What oil do Ford 3v 5.4 motors like? 2005 F150.

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Here the situation... I have a 2005 Ford F150 with about 37,000 miles on it. FoMoCo specs 5w20 oil for it. Almost every morning (or anytime it's sit for more than a few hours), I get a start-up engine rattle. It only lasts for 1-2 seconds, but it is very annoying none-the-less... I've been trying to eliminate it for several months now. Several dealers say it is "normal", and they won't attempt to repair it...

Now I know many people say that these Ford engines are picky about what oil filter they like... Over the past few months, here's the oil & filter combinations that I've tried:

Motorcraft 5w20 with Motorcraft fl820s filter
Motorcraft 5w20 with Wix filter
Castrol Syntec 5w20 with Wix filter
And presently - Amsoil ASM 0w20 with Amsoil EaO11 filter

None of these combinations have eliminated the start-up rattle. But the Syntec seemed to make it go away for a week or so. And the Amsoil seems to be the worse so far (as far as eliminating the noise)...

So does anyone know of an oil/filter combination that would silence start-ups??? In case it matters, I live in southern California, so "cold" weather isn't really an issue. Would a heavier or lighter wieght oil do any good??? I just put in the Amsoil a few weeks ago, and I'd hate to waste it. But if I knew of a better combo, then I'd be willing to sacrafice the Amsoil for less noise.
 
~If~ the problem is oil related, why not try Redline 5W-20?

Or go to a NAPA and try Valvoline Synthetic Oil Treatment [ VSOT ] part # 066 for $4.00? Maybe start with 1 ounce / Quart of oil and add more if needed.

Both Redline and VSOT have lots of Moly and ZDDP whih might make a difference. Redline is thicker than most 5W-20's and VSOT will thicken the other 5W-20's in relation to dosage.
 
I wonder if GC would help. It is surely way far from 5w20 spec but it is known to hush up engine noise.

That is, if you can find it. If you can find some and it puts your engine to silence then maybe Castrols' Syntec 5w40 would do it too - if that's the case then you have found your oil.

Of course, this all hinges on your being comfortable with a thicker than 5w20 oil. If it were me, I'd give it a try. Cheers!
 
That rattle is from no oil at your bearings at start up. All engines have no oil right at start up. That's where most of engine where comes from. I doubt any oil will change it. As far as oil, I like Pennzoil Platinum and Royal Purple. Royal Purple does have a bond to metal.
 
Thanks for all comments so far...

So if I go with something like RP, what weight should I go with?? Stick with OEM spec, or go with something a little heavier??

I know there are no guarentees in life, but in the opinion of you experts on this site, do you think this will solve my issue?

BTW, if it matters, my engine is fine (no noise) after the initial start-up... So I'm thinking that a heavier weight (xxW30) may not help much... Wouldn't the "cold" viscosity (5w vs 10w) make more of a difference?
 
You could always buy and accumulator like and Accusump. It'll ensure you have pressure on startup. I used to run one of these in one of my cars, but had to get rid of it for other reasons.
 
Actually the noises you are probably hearing are the timing chains being loose at startup. This is a normal noise. The tensioner requires oil pressure to fully tension the chains. It sounds like a rattle. If you are getting a knocking noise that is probably the bearings. The upper end valvetrain really makes a loud tapping noise if dry. Also if you have the climate control system, you may hear this weird muffled rumble on startup. That's the vacuum modules trying to move without enough vacuum. 5w30 may help some but after several hundred miles the start up rattle will come back, this is a normal ford modular engine noise. Now if you are getting small pieces of plastic in the oil, the tensioner may be coming apart and need to be replaced. Also suspect the chain and tensioner if you are getting a sudden large spike in iron ina uoa. If you are using mobil one you may see an iron spike that has nothing to do with the timing chain. Everytime I use mobil 1 I get about 20ppm on iron and without it I get about 4ppm. Must be some ester leeching the iron molecules off the crank or cam. I have even tried a preoiler with out much success.
 
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Actually the noises you are probably hearing are the timing chains being loose at startup. This is a normal noise. The tensioner requires oil pressure to fully tension the chains. It sounds like a rattle. If you are getting a knocking noise that is probably the bearings. The upper end valvetrain really makes a loud tapping noise if dry. Also if you have the climate control system, you may hear this weird muffled rumble on startup. That's the vacuum modules trying to move without enough vacuum. 5w30 may help some but after several hundred miles the start up rattle will come back, this is a normal ford modular engine noise. Now if you are getting small pieces of plastic in the oil, the tensioner may be coming apart and need to be replaced. Also suspect the chain and tensioner if you are getting a sudden large spike in iron ina uoa. If you are using mobil one you may see an iron spike that has nothing to do with the timing chain. Everytime I use mobil 1 I get about 20ppm on iron and without it I get about 4ppm. Must be some ester leeching the iron molecules off the crank or cam. I have even tried a preoiler with out much success.




It is a rattle sound. Not a knock... Also, I do not have the electronic climate control. Just the manual one. And the noise happens regardless of whether or not the climate control (a/c or heater) is on or off.

So again, does anyone think that going with a different brand or weight of oil will get rid of the noise??

Also, I forgot to mention in my opening post, but I also tried Mobil 1 5w20 with no success...
 
I have a customer with a 03 F-150 similar to yours except his has the 4.6L. His also suffered from some rattle from the chains on start-up as well as some lifter tick when hot and idling. It has been on a steady diet of MC 5W20 since new. When I switched my shop over to Schaeffer bulk he also had to switch to Schaeffer. I am in no way throwing stones at MC 5W20 but the truck no longer has any lifter tick at all. The combination of a Denso oil filter and the 9000series has also HELPED the initial chain rattle. It has not cured it nor do I think it is an issue that has to be cured. I almost could not talk this old customer into switching to Schaeffer oils. The local Ford dealer actually told him that if he used anything other than MC oil his warranty would be voided
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. I showed him from his own owner's manual that was a lie and now he is pleased with Schaeffer oil. He runs it 10K between changes with excellent results.
 
I didn't read every post but here is the answer if it wasn't already said.

Truth be told, get away from that flimsy 20 weight crud and everything is quiet as can be. One of my fleet trucks did the same thing on factory fill and with the first change for free at the dealer. I then switched to M1 EP 5w30 at 10K intervals and motorcraft filters. It's a 2006 King Ranch 5.4L with just under 70K. No that's not a typo. That's 70,000 miles in one year.

He needs at least 350K out of this thing to justify the expenditure. It's funny, I drive the beater and my employee gets the 700/mo vehicle allowance. I just couldn't imagine going through a $45,000 truck less incentives in 5 years with about $2,000 in value left over. It's his money. He had the option to pocket the rest if he wanted to.

Over the course of 350,000 miles, he will also spend about $70K in fuel based upon his driving habits. I will easily have paid half for the fuel and I only paid $200 for my car.

Seriously though, I don't think the UOA's will show much of a difference, but thicker oil quiets things down. Just ask the piston slap crew (a la GM owners
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Warm climate you would no diff. from 5w-30 vs. 10w-30. 5w-20 is what you need to use. PP or RP. Solid !!!!!!!!
 
Yeah, because both 5w20 and 5w30 are the exact same viscosity at startup when he hears the noise.
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NOT!!!

At least try to type coherent sentences and use somewhat correct syntax. This is BITOG not a bunch of 12 year olds on AIM.

Sorry for the rant, but your post is misguiding.
 
Yeah yeah yeah... Anyway, tonight I put in 7 fresh quarts of PP 5w30 and a new Motorcraft filter. I'll see over the next few days if it makes any difference... If not, then I'm done with trying different oils for the purpose of silencing my startup rattle... This will be something like 5 or 6 oil/filter combos. My wallet can't afford it any more.
 
Wait, you got rid of perfectly good amsoil 0w20 only to replace it with pp5w30 in search of quieting startup noise?

Anyways, if your wallet is hurting, then I'd suggest you try one of the following:
Castrol dino 5w20
Pennzoil dino 10w30

Both of them somewhat quietened mine (castrol only initially tho).
 
It's not the oil, it's the filter.

Stick with the Ford filter, then try different oils. Over the years I have seen noises (although over the net who knows) quieted with only the MC filter. If this doesn't work, then some oils may only moderate the noise.
 
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