Motorcraft 5W30, 1934 mil, 99 Ford SVT Contour V6

[SVTJon87]

This is my first UOA. Thought I would post it for everyone.

Oil is Motorcraft synth blend 5w30 with MC FL-820 filter. Changed at 1,934 miles at 5 months on a 5000/ 5 month interval.
The car is a 99 Ford SVT Contour 2.5L 24V V6.
Oil was replaced with PP 5W30 as i found it for $3 a qt.
I drive mostly normal with several WOT runs on an oil change.
I originally planned to run the PP to 7,000 miles, but will re-sample after 4,000 miles. The nice thing about getting the UOA was it just payed for its self for time length the oil is in.

 

[dparm]

I miss my Contour.

 

[Cup of Joe]

Looks good. I would double the time and/or mileage whichever occurs 1st with this oil. Only odd bit is the viscosity.

 

[Steve S]

No need for a uoa at 4,000 miles.

 

[CloudX]

This looks quite alright. I was thinking of going to full syn, but I think the MC will be ok at 4k oci's.

 

[SVTJon87]

I was hopping with the PP i could run it longer. maybe do 5,000 miles no matter how much time it took to get there.

 

[CloudX]

You should be good!

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: SVTJon87
I was hopping with the PP i could run it longer. maybe do 5,000 miles no matter how much time it took to get there.
The Motorcraft you are using can do the 5,000 miles .

 

[bxd20]

I had a T-Red 99 SVT Contour, bought new in 5/99 and traded it in 9/09. Lot of fun, I miss it.

I did UOA on it using German Castrol and it did 10-11k mi OCI's with GREAT results. If your engine is in good shape, this car is a great candidate for extended OCI. On my car I would not have hesitated to run the MC to about 7k and the GC to 11-12k, based on my usage and driving style (plenty of hard runs to redline, almost daily, 75% hwy 25% city).

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
No need for a uoa at 4,000 miles.


I agree. Why spend $35 on a UOA after this one? No fuel or coolant problems. Since you are using PP go to 10K OCIs and enjoy the ride.

 

[Jim Allen]

Yeah, it would have made more sense financially to run the MC out out 4-5K and then run the UOA because a 2K run didn't tell you much that's useful.

My prescription would be to run the PP out to 7.5K, regardless of time (the oil doesn't know the passage of time), and UOA... including TBN. I wouldn't take that result to the bank (because you still have some old MC in the mix) until the second 7.5K run, after which you can UOA and will be able to evaluate whether or not you can, or should, go father.

I'll also say that switching oils and UOA-ing every time doesn't tell you much about engine wear and therefore is a waste of money. You really need to stick with an oil for a while to see if it's doing you any good. Once you have verified the oil works at the interval you want, you can cease UOAs until you change some part of the equation.

FInally, you may have noticed the MC 5W30 sheared down into 20 grade, even in your short 2K run. That's somewhat typical for 5W30 oils (especially mineral or syn blend), though from what I have noted, it seems to take a little longer usually. I know little about the 2.5V6 and it could be a "shear monster," meaning it beats the oil viscosity down a little harder than other engines. The interesting thing about that is that even shear monsters can't seem to beat a 5W20 down very much. My point is that, after evaluating the PP 5W30, if you see it's sheared into 20 grade, you might consider just running a 5W20.... if you're going to end up there anyway ( : < ). Do some checking to see if your car was back-spec'ed for 5W20 and think about it. 5W20 is very robust oil.

 

[SVTJon87]

Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
Yeah, it would have made more sense financially to run the MC out out 4-5K and then run the UOA because a 2K run didn't tell you much that's useful.

My prescription would be to run the PP out to 7.5K, regardless of time (the oil doesn't know the passage of time), and UOA... including TBN. I wouldn't take that result to the bank (because you still have some old MC in the mix) until the second 7.5K run, after which you can UOA and will be able to evaluate whether or not you can, or should, go father.

I'll also say that switching oils and UOA-ing every time doesn't tell you much about engine wear and therefore is a waste of money. You really need to stick with an oil for a while to see if it's doing you any good. Once you have verified the oil works at the interval you want, you can cease UOAs until you change some part of the equation.

FInally, you may have noticed the MC 5W30 sheared down into 20 grade, even in your short 2K run. That's somewhat typical for 5W30 oils (especially mineral or syn blend), though from what I have noted, it seems to take a little longer usually. I know little about the 2.5V6 and it could be a "shear monster," meaning it beats the oil viscosity down a little harder than other engines. The interesting thing about that is that even shear monsters can't seem to beat a 5W20 down very much. My point is that, after evaluating the PP 5W30, if you see it's sheared into 20 grade, you might consider just running a 5W20.... if you're going to end up there anyway ( : < ). Do some checking to see if your car was back-spec'ed for 5W20 and think about it. 5W20 is very robust oil.


The spec was changed by ford to 5W20 for fuel economy ratings. These motors are notorious for spinning rod bearings. It is thought to be a combination of poor oil drain back from the heads during high RPM long right hand turns. And also poor rod construction causing it to deform. One or both causes are the death of the engine it they happen. Hench why most owners of this car tend to stay with 5W30. But from what you said it wouldn't matter at all.

Also when i had this UOA I had been running Motorcraft for years. Actually i might be able to find all the receipts and tell you for sure. But my guess is 3 years.

 

[gpshumway]

5k OCIs on this engine are easy on any decent oil, it has a large sump (~6qts) for it's displacement.

I used Maxlife Synthetic for most of the time I owned my Mystique 2.5l. You can find my UOA's in the following thread:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...506#Post2206506

I stopped doing TBN after it came back >4.5 twice.

 

[SVTJon87]

Originally Posted By: gpshumway
5k OCIs on this engine are easy on any decent oil, it has a large sump (~6qts) for it's displacement.

I used Maxlife Synthetic for most of the time I owned my Mystique 2.5l. You can find my UOA's in the following thread:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...506#Post2206506

I stopped doing TBN after it came back >4.5 twice.

Thank you for posting that tread.




I changed the oil at that low mileage because of my preconception of changing the oil based on time and mileage. Now with my new found knowledge after the UOA and everyone's words on here I will save my self a good amount of money on oil changes.

I changed to PP after this report because of how cheap I found it. $14.99 for a 5 qt jug. I bought 3 for my car. So the next oil change will be PP as well. It sounds like if I was to get another UOA I should wait until the end of the next fill with PP. At that point I may just get a sample through the dip stick tube and not change the oil yet.

I will also be replacing my valve cover gaskets very soon. Which I would think might affect silicone levels on this current oil.

 

[chubbs1]

I like the boron content of that oil, the same as PU.