Why does everybody trash 5w20 oil? I use it in my 5.4 liter engine as specified by Ford, but the motor also ticks a lot. Would a different oil help here?

 

A number of things can cause an enine tic, so tell us a Lot more about the internal condition of the engine. If its sludged, or varnished up, miles on it, kind of drive cycle it typically sees, how often it gets its oil & filter changed, oil filter & oil brand thats been used, have you done any used oil analisis, did the tic come about suddenly after some event, or slowly over time, are some of the questions that come to mind, that would be helpful to know, in order for the forum to make some informed suggestions on things to try.

 

Thank you for the reply.
the truck is a 2004 ford SD F250. 2v 5.4 liter with 106,000. the tick has been prevalent in the engine for at least the last 40,000 miles. oil is motorcraft full synthetic, with motorcraft filter. oil change interval has been about 5,000 miles since new.
Matt

 

Ok, with using the Motorcraft syn oil & Motorcraft oil filter on a 5k oci & 100k miles on the engine now, if its been running right, the engine shouldn't be sludged up, nor should the oil or filter be causing the tic. SO, maybe you have a fuel dilution problem from an injector/s with a runny nose, or a lot of short trip drive cycles.

You didn't say if you've had an oil analisis done, so we don't know if fuel dilution has been, or is a problem, so maybe give the dipstick a sniff & tell us if it reeks/smells strongly of fuel???? Did your drive cycle change 40K miles ago????

 

Your 5.4l 2V engine used to spec 5w-30 a couple years before your truck was built. Nothing was changed with the engine design. Fords switch in spec to 5w20 was mpg, emissions and dealer stock related. Not necessarily what is best for the engine. My 04' 6.8l specs 5w20 which I ran until the warrenty was up. After the warrenty expired I went to 5w30. Just a decision I made.

The "tick" could not even be oil related. You could have a loose spark plug, leak at the exhaust manifold(s), fuel injector tick and etc.

 

Thank you for the replies
I would say if anything, the vehicle is most guilty of a lot of short trip run cycles. though I will check the plugs. I am definitely out of warranty,should I change the weight of my oil to something better than 5w 20?

 

The short trips may have mucked things up in the engine, so maybe consider a high mileage oil, change the PCV valve & take this puppy on a lengthly road trip for it to begin cleaning things up.

Nothing wrong with a quality 5W-20, if its specified for an engine. There are some really good quality 5W-20 oils available to try & according to a PQIA VOA, Pennzoil 5w-20 SN Yellow Bottle, has a really low 6.5% NOACK % evaporation, which is lower by a good bit than many synthetics. It apparently has a dose of Shells GTL base oil & a good dose of boron & moly, along with a very good detergent ad pack, so should be able to get in & do a good clean up & lube job on an engine, with low consumption & with its level of boron & moly, quiet it down some too!!!! CONSOLIDATED DATA ON 5W-20s EXAM So if your of a mind to stay with a regular 5W-20, that recipe would be a worthy one for your try list.

I'd stick with the specified Motorcraft oil filter.

We don't yet know for sure if the PYB 5W-30 is also making use of the GTL base oil in its recipe, so that its NOACK would be nice & low too, but it also has a good detergent ad pack, along with a healthy dose of boron & moly that should tidy up & lube an engine to quiet it down.

Most high mileage oils have a thicker base oil that are toward the upper end of a viscosity range & they also have a more robust detergent ad pack, like Valvolene Max Life Semi-Syn Red Bottle, thats also Dexos-1 certified, along with energy conserving, so you could sorta get two things in one dose with it. Try a higher viscosity that has extra detergents, seal swell ads, thats a energy conserving semi-syn, with the Dexos cert, with lower than adverage Noack % evaporation, so consumption during the oci should be low, but not as low a the PYB 5W-20.

So, right now no need to jump into a thicker oil, unless you want to, then there are some nice 5W-30 recipies mentioned, that are worthy of consideration.

Some thoughts for consideration, let us know what you decide on & how it goes.

 

I do not have an answer to the tic problem, but want to relate my oil usage. I have a 99 V10 (6.8L) F350 DRW, 4X4, with 375K miles in it. When I purchased it, Ford recommended the 5W30, but a couple of years later they began recommending 5W20 in the same engine. I switched also. I use non-synthetic oil, no particular brand, change it every 3,000 mi, and the only tic i ever hear is when I start it in very cold weather. The engine has never been opened up for any reason, I do not need to add any oil between changes, unless I pull my 35' 5r on a long trip. Doing that I will use a qt. in a 1000 mi. Hope you find the tic problem.

Marvin

 

These motors are known for ticking. Just a normal thing. As long as it's not a knock it's fine. Sometimes the exhaust manifolds leak and make a tick too.thats part of my tick. If you can rule everything else out it's probably just the normal little tick. Nothing to worry about. Thicker oil won't really help . I run 15w40 in my 5.4 and it still ticks I just learned by listening to the 5.4s at work that it's just a 5.4 thing. Just run what oil you like and have had good luck with. I run 15w40 or 5w40. Nothing wrong with your 5w20.

 

Check manifold studs and plugs.
Run MC 5W-30 from Walmart.
It is a 5.4L thing to a point.