Valvoline R&P 5w-30 5k mi; 2001 Crown Victoria 149.4k mi

[GriffinB]

This report is from my 2001 Ford Crown Vic with 149k miles on it, everything is stock and it is used as a highway commuter, so pretty light driving, occasional WOT, but I don't necessarily drive it like a grandpa. Oil filter was a Champ Labs PH820XL, I will post a C&P after this of it. OCI was from 4/4/25-7/15/25, 5,161 miles, I had to add 1qt at 3,000 miles. Ambient temperatures have been very hot, mid 90s, very humid and lots of rain, A/C running for longer periods, I am in South Georgia.

The next oil I put in it was SuperTech 5w30 FS HM, I am going to do a UOA on that to see how it looks, particurally the wear metals compared to this R&P. Then maybe I'll do some ST 5w20 and see how that looks. I also put a Pronto/PG filter on this time.

Filter C&P: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/champ-luber-finer-ph820xl-c-p.398551/#post-7331314

 

[loneryder]

Why did you only use R&P one time?

 

[GriffinB]

Why did you only use R&P one time?

This was my second time using it on this car. But it was not needed, engine is extremely clean and looking through the oil fill port the top of the heads are still practically grey. I just ran it to do a little cleaning and see what it would do.

 

[Pablo]

The only concern would be the Al the first run, but it came down. I would have expected Fe to be elevated based on the filter. What is the history with oil pumps on this engine?

 

[GriffinB]

The only concern would be the Al the first run, but it came down. I would have expected Fe to be elevated based on the filter. What is the history with oil pumps on this engine?

I agree the Al is worrying, it went down but could've just been a fluke. Weather was also considerably warmer this time so cold starts would be easier on the engine I assume. Especially because the macroanalysis posted by BITOG uses the Ford 4.6L and the avg was only 3.3ppm for Al, Fe and Cu is lower then avg so that's good.

From what I've heard 4.6s have extremely low oil pump failures, as far as my engine specifically nothing has been touched on it, everything is stock and original.

 

[dnewton3]

The 4.6L 2v engines are very robust and reliable. But they can occasionally have issues with timing chain guides; indicated by elevated Fe and Al readings. Oil pumps are generally not an issue with these engines. This UOA isn't at a point of condemnation yet, but it's worthy of keeping an eye on those two elements. At the first audible sign of any slapping noise, or an increase in those metals, it's best to pull the cover and change the timing chain and guides.

 

[Glenda W.]

Appears your oil filter is full of metal in the c&p. Larger particles than a UOA can detect.

 

[dnewton3]

Here is a link to my UOA data from my two 4.6L Grand Marquis from a few years back.

Thread '5w-20; Ford 4.6L engines; UOA testing'

Apr 26, 2017

Here are two UOAs from our cars at home. These are both 4.6L MGM cars; one an '05 and the other an '07, both identically equipped. My wife and I both drive nearly identical routes to work; about 32 miles each way and we only diverge in the last mile (she goes east and I go west). Because she occasionally works from home, I even drive her car to balance out the miles. One was run on dino oil; the other car was run on synthetic.

Tell me, if you can, which sample is the syn and which the dino oil? Which is a brand-name lube and which a house brand? Tell me, if you think you can discern from...

• dnewton3
• Replies: 53
• Forum: Used Oil Analysis - Gasoline

Post #42 (note - it's difficult to read because the old code from the BB format doesn't translate well into the XFO format BITOG now uses. You have to infer where the columns should be to understand the data)

Here is the crux of the info ...
10k mile UOAs with RK basic 5w-20 and 10k miles with Peak FS 5w-20. Neither the cheap RK oil nor the expensive full syn had a wear advantage; they were both WELL within "normal" statistical expectations. The wear rates were very low; less than 1ppm for Fe per 1k miles for both engines.

My point ... When the mod-motor 2v engines are in good operating condition, they should be very low wearing. The 2v engines are generally low stress and don't have a lot of problems. When you see Fe and Al escalating, it is nearly always the timing chain/guides. (The pump, cams, crank, rods, bearings, etc all are generally OK).


As I said, it's not time to panic for the OPs engine. Just monitor using consistent inputs. Don't add things into the oil in a lame attempt to assuage the issue; that will only confound the data. Stick with that oil and 5k mile OCIs and UOAs for now. Look to see if the wear rates change. If the Fe and Al go up in three successive UOAs, that's called a "trend" and indicates a problem is afoot.

 

[buster]

The oil looks good - non GDI engine helps.

I'd be a bit concerned about the Al per what @dnewton3 said.

UOA's can be a great tool to detect unusual wear patterns.