New 2009 F-150 - new oil dilemma

[lazaro]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: lazaro

thanks for posting that up, I value your opinion here.
with that said be aware that AMSOIL was selling Synthetic oils long before the manufactures stated using it in factory fill.
In fact Amsoil was the only Synthetic oil company trolling around for customers in the 70s and 80s for $5 a quart when mineral oil was less than $1 a quart!


Incorrect. Mobil was offering CONSUMER synthetic a year after AMSOIL was. Prior to that, they were making synthetic oils for jet turbines, long before AMSOIL existed.

Quote:
Fast foward 2009 now Manufactures have Synthetic oils as factory fill! Synthetics outperform minerals hand down!
Amsoil as a company is built of DEALERS, INDIVIDUALS not mass advertising from obscene profits.
We are simply AMERICANS working for ourselves selling a product that does out perform many other oils.
I have many UOA to prove this and the site sponsors here for AMSOIL have many loyal customers that purchase product due to performance and price.
Are you going to call us all Snake oil salesmen? I would tend to think that is Misleading in the least.


Gary and Pablo are both outstanding contributors to this board.

To the OP: Just use the MC 5w20 and enjoy the truck.

Quote:
Incorrect. Mobil was offering CONSUMER synthetic a year after AMSOIL was. Prior to that, they were making synthetic oils for jet turbines, long before AMSOIL existed.

lets keep it within the automotive market here, and you are somewhat correct, Mobil advertised 25,000 mile automotive oil for 1 whole year then dropped the whole line due to weak sales, the year was 1974

 

[buster]

I agree with the Critic. With a 7qt sump, 7,500 is doable on MC 5w20. I actually trust Ford and their engineers on drain interval guidelines using this oil. Their engines have shown a good track record based on factory recommendations.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Here we go... BITOG at its finest. (The snake salesman, CAFE and Mobil 1 [censored] match come out to play...)

Use ANY 5w-20 (Motorcraft is VERY good) and personally I'd run a 5k - 7.5k (whichever makes you feel good since 5w-20 is low cost) and use a Motorcraft filter.

Your engine will out live quite a few of the other parts. That is what I've found with the Fords at work. (which have over 200k and see idling and HARD use 21 hours a day and see Jiffylube 7-9k)

Over 100 degrees and well below zero here.

No problem at all.

Enjoy the truck! Thanks for your service to your City!!

Take care, Bill
PS: Loved some of your replies so far!

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: tvsjr
Good day all-

I will, hopefully soon, be receiving my brand-new 2009 F-150 with the 5.4L flex-fuel motor. I'm in a bit of a dilemma on what oil to run.

Driving conditions:
- I'm a volunteer firefighter. The truck will get run hard at times and will idle a fair amount.
- I live in north Texas and work in the metroplex, so I get the fun of stop-and-go driving in 110F weather.

My requirements:
- No extended OCI. I'll change the oil every 5K as the book says.
- Ford-recommended weight only - 5W20.
- One oil year-round.
- This will be a high mileage vehicle. I drive about 35K a year and hope to keep the truck 5 years.
- No Amsoil.
- Oil changes will be performed by a local facility that I trust. I'll provide my own oil and Motorcraft filter.

I've run Mobil 1 in the past and been quite satisfied with it, but as we all know, it's expensive, and I feel it may be "too good" for my application. I've also run a couple vehicles with the Motorcraft 5W20 synthetic blend, which seems to have lots of positive reviews here on the forum and is considerably cheaper.

What say you? Stick with the M1 I've used in the past? Go back to the MC syn blend? Something else entirely? Other comments?

Thanks in advance.


Based on your comments...

Motorcraft 5W-20 blend
Penzoil Platinum 5W-20
Quaker State HP/Ultimate Durability( or whatever the flavor of the day name is )
Valvoline Synpower 5W-20
Kendal GT1 Full Synthetic 5W-20

I am "assuming" here these oils besides the MTC stuff all meet your required Ford oil standards. They always seem to. As good/better than M1 and all are cheaper. Even with 5K changes I personally would run a full synthetic as you are going to use it hard, in hot weather, and put a lot of miles on it. Prime full synthetic application even with shorter OCI's.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: tvsjr
Originally Posted By: lazaro
Yes that answer is much better.
it is full of misunderstanding and sheer terror of the unknown.


Lazaro - just go away. I don't like Amsoil, I've never liked Amsoil, and I wouldn't give them a dime if every engineer on the planet said their oil would make my motor last 500K and extend parts of my anatomy by two inches. It's a principle thing - I don't like the way the company does business.

In short - shoo, troll.


I really like this guy. I wish he would post more.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Here we go... BITOG at its finest. (The snake salesman, CAFE and Mobil 1 [censored] match come out to play...)

Thank you Bill, I just laughed out loud

 

[ADFD1]

Originally Posted By: tvsjr


Fail. It's a 5.4L FFV motor (gasoline or E85 ethanol). SAE 40 would likely result in the motor dying in short order. As I stated in the first post, I'll be using the viscosity that Ford recommends - 5W20. I figure they have quite a few engineers who built the motor, and they probably say 5W20 for a reason.


EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!

AD

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: ADFD1
Originally Posted By: tvsjr


Fail. It's a 5.4L FFV motor (gasoline or E85 ethanol). SAE 40 would likely result in the motor dying in short order. As I stated in the first post, I'll be using the viscosity that Ford recommends - 5W20. I figure they have quite a few engineers who built the motor, and they probably say 5W20 for a reason.


EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!

AD


It won't die using a 40-weight. In fact a synthetic HDEO is actually THINNER at colder temps than many conventional 5w30's.

I do not however know how the VCT in the 3V 5.4L would be affected by an oil that at temp, is more viscous.

 

[ADFD1]

I have no idea either, which is why in this case the mfg suggestion will be fine.

AD

 

[Drew2000]

FWIW, we run a bunch of 5.4l E-350 cargo vans (about 5000lbs empty, 9000 full) that see mostly stop 'n go NYC metro traffic. Oil gets changed around 6500-7500 miles at our two fleet accounts. It's either bulk Kendall 5w20 semi-syn at Firestone or 5w20 Motorcraft at Ford dealers. Vans usually get swapped at around 4 years/80-100k miles. Probably equal to 200k+ highway miles.

Never had any engine-related problems. Vans don't use oil (which is good because most of the drivers can't be bothered to put washer-fluid in, much less check the oil). Overall, the vans are pretty much problem free, other than wear and tear stuff.

You should be golden with whatever you pick, the Ford Triton engines are very strong esp. now that they don't launch the plugs through the hood

 

[panthermike]

Originally Posted By: Drew2000
FWIW, we run a bunch of 5.4l E-350 cargo vans (about 5000lbs empty, 9000 full) that see mostly stop 'n go NYC metro traffic. Oil gets changed around 6500-7500 miles at our two fleet accounts. It's either bulk Kendall 5w20 semi-syn at Firestone or 5w20 Motorcraft at Ford dealers. Vans usually get swapped at around 4 years/80-100k miles. Probably equal to 200k+ highway miles.

Never had any engine-related problems. Vans don't use oil (which is good because most of the drivers can't be bothered to put washer-fluid in, much less check the oil). Overall, the vans are pretty much problem free, other than wear and tear stuff.

You should be golden with whatever you pick, the Ford Triton engines are very strong esp. now that they don't launch the plugs through the hood

+1, the Triton engine's are great. There are many in my family and they are really good engines. They have 180K, 130K, and 30K(2007). All have been trouble free(knock on wood).

 

[tvsjr]

Well, I'm still on the fence, but I'm leaning toward 5K OCI on Motorcraft syn-blend. Based on the real-world experience posted here, I suspect I'll lose a transmission or rear end long before the engine dies. If I can get 200K from the motor, I'll be happy... by then, it'll be long since paid off and I'll be ready for something new. 5K may be a bit soon, but that'll give me peace of mind. And, if something comes up and I stretch it to 6K, I won't be too worried.

Now, for some direct replies:
ChiTDI - $11.50/jug? Even better. Thanks!

Critic - My Ford dealer, unfortunately, isn't here in town. The one in town sucks, and some of their employees have been very close to facing prosecution for some of their actions. So, getting to the dealer can be a challenge. I have a local oil change place that will do a full service for $20 if I supply oil and filter, and they let me stand in the bay or go underneath if I want to watch the work, inspect the vehicle, inspect my wiring (lots of communications equipment in my vehicles), etc.

Tig1 - I suspect you're right, but if the motor runs on 5W20 OK, I'd like the extra fuel economy! We have a 2007 F150 running M1 5W20 with 120K on the clock, with no problems so far and zero oil consumption, so I think the weight is OK.

Lazaro - do you have issues with reading comprehension? I said SHOO, TROLL!

Bill - I appreciate your thanks. It's a lot of work, and very little reward except for the appreciation we receive all too rarely.

NHHEMI - I might have to hang around a bit more. I like ya'll (well, most of ya'll... lazaro excepted of course!)

Oh well, back to cleaning. It's amazing how much stuff I accumulated in the Big Black Turd (my old F350 with the POS PSD...)

 

[Ben99GT]

Originally Posted By: ADFD1
Originally Posted By: tvsjr


Fail. It's a 5.4L FFV motor (gasoline or E85 ethanol). SAE 40 would likely result in the motor dying in short order. As I stated in the first post, I'll be using the viscosity that Ford recommends - 5W20. I figure they have quite a few engineers who built the motor, and they probably say 5W20 for a reason.


EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!

AD

The same engine (Barra 230 - 5.4 3V w/ VCT) is recommended to use 10W-30 is Australia. I'd guess temperatures in Texas are semi-comparable to the temps seen in Australia.

The 5.4 3V actually showed up in Australia before it showed up in the 2004 F150 here in the US.

 

[addyguy]

Quote:

"Well, I'm still on the fence, but I'm leaning toward 5K OCI on Motorcraft syn-blend. Based on the real-world experience posted here, I suspect I'll lose a transmission or rear end long before the engine dies. If I can get 200K from the motor, I'll be happy... by then, it'll be long since paid off and I'll be ready for something new. 5K may be a bit soon, but that'll give me peace of mind. And, if something comes up and I stretch it to 6K, I won't be too worried."

Sounds perfect.

 

[Art_Vandelay]

Originally Posted By: Drew2000
FWIW, we run a bunch of 5.4l E-350 cargo vans (about 5000lbs empty, 9000 full) that see mostly stop 'n go NYC metro traffic. Oil gets changed around 6500-7500 miles at our two fleet accounts.


Stop and go NYC traffic with a 7000 OCI is incredible. Do you think the regular Ford 4.6 can handle that interval on Motorcraft under the same severe conditions?

 

[Drew2000]

Originally Posted By: Art_Vandelay

Stop and go NYC traffic with a 7000 OCI is incredible. Do you think the regular Ford 4.6 can handle that interval on Motorcraft under the same severe conditions?


The vans are -supposed- to get serviced every 5k, but the reality is that it often gets pushed beyond.

I think the 5.4 for the Econoline is the older 2 valve motor w/o VVT. Ford probably realizes that the van buyers are mostly commercial customers, so they keep the drivetrain simple. Don't know about the 4.6l, but I bet that it would still be ok, as it's in the lighter-duty E150 range.

As I recall, the 2-valve 5.4l has a forged crank, oil cooler and was designed for HD "severe" service.
Also, the 5.4l has a 6 or 7qt sump which helps too.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: tvsjr
Big Black Turd (my old F350 with the POS PSD...)


I don't care who ya are, that right there is FUNNY.

If ever a thread needed hijacking, this one does SO....

Any scuttlebutt on Ford's in-house diesel to replace the POS PSD? Buy the 7.3 design from Navistar and put it back in production?

 

[Peted]

Shouldn't have bought a ford...

 

[Ben99GT]

Should have settled for a lesser brand, eh?

 

[tvsjr]

Originally Posted By: peterdes
Shouldn't have bought a ford...


Let's see... looking at vehicles I or my family have owned in the recent past:
97 Expedition - sold, running great, 189K
01 Expedition - sold to a friend, still running great, 120K
01 Expedition - in service, running great, 90K
03 F150 - totaled in a wreck, 97K
07 F150 - in service, running great (despite having a spark plug snap off in the head today at the dealer...), 114K
09 F150 - running great whenever the [censored] thing arrives!

And that doesn't count the numerous Ford vehicles I've driven (squad cars, our light rescue, our engine, our squad, one brush truck, ambulances, etc.) in fire service that seem to do pretty well.

The F350 was an atypical dud... unfortunately not quite bad enough to lemon. I expect the new F150 to have a long and happy life...