2018 Explorer, 3.5EB, 5W30 Castrol Edge EP, 6,420 miles

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My most recent report from Blackstone. Drained 6 qts of Castrol Edge EP out and removed Motorcraft FL500s filter after a 6,420 mile run. Engine had 22,422 miles on the ODO at time of change. Six quarts of Castrol Edge EP 5W-30 went back in along with a Motorcraft FL500s filter. Next change will take place around 30k.

I'm still debating whether or not I should have 7.5k or 5k OCIs. My concern, as discussed a lot about for this engine, is timing chain related issues.


Also, I do not have anymore MC filters so I am looking to buy a better filter. One that can get insolubles lower than 0.3. Any suggestions?


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Great results, stayed in grade and low wear metals.

8000 miles is definitely doable.

For lower insolubles, a Fram Ultra with it's high efficiency could help. But 0.3 is low.

For the timing chain, what is important IMO is that the oil stays in grade and yours did.
 
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7.5k miles is easily attainable.

Not sure what "timing chain" issues you're referring to, but the water pump is the big issue in these engines, as it's internal. It's driven by the timing chain, if that's what you're concerned about. When the pump bearings fail, it causes slack in the timing chains. The greatest concern is the leaking of coolant into the sump.
 
Originally Posted by jbutch
Great results, stayed in grade and low wear metals.

8000 miles is definitely doable.

For lower insolubles, a Fram Ultra with it's high efficiency could help. But 0.3 is low.

For the timing chain, what is important IMO is that the oil stays in grade and yours did.


The insolubles in this direct injection engine are soot and start out at about 2nm size. These are the timing chain wear problems and an ultra isn't really going to remove them. Perhaps a bypass filter? Plenty of port injected, timing chain engines run with a 20wt oil without exorbitant wear problems. Removing the particles with a shorter oci is a way to keep them down.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301679X15000432
 
Thanks double vanos and demarpaint.

Jayjr1105, I thought the same thing about the TBN. I know it isn't linear but that's a big difference. Maybe I idled longer than I thought due to the colder winter conditions?

Dnewton3, I've heard of timing chain wear issues on these engines in addition to the water pumps. Ford uses a single big timing chain in the first gen 3.5EBs. They have changed the design in the second gen to have two smaller chains instead.

Tcp71, would shorter, maybe 5k oci, possible reduce wear on the water pump bearings? I have no issues with going to a shorter oci. It's just a pain in the rear end since this vehicle is used for road trips.
 
Your insolubles % isn't growing (population count) so far as I can tell, so I'd say your MC filter is doing fine keeping things in check. If you're chasing the absolute lowest wear rates possible then installation of bypass filtration would help in that dept. A premium filter like a Fram Ultra will help but it's not going to eliminate the problem (1~10 microns) entirely, so you'll always be a "little bit pregnant" so to speak....

You have to ask yourself, how bad do you want to get at those super tiny particles? Me personally, nearly 170k miles and still on the OE chain in my Kia, i haven't sweated it..i just keep the drain intervals reasonable and use a quality filter, this keeps the particle populations in check... and so far, knock on wood, I don't burn any oil as i look towards 200k.
 
Originally Posted by ssamaroo01
Thanks double vanos and demarpaint.

Tcp71, would shorter, maybe 5k oci, possible reduce wear on the water pump bearings? I have no issues with going to a shorter oci. It's just a pain in the rear end since this vehicle is used for road trips.



No effect on the water pump bearings at all, I would think, just the chain wear at the links. I find it strange that the transverse version of this engine has the internal water pump, and the longitude mounted one in the trucks has a completely normal pump driven by the outside belt.
 
Like most water pumps, the pump shaft bearings are internal to the pump and they are sealed bearings; they are not directly lubricated by the oil of the engine. Hence, oil selection and OCI has zilch to do with pump life.

As for the timing chain on these engines, they wear reasonably well. The failure mode of these engine is the water pump failing; that's the biggest issue by far. To change the pump, you have to take the timing cover and chains off, so many folks will replace the chains and sprockets as a preventative measure; they represent a fairly low cost relative to the whole job (mostly labor costs). But the evidence shows that the timing chains and associated components actually wear quite well in these Cyclone engines.

Why an internal pump? It was a design consideration about packaging the engine in FWD/AWD chassis; takes up less room when inside the cover. Yes - I hate it as much as everyone else does. It is the Achilles heel of an otherwise fantastic engine.

Again - no oil and no OCI is going to avoid this pump failure issue. It will develop at it's own pace. Some engines have it happen as early at 75k miles. Others have gone past 225k mile with not one problem. There's no rhyme or reason to the timing of the failures. Best you can do is keep a very close eye on the coolant bottle, and check the UOAs for hints of coolant in the lube. Or, if you're lucky, the pump will leak externally via it's designed path, but it's difficult to see the weep pattern that way.
 
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Are you sure those pump bearings are totally sealed? One of the Ford Edge forum posters cut apart two of the water pumps with a water jet, and they showed needle and ball bearings that were lubricated by engine oil. Basically the part of the pump shaft facing the cover would get the oil to lubricate the bearings. With those failed pumps, he found flat spots on the needle and ball bearings.
 
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