Mobil 1 0w40 in my 5.4

[racin4ds]

Well, I did it. I know its not the "ideal" oil for this engine but I hear nothing but good things about it and it was on sale!

My truck is an 01 with 200k miles on the 5.4, it doesn't leak or burn a drop of oil and runs excellent. I know ford likes the 5w20 in these engines but we tow a horse trailer all summer and I wanted a lil something "extra" in the sump when shes workin hard... I really like the idea of a 0W when starting up since these motors are notorious for rattling, and those overhead cams need oil quick, and once its hot and working hard I have the 40w in there for more shear stability.

What do the experts think? Will it hurt anything?

 

[dave1251]

Will it hurt anything, I doubt it. Would I have done it because you feel thicker is better. No. But it is your truck and you paid for the oil so you could have gone the 20W-50 route if you chose.

 

[tig1]

I would have gone with Mobil 1 0w30 first. Remember oils with a higher vis often cause an increase in oil temps.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: racin4ds
Well, I did it. I know its not the "ideal" oil for this engine but I hear nothing but good things about it and it was on sale!

My truck is an 01 with 200k miles on the 5.4, it doesn't leak or burn a drop of oil and runs excellent. I know ford likes the 5w20 in these engines but we tow a horse trailer all summer and I wanted a lil something "extra" in the sump when shes workin hard... I really like the idea of a 0W when starting up since these motors are notorious for rattling, and those overhead cams need oil quick, and once its hot and working hard I have the 40w in there for more shear stability.

What do the experts think? Will it hurt anything?



What makes you think the 0w40 is more shear-stable? And what makes you think you need something with added shear stability? Is that motor notorious for destroying oil?

 

[UNC151]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
Well, I did it. I know its not the "ideal" oil for this engine but I hear nothing but good things about it and it was on sale!

My truck is an 01 with 200k miles on the 5.4, it doesn't leak or burn a drop of oil and runs excellent. I know ford likes the 5w20 in these engines but we tow a horse trailer all summer and I wanted a lil something "extra" in the sump when shes workin hard... I really like the idea of a 0W when starting up since these motors are notorious for rattling, and those overhead cams need oil quick, and once its hot and working hard I have the 40w in there for more shear stability.

What do the experts think? Will it hurt anything?

What makes you think the 0w40 is more shear-stable? And what makes you think you need something with added shear stability? Is that motor notorious for destroying oil?

I run 5W-20 pulling heavy loads in (usually) 100+ heat and have no problems with it; most xW-40 oil shear down to high 20s/low 30s anyway, so is there something to gain by using 40W? Doubtful. The "rattling" can be caused by an ADBV problem with certain filters, but good questions might be--is the OPs motor rattling at start up? Is the current oil shearing? If not, then why the "preventative medicine"?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: racin4ds
.... I really like the idea of a 0W when starting up since these motors are notorious for rattling ....

What do the experts think? Will it hurt anything?
The 0W does nothing for you at normal start-up temp - guaranteed the 5w-20 is much thinner at most startup temps. The 0w is rated at -35C and has NOTHING to do with oil viscosity at zero or 40 degress F. 0W is more about gellation point and coldp pumpability the lowest servicable cold temps. If you want a little more sumptin-sumptin maybe try the redbottle Defy 5w20 - the extra ZDP and other secret goodies may give you what your looking for.

 

[Trav]

Try it. I had an F150 that was noisy with 5w30 but quiet as a church mouse on Mobil 1 0w40, on the other hand my expedition was quieter on 5w20.
Depending on country this engine is spec'd for anything from 5w20 to 15w40 so i wouldn't worry about the spec.

Who knows this oil may be a treat for this engine, some engines really love this stuff.
If you would keep us posted on how this is performing for you.

 

[arob85]

I do not think ford recommends 5w-20 in the older 2 valve 5.4s. I have a 2000 f150 with 5.4 and the owners manual has 5w30. Mobil 1 0w40 is known to shear to a 30 anyhow and that's the oil I plan on running once I'm out of the Quaker State 5w40 I'm running now. I ran Mobil 1 5w30 for about 50K miles before that and I cannot tell any difference.

 

[BISCUT]

I'm runnin an 04 with only 74k. I'm using MC 5-20 and MC or P1 filters. I've read a lot of guys like to run thicker because the ticking is lessened, but IMHO Ford engineers designed it around the 5-20 Syn Blend and I would stick to it. Especially whne you see the TSB's that state the ticking is a characteristic of the engine.

If you have worries about the oil holding up use the 5-20MC and send out for analysis at 3k miles and see where you are...or maybe a 5k with Mobil 1 5w20 to get a benchmark. And keep going another 1k til you see your engine using up the good stuff in the oil.

 

[UNC151]

Originally Posted By: arob85
I do not think ford recommends 5w-20 in the older 2 valve 5.4s. I have a 2000 f150 with 5.4 and the owners manual has 5w30. Mobil 1 0w40 is known to shear to a 30 anyhow and that's the oil I plan on running once I'm out of the Quaker State 5w40 I'm running now. I ran Mobil 1 5w30 for about 50K miles before that and I cannot tell any difference.

In North America, the original 2V [non-variable camshaft timing (VCT)] engines had 5w30 specified for them and of these only from 1997-1999. Starting in 2000, the 2V versions were specified to use 5W-20 as the oil of choice. However, ALL 3V (VCT) versions of the 4.6L/5.4L engines had 5W-20 as the specified oil from the onset.

 

[aquariuscsm]

There`s also a TSB telling Ford owners to bump up to a 10W40 if they`re experiencing engine noise with the 5W20 (not sure if it`s engine specific).

The Mobil 1 0W40 won`t hurt a thing. If anything,it`ll give you better protection.

 

[addyguy]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
There`s also a TSB telling Ford owners to bump up to a 10W40 if they`re experiencing engine noise with the 5W20 (not sure if it`s engine specific).

The Mobil 1 0W40 won`t hurt a thing. If anything,it`ll give you better protection.


I generally agree. If ford openly allows 10W-40 for noisy engines; a 0W-40 isn't going to hurt anything.

 

[TFB1]

Forget the naysayers, seems about half of BITOG members get [censored] if someone wants extra protection for their engine... Mobil claims their 0W-40 is fine for all vehicles, I use it in my modded(Supercharged) Marauder...

From their web site...

Quote:
Mobil 1 0W-40 (European Car Formula in North America) meets or exceeds the requirements of leading industry and car manufacturers’ standards required for newer modern gasoline and diesel powered automobile engines. The Mobil 1 technology is race proven and the choice of NASCAR® racing. Mobil 1 0W-40 is perfect for all types of vehicles and has the performance reserve to protect when conventional motor oils may not. Mobil 1 technology comes as standard equipment in many different performance vehicles.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: TFB1
Forget the naysayers, seems about half of BITOG members get [censored] if someone wants extra protection for their engine... Mobil claims their 0W-40 is fine for all vehicles, I use it in my modded(Supercharged) Marauder...

From their web site...

Quote:
Mobil 1 0W-40 (European Car Formula in North America) meets or exceeds the requirements of leading industry and car manufacturers’ standards required for newer modern gasoline and diesel powered automobile engines. The Mobil 1 technology is race proven and the choice of NASCAR® racing. Mobil 1 0W-40 is perfect for all types of vehicles and has the performance reserve to protect when conventional motor oils may not. Mobil 1 technology comes as standard equipment in many different performance vehicles.



TFB, my issue is that people seem to equate heavier oil with better protection. That is not always the case. If that were true, we would all run Castrol TWS 10w60.

Your FI Marauder is a poor comparison because your modifications are significantly changing that engine's fuel, air, lubrication, cooling, etc. needs.

 

[KCJeep]

"Characteristic of the engine" means..."Oops! Well we're not fixing that" hah hah.

As mentioned, the 0w40 is going to be thicker at startup than 5w20. If you want a little thicker, consider the Castrol High Mileage 5w20 or QS Defy 5w20. Both have high viscosity and high HTHSV for grade.

I don't understand the love for the Mobil 0w40 here...they should just call it 0w30.

 

[dparm]

Except that Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy 0w30 is a true 0w30 with HTHS of 3.0.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: dparm



TFB, my issue is that people seem to equate heavier oil with better protection. That is not always the case. If that were true, we would all run Castrol TWS 10w60.

Your FI Marauder is a poor comparison because your modifications are significantly changing that engine's fuel, air, lubrication, cooling, etc. needs.


I can agree that 10-60, 20W-50 etc is likely too thick in most applications, I will not agree that a oil with a cSt in the range of 12 to 14 will harm ANY modern engine... If that were the case probably 25-35% of beer run to the 7-11 engines(short tripped) would have already died cause the oil was too thick... For extreme use, towing, etc I'll stick with the 12-14 cSt oils... It's a free country, you guys use whatever makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside and I'll do same...

 

[apwillard1986]

I wouldn't worry about it. The wife has the same truck and it gets Mobil 1 10w-40HM and is quiet and smooth. The same motor called for a 5w30 before so with some miles bumping a grade won't hurt one bit. No VCT so no worries. Manufactures do know whats best for the vehicles they build but they also will change specs. for the sake of convenience or economy etc. Plus they do not base their oil recommendation on what the condition of the motor may be at 200000 miles.

 

[Oregoonian]

Originally Posted By: tig1
I would have gone with Mobil 1 0w30 first. Remember oils with a higher vis often cause an increase in oil temps.


+1.....have to agree with tig again......

Mobil 1 0w30 would be more than necessary for the driving and towing you do....and provide the necessary protection... have your engine run a little cooler... and get a little better mpg.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Never increase "protection" with ILSAC oils or "synthetic' - just the opposite. Protection is a vague term - just like mobil's schpeel. Regardless, a good ACEA A3,B4-10 GM LL, BMW LL01, MB229.3 rated lube will whip any ILSAC GF-5 buttocks where required.