Castrol GTX 10w30 in 2000 Ford F150 5.4L

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2000 Ford F150 w/5.4L, auto trans, tow package. Driven 6 mi one-way to work (apx 15 min run time) in ambient temp of 40 deg winter a.m.'s, 60 deg winter p.m's, 70 deg summer a.m.'s, 80-90 deg summer p.m.'s. First oil change at 2,000 mi. All subsequent changes at apx 5,000 with GTX at American Fast Lube. (Changed "early" this time as I am now towing a 3000# boat on the weekends as much as I can.)

Miles on unit 31,137. Miles on oil 3,782. Time on oil 5 months. No make-up oil. Castrol GTX 10w30 from bulk. Warner (Champion Labs) oil filter. Air filter (Warner) replaced at apx 15,000 miles and this change.

Test done by Blackstone on 7-11-03.

ALUMINUM 5
CHROMIUM 1
IRON 19
COPPER 9
LEAD 0
TIN 0
MOLYBDENUM 43
NICKEL 1
MANGANESE 1
SILVER 0
TITANIUM 0
POTASSIUM 0
BORON 4
SILICON 9
SODIUM 2
CALCIUM 1695
MAGNESIUM 6
PHOSPHORUS 775
ZINC 966
BARIUM 0
SUS @ 210 56
FLASH 410
TBN 1.2
Fuel, AF, H2O & Insols within range.

Blackstone comments: "Nothing too unusual ... all wear read well within the average range for this type engine, which is a very good indication of normal wearing parts ... normal wear after about 4,000 miles on oil ... good oil filtration ... TBN was low ... [TBN] probably started out around 7 viscosity was low ... try 4,500 on the oil next time."

My comments/questions for the cognoscenti: This is obviously 'new' method TBN. If TBN of less than 3 using 'old' method indicated that oil was nearing the end of its useful life, what does that equate to under the new method? This oil has sheared to a high 20 weight. If FoMoCo is now recommending Xw20 oils for these engines, should I be concerned with the shear-down? If my previous 5,000 mile changes have cause premature wear, would it have caused this UOA to indicate abnormal wear?

Any other comments will be welcomed.

And on another note, of all the truck, motorcycle and boat forums I frequent, this is my favorite. Among the bravado there is a massive amount substance. (I really enjoyed the "scientific-evidence-M1-extended-drain thread.) I'll be doing a UOA on Harley Davidson 360 20w50 in the not too distant future.
 
Considering the fact you are towing a boat, and seeing no lead at all in your report, that is pretty darn good! The iron is a bit high, but not alarmingly so. Probably well within normal range for this engine.

It is kind of disturbing to see a 10w30 thin out to a 20wt, even if it is a conventional 10w30. Usually they are more stable than this, since they don't have much VII in it.

Based on the TBN and the thinning, I wouldn't go 5k on this oil in your case, although you probably didn't do any serious damage doing this in the past.
 
Just curious, but in a close tolerance engine such as Ford's modular engines, could a 10W vs a 5W cause extra engine wear during start and warm ups, even in temperate climates. Might this not contribute to iron, copper and lead wear. So maybe in this case the advantage the 10W-30 has over the 5W-30 for viscoisty improvers does not help the engine in terms of wear.

Whimsey
 
Guys, where from this analysis you get that the oil "sheared down to a 20"?? The SUS???
 
quote:

Originally posted by Dr. T:
Guys, where from this analysis you get that the oil "sheared down to a 20"?? The SUS???

Yep, an SUS of 56 equals out to 9.06 cst at 100c, so it's under the 9.3 value that makes it a 20 weight.
 
quote:

Originally posted by doyall:
try 4,500 on the oil next time."

Huh?? This oil is shot.
crushedcar.gif

Stay with 3K miles IMHO
 
Wear looks pretty normal for these modular V8 engines. Nothing sticks out at all as looking abnormal in the elemental analysis. Air filter is doing its job with the Si at 9 - perfectly acceptable.

The oil sheared big time to become a 20 weight. Is this a big deal given Ford recommending 5w20 in these motors? Two schools of thought: First, it isn't a big deal since its still thicker than most of the 5w20 oils on the market, including the motorcraft. The second is that it is a big deal, because the Viscosity Improvers and Base Oils have degraded significantly, and the oil isn't performing as intended. In all likelyhood, the oil has lost performance on both the hot and cold sides if the spectrum. Its better if an oil can maintain its viscosity longer than this!

TBN is low, and Blackstone used to condemn an oil at a TBN of 2.5 or so. Under the new method, its 1.0. The current 1.2 is likely a 3.5 or so under the old method. Either way, the oil is pretty well done at this point.

As for what to do after this, I bring up one point: Service Intervals. If you are regularly towing, that places you squarely in the severe duty maintinence schedule of 3,000 miles. Normal is 5,000 miles. Based on only this UOA (a trend would be better, but thats OK), it would seem that Castrol GTX 10w30 was pretty well tapped out on this run of nearly 3,800 miles. It did its job, but its done now! If it were me, I'd be doing 3,000 mile intervals on this oil while I was towing, otherwise I'm sure it would last longer.
 
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