper is low, making some mileage assumptions. I would be happy with any UOA with visc@100c over 10, maybe even 9.4 so basically, this is a good Too.

maybe check your air filter (silicon).

from fellow 3.5 EB (Gen 1?) owner
 
I just did an oil & filter change, and Blackstone is handling this test. We'll see what it says.

This is a farm truck, so lots of gravel roads, and lots of dust. Air filter gets replaced around this time of the year, so I'll check it.


Iron is often “normalized” as a ppm per 1k miles. 2ppm per 1k isn’t too bad for these motors, but it sounds like you have less than 10k miles, so more than 2ppm/1k. How much over, depends on the mileage. but probably not alarming.

im glad I have zero Chromium on any of my UOA’s, any vehicle, but I’ll let smarter people than me (like @dnewton3 ) comment on whether 1ppm is any concern.

Copper is low, making some mileage assumptions. I would be happy with any UOA with visc@100c over 10, maybe even 9.4 so basically, this is a good Too.

maybe check your air filter (silicon).

from fellow 3.5 EB (Gen 1?) owner
 
OLM at 11% on late model Fords normally means (outside of excessive idling), about 8900 miles or so of travel. So, 2.7ppm/1k miles. Not concerning, IMO. IIRC from some analysis on several hundred 3.5EB UOAs, this is definitely in the same ballpark.
 
Blackstone report 9100 miles later on Pennzoil Platinum. I don't know what's going on with the wrong engine type, and the sentence about wear metals being average at 5,500 miles.

Screenshot 2023-06-02 174416.png
 
You say this is a farm truck?
You probably have some 5W40 or 10W30 Diesel oil around. If you have some that carries an API SN rating, run that and see how it does.
 
0W40 for the 6.4 Hemi RAM, John Deere 15W40 for most everything else. 5W30 is for this F150 and an 8.8L irrigation power unit we can't run the Deere oil on due to issues.

It's a farm truck, but mainly for travel due to fuel economy. We have bigger trucks for heavy towing, etc.
 
I’d say you went a bit far on that last sample - sheared/diluted into a 20-weight, TBN getting low, and Al and FE are relatively high.
For the usage it sees, as said, a 40-weight would not be an unreasonable choice. Or at least a 30-weight above 3.5 HT/HS value.
 
I’d say you went a bit far on that last sample - sheared/diluted into a 20-weight, TBN getting low, and Al and FE are relatively high.
For the usage it sees, as said, a 40-weight would not be an unreasonable choice. Or at least a 30-weight above 3.5 HT/HS value.
What TBN? I don’t see it.

I am curious about the OP’s TBN - Havoline oils have been historically weak in this area.
 
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/
 
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I’d say you went a bit far on that last sample - sheared/diluted into a 20-weight, TBN getting low, and Al and FE are relatively high.
For the usage it sees, as said, a 40-weight would not be an unreasonable choice. Or at least a 30-weight above 3.5 HT/HS value.
I would definitely try something other than a 5W30 SP oil. Walmart carries Pennzoil Platinum Euro L 5W30 and Quaker State Full Synthetic Euro 5W40. Either or those would be better than a thin 5W30 SP oil. The OP’s truck was built before SP oils hit the store shelves.
 
I would definitely try something other than a 5W30 SP oil. Walmart carries Pennzoil Platinum Euro L 5W30 and Quaker State Full Synthetic Euro 5W40. Either or those would be better than a thin 5W30 SP oil. The OP’s truck was built before SP oils hit the store shelves.
those are 2 decent options, but assuming he put a fair amount of miles on the Havoline, it stayed in grade quite well, so wouldn’t rule it out. The Euro QSFS is usually cheap at Walmart, though “might” be a bit thick in Nebraska winter…maybe not. From my VERY limited experience with the domestic QSFS (5w30 SP), it won’t make it more than 3-4000miles gracefully, which is how I feel about domestic mkt Pennzoil, though I’ve never used their SP vintages. Whatever 0w40 he is using in the Hemi Ram, would probably do well. I don’t know the best approach in a EcoBoost: low-SAPS, mid-SAPS, or Hi-SAPS. SP should offer good chain wear characteristics, mid-lo-SAPS “might“ be good for intake valve deposits, and too thick oil might slow dow the cam phasers too much….or at least that’s the juggling act I’ve been trying to play. I was using a foo-foo diesel 10w30 which was not any thicker at 40F than a 5w30, and at 100F viscosity was in the mid 10’s…perfect.

but, if @Jesse_NE switches to Oil Analyzers or TestOil, or anywhere that does a valid fuel dilution test, and finds ~4% or more, he should probably find a convenient change interval at considerably less than 9000 miles, regardless of which store-bought oil. Jesse, is your 0w40 the Pennzoil SRT oil?
 
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