Motorcraft 5w-20 5077mi, 2011 F150 3.5L Ecoboost

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Originally Posted By: jb2trbof150
I thought I had read on this site (or maybe elsewhere) that the 946 spec and the 929 were different, and the 946 didn't necessarily supercede the 929...I called mobil 1s tech support line, and they recommended sticking with an oil that met the 929 "for oem warranty reasons"....I'll keep doing some digging, but thanks for all the comments and info!!


Should have called Ford Tech line instead of M1 to get a definite answer...
 
Originally Posted By: jb2trbof150
I thought I had read on this site (or maybe elsewhere) that the 946 spec and the 929 were different, and the 946 didn't necessarily supercede the 929...I called mobil 1s tech support line, and they recommended sticking with an oil that met the 929 "for oem warranty reasons"....I'll keep doing some digging, but thanks for all the comments and info!!


Well, 929 is a 2004 spec, whilst 946 is a 2010 spec.
 
MC 5w-30 synblend sn is listed as meeting 946 because it is the spec that supersedes 929. I think you are over worrying about this.
 
IIRC, and I could very well be wrong about this, those Ford specs just say they meet whatever Sx GF-x spec they were made for.
Possibly:
929 = SM/GF4
946 = SN/GF5
 
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
IIRC, and I could very well be wrong about this, those Ford specs just say they meet whatever Sx GF-x spec they were made for.
Possibly:
929 = SM/GF4
946 = SN/GF5


+1
 
Just want to be sure!!!...never owned a turbo, let alone 2 turbos...and I'll be working this truck, especially in the summer...I tow a loaded mowing trailer, and a heavy 24 foot boat!!...If I can't make a clear decision, I'll stick with Motorcraft....not particularly over-worried....just want a good synthetic that gives me peace of mind and meets warranty specs!! thanks for the info fellas!
 
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
IIRC, and I could very well be wrong about this, those Ford specs just say they meet whatever Sx GF-x spec they were made for.
Possibly:
929 = SM/GF4
946 = SN/GF5


I'm not sure that you can directly link the Ford specs to infering they are directly attributed to the API specs.

There are API certified oils out there that are not/ have not been Ford certified. That might be because they choose not to apply, or they applied and could not pass muster; we cannot know other than to say they are either licensed or not. That does NOT mean oils that are API licensed but not Ford licensed are bad or otherwise would not pass; it's a leap that one cannot make without the specific details of each.

Ford's Motorcraft oils are semi-syn for this application, but that does not mean you have to use a semi-syn. Of both the older 929/930 oils and newer 945/946 oils, there are plenty of quality dino brands that are licensed to the Ford specs.

Using a licensed oil will assure you of a very safe operational maintenance program if you follow the OCI/OLM/IOLM schedules. That does not mean other lubes would not do well; it simply states that there is an assurance that some lubes are already proven to do well. In short, an SN oil might work, but a 946 oil is proven to work.
 
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I had a similar experience with OP that dealer put 5w-20 in my truck, and oh, they even swapped out the 5w-30 oil filler cap that was on the truck. After I showed the Service Writer, and the Service Manager the owner's manual, they dumped the oil and filter put in 5w-30 and put correct oil filler cap back on.

They no longer see my vehicle.

I run PP 10w-30 with Ford or Wix filter in summer and PP 5w-30 in winter at 5k mile OCI's. Just easier for me to keep track of multiple vehicles doing 5k OCI's..
 
I have 2 '11 Ecoboost trucks; the first is a 4x4 Platinum with 3.55 gears, the second is an FX4 with 3.73 gears. The Platinum has 31k miles on it and has been driven from Houston to Arizona 4 times. The 80mph speed limit or the grades climbed on the way haven't phased the engine one bit! The truck drives at altitudes of 5500 - 6400 ft while in Az and simply shrugs off the thinner air.

Neither truck has used any oil between 5k oil changes and fuel consumption for both is 17 -18 mpg. I'm sure I could get better gas mileage if I'd slow her down, but it is all too easy to drive 90 and not know it. It is amazing how this 213 cu in engine whips these 6000 lb trucks around! Both of them breathlessly run into their 100 mph limiters; first trucks I've owned that did not strangle for wind at 100!

They both get PU 5w30 and Motorcraft filters on 5k OCIs. Good job Ford.
 
I just bought a 2012 F150 EcoBoost lariat and it's a really an amazing truck. 2 wheel drive, Screw cab and the 3.13 e-locker rear end. So far I have averaged 20.6 MPG since I drove it home a couple of weeks ago.

I bought the Ford 100k ESP and Maintenance contracts. I made sure that the service department has the Motorcraft 5w30 Full Synthetic, because that's what I am going to use. My friend is the Service Manager so I am hoping for a good deal on the cost difference for the full synthetic oil.
 
Originally Posted By: jb2trbof150
did you notice any mpg gains switching to the PU oil?


I'm going to chime in here, even those I use kendall GT1 full syn. This engine being a turbo DI, it is very touchy in respect to weather/temp/wind that you wouldn't be able to tell and mpg difference from just an oil.
 
Good point! I have noticed a difference in mpg with outside temperatue variation. My truck seemed to always get 16 to 16.5, in the spring, summer and fall, in my usual routes of travel (mostly city)....during the winter it has been more like 14 to 14.5 (but I do tend to warm the vehicle up on occasion, I figure that is probably causing me to lose about 1 mpg). Also, the best mpg I have observed was on a trip back from tenn. to Ill., I was averaging around 70 mph because of rain...and over the approx. 500 mile trip the truck averaged 22 mpg (this was in July with temp. about 80-90F) Today I drove on the highway about 100 miles round trip at an avg. of 70 mph, truck showed 18mpg, conditions were 35-40F with neutral winds. Still very pleased with this truck!!!
 
I have to figure out how to post the actual report, but I just got my UOA back from Blackstone: 13,203 miles on truck, 4629 on oil, MC semi-syn 5-30...highlights compared to volk06s' results: Iron 24, Copper 33, Molybdenum 66, Manganese 21, Silicon 27, Zinc 839, Barium 1, SUS Visc@210F 50.3, cST Visc.@100C 7.36, Flashpoint in F 340, Fuel% 1.3, Insolubles% .3 Blackstone said try 6500 mile intervals, but that TBN, at 4629 miles, is to low for my comfort.
 
Originally Posted By: jb2trbof150
I have to figure out how to post the actual report, but I just got my UOA back from Blackstone: 13,203 miles on truck, 4629 on oil, MC semi-syn 5-30...highlights compared to volk06s' results: Iron 24, Copper 33, Molybdenum 66, Manganese 21, Silicon 27, Zinc 839, Barium 1, SUS Visc@210F 50.3, cST Visc.@100C 7.36, Flashpoint in F 340, Fuel% 1.3, Insolubles% .3 Blackstone said try 6500 mile intervals, but that TBN, at 4629 miles, is to low for my comfort.


Looks more like 5w-20 than 5w-30.
 
Not sure, of course I'm relying on the lube guy to put the right oil in...I'll be doing something different than MC semisyn 5-30 in the near future..not happy with the TBN! Oil changes at the dealership for $14.95 is sure hard to beat, but it goes against my every fiber to let somebody else change MY oil!!....All the paperwork says 5-30, and I always gave the service advisor a friendly reminder that it took 5-30.
 
Our results are pretty similar. Im gonna venture a guess that this engine is gonna be pretty hard on oil, from our UOAs. However these results both seem to be on 5w-20 not 5w-30. I'm curious to see how much better it holds up. I dont think I've seen a 5w-20 beaten up this bad from a Ford engine before. I can see why they moved up to a 30wt.
 
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The EB is a really neat engine. Thanks for posting these reports, guys!

My educated guess is 5W-30 and 5W-20 won't look much different after the fuel has it's way with them-and jb2trbo's probably was 5W-30.

.
Wear metals look pretty good despite this but I would keep the OCI's short.

Nice to see you guys trending these engines early to get a handle on what's going on.

.
 
Originally Posted By: volk06
Originally Posted By: jb2trbof150
I have to figure out how to post the actual report, but I just got my UOA back from Blackstone: 13,203 miles on truck, 4629 on oil, MC semi-syn 5-30...highlights compared to volk06s' results: Iron 24, Copper 33, Molybdenum 66, Manganese 21, Silicon 27, Zinc 839, Barium 1, SUS Visc@210F 50.3, cST Visc.@100C 7.36, Flashpoint in F 340, Fuel% 1.3, Insolubles% .3 Blackstone said try 6500 mile intervals, but that TBN, at 4629 miles, is to low for my comfort.


Looks more like 5w-20 than 5w-30.

Its 5W30 with a metric [censored]ton of fuel. Probably up around 3%ish.
 
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