How many miles should I wait to switch to a synthetic oil? I waited 10K on my Taurus. Should I do the same with the new f150 or can I switch after break-in?

Thanks,

 

I'd say around 1000 miles (break-in time).
And do not let the service dept's say you void your warranty...that's BS.

 

I believe that our 04 150's came with a synthetic blend oil and that's the standard. Don't see any reason why you could not upgrade any time that you want.
The blend is cheaper than full synth. and may be the minimum that you can safely (warranty wise) use.
This oil is the "Premium" oil. Ford also sells a "Super Premium" oil that is also ok for the truck. I read in the factory book or a brochure somewhere that Super Premium was a full synthetic.

I am considering the same thing that you are thinking. I do an awful lot of short trips that never warm up the engine-take kid to school, drive to work in a small town, etc.
A couple of bucks every 3k miles is a lot cheaper than any engine problem.
No interest on the payment plan for oil every now and then, either!

This is the first time that I have had anything other than regular oil (good) in a vehicle. Is there a noticeable difference? Or, does it just move Ford to a better CAFE number by 0.2 mpg?

jimmyj
04 F150 SCab XLT 5.4L in Dark Shadow Gray

 

Well, my thought on the switch is sooner than later. I waited 10K on my Taurus because it was a 96. At the time the common knowledge was that the mileage was needed to properly seat rings or so I understood. Keep in mind that this was researched information, not first hand. I don’t know much about engines. I can say that the Taurus engine still runs great at 108K and I attribute that in part to the synthetic oil (Mobile 1). All the information I’m digging up now points to tighter engine tolerances and the common thought is switch as soon as possible.
I think that’s the way I plan to go. At this point I have about 1,300 miles on it and I plan to dump it a 2K and go with a full synth. I did push out the changes to 5k with the Taurus because of the break down characteristics of the synth. I was a little concerned about suspended particulates but it didn’t seem to be an issue with the old car so I’ll probably do the same with the truck. A by product of the longer interval between oil changes was that over the life of the Taurus, oil replacement cost was about the same as if I did the 3K thing.

Thoughts?

 

I have synthetic in my '95 F250 (5.8L) and it started all winter on the original battery. It only has 56K miles on it and sometimes goes weeks between running and that's hard on a battery. It cranks slower in cold weather than it used to, but it started every time including mornings when the temps got close to zero.

Synthetic is supposed to help cold starting and I'm a believer. I'll probably have to get a new battery next year if I don't exchange it for something newer like a BLAZING YELLOW FX4 SCREW Sorry. I get carried away. But I figure that 9 years on the factory battery is money in the bank and I think that running synthetic helped.

hank

 

Never thought about that. I got just under 7 years out of the factory battery in the Taurus. Interesting.

 

Ok I have another question on this. The manual for the truck says that the replacement oil should have a viscosity of 5w-20. I’d like to use Mobil 1 but they don’t produce a 5w-20.
One manufacturer says that 0w-30 can be substituted for 5w-20 and it’s approved by Ford. Mobile does produce this viscosity. Does anybody know if this information is correct and what are your thoughts on making the change? Thanks.

 

There are really two questions here. First, what is the manufacturer's recommendation? Second, what is best (or at least 'good enough' for the engine.)

If you want warranty coverage, you probably need to stick with Ford's recommendations. (That's a general recommendation. I don't actually have knowledge of Ford denying warranty claims due to use of oil outside of the recommended range.)

But recognize that the vehicle manufacturer uses what will best meet their goals. These include things beyond engine protection. One is minimize cost. Another is maximize fuel mileage.

Which question was the dealer answering?

I'm not familiar with what Ford recommends for your vehicle, but usually there are a range of acceptable viscosities recommended that will depend on typical operating temperature. Is that no longer the case?

And lastly, a lot of people run off spec oil in their vehicles without any apparent problems. Lubricants today - particularly synthetics - are so much better that they were a few years ago that I can hardly imagine problems from going a bit out of spec on the viscosity. But of course, if you do that and you do encounter problems, you could wind up without warranty coverage.

HTH,
hank

 

Mobile 1 recommends their 0W20 for the Fords (and Hondas) that require 5W20. That I think would be your best bet.

 

I’ve got an email in to Ford on this as well. I’ll let you know what they say.

 

ralupien- You can change over to synthetic 0-w-30 by Amsoil product code (TSO) this will meet and exceed any manufacturers specs, plus run a 1 year or 35K mile oil drain with no worry of loosing engine protection in the long drain, change filter at 6 months or 12,500 miles, replace oil you loose when changing the filter. I have a 1993 f-150 302 with 125k and use about 1/4 quart in 6 months, this oil is tough. Thanks and good luck

 

Well just my two cents,but I done alot of research on this very subject,and while I was considering Mobil1 I compared the spec sheets on several oils,and I came to the conclusion Mobil1 was not the best for me. Amsoil is pretty hard to beat by looking at specs,but if your like me money was a slight issue,also the availibility of the oils where I live became a issue,I chose castrol syn. blend 5w-20,Now Im not saying not to run what you want,maybe If you have some spare time you can look over some spec's ,then make up your own mind about your oil. Buy the way I ran 3000 miles before I drained.

 

What specs did you compare and what was it that you didn't like about the Mobil 1? I'm interested because I'm using Mobil 1 in several vehicles including my F250.

thanks,
hank

 

TNford27 / ralupien- You can get Amsoil products at amsoil.com also get a free catalog sent to you use customer ID #383302. The universal ATF fluid is outstandng also along with the lifetime foam air filters, increase air flow without loosing protection. Give them a try. Thanks

 

HankB, you can get the spec sheet's from most manufacters on their oil,such as vis. level,tbn,flashpoint,and other thing's that pretain to motor oil. See Mobil1 is no longer a pure syn. as it use to be,it's pretty much the same as the other brands except for amsoil. Now Im not saying to or not to buy amsoil,Im just saying you can get as good of oil for a cheaper price than Mobil1. Go to a amsoil site and compare their spec's for other oils,that's what I did,and you will see that castrol syn. or thr blend is actually pretty good.