I am about due for an oil change and was thinking about switching to synthetic oil. I had a friend that ran it in an old crown Vic with a 5.0 and what he would do would to change the oil then around 4000 miles he would change the filter and top it off. My reasoning behind changing is I spend almost $35 per oil change even with specials because with mine being a 5.8 4x4 it takes 6 quarts usually and I'm not sure if it was a previous owner or part of the off road package but with 6 quarts I barely touch the dipstick. It has the deep oil pan and takes almost 8 quarts to be full I burn around half a quart or so between changes so it would take around 2 quarts to fill it back up after the filter change. Synthetic oil change specials usually run around $25-30 so in the long run I would save some money but I didn't know if it would hurt anything in the truck since they were built before synthetic oil came out

 

what weight are you running?

 

I run 10w-30 I burned a little more than a quart on 5w-30 so i went to something a little thicker

 

they say its to thick but i always ran 15w40 diesel oil in my trucks that burned oil on 10w30. The problem with synthetic for burning oil is you tend to foul plugs. But oil is kind of taboo around here. Wait a few I am sure you will get a ear full

 

First, read the fine print on the oil change prices...many will only give you 5 qts. for the stated price.

Some people report leaky seals when switching an older motor to synthetic. Otherwise, it will be fine for your truck.

If only cost is driving you to this, just change your own oil and use dino. I have worked the numbers several times, and doing it myself with dino oil always is the cheapest alternative.

BTW, I would only change the oil as frequently as indicated by Ford in your owner's manual.

Roy

 

Yea I know the oil change specials are only 5 quarts. I come up with 35 because they are around 20 and I buy 3 more quarts at about 5 each. And that is doing the change myself. I don't trust having about any service or repair done after I got back from an oil change with no oil in the car. So my figuring is I can get two oil changes for 60 instead of 70 if I swap to synthetic it's just buying them at the same time.

 

Well, if you are going synthetic, take a look at this. I like articles based on real data and not just what worked for someone's Dad.

http://www.animegame.com/cars/Oil%20Tests.pdf

 

I myself have always had good luck with semi synthetic on my 302 with no major leaks other than a valve cover gasket but that one has been like that for a long time now. Only thing stopping me from fixing it is the upper intake in the way and cold weather at this point. It manly just depends on how much carbon build up is in the engine and how many leaks that carbon is stopping up as synthetic oils tend to do a much better job of cleaning an engine than conventional oil.

 

The fact that they do clean a lot better was another reason for switching. With only 98k on the engine I don't think I should have too much trouble with pulling out deposits that are holding it together lol. That article was a very interesting read. I expected Castrol to do better with as good as people say their conventional oil is. If i do swap it will probably be for a blend not a full synthetic. I can't justify the money for it as it usually isn't put on the oil change specials near as much as the blends do or the fact that they are so much more expensive

 

I know what you mean, I get semi synthetic cam2 oil by the case from work whenever I need some oil as its only 35 dollars for a box of 12 quarts of oil and that more than justify the oil being used in my truck, otherwise I'd just use the cheap conventional Autozone brand oil as I've had good luck with it. yeah 98K unless its been negleted for a very long time it shouldn't do it any harm to run synthetic.

 

Alright, I'm no oil expert, but I really have to question a few things about this article:

1) What is the deal with the "formula" they use to calculate the load bearing capability of the oil? As written in article: (Loading weight in lbs +1) x 32,858 divided by Scar Length in MM -- what?? First of all, why are they adding 1 pound to the load weight? Second, WHERE does 32,858 come from? Third, HOW are they getting PSI from that??? Even assuming the 32,858 is a conversion factor to a metric unit, the result doesn't yield PSI b/c it's still in metric units, which isn't measured in Pounds Per Square Inch. Unless, somewhere along the way, they're converting back to standard measure, which they don't specify how.

2) I don't see how the mechanical application of this test has any real implications for an engine. Again, I'm not an expert, but their own word for the test platform is "bearing." Can anyone think of a part of an engine in which a bearing is cross-faced (for lack of a better term) with the surface it's intended to mate with?

I'm not saying there isn't any useful information to be gained from the testing, but I can't just accept that article without these questions being answered. To me it's a red flag when they take the time to explain the origin of the machine they're using and say absolutely nothing about the formula they chose other than "This is the formula we used".

I'm happy to receive an explanation, if anyone can provide it to me...

 

I worked for a farmer in 06 that ran 15w40 in his new Chevy 6.0 and far as I know that's what's he is still using.
Ran the cheapest 10w30 I could find in my 94 351 and when I sold it at almost 190,000 miles it was only using 3/4 of a quart by the time I changed oil (3,500 - 4,000mi).

 

I burn around a half a quart of 10w30 which according to a ford mechanic I know is perfectly acceptable. They say a ford oil pump won't pick up anything thicker but unless donaldderby had an IDI he proves that wrong. Haven't pulled the trigger on the change yet but if I do I will probably swap the wife's car over too

 

Hello and good morning.

I use Castrol GTX Semi-Synthetic which is formulated for higher mileage vehicles. It is not a full Synthetic so you are not paying as much. It goes on sale frequently so I buy (2) 5 quart containers as my 5.0L uses 6 quarts as well.

I change my oil around 2,500 to 3.000 miles. Even though the dipstick may have an amber color this is not the oil that is in the oil pan. When I drain the oil it is a black color so what you may think is "clean" oil is not.

As we all know oil is the "life blood" of an engine as well as keeping the engine in tune.

Take a look at the Castrol next time you are at the parts store.

Just food for thought.

Take care.

Boon

 

I used to use Castrol GTX conventional all the time when I had a ranger that only took 4 quarts and Autozone would do their case sales every few months. I would buy a case and 3 filters and be good for 6 months. But that was also when I could buy all that for 20 bucks or so. Lately I have just been going with what ever is on sale for the cheapest price which I have been told it is bad to do as different oil additives used in different brands can cause adverse effects on the engine when the get mixed together. I never cross brands during the oil change but I haven't put the same brand back in it for a long while