Pennzoil Platinum 5w20 2,969 miles 04 F150 5.4L

[Jordan_FX4]

Hi all, I have been a reader here for quite a while, finally decided to join this great site! The vehicle is a 2004 Ford F150 FX4 5.4 V8 with a 117,000 miles. I got it 2.5 years ago with 77k and drive it probably 90% highway and country roads. It has had oci's with synthetic at mostly 5-7K since I bought it. The reason for the short oil change was some issues with condensation under the oil cap I had last winter. This was the 3rd oci since, and the previous 2 oci's were both Pennzoil Ultra. Comments are welcome and appreciated.

 

[Hemi426]

Good for you! Pennzoil makes great oils. Was that SM or SN Platinum?

 

[HTSS_TR]

Very good UOA, low wear metal and very high TBN. Don't worry about condensation under the oil cap during winter, every car has it. If your current fill is synthetic, you should not change it out until 6-7k miles at the very minimum.

 

[Hallmark]

The lab comments say it all...can't add a thing.

 

[Jordan_FX4]

Thanks for the comment, I like Pennzoil really well myself. By the way the oil was API SN.

 

[chubbs1]

API SN 5w20 with a stout additive pack. Those are getting less common these days. Great oil!

Keep on truckin! Thanks for the UOA

 

[SLCraig]

Got some of that exact juice to go in my Civic in a few months.
Looks great, that 5.4 will last a long, long time at this rate.

 

[demarpaint]

Great showing. Many people have little or no faith in a 20 grade oil. This UOA proves otherwise. Nice report!

 

[ottotheclown]

Almost not there anymore unless you pay more. Shame glad to see Shell is not playing the famous shell game.

Originally Posted By: chubbs1
API SN 5w20 with a stout additive pack. Those are getting less common these days. Great oil!

Keep on truckin! Thanks for the UOA

 

[sm00thpapa]

Great UOA! I feel confident that I am using PP 5W-30 with a P1 oil filter. I am at 3K on this oil and will conduct a UOA at 6K and will posts the results as well.

Just curious, what oil filter did you use for this OCI?

 

[OVERKILL]

The TBN is expected due to the very short OCI. Nothing abnormal.

 

[Jordan_FX4]

Thanks for the comment sm00thpapa, I used a Motorcraft FL-820S filter with the P.P. Can't wait to see the results of your UOA. I definately could have run my oil longer, but was being cautious due to having moisture/oil sludge under my fill cap last winter. Now that I know my engine is alright I will be running my oil farther out again.

 

[tig1]

Why a 3K OCI with PP? I do 10K with no problems at all.

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: Jordan_FX4
Thanks for the comment sm00thpapa, I used a Motorcraft FL-820S filter with the P.P. Can't wait to see the results of your UOA. I definately could have run my oil longer, but was being cautious due to having moisture/oil sludge under my fill cap last winter. Now that I know my engine is alright I will be running my oil farther out again.


Your oil had nothing to do with the creamy goop under the oil fill cap. The reason you get this with a Ford truck engine is the oil fill tube is extended well above the valve cover. this happens often with Fords.

 

[Jordan_FX4]

The reason for such a short OCI was that last winter my truck was getting a decent amount of tan condensation/oil goo under the fill cap. My engine then started making a strange tick so I took it to my mechanic and he told me there was excess moisture and it was swelling up my oil filter, and to do some short OCI's and see if it would clean up my engine. It seems my engine is doing fine now, so I will definately be going back to longer OCI's.

 

[Jim Allen]

I have an '05 with only 30K miles and an almost perfect driving cycle (i.e. full warmup when it's started) and I still get traces of the white goop in the cap in the winter. Very normal and not worth wasting 7-10K oil on 3K oil changes. As stated above its because the moisture condenses at the end of that tube. Unless you are got great globs of it, it disappears during warmer weather or a long run on the freeway.

It takes a lot of water to swell an oil filter...assuming it's made of stuff that will indeed swell.. lots more than you would get from a little normal condensation.

Obviously not being there makes it hard to say definitively, but the tick is also likely in the "normal" category. The Ford Modulars are normally kinda "chatty." Cam phaser noises are very common, benign and generally not fixable. You can mask them with heavier oil. Noises can still indicate problems but you generally have to reset "normal" a little with these engines as far as noises go.

 

[Jordan_FX4]

Thanks for the insight Jim Allen! My truck is almost always warmed up as about my shortest trip is the 10 miles each way to college. The reason the moisture had me concerned was that neither the 5.4 3v in my dad's Mark LT or the one in his work truck (07 F350) were producing near as much goop. Even after a pretty much all interstate trip that was a 150 miles each way there was still some moisture left under the fill cap.

As for the ticking noise, it started one day in Feb after it had sat for a couple days and was much louder than the normal valvetrain clatter, but it seemed to subside some after I changed the oil. Thanks for any ideas you or anyone else might have on the matter.

 

[Lakersguy]

Another great PP UOA with the 5.4L V8.

 

[sdude2k2000]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Your oil had nothing to do with the creamy goop under the oil fill cap. The reason you get this with a Ford truck engine is the oil fill tube is extended well above the valve cover. this happens often with Fords.


I concur. My '00 Ford Focus has the same foamy/goopy issue, except it comes up my dipstick tube. Doesn't matter what oil I run, it does it. I can remember the first time I saw it, I had an "OH CRUD!" moment, changed the oil immediately to check for coolant (which of course there was none). Wasted perfectly good oil, lol.

 

[addyguy]

When I bought my Tribute, it had a layer of cream-coloured goop under the oil-fill cap, and the top of the d/s was heavily rusted. That, combined with the relatively low mileage, made me assume my car was an exteme short-tripper before I got it.

Day I bought it, it went on a high-speed highway trip. No more goop under the cap, and the rusty section of the dipstick is now damp and oily all the time, so the rust won't progress.