New 2008 F-150 oil change

[sHERM]

I bought a 2008 ford F-150 5.4L 24V in December.
the manual says use 5W-20. I live in florida where as you know it gets pretty hot. I typically use 10w-30 in the summer and 5W-30 in the winter. Mobil1 or penn. Platinum with a NAPA gold filter. 5k OCI.

should I stick with this or do what the manufacturer says and use nothing but 5W-20?

 

[dkryan]

It's your ride, do whatever will allow you to sleep at night. However, the 5w20 (especially the Platinum) will protect your engine much better than you think. I'd use it without hesitation.

 

[ekpolk]

Just go have a look at all the 5w-20 UOAs that are posted. Follow Ford's recommendation, back it up with a UOA or two of your own if you really need confirmation to be comfortable. You'll be fine.

 

[Lakersguy]

I did a UOA on my 07 Mark LT at 11k miles with Motorcraft 5-20w at 4k miles. It said I could go 5k easy between changes and that everything looked great. I live in So Cal where it gets warm in the summer as well.

 

[sHERM]

Thanks for the input guys, I'll go buy the Mobil1 5W-20 from wally world in the 5 quart jug.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

should I stick with this or do what the manufacturer says and use nothing but 5W-20?

Well, a member here, Bill in Utah, said Ford checked the UPC code on his oil receipts to make sure the correct visc was used prior to doing work Ford was going to pay for; your call however....

 

[sHERM]

WOW, So I should keep the receipts If I change my own oil?

 

[Panzerman]

I bought a 2006 Dodge with a Hemi that also calls for the 5w20, I also live in Florida. I used Castrol GTX 10w30 in it for the first year, without any problems. Recently they made the lifetime warranty avaiable to 2006 owners so I got it. Since its got a lifetime warranty, I went ahead and put what they request, 5w20, I went with a synthetic Havoline. No difference in sound, slightly in gas milelage, very slight, maybe a 1 mpg. I have a bunch of synthetic in 5w20 and 10w30 and will probably run 5w20 in the winter months(winter, yeah, right in Florida amd the 10w30 when its like 120 degrees in the summer. Given our climate and conditions, I think it has very little to do with pumpability or wear. Really a 10w30 in Florida, when its hot, and you know what I mean when I say hot, cant be any thicker than a 5w20 in Alaska. Its your choice. I talked to the local Dodge Garage and they told me it wouldnt hurt anything to run 10w30 and only put 5w20 if the customer requests it(with the exception of MDS cars/trucks). I also own a Lincoln(spec'd for 5w20) and the dealer there told they use 5w20, but if a customer complains about oil usage, they bump them up to 5w30 and it solves the problem. I used 5w30, 10w30 and 5w20 in it, in over 65,000 miles with little to no change in performance or gas mileage. I think in a colder climate, the differnce would be greater. We just dont see it in Florida.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: sHERM
WOW, So I should keep the receipts If I change my own oil?


YES!

As the one who watched them go over my receipts and the ones that did not have the description (ie, Pennzoil 5w-30 ) they had a book that showed UPC codes.

This is what I do;

Keep receipts
Keep a log of oil changes
Tear off the top flap of the oil filter and write down the mileage, date and type of oil.

Keep all of them.

Make sure you follow the MFG OCI for your driving. READ CAREFULLY the severe service and see if there is ANY way they could find your operation of the truck as severe. They do not care WHAT type or brand of oil you use. They care and insist that you change the *proper* oil when the manual states for your type of driving.

If you get any UOAs, keep those. IMO, that is one thing that helped me with my first set of head gaskets.

The 2nd set they stated that the car is designed to last 100k miles and I was at 108k. Even though the set of Head gaskets went only 47k the total miles were over 100k and they said too bad.

Since the car had lost so much value in 5 years, I went ahead and fixed the head gaskets and sold the car with full disclosure to a friend. Its still running but will not make what I consider "normal" mileage.

So, yes please keep the items above. You may not need them but better to have them just in case!

Take care, bill

PS: while at Wal-Mart, I'd look at and use the Motor-Craft 5w-20 oil over the Mobil 1. Plus Ford would have a real hard time with that oil!

 

[Drew99GT]

I agree Bill, Motorcraft 5w-20 is a stout oil with a proven record of great UOA.

 

[Panzerman]

That Ford garage you went to must really been something else, Bill. We had warranty issues with big trucks and they wanted to see records of maintence, we performed ourselves, but they didnt need to see reciepts. These are $20 grand Detroit engines. I think they would have a hard time denying a warranty on oil viscocity, unless it was a oil related failure and could prove the difference. If you had you car serviced at a quick lube, I can 90% garantee you will get a 10w30 and all it will say on the reciept is oil/filter/lube change. i watched them dump 10w30 in new Honda's as well as new Fords at Walmart from 10w30 qt jugs. My opinion of Motorcraft 5w20 is low, I used it in my wifes car for 55,000 miles religiously, 3,000 mile changes with good UOAs, but to look down the breather hole its tarnished and grimy looking. I since switched to Pennzoil Platinum, but I would say, in my opinion that Mobil1 would way outweigh MC, in cleaniness as well as performance. Just my opinion from my personal experience.

 

[Steve S]

Why do you need a syn oil ? it is not needed for the oil change intervals you are running.

 

[sHERM]

Why not? I will change the oil about 3 times a year. If I use a Syn it will cost me about $60.00 a year more than a good dino.

Why would I not use the best oil I believe I can get. If nothing else, it's makes me feel like I'm doing the best for my engine.

I realize a Dino might do just as good, but for me, I only use Syn in all mine and my kids vehicles.

 

[Steve S]

To be honest unless the engine requires a syn oil or you are doing long oil change intervals or real extreme cold or heat like running the autobahn, nascar racing etc. there is really no advantage other than spending more $$$ per oil change. It is not doing the best for your engine because the syn oil advantages will not be realized, lie using a 30 foot ladder to get on a 12 foot roof. The last few generations of oil have been great.

 

[Panzerman]

I agree with the above statements. Conventional oil is great and for regular changes 3,000 miles/3 months everyone is happy. I use synthetic, only because I can get it for really good prices on closeouts or free with rebates. Only synthetics, you can get at those prices are Havoline, Pennzoil or Quaker State. Ive seen good deals on Mobil1 and Castrol syntec, but nothing crazy. I wouldnt hestitate to just go with a good conventional oil, like Valvoline, Castrol or Pennzoil. These have all proved good in the past for me. I just have a problem with MC detergent cleaning, my oil anylists always looked good with it, but under the cap and breather have left a lasting impression in my mind. If you want to use synthetic, Mobil1 is a ghood choice and if you keep your receipts and sell it outright, it may even get a higher price because of the fact you did use synthetic. Its not all bad.

 

[Bulli]

if you are using 5-20 you cant go wrong with either M1 or PP
i run M1 and its excellent.
I run 3.5-4 k miles oil change intervals and makes me feel good. I dont care if its a waste of money.
cant be bad for the engine either way!!
and im planing to take this car with me to my grave.

 

[ChiTDI]

SHerm - good luck with the nice new truck.
Besides a spec for 5w20, didn't they also increase the sump for a six quart capacity?
My brother's '03 F-150 also called for semi-synthetic in the service manual. Don't know about the owner's manual, he never shared it with me so I don't know.
Went to Motorcraft @ WalMart -$2/quart. Lots of moly!

 

[dave1251]

I use 5W-20 convental for 4-6K OCI intervals in my Ram 1500 and could not be happier.

 

[Steelers]

Ford recommends a synthetic blend 5w-20 that meets its 930-A spec. While the obvious choice is the Motorcraft brand there are plenty of other oils on the market that meet this spec. A 30 weight oil will not hurt these trucks (I've run it myself) but its not helping anything either. Thicker is better just isn't true anymore, if it ever was. Years ago oils tended to thin quickly by shearing and fuel dilution, this isn't the case these days. UOAs of 20 weight oils generally do a great job maintaining their viscosity. Oil starvation from too thick an oil may be a bigger problem than increased wear from too thin an oil.

Bottom line: If running a 30 weight oil makes you sleep well at night go for it. Otherwise stick with Ford's recommendation and use the 20 weight.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: sHERM
Why not? I will change the oil about 3 times a year. If I use a Syn it will cost me about $60.00 a year more than a good dino.

Why would I not use the best oil I believe I can get. If nothing else, it's makes me feel like I'm doing the best for my engine.

I realize a Dino might do just as good, but for me, I only use Syn in all mine and my kids vehicles.



Because in the end it does not matter!

Only $60 a year equals $600 in ten years. If you go 18mpg with that truck, that is 3600 miles worth of gas if gas stays $3 a gallon.

(I crack myself up, gas staying @ $3 a gallon..)

I've made 200k+ on many engines and over 300k+ on one with *yesterdays* conventional oils.

Todays oils are much better. ANY 5w-20 is going to be Semi-Syn.

The oil companies THANK YOU! Its your mindset that they love.

Really, unless you can take advantage of major sales to get the cost lower OR EXTEND the OCI (which I would not while you are under warranty which we discussed above) I would look at ANY 5w-20 based on cost.

Lets put it this way, IF you had a accident the insurance company will not pay you any more for the car if you used Syn. Or put new tires on it. They go by the book. Same with a sale.

(call your insurance agent or go run your car at KBB.com, Edmunds.com or NADA.com. You will notice there is no where to input what type of oil used when getting a quote on how much your car/truck is worth.)

But again, money spent is your business.

I've done UOAs with both Syn and Conventional and in normal OCIs in a I4, V6 and V8 the tests came back with the conventional being just as good if not better than the syn. Syn really is only needed for engines that NEED it or extended OCIs.

Just something to think about.

Take care, bill