Suggest an OCI...

[erogers]

I know, I know...get a UOA. But in the meantime, please offer OCI (and oil) suggestions for my situation:

Car: 1994 Ford Thunderbird
Engine: 4.6 V8
Total mileage: 103,500
Annual mileage: 7,800
Typical drive: 12 miles per work day (all city); 75 miles over weekends. Maybe a 1,000 mile trip over the summer.
Climate: 80-100 degrees summer / Can get down to -15 degrees winter.
Factory recommended oil weights: 5w30 or 5W-20

Your thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[erogers]

Just for the record, I'm currently running Motorcraft 5W-20, during an Auto-RX rinse phase.

 

[Curious Kid]

I would lean towards OEM reasoning, but if I had to I'd say something like 6 months/4-5k - whichever comes first.

Short trips enables condensate build-up in the oil that depletes TBN levels - "extreme conditions" profile.

 

[kkreit01]

I'll let the experts chime in. They may want to know some prior history. How long have you owned it? What have you been running (and how long) prior?

I'd suggest going on time -- and change every 6 months. Your MC and a good filter shouldn't have a problem with that. You could also switch to a High Mielage type -- Maxlife seems to have a strong following.

 

[02zx9r]

I would agree with the two post above. penzoil dino 5w30 or maxlife 5W30 syn blend for 5K intervals since you do drive some miles on the weekend so hopefully some of the condensation will burn off

 

[02zx9r]

I would agree with the two post above. penzoil dino 5w30 or maxlife 5W30 syn blend for 5K intervals since you do drive some miles on the weekend so hopefully some of the condensation will burn off

 

[tsmay51]

I agree as well. 6 months or 5k. Any name brand dino will serve you well.

 

[erogers]

I'm not against dino. I've used it a lot over the years (I've owned the car since Feb. of 1995). My next question isn't from my lack of trusting dino oil. However...

Would synthetic oil reduce acid formation and address my city driving/lack of warm up issues? If I used a full synthetic, like Amsoil for instance, would it be safe to go to once-per-year oil changes, or would that just be overkill?

 

[ARB1977]

Originally Posted By: erogers
I'm not against dino. I've used it a lot over the years (I've owned the car since Feb. of 1995). My next question isn't from my lack of trusting dino oil. However...

Would synthetic oil reduce acid formation and address my city driving/lack of warm up issues? If I used a full synthetic, like Amsoil for instance, would it be safe to go to once-per-year oil changes, or would that just be overkill?

Uoa's will be able to tell you that.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Originally Posted By: tsmay51
I agree as well. 6 months or 5k. Any name brand dino will serve you well.


x2

 

[Gary Allan]

I'll add another 6 months with just about anything. MC 5w-20 probably being the best bang for the buck being a semi-synth. Add an MC filter if you're so inclined. It would be hard to justify anything more expensive.

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: tsmay51
I agree as well. 6 months or 5k. Any name brand dino will serve you well.


+4

 

[erogers]

Darn. I was hoping for more exciting answers, but I guess deep down I knew the same thing!