Recommendations for 06 F-150

[ianj3vr6]

Helping a friend with some routine work his 06 F-150. I need some recommendations for oil and filters. I was thinking of the new Rotella T-6 with a PureOne filter.

Truck:

- Kept in the Northern Virginia Area(10-100F temp range)
- Occasional trailering of a 25ft boat
- 5.4L engine
- Daily Driver

 

[spursfan600]

Rotella with a Pureone sounds like a great combo

 

[addyguy]

Well, that engine calls for 5W-20 oil. Motorcraft 5W-20 is a great oil, and well-liked on here. If it's under warranty, I'd use that.

Outside of that, you're going to get ALL sorts of recs. One of our members swears by M1 TDT 5W-40 in his 5.4, so he'll like your plan of T-6.

 

[lipadj46]

Is that a gasoline engine? The I would use a 20 weight oil, Motorcraft is a good/cheap one.

 

[TomB985]

I have read that thicker oils can cause problems in the Ford modular engines.

That engine was designed to use thinner 5w20 oil, so I wouldn't get anything thicker than that. Motorcraft oil is good oil and can be had for cheap at wal-mart. MC filters seem to work well on these trucks, some other filters have a problem with the anti-drainback valve.

You can't go wrong with MC 5w20 and Motorcraft FL-820s filter.

 

[Billy_D]

Motorcraft 5w20 and Motorcraft FL-820s. If your friend wants to spend extra $, Mobil 1 or Amsoil will be a great choice for a quality synthetic oil.

 

[tig1]

My son has a 05 F150 and used MC 5-20 but made the mistake of over extending the OCI to 7-10,000 miles. Had some gunk around the oil fill cap and fill hole so he is switching to M1 5-30EP as he likes the longer OCI. The MC is fine for shorter OCIs say up to 5000 miles.

 

[lipadj46]

Also Castrol Edge 5w30 would be a good choice if you want to extend the drains to 10,000 miles.

 

[ianj3vr6]

I also forgot to mention that I am looking for atleast a 7.5K-10K OCI. I was not sure as to the factory intervals. The truck has 55K on the odo, with no modifications to the truck. Thanks for all of the info! Keep the suggestions coming everyone.

 

[OVERKILL]

I'm the gun running 5w40 in mine. It is a 2 valve though, WITHOUT VCT. Unlike this engine.

I don't think I'd go any heavier than M1 0w40 in this engine.

 

[Jim Allen]

I have an '05 F150 with a 5.4L and am running 5W20. Just finished a 7.5K mile/18 month run of RP 5W20 with an MC FL820s and got back a stellar UOA. I have the same batch of RP in it now and will run at least 8.5K before testing (sampling via dipstick) on the next one, with an eye toward going all the way to 10K. I have another fill on hand. Look here for the test:

RP 5W20

I would advise caution on the use of a 40 grade in a VCT modular unless you live in a very hot climate. As OVERKILL hinted, the VCT (Variable Cam Timing) is effected by oil viscosity and all we have are anecdotal reports on what does or doesn't happen with higher grades (were still looking for an expert that can tell us exactly what happens). It will "work", i.e. the engine won't blow up, but you could be changing the came timing profiles and perhaps causing a loss of economy (maybe a gain, who knows), not to mention increase internal friction losses with an oil heavier than what's needed. A 5W30 seems safe, but the bottom line question is, especially in a relatively cool climate, why do you think you need anything thicker than a 5W20, which is a proven viscosity in that engine?

There are good reasons to go up a grade or two. High engine oil temps is one. My own tests in NW Ohio don't bear out a change. I can monitor the oil temp on my truck and it seldom nears, and almost never reaches, the 100C (210F) point at which oil viscosity is rated. Mine is a farm truck, and occasionally it's called upon to haul some heavy loads, so it gets worked. Still, a lot of the time, my 5W20 is in the 185/190F range, which put viscosity in the lower end of the grade 30 range anyway (at least for the oil I'm using now). If I saw regular oil temps above that 210 threshold, I'd go up a grade (or two if necessary) without hesitation, but I trust Ford to have worked out that a grade 20 at 210F (and at "normal" oil temps for a modular) is a nominal viscosity.

Another factor to consider is that many 5W30s have sheared down to a high grade 20 by the end of a long run. Some of the high end priced oils won't, of course, but in looking at many UOAs, even a middle quality 5W20 stays in grade pretty well. In the case of the aforementioned RP 5W20, I tested a virgin sample of the same batch I used and it was 9.31cSt @ 100C (nipping right at a grade 30). At 7.5K, it was 8.9cSt @ 100, still at the top of the 20 grade... as it should have been.

 

[ianj3vr6]

After doing some internet based research last night I am now leaning to running a oil that is a not quite as "heavy" as the Rotella T6. I was also not sure about the 3V 5.4L. I did not know, until yesterday, that the 5.4 had a variable cam timing system. Chalk it up to ingnorance on my part. I would like to find a Group 4 based oil that will work in this application. Thanks for all of the info everyone.

 

[Jim Allen]

Good thinking. I think any of the Gp IV synthetics would do fine, so you could be more focused on what you can find or obtain with the minimum trouble (or expense) than on a particular brand name. I know you could go with a 5W30 without harm if you were really insistent on a thicker grade, but a Gp IV syn in 5W20 is a formidable oil.

 

[addyguy]

Amsoil ASM 0W-20 would be an excellent oil for intervals above 7.5k miles - very, very stout oil.

 

[Rand]

I'd go for the castrol edge 5w30 thats on sale with filter for 24.99 at autozone.

its one of the thinnest 5w30's just above being a 5w20.

Its also marketed as a long drain oil.

I would also suggest running the first batch to about 7.5k miles with a UOA to see if anything is wrong with engine and how the oil held up. Then you can extend to 10k or not based on the UOA.

 

[RWEST]

I know I sound like a broken record with this stuff, but, we've used MC 5-20/FL820S for hundreds of thousands of miles in a pile of E/F 150/250's for years now, with zero issues. We've been using a 'change filter at 4K, change oil/filter at 8K' schedule - seems to work okay. The vehicles generally get to 200,000+ before the PA road salt eats 'em away..

 

[dnewton3]

Exactly, RWEST.

Unfortunate events are far more likely to end the use of a vehicle nowadays, rather than the drive-train failing.

Be it an accident, metal rot, trade-in from boredom, etc., the engine/transmission will often outlast the driver's ability or intent with just "routine" "normal" OCIs and qualified OEM spec'd fluids and filters.

People that run synthetic PAOs and bypass filtration are typically just ensuring a worthless vehicle goes to the yard with a quality engine in it, before it too becomes neglected.

There are certainly exceptions to this. Some people take immaculate care of the rides, and have the good fortune to not have road salt or accidents steal away their ride. But that is by far the minority of vehicles. For them, perhaps PAOs and such make sense from a fiscal point of view. Buy only if they can extend the OCI, to reap the savings.

 

[Mokanic]

I'd agree with your thoughts on PAO engine oils. Perhaps they are overkill in SOME applications like a truck that has a 7qt sump. On the other hand I see alot of little econoboxes with 3-3.5qt sumps that can really benifit from a stout PAO or even a hydrocracked oil. One erea of vehicles that desperately need the very best lubrication(more so today than ever)is automatic transmissions. They are running hotter with smaller capacities and are more sensitive to varnish in the valve bodies. Engines are cheap compared to what an autobox can cost you today. I run the best fluids I can get in all my cars,tractors,trucks. Of course, I keep my stuff for the long haul. I do not trade every few years out of boredom. I still have my 81 Yota 4X4. It has had the best oils/lube since I got it. 640,000 miles later, with the original engine and transmission,the body is about to rot away but it would take me to the left coast if I lost my mind and wanted to go.
I'm impressed with the late-model F-150s. Big oil sumps have really helped the V-6s and V-8s stretch out oil intervals.

 

[Jaymus]

If he's really worried. I'd start out and try a 0W/5w30. Since it's a work truck and he hauls a boat somewhat regularly, I'd go 4 or 5k miles on a good synthetic 30 weight and see what the UOA says.

Wasn't there a UOA on a 4.6 or 5.4 using 5W-20 awhile back that towed for over 1000 miles on a long trip, and it showed awful results. Hinting that 5W-20 was too thin for, what I'd call, severe service.