Motor oil question . . . . .

[oremike]

Ive had good luck with Shell Rotilla in everything from pickup trucks, air and water cooled motorcycles and lawn mowers.

 

[HaveGun]

When I drove Fords, I had the dealer change the oil at 7000 miles and used the Motorcraft synthetic blend. Never had an oil-related issue. Now that I drive a Toyota, it gets the dealer recommended synthetic blend.

When I was younger and drove older vehicles, I started using Mobil 1 and noticed immediate benefits in mpg increases and smoother running. I did have a couple of older vehicles develop oil leaks when I switched to synthetic, but they were minor seepage issues and the increased mileage and smoother running was worth it.

 

[Tarawa86]

A Review of Mineral and Synthetic Base Oils - Bob is the Oil Guy

Interesting site for all things oil related

Looks like someone already posted it lol, should have read the thread closer

 

[TNThomas]

I have a 2009 F250 with the same engine as yours and about 4k more miles. Personally, I would bump it up to 5W-30. For two reasons,

The first is that your engine isn't brand new, and naturally has a little wear, the higher viscocity at warm/running temps should theoretically keep those small worn spots better lubed than a less viscious 5w-20. You may get a hair worse gas mileage, but probably negligable.

Who really knows the answer to this, but logically it makes sense for auto manufacures to use primarily 5w-20, especially with slightly higher mpgs in mind. And possibly higher profits from replacing worn engines.

I consider myself fairly smart, and definitely didn't feel super comfortable going against what was written on the engine, but after talking with friends of mine who are professional mechanics for Honda and Subaru, I felt more comfortable, and they followed the sane train of thought.

Even further evidence to switch, check my photo. I purchased my truck at auction straight from Snohomish county PUD. I sat down with the head mechanic for all snohimish county PUD vehicles ahead of time to talk to him. And definitely follow what others have said about the spark plugs, he said the same thing. But if you check out my photo from the engine bay, they specifically ran 5W-30 on my truck, regardless of the visible 5w-20. For how long, I dont know. Got it at 129,000mi. But I feel 100% confident running 5W-30 now. Right now its the ford Motocraft synth blend from Walmart.

-Be sure to use Motocraft filters! There is a doohickey in the Motocraft (ford) filters that help retain some oil in the engine/cylinders after its shut off. This helps to lube the cylinders in the first second or so the engine is ran, a time that usually causes the most long term damage by not being lubed fir a second or so (because the oil is all in the pan).

-I think going with a high mileage oil would be good too, I will do it on my next oil change. The HM oils contain additives that help reseal/liven up ols rubber oil seals. Oil seals dry out and harden up naturally over time, and the HM oils target this problem. I just had to change a bunch of oil seals on a 97 Subaru, and I am definitely going with HM mow on my HM ved hivles just to be safe.

 

[TNThomas]

My personal intervals are:
-100% Dino= 3000 mi
-Dino/synth blend= 4000mi
-Full synth blend = 5000mi

I recently changed the oil on my wifes new used VW at the manufacturers 10,000K suggestion, and definitely never doing that again, the darkest oil out of any car ive seen. So with that logic, I font stick to the fords suggestion forvyhe 5.4, which I think is 7000mi

 

[HaveGun]

I recently changed the oil on my wifes new used VW at the manufacturers 10,000K suggestion, and definitely never doing that again, the darkest oil out of any car ive seen. So with that logic, I font stick to the fords suggestion forvyhe 5.4, which I think is 7000mi

Is the VW a diesel? Diesel engine oil will get completely black well before a standard 3000 mile oil change due to the nature of diesel fuel.

My 4Runner got the Toyota recommended 10k mile change on it's second change recently and it still looked new. I refused to wait 10k on the first change and had it done at 5k due to initial break-in particulates.

 

[TNThomas]

Is the VW a diesel? Diesel engine oil will get completely black well before a standard 3000 mile oil change due to the nature of diesel fuel.

My 4Runner got the Toyota recommended 10k mile change on it's second change recently and it still looked new. I refused to wait 10k on the first change and had it done at 5k due to initial break-in particulates.

Yup, Its one of the Dieselgate Diesels. Gets that oil NASTY! You are probably right, that makes total sense. Its my first Diesel. Has the potentail to get crazy good mpg, but its too small my tall family. Turbo with 34ish MPG after electronic and mecanical eco fixes. WA state isnt requiring smog checks anymore so if I was keeping it I would clear that stuff out, put a better exhaust on it, and tune it. Ive heard of them getting from 55-62ish mpg after that.

 

[revjen45]

"More important than anything, to me, is that the oil be changed on a constant basis."
Oil is cheaper than engines.
When starting with a new vehicle or newly rebuilt engine I change the oil @ 500 mi - 1000 mi to remove the initial manufacturing swarf and break-in debris.
My '41 Indian Chief did not come with an oil filter, so I changed the oil 3 or 4 times in the 1st 500 mi. She went for 7 years as my every day wheels.

 

[made in china]

When using synthetic oils to extend oil change intervals, be sure to use an appropriate oil filter designed for extended intervals also.

I'm very pessimistic about synthetics, however. In my time working on cars, rarely do I see a vehicle "put out to pasture" due to engine failure from a oil-type issue.

Modern cars have an ever increasing amount of cheap items being piled into them. As a car ages, these cheap items begin to fail every so often. Then they begin to fail frequently. Like power windows, door lock actuators, interior trim pieces, instrument clusters, door handles, leather tears, seat cushions fail, sunroofs leak, suspension components wear out (I mean the expensive pieces, not just shocks), emissions components, transmissions, (especially CVTs and Ford DCTs) etc.

As a car ages, the owner may begin throwing aftermarket "lifetime warranty" parts at it, which is the worst thing for an older car as these "lifetime" parts are just cheap as heck to support the "lifetime" warranty and they cause the older car to become an even bigger headache to own. Even for owners who try and use OEM, they'll find that after 10 years many OEM parts begin to be discontinued.

Honestly, I see most vehicles end up as derelicts due to rust, accidents, failing electrical systems, failing AC, failing transmissions, failing paint, most all accessories broken, etc, but generally have a well running engine.

I have seen so many car enthusiasts obsess over synthetics on their "special" vehicle only, always spending big $$$$ on anything they put on/in the vehicle, only to realize that these people are also constantly trading in and out of different cars and never really keep a car long enough to get any kind of cost-benefit from it.

I think for those of us who have a track record of keeping a vehicle for a very long time, keep that vehicle in excellent condition, avoid aftermarket and/or cheap parts (some aftermarket is very good, do your research) keep on top of all other little issues and have a vehicle that is generally overall durable enough, synthetic is OK to splurge on.

Personally, I know I keep a truck for 100K miles and my sporty cars for about 3-5 years then I move on to a different vehicle. I kind of fall between the typical "keeps it forever person" and the "should be leasing person" so I just use dino oil UNLESS the engine specifically requires synthetic.