Recommendation: 98 Expedition 5.4

[Rachael]

This is for my coworker's 99 Expedition. It has just over 100k.

It calls for 5w20, not sure what the factory interval is, but he is looking for something that could go 10K without sweating it.

He lives in southwest ohio like me.

His daily commute is about 25 miles each way, so short trips not that much of an issue.

Here's the big thing he's worried about: The motor has a startup rattle/ tick that goes away once it's warmed up. He has been using Motorcraft 5w20 with 1 quart of Lucas oil stabilizer and he said the Lucas made the noise go away. I believe I finally convinced him that Lucas was not doing anything to solve his problem and may even be bad for his motor.

He's wanting to try Pennzoil ultra for a few OCIs for cleaning and then maybe back down to a lower priced synthetic or blend. Has anyone noticed their 5.4 was quieter with certain oils? Is the startup noise normal or something to be worried about?

 

[tig1]

Pu 5-30 or Mobil 1 5w30 Extended Performance would be my choice for 10K runs. If he does that maybe a filter change at 5K would be wise for two or three OCIs.

 

[40Deluxe]

5w20 is back speced for this model,when it was built 5w30 was recommened,tell him to use 5w30,i prefer 0w30 Mobil 1,i have a 2000 5.4 F150 that is all i use in it with a motorcraft Fl820S filter,it has a silicone antidrainback valve in the filter and i have no issues with this combo.This engine has never sounded better on start since using the 0w30.Personally iwould not use the Lucas.

 

[Trav]

we have a few of these 2v 5.4 engines,the reason for the noise
sort of dictates which oil works "best" for making it quieter.

Many of these engines have piston slap the oils that seem to run quietest are..
Rotela T 5w-40
Mobil 1 0w-40
Mobil 1 ESP 5w30 or 5w-40.
GC
Pennzoil 10w30 Ultra,Platinum,YB doesn't seem to matter.

The heavier weight seems to cushion the piston slap and keep the noise down.As the Lucas seemed to help with the engine noise i suspect this is the case with this engine.

Other causes for noise in the engine are..
*Hydraulic valve actuators
*Hydraulic cam chain tensioners

These seem to respond to the lighter 5w-20 oils,brand doesn't seem to matter much.
Running a qt of MMO with 10w30 for 1 OCI may help these noises,many times changing the tensioners is the only real fix.

There are a few other reasons for noise in these engines that oil will have no effect on.

*Cracked exhaust manifold (usually the right side)
*Catalytic converter rattle (usually the left side)
*Carbon knock when cold

A cracked manifold needs to be replaced but a rattle in the cat is normal on these.There is a TSB about this annoying rattle,basically they say to use a wrap around it.It does not need to be replaced.

Cold carbon knock can be helped by removing the plugs and pouring a little GM top engine cleaner down each plug hole and letting it sit over night.Consider this if changing the plugs
anyway otherwise i wouldn't bother as removing the plugs on these can be a major PITA.

 

[Rachael]

thanks trav that was really helpful. good info everyone, any other thoughts?

 

[electrolover]

my 5.4 sounded like it was coming apart before i switched to 5w30 and started running cleaners. its the tensioner bleeding off.

 

[OVERKILL]

Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy 0w30 and a Motorcraft filter. The Motorcraft filter is important! I had good luck with a few Fleetguard filters, but started getting startup noise in the winter. Changed the filter (had Mobil 1 0w40 in it, did NOT change the oil) to a Motorcraft and the noise went away.

Been using them almost exclusively since (I've had one PureONE on there.... No noise either).

If the noise is still present with the 0w30, go to 0w40. Keep the Lucas out of there. If it muffles with the oil as Trav has stated, it means it probably has piston slap. Not common for the Modular engines (they have coated skirts) but there have been cases of it.

 

[Jim Allen]

The noise is most likely harmless but if it changes due to oil viscosity (I think the Lucas tends to increase viscosity), I'd also vote for 5W30 or 0W30. Also, I agree that the MC filter is the best choice in this case when startup noise is encountered. Noises can be harmless and "normal" or they can be the indicator of something bad starting. I'd advise keeping an ear out no matter what.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: Rachael
This is for my coworker's 99 Expedition. It has just over 100k.

It calls for 5w20, not sure what the factory interval is, but he is looking for something that could go 10K without sweating it.

He lives in southwest ohio like me.

His daily commute is about 25 miles each way, so short trips not that much of an issue.

Here's the big thing he's worried about: The motor has a startup rattle/ tick that goes away once it's warmed up. He has been using Motorcraft 5w20 with 1 quart of Lucas oil stabilizer and he said the Lucas made the noise go away. I believe I finally convinced him that Lucas was not doing anything to solve his problem and may even be bad for his motor.

He's wanting to try Pennzoil ultra for a few OCIs for cleaning and then maybe back down to a lower priced synthetic or blend. Has anyone noticed their 5.4 was quieter with certain oils? Is the startup noise normal or something to be worried about?


The startup rattle/tick could be caused by several factors, not least the colder temperatures during the winter. I recently switched my Jeep (developed a startup tick in October) to 0w30 from 5w30, and the noise has all but gone away. So switching his oil from a 5w20 to a 0w20 might help. A good synthetic should go 10k, but he should work up to that distance and get used oil analysis along the way to make sure the oil can handle it. A good filter is also important.

 

[Ben99GT]

I agree with the Mobil 1 0w30 and Pennzoil Ultra 5w30 recommendations so far, I've found Red Line 5W-20 works really well in these Modulars but it's not your run of the mill 20-weight because it has a higher HTHS viscosity than either Mobil 1 0w30 or Pennzoil Ultra 5w30.

Another vote for the Motorcraft FL-820S. It's got a great silicon ADBV but the feature that keeps me hooked is the thread end bypass valve, which keeps oil flowing along the clean side of the filter (instead of the dirty side) when in bypass, and these things always go into bypass on cold starts since the relief setting is only ~20 psi. It's hard to find an FL-820S alternative without the dome end bypass valve.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Ben99GT
I agree with the Mobil 1 0w30 and Pennzoil Ultra 5w30 recommendations so far, I've found Red Line 5W-20 works really well in these Modulars but it's not your run of the mill 20-weight because it has a higher HTHS viscosity than either Mobil 1 0w30 or Pennzoil Ultra 5w30.

Another vote for the Motorcraft FL-820S. It's got a great silicon ADBV but the feature that keeps me hooked is the thread end bypass valve, which keeps oil flowing along the clean side of the filter (instead of the dirty side) when in bypass, and these things always go into bypass on cold starts since the relief setting is only ~20 psi. It's hard to find an FL-820S alternative without the dome end bypass valve.


Agreed. I think maybe WIX, K&N and Mobil 1 filters are the only ones?

 

[Ben99GT]

Not sure about Wix, but I'm pretty sure K&N and M1 have a dome end bypass valve. I'll check here in a minute, I'm about to ride to Auto Zone.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Ben99GT
Not sure about Wix, but I'm pretty sure K&N and M1 have a dome end bypass valve. I'll check here in a minute, I'm about to ride to Auto Zone.


Mobil 1 filter:

 

[Ben99GT]

I just looked at both the Mobil 1 Mobil 1-210 and K&N HP-2010 and both have the dome end bypass location. The Royal Purple 20-820 also has a dome end bypass, if it would have had the thread end bypass I was going to start using them b/c I like everything else I see with those filters. I picked up another Mobil 1 filter that did have a thread end bypass, but the Mobil 1-210 does not.

I haven't found an 820S cross ref. filter that has a thread end bypass yet. The Ford Racing filter probably does.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Ben99GT
I just looked at both the Mobil 1 Mobil 1-210 and K&N HP-2010 and both have the dome end bypass location. The Royal Purple 20-820 also has a dome end bypass, if it would have had the thread end bypass I was going to start using them b/c I like everything else I see with those filters. I picked up another Mobil 1 filter that did have a thread end bypass, but the Mobil 1-210 does not.

I haven't found an 820S cross ref. filter that has a thread end bypass yet. The Ford Racing filter probably does.

That is bizarre!!! Yeah, the one above is an FL-1A style. It has been so long since I cut up the K&N from my 'rents Expie, I don't remember which it was.

Wonder what the AMSOIL filters are?

 

[Ben99GT]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Wonder what the AMSOIL filters are?


Pablo? Gary? Where are you?