2018 Ford Transit Oil/Filter

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Recently purchased a 2018 Ford Transit with the 3.7 (This is a full size Transit, not the Connect). This vehicle will be driven mainly highway miles. I plan on going by the oil computer for oil changes which will put me near the 10,000 mile mark. I drive like an old man, even though I'm not and will not be towing or hauling significant weight. Most of the time I will be around 1,000 pounds or less.

I've been old school in the past. For a long time it was oil changes every 3,000. A couple vehicles ago I moved up to 5,000 (One of these vehicles has the oil computer but I ignored it).

I change my own oil, live in an apartment so it's a little tougher to get the oil changed. I look forward to the 10,000 mile service.

I've stuck with Mobile 1 in the past, but went ahead tonight and picked up 6 Qt of Mobile 1 Extended Performance 5W20 and two oil filters. I bought a Mobile 1 Extended Performance filter (M1-212A) and a Fram Ultra Synthetic Filter (XG10575).

My question: Does anyone have an opinion on my choice of oil or filter?

Thanks a bunch, first post y'all look like a good bunch of people with dirt under your fingernails like me.

Jon
 
Of the two filters listed you can hardly go wrong and the Mobil 1 EP is an excellent oil. My personal preference and the current favorite filter here is the Fram Ultra Synthetic, excellent construction and efficiency and for most applications priced lower than the Mobil filter. I wouldn't bother returning the Mobil filter you've already purchased but going forwardno need to look for aanything other than the Fram Ultra.

Also Welcome!
 
Originally Posted By: FlyNavyP3
Of the two filters listed you can hardly go wrong and the Mobil 1 EP is an excellent oil. My personal preference and the current favorite filter here is the Fram Ultra Synthetic, excellent construction and efficiency and for most applications priced lower than the Mobil filter. I wouldn't bother returning the Mobil filter you've already purchased but going forwardno need to look for aanything other than the Fram Ultra.

Also Welcome!


Actually he did purchase the Ultra as well as the M1. Both are fine.
 
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Thanks. I'll use both filters. Why not spend a little extra on oil & filter when going long intervals. I'm sure cheaper stuff would work, but it might give me some peace of mind.
 
I think the oil and filter choice is fine, myself I’d probably take the M1 filter back, get another Ultra nd pocket the buck or so difference, but they are both fine filters.

Does yours have an onboard iOLM display or do you have to have it run a vehicle status report through SYNC?
 
One thing I hate about my 2015 transit is that you have to run the sync report to know where the OLM stands. That's just ridiculous.

Great oil and filter choice, btw. That 3.7 is a stout engine. It performs as well in the Transit as the 6.0 did in my old Chevy Express. Same acceleration and better gas mileage. k

Before anybody points out that my Transit has an Ecoboost, understand that I've driven rental Transits with the 3.7 for many days and miles. My Transit has been in the shop a bunch for recalls and for an entire engine replacement, due to an oil change shop's mistake.
 
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EP is overkill, IMO, for a 3.7, unless you're going to run the OLM all the way to 10K (which is how long my '15 usually takes to get there). The 3.7 is an excellent engine, the rest of the Transit is kind of weak. I've had the rear axle ring & pinion reset once, it needs it again, and I have a bad torque converter, all in 80K! If you haul lighter, you may not have the drivetrain issues I've had. Rear brakes are fun, too, the axle has to come out to replace the rear rotors, which due to the extreme rear brake bias, means rear pads don't last very long. If the rest of the van was as good as the engine, they would be fine, they're just not strong enough for heavy loads & towing.
 
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
I think the oil and filter choice is fine, myself I’d probably take the M1 filter back, get another Ultra nd pocket the buck or so difference, but they are both fine filters.

Does yours have an onboard iOLM display or do you have to have it run a vehicle status report through SYNC?


I didn't get the sync. I did get cruise control and a factory stereo with bluetooth (New option for 2018). Those got me the controls on both sides of the steering wheel and the digital display between the speed & tachometer. It does have some menus I can scroll through, but I don't remember seeing oil life.

As far as I know I just get a warning when it's time to change. I'll look into this further. It does say in the manual to never exceed 10,000 miles.
 
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Most of the problems I have read about on the Transit Forum. I did get the new driveshaft. I probably will run it until close to 10,000 in under a year. To me, using less oil, less of my labor & time is a big plus. When the van tells me to change it I will. I might send the oil off once to get it checked out, it does sound interesting.
 
Originally Posted By: Rocky123
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
I think the oil and filter choice is fine, myself I’d probably take the M1 filter back, get another Ultra nd pocket the buck or so difference, but they are both fine filters.

Does yours have an onboard iOLM display or do you have to have it run a vehicle status report through SYNC?


I didn't get the sync. I did get cruise control and a factory stereo with bluetooth (New option for 2018). Those got me the controls on both sides of the steering wheel and the digital display between the speed & tachometer. It does have some menus I can scroll through, but I don't remember seeing oil life.

As far as I know I just get a warning when it's time to change. I'll look into this further. It does say in the manual to never exceed 10,000 miles.


Hmm, I bet there is no way to check it.

Mine has SYNC and that is the only way to check it. IME it varies very little with usage and I really feel like it is a simple mile/time counter. That reminds me, guess I will run a report tomorrow and see if it is even counting time...
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
EP is overkill, IMO, for a 3.7, unless you're going to run the OLM all the way to 10K (which is how long my '15 usually takes to get there). The 3.7 is an excellent engine, the rest of the Transit is kind of weak. I've had the rear axle ring & pinion reset once, it needs it again, and I have a bad torque converter, all in 80K! If you haul lighter, you may not have the drivetrain issues I've had. Rear brakes are fun, too, the axle has to come out to replace the rear rotors, which due to the extreme rear brake bias, means rear pads don't last very long. If the rest of the van was as good as the engine, they would be fine, they're just not strong enough for heavy loads & towing.


You are so right about those rear brakes. They are [censored]. My old Chevy Express went over 100k on the original pads and rotors. They could have gone longer, but I needed to feel good about them. I did have the rotors turned and put Wagoner Thermoquiet pads on it. We'll see if they last longer. On mine, the big issue is the low quality and poor fastening of bits and pieces of trim. That's been an issue on every Ford I've owned. I just don't know why they can't get it right.

That said, the Transit drives and handles beautifully. The 3.5 is simply a monster under the hood. I smile every time I nail the throttle.
 
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
...and I really feel like it is a simple mile/time counter. That reminds me, guess I will run a report tomorrow and see if it is even counting time...


Yep, right on track to suggest a 10K change as usual, even though usage has changed rather markedly...

Originally Posted By: artificialist
Would 0w20 be a better option? Many car companies have decided to replaced 5w20 conventional with 0w20 synthetic.


Unless they changed it for 2018, the owners manual says 5/20 only. Recommendation is Motorcraft 5/20 blend which does work fine.
 
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Yes, the manual says 5W20. One thing I did notice, the Fram Ultra is shorter than the Ford and Mobile filters. I wonder why the difference?
 
I don’t remember the Ultra being significantly different though I haven’t sat them side by side.

There is an Ultra and several Motorcraft off my 3.7 posted here, just look at topics I created.
 
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