Mazda 6 3.0 V6 oil recommendation

[carguy996]

I have a 2006 Mazda 6 w/ the 3.0 V6, The car requires 5w/20 oil and I am needing to know the best oil/filter combo to use. I am partial to Mobile 1 oil and filter but have heard for a 3-5K OCI that its useless, what is recommended? When is the best time to drain the factory fill, I have 650 miles on the car presently.

 

[Black_Thunder]

Pretty much any 5w20 is high quality oil.
2 suggestions would be Motorcraft or Havoline
i would use a Motorcraft or Purolator filter seeing that they are priced very well for a high quality filter.

 

[carguy996]

Is it true that all 5w20 oils are a syn blend? I find that Motorcraft appears to be the best buy and it advertises as being designed for Ford engines, the 3.0 in the Madza is a Ford Duratech. Is there any advantage if I were to use Motorcraft 5w20 w/ a M1 or K&N filer?

 

[wander2039]

Our 04 Escape has the same 3.0 duratec. I put Havoline 5w20 in last time and got a little better mpg. I assumed the dealer put MC 5w20 in before but it could of been 5w30. It did run smoother with whatever they put in though.

 

[Quest]

5W20 API SM/ILSAC GF4 or 5W30 of similar qualifications should work nicely.

 

[carguy996]

I was told by the dealer never to use a 30 weight oil in the car however the 2003-2005 model years used a 5w30 configuration, nothing changed w/ the motor itself, what are the advantages to using 5w20?

 

[Laminar Lou]

I will second the Havoline 5W20, it shows good numbers and is really inexpensive. My advice would be follow the manufacturers recommended OCI until it is out of warranty. Any SM rated 5W20 is going to do you well though.

I have Amsoil 5W20 in my Honda and so far so good - it seems to do very well in the Honda engines. The Mobil 1 will do good too if you are partial to it. I don't know if I would call it a "waste" for a short OCI, but it definitely isn't being used to its potential. I still believe that the synthetic will give you an edge in engine cleanliness and give you more room for error if you have a lot of add pack depletion (since there is generally more additive in synthetic). The only downside with synthetic IMHO is the cost, which for me, I can justify because it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling that tends to be lacking lately (but I digress)...

 

[Greggy_D]

I use MC 5w-20, Mobil 1 5w-30, and TropArtic 10w-30 in my Taurus with the 3.0L Duratec. I see the exact same mileage no matter which one I put in my crankcase.

 

[carguy996]

Now the questions is when to drain the factory fill, Ive heard to run it the full 5k but I just cant see leaving oil in there that long. Should I drain it now at 650 miles or wait until 1500 miles?

 

[Quest]

I would keep the oil in for a full 3~5k before changing it out.

I don't see any reason why you cannot/shall not keep the original factory fill inside the engine for that long.

Afraid of something???

 

[unDummy]

Change the oil whenever you want. I've worked in manufacturing/rebuilding/machining/assembly and will always recommend an early 1st OCI on any new engine. So, my recommendation is to dump the factory fill asap.

I also believe that the Mazda6 tech and club forums have collected some UOA info, that might help you decide on the oil/filter/interval.

There is no best filter or best oil. Nothing wrong with using the Mazda OEM or Ford Motorcraft filters. I prefer the cheaper ST/STP/Premium filters for the 3k maintenance mineral oil crowd.

If you plan on 5k or 7.5k maintenance, use the OEM, Motorcraft, Napagold, pureone, Mobil1, Carquest premium or any of the more fancy filters......

I would use Mobil1 or any other full synthetic oils. Even though 5w20 is required, the engine will run fine on any synthetic 0w20, 5w30, 10w30, 0w30.......so weight choice isn't an issue.

You're stuck with either UOAs or owners manual recommendations for the time/mileage intervals.

 

[EricZoom]

I have an 04' Mazda6 3.0, and i use M1 5w20 with a K&N oil filter with great results. The K&N has a nut on top for easy removal of filter.
I drained the factory fill at 1k miles to get rid of all the new engine ________ in there, and i change my oil every 6 months or every 5-7k miles. The only thing was i didn't switch to synthetic until the car had 5k mi on it to allow for proper break-in.

 

[427Z06]

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Now the questions is when to drain the factory fill...

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Read the owner's manual and look to the manufacturer's recommendations. If none are given, change it anytime before the first scheduled OCI.

 

[Greggy_D]

I go 7500 on my Duratec with a MC filter. This works out to a change every 6 months.

As indicated above, dump that factory fill as soon as you can. I just tripped 1000 miles on my new Mazda 3i and will be dumping her factory fill this weekend. My stash of NAPA Golds from FLEETFILTER arrived yesterday.

 

[Greggy_D]

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The only thing was i didn't switch to synthetic until the car had 5k mi on it to allow for proper break-in.

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Why? Some cars come direct from the factory filled with syn.

 

[EricZoom]

As far as i know, my Mazda6 didn't come from the factory with synth.

 

[Greggy_D]

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As far as i know, my Mazda6 didn't come from the factory with synth.

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That's fine and dandy, but I still don't see the problem switching over to syn after mile 1 on your odometer. Syn is not going to affect your "break in".

 

[carguy996]

I just got back from Advance Auto Parts and the clerk there advised not to use syn until the car has 5K miles on it, I called Ford and they advised me that the car has Motorcraft blend in the crankcase from the factory. I went ahead and bought M1 5w20 and a M1 filter, EricZoom, I do have a question for you since you have an 04 model, how easy is the filter to reach w/ a strap wrench?

 

[Greggy_D]

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I just got back from Advance Auto Parts and the clerk there advised not to use syn until the car has 5K miles on it,

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You're gonna take the word of an $8/hour clerk at AAP over the grand sum total of knowledge from this board? You will hurt NOTHING switching to syn before 5,000 miles.

 

[BGK]

I would do the first oil change at around 1500 to 2000 miles; this helps gets out whatever machined particles are in the engine. I would do oil change every 3000 miles or so until around 8000 miles. At that time, it would be a good time to switch to Mobil 1. I have one car (a Focus SVT) where Ford actually says in the manual to wait till around 8000 miles or so before switching to synthetic oil.

The best oil filters are generally considered to be from K & N, Mobil, Wix and oem, including Motorcraft. The top filters from Fram are actually decent, despite what some people say to the contrary. It all depends on who makes them for your vehicle. Also, put a Fumoto drain valve on the car at the first oil change!