Interesting Article on Police Fleet. Extended Drains, 5W-20, etc
- Thread starter mikep
- Start date
- Status
The crown vics in my old community get Valvoline 5W-30 and 5W-20 with 3000 OCI's. From seeing them constantly run, they must have another 3000 worth of idle time LOL. Anyway, they do say the engines seem to use excessive oil and become worn around 100,000M. I suppose it's the valvoline and use and abuse they get. Engines that get valvoline all-climate, especially gm engines, seem to be worn around 100,000M. Piston slap, bearing wear, etc seem to be elevated when that stupid all-climate junk is used.
They do get the dual-exhaust option, don't they? That's good for something like 15-20 extra hp. Of course, you're right, it's really the same engine, and 20 extra hp is nothing earth shattering. . .
Is this post saying that cars that idle a lot wear out faster? Does that mean we run it forever fanatics should avoid idling?
Also, shut engine off when traveling down hills.
BTW, the guy who owns the website I moderate is an Ohio State Trooper in his day job and says they change the cruisers' oil every 5k but he doesn't know what brand.
Popular Mechanics tested an interceptor versus a normal Crown Vic and the civilian model outperformed the police version in every test. The interceptor is hampered by more weight, higher ride height, worse aerodynamics, and worse tires.
The real reason the cops usually win: Well trained drivers and of course, the radio.
-T
It all depends on the practices and infrastructure of the host department. Many fleet vehicles use hour meters, but to make that work you must have a fleet maintenance management program that works with both miles and hours, and a reliable way to get the data from the car into the system. I used to work in implementing fleet maintenance systems, and know that it is quite do-able, if the fleet manager has the inclination and the operating and capital budgets to support it.
They suspension on the Police Interceptor (Its a model not a engine) can be speced a couple of different ways. The ones for patrol duty has Stiffer Springs especially in the rear. If they ran that suspension (Higher Ride Height makes me think they did) I am not suprised. Roll Bar, Screen, Radio Gear, Computer, Video Camera, Light Bar, Push Bar, Shot Gun, etc. Thats about 400 lb. Now add Radio Relay Gear, AR-15, Safety Equipment, Extra Gear, Full Size Spare, etc, another 200 Lb.quote:
Originally posted by T-Keith:
Popular Mechanics tested an interceptor versus a normal Crown Vic and the civilian model outperformed the police version in every test. The interceptor is hampered by more weight, higher ride height, worse aerodynamics, and worse tires.
The real reason the cops usually win: Well trained drivers and of course, the radio.
-T
So 600 lb. 2 Fully Uniformed Male Officiers... 2x225 lb or so in full gear.....
They should have added at least 1050 lb including driver weight to each car. I have got a fealing the civilian model would have lost.
Gene
P.S. Output on a 2003 Interceptor was 235 bhp thanks to the addition of the PI (GT and 5.4L Truck) heads. And yes they have dual exhaust.
CHP uses Union 76 rerefined oil at 5K intervals. Lots of idle time and high speed.
Edit: 10w30
Edit: 10w30
First Post, #8, fourth line
Gene
Ohhh...missed that. Sorry.
Our county uses 15W-40 for just about everything. This including 400+ police units and various fire staff cars and trucks. This not including the 50+ pieces of fire apparatus that use 15W-40.
Was looking around on the net and found a interesting article. With some interesting facts.
Out of the Police Fleet Manager Magazine.
1. Ford Engineers suggest the use of 5W-20 in the 4.6L OHC V-8 Police Interceptor with a 3000 mi OCI. This results in optimum fuel economy and durability. This is interesting because these cars are exempt from being figured into CAFE. They also backward recommend the 5W-20 to 1992 on Inceptors.
2. Ford Fleet states warranty will not be voided for use of other weights unless the lubricant is proven the direct cause of the failure.
3. GM prefers the use of 5W-30 in the Impala 3800 Series II. OW-30 and 10W-30 are allowed per Temperature Chart.
4. DC Prefers 10W-30 for the 3.5L 24V in the Intrepid. 5W-30 is allowed at lower temps.
5. Extended Drain - State of IL had great results with use of synthetic fluids (10W-30?) and 15,000 mi OCI in the old 5.7L OHV Caprice. However after switching to the 4.6L OHC Fords they ended up loosing over 120 Engines (5W-30?). 40 of these were due to low oil level. Ford stated that the 4.6L can be expected to consume a maximum of 1 QT 1500 mi in normal use and up to 1 QT 833 mi in pursuit use. The other 80 were in most cases caused by sludge build up blocking the screen over the oil pump pick-up.
6. Ford states that while they recommend a 3000 mi OCI every 1 hour of idle time is equal to 33 mi. If you have extensive idling this should be taken into consideration,
7. Currently large fleet usage ranges from 5W20 (Most popular with 4.6L Ford) to 15W-40.
8. Most interesting info I could find.
LAPD - Uses 15W-40 HDEO with 4000 mi OCI
LACSD - Uses 5W-20 with 3000 mi OCI
CHP - Uses Re-Refined Unocal 76 10W-30 with 5000 mi changes after tests of worst case scenario showed that 4000 mi was to soon and 6000 mi was to long.
Gene
Out of the Police Fleet Manager Magazine.
1. Ford Engineers suggest the use of 5W-20 in the 4.6L OHC V-8 Police Interceptor with a 3000 mi OCI. This results in optimum fuel economy and durability. This is interesting because these cars are exempt from being figured into CAFE. They also backward recommend the 5W-20 to 1992 on Inceptors.
2. Ford Fleet states warranty will not be voided for use of other weights unless the lubricant is proven the direct cause of the failure.
3. GM prefers the use of 5W-30 in the Impala 3800 Series II. OW-30 and 10W-30 are allowed per Temperature Chart.
4. DC Prefers 10W-30 for the 3.5L 24V in the Intrepid. 5W-30 is allowed at lower temps.
5. Extended Drain - State of IL had great results with use of synthetic fluids (10W-30?) and 15,000 mi OCI in the old 5.7L OHV Caprice. However after switching to the 4.6L OHC Fords they ended up loosing over 120 Engines (5W-30?). 40 of these were due to low oil level. Ford stated that the 4.6L can be expected to consume a maximum of 1 QT 1500 mi in normal use and up to 1 QT 833 mi in pursuit use. The other 80 were in most cases caused by sludge build up blocking the screen over the oil pump pick-up.
6. Ford states that while they recommend a 3000 mi OCI every 1 hour of idle time is equal to 33 mi. If you have extensive idling this should be taken into consideration,
7. Currently large fleet usage ranges from 5W20 (Most popular with 4.6L Ford) to 15W-40.
8. Most interesting info I could find.
LAPD - Uses 15W-40 HDEO with 4000 mi OCI
LACSD - Uses 5W-20 with 3000 mi OCI
CHP - Uses Re-Refined Unocal 76 10W-30 with 5000 mi changes after tests of worst case scenario showed that 4000 mi was to soon and 6000 mi was to long.
Gene
I doubt most squads get their oil changed at 3000 miles, even with all the idling. Last winter I was walking into Target and a squad car(crown vic) was parked out front idling. The officer got in and drove away. About a quart of water dumped out each tailpipe.
I will try and see what my father in laws department uses.
-T
I will try and see what my father in laws department uses.
-T
That's a very handy piece of information. Thanks.
Of course a fully equipped Police Interceptor would lose to a civilian Crown Victoria. There are several hundred additional pounds of weight right there. I am not familiar with that PM article, but I would hope they tested a fresh-from-the-factory Police Interceptor that didn't have any of the equipment installed yet. That is how MSP and LASD do their testing each year. There are simply too many different variables to account for (not to mention safety issues) if a fully loaded Police Interceptor was used. Otherwise, comparing the two in performance is pointless.
Also, as it stands right now, the 2006 model year Police Interceptor will be available with an engine hour meter. This will more accurately reflect when the vehicle/engine should be serviced. State Police/Patrol cars are usually in much better condition come trade-in, and can more easily handle extended drains because they do mostly highway driving. Municipal/County vehicles will do quite a bit of idling, enough that the oil could and should be changed once a month. I know some officers who leave the vehicle running for the entire 8-hour shift, AC blasting and all! And yes, our Police Interceptors get the oil changed every 3,000 miles. Usually, problems that arise from the powertrain are related to over-heating issues(i.e., cracked intake manifolds, blown radiator hoses, etc.) Our shop uses the cheapest brand filter there is - I've never even seen this filter anywhere else (the brand escapes me at the moment). Also, we use Valvoline 5w-30.
The Police Interceptors are equipped with oil and transmission coolers, but other than that, the powertrain is the same as the civilian version. There are other differences, but none related to the engine. For 2004, the air intake from the Mercury Maruader was modified for use on the Police Interceptor, and HP is now rated at 250. The Police Interceptor is as fast as the fabled Chevy Caprice of the mid '90's. Dodge has discontinued the Intrepid for police usage, but you can bet they'll be marketing the Chrysler 300/Dodge Magnum for that role within a few years.
Z-
Also, as it stands right now, the 2006 model year Police Interceptor will be available with an engine hour meter. This will more accurately reflect when the vehicle/engine should be serviced. State Police/Patrol cars are usually in much better condition come trade-in, and can more easily handle extended drains because they do mostly highway driving. Municipal/County vehicles will do quite a bit of idling, enough that the oil could and should be changed once a month. I know some officers who leave the vehicle running for the entire 8-hour shift, AC blasting and all! And yes, our Police Interceptors get the oil changed every 3,000 miles. Usually, problems that arise from the powertrain are related to over-heating issues(i.e., cracked intake manifolds, blown radiator hoses, etc.) Our shop uses the cheapest brand filter there is - I've never even seen this filter anywhere else (the brand escapes me at the moment). Also, we use Valvoline 5w-30.
The Police Interceptors are equipped with oil and transmission coolers, but other than that, the powertrain is the same as the civilian version. There are other differences, but none related to the engine. For 2004, the air intake from the Mercury Maruader was modified for use on the Police Interceptor, and HP is now rated at 250. The Police Interceptor is as fast as the fabled Chevy Caprice of the mid '90's. Dodge has discontinued the Intrepid for police usage, but you can bet they'll be marketing the Chrysler 300/Dodge Magnum for that role within a few years.
Z-
Just for the record, the "Police interceptor" ford 4.6 motor is just your run of the mill 4.6. Nothing is done to the motor itself.
Used to work out of the same facility that did all the fleet maintinence for the county.
All gasoline fleet vehicles were fed a diet of 5w30 dino bulk oil that was selected on the low bid on a yearly cycle. 3000 mile OCI's montitored by fleet management software tied into the fuel pumps taht required you input the mileage on the vehicle.
The county keeps their sheriffs cars with the 4.6 to 120,000 miles, then auctions them off. No complaints on engine durability, (manager did state reliability was much better with the 4.6 versus any other engine package by any of the big three over the years...) though they were WELL worn when auctioned off!
All gasoline fleet vehicles were fed a diet of 5w30 dino bulk oil that was selected on the low bid on a yearly cycle. 3000 mile OCI's montitored by fleet management software tied into the fuel pumps taht required you input the mileage on the vehicle.
The county keeps their sheriffs cars with the 4.6 to 120,000 miles, then auctions them off. No complaints on engine durability, (manager did state reliability was much better with the 4.6 versus any other engine package by any of the big three over the years...) though they were WELL worn when auctioned off!
Just purchased my wife a 2004 Chrysler Concorde with the 2.7l dohc 24 valve engine. Instinct tells me this engine will be hard on oil so I went to google for research on Wal Mart Super Tech synthetic and ended up here.She only drives the car 6-7000 miles ayear so it falls under the 3month/ 3,000 mile oil change for warranty, thought I'd try synthetic. Anyway when I found this message I thought I'd throw in 2 cents worth. I'm a 25 year veteran of the Indiana State Police and am currently driving a 2001 CVPI that was issued to me in July 2001. Our commissions ( ISP word for patrol car) currently has 106,000 miles on it. New 2004 CVPI sitting at the garage in Indy waiting for final equiptment check before it's issued to me. Our cars are issued to us individually so one officer is the only one to drive the car and we can use them for personal off duty use. Oil changes are done at 5,000 miles using re-refined 5w30 oil and either Motorcraft oe Wix filters depending on which supplier has the bid.My car runs as good as the day I got it, and only uses 1/2 quart of oil between changes and this is always after the 4,000 mark. Probably the additives are going. We have very few engine failures that are caused by a lubricated part breaking. Most cars go well past 100,000 miles and are still running good. This is on a re-refined oil that is not the weight Ford recomends and it is also a longer drain interval than is recomended.Something to think about in the debate I've seen on here about the 5w20 oil Ford recomends. Previous POV that I traded on the Concorde was a Grand Marquis with 19,000 miles, all on Motorcraft 5W20. Not many miles but the car ran well on it. Any advice on oil for the 2.7l would be appreciated.
- Status
Similar threads
