2004 Ford Freestar M1 HM 5w-20 11215 miles

[R80RS]

227k on vehicle, 11,215 on this oil over a 7 month period. Sample was taken at oil change. No oil added, but oil level had dropped almost 1 quart over interval. Filter was FL-400S. Virtually all highway miles on this vehicle.

Blackstone made one mistake - engine is a V6 not a V8.

Refilled engine with same M1 HM at change. Current filter is a Napa Platinum. Gonna run this fill to 13k per Blackstone's recommendation and report back.

 

[chubbs1]

Thanks for shring that UOA. Looks outstanding and really demonstrates how "easy" highway miles are on a vehicle. The oil held up well, wouldn't change a thing.

 

[Barkleymut]

really nice report. Was that your first ever UOA on that car?

I drive 95% highway miles, all below 70 mph through the rural southside of Virginia. Still I cannot make myself go past 7K even with PP in there.

 

[R80RS]

Originally Posted By: Barkleymut
really nice report. Was that your first ever UOA on that car?

I drive 95% highway miles, all below 70 mph through the rural southside of Virginia. Still I cannot make myself go past 7K even with PP in there.


Yup, this is the first time I took an oil sample on that vehicle. Never considered it before I began hanging out on BITOG. We are reaching a decision point on this vehicle whether we keep it another year or look for something else. I wanted the UOA data to help my decision making process.

Looking at my service history, about 70% of the miles on this vehicle were on M1 5w-20, 25% on Motorcraft synth blend 5w-20, and 5% who knows what dino from my local mechanic. The oil in this report is my first use of M1 HM. I figured 200,000+ counts as HM. Virtually all the filters ever used were MC FL-400S, until the current NAPA Platinum. I did almost all the oil changes myself, so intervals typically run from 7,000 to 10,000 miles, dependent mostly on when I have a free weekend to do the work.

We also live in a rural area, so a short trip anywhere means at least 15 minutes at moderate speeds on rural two-lane highways, and usually longer. So this vehicle has never really seen short trip and stop & go city miles.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

The Essex engine in the van would not worry me - they are a relatively long lived engine.

I would, however, be worried about the 4F50N transmission - those weren't that reliable.

 

[R80RS]

Originally Posted By: Miller88


I would, however, be worried about the 4F50N transmission - those weren't that reliable.


This vehicle actually has the AX4N, from the same family. It has been reliable until relatively recently:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...553#Post3124553

Lubegard Red seemed to help. I'm going to do an ATF change to Valvoline Mercon V in a week or so and see if there is further improvement.

 

[Ramblejam]

TBN @ 2.7 on a 11,000 mile run? Wow!

 

[Ayrton]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
TBN @ 2.7 on a 11,000 mile run? Wow!



The High Mileage formulations of Mobil 1 have some of the strongest additive packages.

 

[TrevorS]

Very nice. How fast do you drive and what are your max revs while cruising?

Weren't there stories of Ford dealer foremen / techs dismissing 20 weight oils as thin as water? 200k+ later and 1 quart consumption in 11k miles, these vastly experienced mechanics are not looking so smart now are they?

 

[R80RS]

Originally Posted By: TrevorS
Very nice. How fast do you drive and what are your max revs while cruising?

Weren't there stories of Ford dealer foremen / techs dismissing 20 weight oils as thin as water? 200k+ later and 1 quart consumption in 11k miles, these vastly experienced mechanics are not looking so smart now are they?


Typical usage is moderate rural highway speeds of 45-55 mph for at least 15 minutes right after startup, as it is driven into town. It's my wife's DD, kid hauler, and grocery getter, and I drive it infrequently so I'm embarrassed to say I don't really know what the engine revs are for a given road speed. She also takes it on the Interstate once or twice a week for a regular 200+ mile round trip. She has a bit of a disregard for posted speed limits, so these trips are usually between 75 and 85. (Interstates in WI were posted 65 everywhere until very recently).

In my experience I've never heard anyone dismiss 20 weight oil for this application as too thin. It's the only viscosity specified in the owner's manual, IIRC, and 5w-20 is printed on the oil fill cap. A few of these OCs were done at my Ford dealer, and they always use the specified 5w-20.

I should mention that I typically add about 0.5 qt in a 7,500 to 10,000 mile OC interval when using standard M1 or MC. This is my first use of M1 HM, and it seems to have improved oil loss/consumption a little, as I did not need to add during the interval. However, it was low enough that if I was going to extend another 2000 miles or so I'd have added a half quart just to be safe.