Ford 2.0L Duratec; Rotella T6 15w-40 15k miles

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Pretty much self explanatory. Am running Rotella T6 15w-40 presently. I have 10K miles on it. Will drain and sample it at 20K. I average 2K-2.5K miles a month, so I should have the next UOA August or September.

Focus 2nd UOA.jpg
 
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The highlight is that this is a Ford Focus 2.0..

You are shedding no metals... on a HDEO.

My only question is there any difference in MPG? Would you have the same report on 5w40?
 
HDEO oils are some of the best oils on the market. Great results are expected if the 15W start up viscosity need are met.
 
Originally Posted by Kira
Silicone (sand) is >4X higher in the second sample. Check your air filter.


If you read report.. it was the first sample, and it notes the use of sealer.
 
Duratechs are great engines....I was under the impression that they preferred thinner oils?

Am I correct that you ran two 15K OCI's and are now trying 20K?
 
Yes pbm, this was my second 15K stretch. I pushed SuperTech 5w-30 Synthetic for 15K and Blackstone recommended I could try it to 17k! When the engine had Supertech in it, I replaced the valve cover gasket and used a good amount of RTV around the spark plug channel gaskets and the spark plug valley gasket as well as several junctions where the factory specifies its use. These are infamous for filling the spark plug channels and valley up! Not enough tension in the center of the cover apparently ! That is why the silicone was high on the last UOA. Even after repairing the gasket, the Duratec seemed to use oil, but not as much as my wife's Ford designed, Mazda built 3.7 V6. I bought this car to commute to work and it was used with 100K miles on it. Decided I'd experiment with oil for my entertainment as well as everyone else's. My first UOA showed that SuperTech is a great oil. The second showed that T5 is a great oil. I'm sure the next UOA will show that T6 is a great oil. I was planning on using a 5W-40 next go around. Probably Delo but will go with whichever has best promotion. I can't say for certain that the thicker oil burns off less because I don't know how much of the 5W-30 was getting pumped into the spark plug channels. I used a Ph3600 sized,double the capacity, oil filter. It was a Wix closeout from Rock Auto.
 
Originally Posted by pbm
Duratechs are great engines....I was under the impression that they preferred thinner oils?

Am I correct that you ran two 15K OCI's and are now trying 20K?
preferred? seriously?
 
Sorry, but I don't believe internal drag from a heavier grade oil will make a difference in fuel mieage that is measurable outside a lab. If a car gets a street measurable difference in fuel mileage after switching motor oil grades, it's more than likely driver behavior and other forces at work. The ONLY reason that the thinner and "super thin/0W-16, 0W-20" motor oils exist is so that the manufacturers can squeeze an extra 1/10th of an MPG out of a vehicle on a lab dyno or treadmill during MPG testing. If I want to make my car get better gas mileage I pay more money and run 100% gasoline with no ethanol. My Focus gets 30-32 MPG on Ethanol. It gets 33-36 MPG on 100% Gasoline.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
Originally Posted by pbm
Duratechs are great engines....I was under the impression that they preferred thinner oils?

Am I correct that you ran two 15K OCI's and are now trying 20K?
preferred? seriously?



As somebody that currently owns 3 Duratechs (a 2.0, 2.3 and 2.5) and has a daughter with one (a 2.0)....I read most posts pertaining to them. Most agree that they are durable engines and easy on oil and several owners have mentioned that they prefer 5w20.
If you doubt it...that's fine...
 
I put 2500 miles a month on my Focus and will probably do so until I retire or get a closer job but I doubt it. The car is a hoot to drive. I plan on installing a STEEDA rear sway bar that is HUGE and that should make her corner even better. My plan is to driver her 300K+. I paid 4 grand for her and decided to use her as a rolling lubrication experiment. Am looking at going to a conventional oil after this 20K interval. I'll do a 7.5K interval. Change oil and filter with identical oil but add LubeGard additive. Do another UOA at 7500 and see how the samples compare. I learned 20 years ago that Lubegard works after watching our CVPI patrol cars get retired after 250K miles with the original trannys in them. Out tranny shop swore by LubeGard ATF additive. So I'll see how the oil additive does!
 
Thanks for great UOA's! What a great oil.

Heavier oil in a Focus? Sure. I looked in a 2006 Focus owner's manual published for UK model owners. The recommended oil grade was 5W-30 for the very same Duratec 2.0 that NA owners are told to use 5W-20 in.

Also the factory OCI over there for that car is 12,500 miles or 1 year using Ford spec WSS-M2C913-C.

Again, thanks for the 15K UOA's.
 
You have big blanks....I hear diesel oil has xtra detergents and can actually cause more wear in a gas engine...ford makes great motors for most part, I have had 2 outstanding focuses
 
I estimate that 70% of the miles are interstate. 70-85 mph. 5-speed. I do use an oversized filter that gives me about a third or half quart more capacity. I think its a PH3600 sized filter. I'd put an FL-1A on there if I could but it it too big in circumference! No worries about running higher grades of oil. Found an article in Machinery Lubrication Magazine where they disproved the myth that modern engines have tighter tolerances that thick oil cannot squeeze into. Writer showed were the bearing used in crankshafts and the like made 50 years ago were made as "tight" as they are today. Engines are more compact for the most part but the internal tolerances are pretty much unchanged over the years.
 
Originally Posted by Stumpy
I estimate that 70% of the miles are interstate. 70-85 mph. 5-speed. I do use an oversized filter that gives me about a third or half quart more capacity. I think its a PH3600 sized filter. I'd put an FL-1A on there if I could but it it too big in circumference! No worries about running higher grades of oil. Found an article in Machinery Lubrication Magazine where they disproved the myth that modern engines have tighter tolerances that thick oil cannot squeeze into. Writer showed were the bearing used in crankshafts and the like made 50 years ago were made as "tight" as they are today. Engines are more compact for the most part but the internal tolerances are pretty much unchanged over the years.


I think people are getting confused about tolerances and clearances. Clearances are basically the same still. Tolerances (the range of acceptable clearances) are tighter. So the difference from one engine to the next should be minimal while years ago one engine could be a bit different than the next.

My 1976 Oldsmobile 350 with high mileage runs fine on 5w30. The clearances are probably pretty close to a modern engine despite the age.
 
Lower viscosity oils will help during the EPA city cycle. It has a cold start and short trips at lower speed. The engine may not get to operating temp. You are correct about the highway miles the OP puts on, 20; 30; 40 grades probably don't make as much of a difference as wind speed and direction. My Mazda6 didn't care between 30 & 40 grades at my 90% highway average 200 mile days.
 
Small mistake. I had T6 instead of T5 in the headline. This was on syn-blend Rotella T5 15w-40which makes the report a bit more impressive. Sorry about that. Am running the full synthetic T6 15w-40 as well speak. Got another 8K miles to go.
 
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