Ford 4.6 Oil Quesions...and engine tick

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Greetings all,

I stumbled on this website by accident and I am glad I did. It has a ton of information on oil for a DIYer like me. Anyhow, I have a strange issue I would like to bring before everyone and gather opinions and what not.

Car: 1996 Lincoln Town Car, 4.6L Modular SOHC V8 2v
Mileage: 104,400

I recently acquired this vehicle. First thing I always do is fluid and filter changes with a new vehicle. First week I drained the old oil out (I was told it was 10W30) and added a fresh change of Castrol GTX 5W30 dino oil (the owners manual states 5W30 motor oil) and a fresh filter.

About a week or two after I changed the oil I dropped the transmission pan and drained the fluid and added a new filter.

A couple days after that I noticed an audible ticking sound that was not there previously. I pulled out the stethoscope and began trying to source the sound. I could not find the sound with the scope. The injectors were pulsing, but not making this ticking sound. The intake manifold gasket is ok because it ticks at idle, warm or cold, and I was told if the intake gasket is bad it will stop ticking once warmed. I finally took it to my indy mechanic, and he diagnosed the ticking as rocker or lifter noise (cant remember which one he said, but I know it was rocker or lifter). However I could not hear the noise through the valve cover with the scope, but he still said it was lifter/rocker noise.

I told him that I recently switched from 10W30 to 5W30 and he told me to switch back to using 10W30. However from everything I have read, using 10W30 in the Ford Modular 4.6 is a bad idea because of small oil passages and tighter tolerances in the engine.

So, my plan is to seafoam the engine this weekend, and maybe switch to a different type of oil. Right now im using dino. Do you guys think that a switch to a quality synthetic 5W30 would help? For those who know the Ford 4.6, would switching back to 10W30 be a good idea? Sorry for rambling on. I don't think the ticking is a big deal, but it drives me crazy.

Thanks for reading.
 
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I would add a pint of MMO to the oil about 500-1000 miles before you're ready to change the oil. A quality synthetic like Pennzoil Platinum 5W30 is a good oil choice. I'm not a big fan of seafoam added to the oil.

A lot of BITOG members use Auto-RX. You could do an Auto-Rx clean rinse, since your car has over 100,000 miles 2 treatments are recommended. Search the oil additive section or visit the Auto-Rx website for all the info you'll need.

Welcome to BITOG!

AD
 
Thanks for the replies thus far.

My indy checked out the exhaust manifolds and could find no evidence of a leak, he was certain it was rocker/lifter noise.

I already added MMO to the oil and have gone a few hundred miles on it thus far. No difference. I was going to seafoam the engine (not putting any in the oil, just sucking some through a vacuum hose) and change the oil/filter.

Would a synthetic oil be a good choice? Or should I stick with a dino oil?
 
10w30 wouldn't be my first choice for winter conditions in your area, but it will work fine this time of year. Many southern cab companies still run their crown vic fleets on bulk 10w30 with good results. I am currently driving my fifth panther platform car with a 4.6L engine; I have used 5w20, 5w30, and 10w30 in the various cars with good results.

The 4.6 doesn't have "lifters" and "rockers" in the traditional sense due to its overhead cam design. This engine uses "roller cam followers" and "hydraulic lash adjusters". It is possible that you have a restriction in the oil feed to one of the lash adjusters, which would not allow it to pump-up fully and have excessive clearance. The marvel mystery oil or seafoam might be worth a try, just follow the directions.

The 4.6 isn't hard on oil, but a quality synthetic will certainly help clean up any deposits and provide easy cold starting in those Maine winters.
 
How much MMO did you add, and how long is it in the engine? You can add up to 1 qt and run a full OCI with it. I like synthetic oils, but if you plan on doing any kind of engine clean up with MMO or Auto-Rx I would stick to dino oil. Then when you're done with the clean up make the change to synthetic oil.

AD
 
I added about 1/2 quart of MMO about 400 or so miles ago. I planned on draining out the oil thats in it now after seafoaming and refilling with either a synthetic oil, or 10W30 dino oil (which is what it had previously, before the tick) but im not sure what I will do now.
 
I doubt 10W30 is causing any issues. If you can, add another pint of MMO and leave it for another 600 miles, then do the seafoam tmt and drain the oil. MMO takes some time to work, and a full qt will not hurt the engine. We have done it for years and years with great success. It does take time, hang in there!

You might have to drain off some oil, but only if you're going to be overfilled by 1Qt or more. Being overfilled a pint won't hurt anything.

AD
 
Alright, sounds like a good idea. I will add a bit more MMO and drive for a few hundred more miles. Then I will seafoam the engine and put a fresh changef of oil in.

Now, my last question is should I switch to a 5W30 synthetic blend? I always change my oil in 3 months/3,000 miles, and therefore have always used Dino oils. Would I gain any benefit from synthetics since I change it so frequently? Thanks again for the help.
 
Anytime with the help! I like synthetic oils, the way I use them is for anything I really care about gets synthetic oil. Once the vehicle is downgraded by me to a beater it gets dino oil. But that is ME, and something that I do.

A blend is a fine oil, but for a 3000 mile OCI, honestly it won't matter. I think Pennzoil YB is will do you good! But for the Maine winters I think I would lean toward something like PP.

JMO
AD
 
Given your application and climate, the only noticeable benefit you would get from a synthetic or synthetic blend with a 3k oil change interval would be improved cold starting in the winter.

How many miles to you drive in a year?
 
Using Seafoam is not going to anything for tick IMO. (I don't like sucking stuff into a running engine...)
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Wait for Overk1ll to jump in here. He knows a thing or 3 about the 4.6...
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Personally, I'd do a few short OCI with a good conventional 5w-30 and filter and see what happens.

No need for a syn in this engine unless you are going to do extended OCIs.

And with the tick, that is the LAST thing I'd be doing.

Get the "concern" fixed, then decide what oil you want to run.

Take care, Bill

PS:
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Originally Posted By: ClearDark
I always change my oil in 3 months/3,000 miles, and therefore have always used Dino oils. Would I gain any benefit from synthetics since I change it so frequently? Thanks again for the help.


No benefit IMO. Unless it is WELL below temps.

Today's conventional oils are excellent. Millions of engines out there going millions of miles with no problems.
 
Thanks. I will stick with regular 5W30 oil. Im using Castrol GTX now, but I may try a switch to Pennzoil YB since that is what I always used to use.

Not exactly sure if I can get the tick to go away, but I will try my next oil change with 1 qt of MMO and go from there.

Thanks for the help once again. Anyone else with any more information or tips on removing the tick, feel free to chime in.
 
Once you get the 'issue' sorted out, go a bit longer on your OCI's - modern oils will easily do 5k miles, instead of the 3k that is drilled into everyone's head. Saves you a bit of $$$ too....
 
I have the same car. Same year too. I went with Motorcraft 5W-20 and the 820S filter for my first oil change. The car started(winter) so quickly on that oil it was amazing. Ford has back spec'd our cars to 5W-20 as the preferred oil weight. You can certainly use 5W-30, without issue, if you prefer.

Then I got the German Castrol bug from reading a lot of threads on here. GC is a 0W-30 that meets a boatload of European specs. It's without a doubt one of the world's best over the counter oils. The problem is that it doesn't belong in our cars. I put a Mobil 1 filter on and threw the GC in anyway. Winter starts were dramatically different. It was slower to turn over, I got start up noise(caused by NOT using the Motorcraft 820S) and the car was sluggish in comparison to the 5W-20. The start up noise went away as the weather got warmer and now the car runs pretty perfect on it. It's been 3000 miles and I'm leaving it in for the time being. It's long life oil. I think the average BMW gets about 15,000 miles out of GC, according to the onboard oil life monitor. I'll never leave it in that long. Moral of this part of the story: Ford engineers were right to back spec this car to 5W-20. It runs better on it.

At less than $4.00 don't bother with anything other than the Motorcraft 820S filter. Ford requires an "S" filter for this car and even the illustrious Mobil 1 is a mismatch for us. I believe the location of the anti drain back valve is opposite on the 820S as opposed to other filters. That causes the startup noise I experienced.

Walmart has Mobil 1 synthetic priced at $22 right now and there is a $10 rebate on the AFE here:
http://drivesmarterchallenge.org/default.aspx

Pick up 2 jugs of 0W-20 for $12 a piece after rebate and let the synthetic do it's magic cleaning on your engine. You can use the 0W-30 AFE if you prefer. It is not thick like the GC and meets the correct Ford specs.

Best of luck with the new car. It's a wonderful machine.
 
Thanks again for the replies. I always use a Motorcraft S oil filter because of the anti drainback valve. I do know that Ford recommends 5W20 oil in most of the 4.6 Modular V8's but I think I will stick with 5W30 for now.

I will probably run this oil change for another few hundred miles, then drain and refill with Pennzoil YB 5W30. Hopefully the ticking will disappear over time.

Thanks again for the replies.
 
You could try Rislone Engine Treatment or CD2 Oil Detergent with the next OCI. I've used the latter and it did seem to take out a tick...
 
Originally Posted By: Art_Vandelay
I have the same car. Same year too. I went with Motorcraft 5W-20 and the 820S filter for my first oil change. The car started(winter) so quickly on that oil it was amazing. Ford has back spec'd our cars to 5W-20 as the preferred oil weight. You can certainly use 5W-30, without issue, if you prefer.

Then I got the German Castrol bug from reading a lot of threads on here. GC is a 0W-30 that meets a boatload of European specs. It's without a doubt one of the world's best over the counter oils. The problem is that it doesn't belong in our cars. I put a Mobil 1 filter on and threw the GC in anyway. Winter starts were dramatically different. It was slower to turn over, I got start up noise(caused by NOT using the Motorcraft 820S) and the car was sluggish in comparison to the 5W-20. The start up noise went away as the weather got warmer and now the car runs pretty perfect on it. It's been 3000 miles and I'm leaving it in for the time being. It's long life oil. I think the average BMW gets about 15,000 miles out of GC, according to the onboard oil life monitor. I'll never leave it in that long. Moral of this part of the story: Ford engineers were right to back spec this car to 5W-20. It runs better on it.

At less than $4.00 don't bother with anything other than the Motorcraft 820S filter. Ford requires an "S" filter for this car and even the illustrious Mobil 1 is a mismatch for us. I believe the location of the anti drain back valve is opposite on the 820S as opposed to other filters. That causes the startup noise I experienced.

Walmart has Mobil 1 synthetic priced at $22 right now and there is a $10 rebate on the AFE here:
http://drivesmarterchallenge.org/default.aspx

Pick up 2 jugs of 0W-20 for $12 a piece after rebate and let the synthetic do it's magic cleaning on your engine. You can use the 0W-30 AFE if you prefer. It is not thick like the GC and meets the correct Ford specs.

Best of luck with the new car. It's a wonderful machine.

Art,,,,you're right about the Motorcraft filters for some Fords. I only use them now in my girlfriends Grand Marquis and my '08 Mustang GT. Will probably even start using them in my little Ranger. You know, I love the Purolator PureOne filters....but startup noise is a huge NO NO! Something about the Motorcraft that negates this.
 
I've run Pure One filters in my 3.0L Ford with no start up noise at all. I tried the Motorcraft FL400, and everything is exactly the same. Maybe the 4.6L is more picky about filter choice? I think the 3.0L could run on just about anything.

AD
 
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