Motorcraft 5W50 Full Synthetic Motor Oil

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Originally Posted By: unDummy
Blackstone states that they ran it twice. So, they were most likely dumbfounded by the low ZDP. Should've shaken the bottle.

Definitely need another shaken sample sent to Blackstone or another lab.


Rather than having another VOA done on the MC 5W-50, I sent in a used oil sample from the same lot; I'll post when I get the results,
 
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws

Regardless of whether it is resource conserving or not.
0.06% would be 600ppm. The max is 0.08% so the range for resource conserving would be 600-800ppm. I cant imagine a 5W50 being resource conserving, so technically, no max exists.

That's true if the oil had to only comply with the API SM/SN spec, however, Ford imposes their own spec (WSS-M2C931-B) on this oil and it would not surprise me if it establishes a max level for P even though it's not considered an energy conserving oil.
 
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The levels of P and Zn from the used oil sample is higher than the levels measured from the virgin sample of the same oil. I can only attribute the low levels to those metals falling out of suspension during the 8 months the bottle was sitting on the shelf. Perhaps the VOA readings on P and Zn would have been in line with the UOA measurements had I shook the bottle before taking the sample. Here's the UOA of the same oil; the levels of P and Zn are compliant with API SM/SN levels.

MC_5W50_UOA.jpg
 
I think we at BITOG use 'additive falling out' too much. I prefer the term "additive concentration" and not "fall out". Gravity did its thing. Oil is a formula or recipe. Don't expect it to be the same everywhere in the bottle. Notice the almost 2:1 ratio of the additive package when comparing the VOA and UOA.

UOA is excellent.

Typical wide spread oil sheared into a 40wt. Castrol 5w50 is probably another option. And, weather permitting, I wouldn't hesitate using a 10w50, 10w60, or 15w-50 in the summer, or a 5w40 in the winter. Mobil1 and Eneos also have a 0w50 for northerners.
 
Yes 24% oil shear is a lot in 1359 miles but may not be a concern since you are using a Motorcraft oil in a Ford product.
Is the 5W-50 the spec' oil for the 500GT?
Do you have an oil pressure gauge in the car and if so do you know what the readings were at the end of the OCI? I suspect the reading were still well above the minimum spec' for the engine.

You mentioned you've switched to RL now; I sure hope it wasn't their 5W-50 grade which is a ridiculously thick oil with it's HTHS vis of 5.9cP and about 2 grades thicker in reality to the Motorcraft OEM oil?
 
Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
Yes 24% oil shear is a lot in 1359 miles but may not be a concern since you are using a Motorcraft oil in a Ford product.
Is the 5W-50 the spec' oil for the 500GT?
Do you have an oil pressure gauge in the car and if so do you know what the readings were at the end of the OCI? I suspect the reading were still well above the minimum spec' for the engine.

You mentioned you've switched to RL now; I sure hope it wasn't their 5W-50 grade which is a ridiculously thick oil with it's HTHS vis of 5.9cP and about 2 grades thicker in reality to the Motorcraft OEM oil?

5W50 is the OEM spec oil for the GT500. Oil pressure gauge reads the same at beginning and end of OCI. Yes I am currently using Red Line 5W50 in the 5.4L motor. Red Line 5W50 is a thick oil but at 100 degree C, it is a 50 grade oil just like the Motorcraft so I don't see where you are evaluating it is 2 grades thicker than MC.
 
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Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
You mentioned you've switched to RL now; I sure hope it wasn't their 5W-50 grade which is a ridiculously thick oil with it's HTHS vis of 5.9cP and about 2 grades thicker in reality to the Motorcraft OEM oil?

Here are the viscosity specs for the two oils:

RL 5W50 = 20.5 cSt @ 100 degrees, MC 5W50 = 19.93 cSt @ 100 degrees C (from VOA); difference = 0.57 cSt.
 
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SIXSPEED, the true measure of how viscous an oil is at normal operating temp's and above is the HTHS viscosity, not the inaccurate kinematic 100C spec'.
Do you know the HTHS vis of the Motorcraft oil?
Taking an educated guess I'd say it is in the 4.1cP to 4.6cP range like most 5W-50 oils.
As you can see, RL's HTHS vis of 5.9cP is massively thicker than the OEM oil. It shouldn't come as a surprise that RL recommended dropping a grade when switching to their 5W-XX or heavier oils. Even RL's 5W-40, with it's HTHS vis of 4.6cP is heavier than most other 5W-50's like M1 and PP just to name two.

The problem with running such a heavy oil as RL 5W-50 is that you will likely not be able to use maximum rev's even at normal operating oil temp's without the oil pump going into by-pass mode which is never a good thing and a certain indicator that you're running an oil that is too thick.

BTW, since oil pressure is viscosity dependent, if the Motorcraft oil did shear as much as the UOA suggests it should have been noticeable as a reduction in oil pressure. Although without a oil temp' gauge as well it can be difficult at times to make apples for apples comparisons if the oil temp's fluctuate a lot.

Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Thanks for your thoughts on the RL 5W50 oil. I will have to do some more research on HTHS viscosity; I really didn't pay much attention to that number when choosing an oil thinking the higher the better.
 
RL 5W-40 would be a better match for this 5.4 4V, but the 5W-50 will be fine. No drastic action required due to RL 5W-50's HTHS viscosity, just something to consider for the next oil change.
 
Originally Posted By: Ben99GT
RL 5W-40 would be a better match for this 5.4 4V, but the 5W-50 will be fine. No drastic action required due to RL 5W-50's HTHS viscosity, just something to consider for the next oil change.

Yes I am actually considering RL 10W40 instead since I'm in Arizona. The car never sees temps below freezing, but it sees lots of heat in the Summer.

I'm trying to figure out why RL 50 grade oils have such a high HTHS compared with other products of the same grade. Could it be their use of ASTM D4741 vs others who use D4683 for testing HTHS?
 
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No, 4741 and 4683 provide essentially identical results. The high HTHS figures are due to lower levels of VIIs and polar POE base stocks.
 
I recently saw another VOA on the Motorcraft 5W50 with P and Zn levels at 267 ppm and 374 ppm respectively, which is very similar to the low levels (P = 297 ppm, Zn = 397 ppm) reported in my VOA. The person even shook the bottle before taking the sample to eliminate the settling factor.

The low level of P in the oil does not even meet the Ford B-spec or API SM, which requires a minimum P content of 600 ppm.
 
Originally Posted By: SIXSPEED
I recently saw another VOA on the Motorcraft 5W50 with P and Zn levels at 267 ppm and 374 ppm respectively, which is very similar to the low levels (P = 297 ppm, Zn = 397 ppm) reported in my VOA. The person even shook the bottle before taking the sample to eliminate the settling factor.

The low level of P in the oil does not even meet the Ford B-spec or API SM, which requires a minimum P content of 600 ppm.


Sounds like ConocoPhillips has a quality control problem going on with that 5W-50 grade.
 
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