2013 Taurus SHO Ecoboost

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SHO

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Aug 2, 2016
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Hi everyone, need some direction on oil recommendations for my 2013 Taurus SHO twin turbo. Car has 84K miles, run on Motorcraft syn blend so far. I bought it used at 64K miles. No noticeable issues so far besides 1 turbo being replaced recently.

I drive a lot of short trips due to work being 7 miles away, but I do take longer trips and run it hard whenever possible.

Looking to keep this one for a long time, also will be doing a UOA within the next month and can post that once available.

Thanks in advance!
 
If it were my SHO, I would run a syn. 5W-30. Mobil 1 first choice for the low calcium and then PP or QSUD as next choices.
And change at 5,000 miles - max.
Use OEM Ford oil filter.
My 2 cents.
 
OEM ford filter is made by purolator so high chance of tearing. I would use Fram Ultra + M1 0w30 because of short tripping. Why was the turbo replaced? Could have been oil related....
 
Originally Posted By: Danno
If it were my SHO, I would run a syn. 5W-30. Mobil 1 first choice for the low calcium and then PP or QSUD as next choices.
And change at 5,000 miles - max.
Use OEM Ford oil filter.
My 2 cents.


Been quite some time, but back when I had a Subaru STi, there were a lot of shearing issues, specifically with Mobil 1. I know the SHO is a different animal, but in turbo applications especially, shear stability should be at the top of the list, no?
 
Originally Posted By: HKPolice
OEM ford filter is made by purolator so high chance of tearing. I would use Fram Ultra + M1 0w30 because of short tripping. Why was the turbo replaced? Could have been oil related....


Turbo was replaced due to leaking oil externally. Did not notice any performance issues, but warranty covered it. Ironically, I found the new turbo appears to be leaking as well. Took off some of the intercooler piping and there is a lot of oil throughout.

This has yet to be fully diagnosed but apparently Ford's Ecoboost engines have some serious blowby issues.
 
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I'd use Schaeffers 5w30 7000 or 9000 series for oil. Change it out every 5000 miles.

Also,not sure if you've done this yet or not,but these SHO's need their PTU fluid changed pretty regularly also.
 
Originally Posted By: RazorsEdge
I'd use Schaeffers 5w30 7000 or 9000 series for oil.

Also,not sure if you've done this yet or not,but these SHO's need their PTU fluid changed pretty regularly also.


Ha, don't get my started on the PTU, I also have a 2011 Edge, wife's car, and then I learned about the wonders of Ford's PTU failures... That's on the to do list as well. Luckily both vehicles are under warranty for a few more years and no issues yet, 84K on the SHO and 64K on the Edge.
 
Anything meeting required spec will be just fine. I believe Walmart carries Motorcraft 5W-30 now, not just 5W-20. It will allow that SHO to run as fine as any other oil. Leaky turbos has nothing to do with syn v blend v dino, for those heading in that direction. Castrol GTX Magnatec is another great choice.
 
PTU = Power Transfer (or Takeoff) Unit. It's the part that controls the AWD distribution. When the AWD Explorer's and Tauruses came out in 2011/2012, Ford said this was a lifetime fluid unit, meaning you never needed to worry about drain and re-fill. However, over the years, they've had all sorts of trouble with the bearing in there starting to wander, and it makes contact with the housing, resulting in failure. The best way to help prevent this is by changing the fluid regularly. Some people say at 40K - 50K miles, but I'm going to be more cautious with my 2016 Taurus SHO and do it every 20K miles.

At least with these 1st Gen 3.5L Ecoboost engines, they are a very dirty, messy animal. Fuel dilution and oil deposits are quite common. Right now, I"m going to use Valvoline SynPower at 4,000 mile intervals max. SynPower is known for low calcium, and also meets all the needed spec's for turbo engines. I am also considering just using Motorcraft syn blend at 3,000 mile intervals. I drive mostly short trips, and fuel dilution is something to consider.

Regardless of the oil you choose, it is crucial you stick with 5w30. I have personally talked with Ford engineers and been told it is critical to stick with the recommended viscosity in these engines due to the turbo requirements. I believe when the 3.5L first came out, they did recommend 5w-20, then changed it to 5w-30 a few years later. Keep in mind a variety of the 3.5L has been in the F-150's for a lot longer than the Taurus SHO, so a lot of the issues have been discovered quite some time ago.

From everything I've learned about the Ecoboost engines, it's Best Practice to use a quality motor oil which meets spec, is of the recommended viscosity (5w-30 in this case) and do frequent oil changes.


Z-
 
Are you talking HTHS ? If so, that is why some syns ending in 40 are popular - but Ford lives deeply in the CAFE standard world where the ecoboost "bet the farm" strategy keeps them looking at MPG really hard ...
I'm just glad mine does not have a 20 on the oil fill cap.
 
Originally Posted By: 4WD
Are you talking HTHS ? If so, that is why some syns ending in 40 are popular - but Ford lives deeply in the CAFE standard world where the ecoboost "bet the farm" strategy keeps them looking at MPG really hard ...
I'm just glad mine does not have a 20 on the oil fill cap.

You have a lot of Euro spec 0/5W30 oils that have HTHS higher then 3.5cp, since that is pretty much requirement among 99% of Euro cars.
If I had SHO, I would probably run Castrol 0W30 (former GC now BC).
 
Pennzoil Platinum or Valvoline SynPower along with a Motorcraft filter sounds perfectly fine to me at 5K mile oil change intervals.

As was mentioned before, keep an eye on the PTU. I had to replace the PTU in my 2007 Fusion AWD at 100,000 miles then the replacement PTU exploded without warning at 120,000 & cracked the bell housing on the transmission along with it.... The 2012 Taurus in my signature just had the PTU replaced at 38,000 miles also. The PTU was leaking at every seal & overheating & blowing fluid out the top vent.
 
So i decided to try Pennzoil Platinum, noticing more noise from the engine, tapping sound. I'm at just under 93K miles now. So what's next? PPHM?

What's every ones take on Mobil1 High mileage? I understand it is SL rated, is it still "the best" oil to use for most protection?
 
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