synpower or M/C?

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EricF

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My 2012 Fusion 2.5L is only 400 miles away from needing it's oil change.
It has 38k on it, I'm the 2nd owner.
I bought it from a Ford dealership, they went through and tidyied everything up, and changed the oil in it. It has a Motorcraft filter in it, so I know that parts good.
I have no idea what oil was put into it, something from the bulk tank I assume. The sticker on the window says to change it at 4500 miles, so I figured, I'll trust the dealership and abide by their sticker.

I'm a loyal Synpower user. However, I've been reading up on some of the comments about Synpower having extra sodium in the addpack, which doesn't seem to be as favorable.

I've use the m/c semi syn 5w20 in a friends Sable, and no problems of course.
However, I prefer full synthetic whenever possible.

I've decided to use a m/c filter vs a Wix, just because it's not a big deal, and the car's white, the m/c filter is too!

Do I go with the Synpower or M/C semi?

It's easier to help someone else decide vs. deciding for your own stuff!
 
MC 5-20 has been great to me in my F-150. Also using MC 820-s filter and all good! I'm looking at 5k OCI and about 6months to get there withe the truck. Am doing an UOA in about 1k miles (the 5k mark). The other UOA at 4k were great.
 
SynPower is fine.

Bad thing about sodium in the additive pack is that if you perform an oil analysis, it's hard to tell if there is coolant leakage into the oil; sodium can be an indicator of coolant in the oil.
 
The dealership most likely put mc in, as that is Ford's own oil. You won't lose between mc and syn power - both are good oils in spec that will protect your engine.
 
I used MC 5w20 in a procharged mustang GT for a couple years, it's an excellent oil. Valvoline synpower is top notch as well. Use whichever one you can buy cheaper. Performance between the two will likely be negligible.
 
I like using the Synthetics because of the extended OCI.
With valvoline I usually go about 8000 miles. I'm not convinced their oil will go 12k like Mobil 1 can, but I know it'll work outstandingly during the 8000 miles.

right now, my 4banger Fusion runs great, but at idle there's a good hint of valve noise. It's got a m/c filter, so I can't in good faith blame the filter per se. But I'll see what a dose of the m/c oil does, at least I'll know beyond a shadow of a doubt that m/c is going into the motor.
 
Probably would use mc since you don't want to run extended oci if you're still under warranty which it should be. Either one would work great for a 4500 interval.
 
MC or another brand. Pennzoil YB, Platinum or Pennzoil Syn blend, Kendall syn blend. Not a fan of Valvoline products. Use whatever gives you peace of mind and the most bang for the buck.
 
mileage is at 38k, warranty's over, and I didn't get the extended on it. the finance guy at stealership refused to sell the extended warranty without the PMI insurance, he said they go hand in hand, which I know is not true.

I"m going to go motorcraft 5w20 for a few rounds and see what happens.
 
Originally Posted By: Hyde244
The dealership most likely put mc in, as that is Ford's own oil. You won't lose between mc and syn power - both are good oils in spec that will protect your engine.


I doubt the dealer put in MC. Most dealers buy bulk oil and the brand varies. Very few dealers have bulk OEM oil. They have bottled OEM stuff but almost never bulk. Don't assume because you are at a dealer they are using that car brands oil. Almost never happens unless you see the actual bottles. The Ford dealer I worked at used the cheapest bulk [censored] they could get. They used a lot of 10W40 and 20W50 as well because it was cheaper( even in cars calling for 5W30 ). Not all dealers do this but IMO it is at least 50-75 %.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: EricF
My 2012 Fusion 2.5L is only 400 miles away from needing it's oil change.
It has 38k on it, I'm the 2nd owner.
I bought it from a Ford dealership, they went through and tidyied everything up, and changed the oil in it. It has a Motorcraft filter in it, so I know that parts good.
I have no idea what oil was put into it, something from the bulk tank I assume. The sticker on the window says to change it at 4500 miles, so I figured, I'll trust the dealership and abide by their sticker.

I'm a loyal Synpower user. However, I've been reading up on some of the comments about Synpower having extra sodium in the addpack, which doesn't seem to be as favorable.

I've use the m/c semi syn 5w20 in a friends Sable, and no problems of course.
However, I prefer full synthetic whenever possible.

I've decided to use a m/c filter vs a Wix, just because it's not a big deal, and the car's white, the m/c filter is too!

Do I go with the Synpower or M/C semi?

It's easier to help someone else decide vs. deciding for your own stuff!





Either would be ok and both are fine oils. If you really want a full synthetic see if you can find the MTC full syn for a decent price near you.

Also, if you can find it locally check out Kendall GT1 full syn or the syn blend. Kendall is usually pretty cheap and it is basically the MTC stuff( both made by ConocoPhillips ).
 
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Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
I doubt the dealer put in MC. Most dealers buy bulk oil and the brand varies. Very few dealers have bulk OEM oil. They have bottled OEM stuff but almost never bulk. Don't assume because you are at a dealer they are using that car brands oil. Almost never happens unless you see the actual bottles. The Ford dealer I worked at used the cheapest bulk [censored] they could get. They used a lot of 10W40 and 20W50 as well because it was cheaper( even in cars calling for 5W30 ). Not all dealers do this but IMO it is at least 50-75 %.
I've had oil changed at three Ford dealerships here, all of which had explicitly listed Motorcraft oil. Two of these did indeed have bulk MC.

It could be possible to pick up the phone and call the dealership on what oil they use.

This car is low mileage, so even if it were "crummy" oil that was used on the last fill, it will not have a lasting effect if a proper maintenance schedule is followed. (I would imagine it was a Ford-certified used vehicle since you were purchasing from a dealership)
 
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Originally Posted By: Whimsey
When my wife has her oil changed at the dealer they list Motorcraft 5W-20 as the oil they use on the invoice.


So did we but when it came out of the bulk barrel it was NOT MTC oil. Same way when we listed antifreeze, atf, gear oil, etc... we used the MTC part#'s and names but it was generally some aftermarket brand.

Unless you have seen the bulk barrel with a MTC label on it, or seen the MTC bottles being poured in, I don't care what the invoice says. At least a 50% chance it was not MTC. Very common dealership practice with fluids( and even some hard parts if no warranty involved ).

Not being a tool here. Just pointing out to those who think just because an invoice says MTC does not mean that is what you really got( I used the quote above more for group effect - I am not singling that poster out ). Some dealers do use it however so it is possible.
 
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I know a guy at a Kia dealership, he puts Kia motor oil on the invoices, but their bulk tank is chevron 5w30.

I decided to change plans.
I'm still going to use the M/C semi-synthetic as planned,
but the m/c filter isn't in the mix.. my Fusion has about 2" of clearance till it touches the plastic shield.
SO.. with all the extra room width and height, I'm going with a Wix 51068. Generally it was for mid 70's & 80's Fords.
the 51085 Wix is for the 4.0 Jeeps. the '68 will fit just perfectly.

the FL400s would fit easily, but remember, M/C spec'd it an inch shorter? Then the Wix 51516 would fit fine too, as it stands regular height.

But, the 51068 will hold almost a whole quart.. It also has the same 8-11 psi valve rating as all the other filters too!
So I think I'm going to use this one instead of the tiny 51348.

If ONLY I could use like the FL-1A, I'd be able to use that filter for 4 families' cars! I'd almost be at the point where I'd have to buy just 1 filter!

But, I'm taking a wix 51348 just in case the 51068 plan backfires on me!
 
Well, the 51068 didn't fit right.. the 2.5L Fusion motor has the room to handle the wider 3/4x16 filter, however, there's to I guess grooves on the outside edges that grind into the filter. So the only way to get that 51068 to fit right is to grind away the grooves.
So instead, I went with the Wix 51516 instead.
So with that filter, my 4cyl motor now handles 6quarts of oil.
I did go with m/c 5w20 and well, I'll just let it do it's job!
So much for the old adage, 4cylinders, 4quarts!
 
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