I have 1972 f100 with a 360fe and was wondering how often I should change the oil. I am currently running Shell Rotella 10-30 in it bc of the antiwear additives in diesel oil. I last changed it about 5 months ago but I just recently started driving about 2 weeks ago. It had been run before but wasn't licensed so it wasn't driven regularly. Now, my buddy told me that since it has been exposed to heat that the oil still breaks down and separates from the detergent when sitting for 5 months and that I should still change it even though I haven't put many miles on it. What do you all think? It's gonna be nice tomorrow so that's when I was gonna do it.. any thoughts?

 

I wouldn't change it....

 

Never heard of oil breaking down because of sitting... But an engine that isint run long enough for the oil in it to get hot enough to burn off the gas and water can and will damage bearings..and other components...

Can't hurt to be on the safe side...Change it..

 

Also, I have two dipsticks. One in the rear goes to the pan and there is one just in front of it that appears to go to the block by the filter. I assume it must be a different pan? Which one should I use to read it? The front one that goes to the block usually doesn't register but then again it is short and I don't know if it's the right one. How long should the stock dipstick be?

 

Also, I have two dipsticks. One in the rear goes to the pan and there is one just in front of it that appears to go to the block by the filter. I assume it must be a different pan? Which one should I use to read it? The front one that goes to the block usually doesn't register but then again it is short and I don't know if it's the right one. How long should the stock dipstick be?

 

Sounds weird to me to have two dip sticks. Normally I wouldn't change the oil for at least another month of use, but since you don't know which dip stick to use, change it out and put the correct amount of oil and then you will know where the oil mark is on your dipsticks.

 

Good point. That way I can make sure I have the right amount in. I'd hate to be running it low. I think it may be a little low right now but I'm not really sure.

 

Ford say every 6 months or 6000 miles, under normal type of driving. But for driving and putting the engine under harder working conditions like towing then 3 month 3000 miles.

Two pans two dip sticks. Rear dip stick Sounds like the one for the tranny. Will have Reddish's looking oil.

I'd go by the front block dip stick.360/390 dip stick is located on driver side by the oil filter mount bracket.

Unless the engine has a 6qt 4x4 pan where as the dip stick is centered mid way in the pan on the drivers side. These 4x4 pans have the rear pick up sump, not like the standard 5qt 360/390 pans with front sumps.
Orich

 

Yeah it goes to the oil pan. The transmission is a manual np435 so it has no dipstick.

 

Oil, itself, never breaks down. Never will. In multi- viscosity oils (like 10W30) the Polymers which change and improve the viscosity do break down. We change single oils (like 30W) because they get dirty. As far as the detergents are concerned, so what? Back when our Bumps were new there was no detergent oil. Nice to have, but hasn't been around forever.

 

So it must have a 4x4 pan with rear sump pan then.
&
If this is so then go by the middle pans dip stick oil levels

The front dip stick is to long an will curve from hitting the bottom.
and give a faults level reading.

The dip stick mounting base seems to always end up leaking around the tube areas..

Orich

 

Oil is not like milk--it doesn't go bad over time. In these days of trying to conserve our natural resources it seems like a silly thing to drain out clean oil and replace it with new oil. I have always ran Rotella in my dentsides, bumpsides, lawn mowers, & heavy machinery. I usually change oil based more on the color of the oil than on the mileage. If it is getting black, the oil and filter get changed, even if it only has 1500 miles on it. As these engines get higher miles on them the oil seems to get dirty fairly quickly so it doesn't make sense to religiously follow the recommended 3000/6000 mile oil change interval. I have never blown an engine--most of mine have over 250000 miles on them and have never been torn down. I also have several diesel engines with 10000-12000 hours on them.

It seems that with today's modern engines, the oil stays cleaner for a really long time, much longer than my old Fords. A long oil change interval definitely makes sense.

 

This is from the Car Guy on the net.


Motor Oil: Broken or Worn Out?
.

Piston in Cylinder ECU You have never been told that your car’s motor oil is broken, yet you’re always being told to change it — why?

It’s not news to hear that motor oil is the “life blood” of your car’s engine. No one disputes that point. The area where I observe the most confusion is the when and why of changing motor oil. Today I want to address one of the most typically asked questions so that you can make your own informed decision on the topic of oil changes.

The function of motor oil is really pretty simple. I’ll never forget the way my Granada Hills High School auto shop teacher, Mr. Mills, explained it for our final test preparation, “The four jobs of motor oil are to clean, cool, seal and lubricate.” Funny, I thought that oil was just to lubricate. That’s where this topic gets a bit more complicated.

Now, if you want the short version of the WHEN of today’s topic, here’s the answer: The perennial oil and filter change interval recommendation that you keep hearing of “every 3,000 miles” is almost correct — it depends.

The engineering facts point to many cars going well past 5,000 to 7,000 miles between oil changes for today’s “21st Century” machines. Yet, If you’re passionate about your wheels and the protection of your engine’s internal metals, friction surfaces and keeping the engine’s inside surfaces in immaculate condition, a 3,000-mile oil change remains a choice for many car buffs, collectors — and certainly owners of older hopped-up drivers or race engines (or, truly “heavy-duty” driving conditions, such as dusty conditions, vehicles with intense stop-and-go driving — and particularly in older [pre-1990] vehicles. Yet, the reality that most recognize today is that this “3,000-mile” oil-change interval is too early for the majority of newer cars and trucks.

Certainly, the improved engine design and efficiencies, increased protection from advanced new oil formulations and progression toward full synthetics has transformed motor oil to longer life. Today, the majority of newer-car factory recommendations are for oil-change intervals of often as much as 7,500 miles, or more.

What no one can dispute is that traveling as few as 3,000 or 4,000 miles earlier model cars and trucks between oil changes can help keep on the “good” side when it comes to auto maintenance. The irony is that since oil doesn’t signal its failure by suddenly breaking, some motorists will drive up to as far as 8,000 to 10000 miles before changing the oil because nothing seems to be going wrong. That can be an expensive decision, unless you’ve confirmed that your vehicle manufacture suggests lengthier intervals for a particular model and engine.

If you want the foundation for that answer so that you can agree with the proposal of changing motor oil on the earlier side of the mileage intervals for yourself, please read on.

Q: HOW DOES MOTOR OIL ACTUALLY “WEAR OUT?”

A: It is sometimes difficult to perceive the wear that motor oil undergoes during the thousands of miles that we travel between changes. Yet, when you take a closer look at the composition of motor oil it becomes more apparent.

In its essential form, motor oil is a significantly refined and enhanced form of petroleum. Translating the word petroleum back to its roots in Latin reveals that “petra” means rock, and “oleum” means oil. So, we are really only talking about rock oil here. Think about it, “rock oil” insulating and protecting vital metal surfaces in your engine from scuffing and wear as you travel on that open stretch of highway.

Consider the fact that even if oil refineries removed all of the abrasive particles, acids, water and other contaminants from the original crude oil, in its basic form the substance would develop into sludge and lose a significant portion of its lubricating qualities after only several hundred miles of typical commuter driving.

Your own car’s motor oil actually gets dirty after you drive several hundred miles. Here’s what makes it possible for you to enjoy driving as much as 3,000, 3,500 or perhaps as much as 4,000 miles before the oil in your particular engine starts to turn back to “rock oil” again: Those smart motor oil chemists developed unique oil-booster products that help extend the life and enhance the performance of petroleum. These oil-booster products are called “additives.”

After conducting an extensive filtering process to make oil clean enough to flow between the tight clearances of mechanical parts in today’s precision engines, motor oil companies blend in the various additives into the motor oil to enhance its longevity, lubricating qualities and durability. The following are just a sampling of the additives that are blended into today’s premium motor oils:

o DETERGENTS: Help clean engine mechanical parts and surfaces to prevent buildup of sludge, varnish, as well as neutralize harmful acids.

o DISPERSANT ADDITIVES: A good analogy to help explain dispersant additives is a comparison with your laundry: If you put stain remover on one piece of clothing, you don’t want it to simply wash onto another piece of clothing — you want it to remain suspended and drained out with the detergent! So, in you car’s motor oil “dispersant” additives help keep contaminants, such as sludge or acids from bonding together and depositing (staining) on metal surfaces. (They disperse/suspend bad stuff until your next oil change.)

o VISCOSITY ADDITIVES: ”Viscosity” refers to the flow rate or thickness of the oil, and is the term that is also sometimes called the “weight” of motor oil. The viscosity additives help stabilize and maintain the optimum thickness of oil over a broader range of temperatures than the natural petroleum base stock would otherwise deliver.

o ANTI-SCUFF/FRICTION MODIFIERS: These commonly synthetic and chemical oil boosters help strengthen oil’s lubrication and protective film qualities. Anti-scuff additives are particularly important in helping prevent the breakdown of motor oil during hot driving.

o CORROSION INHIBITORS: Anti-corrosion additives help prevent rust and other chemical reactions from water condensation and acids on iron, aluminum and steel surfaces throughout the engine.

__________________________

In its essential form, motor oil is a significantly refined and enhanced form of petroleum. Translating the word petroleum back to its roots in Latin reveals that “petra” means rock, and “oleum” means oil. So, we are really only talking about rock oil here. Think about it, “rock oil” insulating and protecting vital metal surfaces in your engine from scuffing and wear as you travel on that open stretch of highway.

Consider the fact that even if oil refineries removed all of the abrasive particles, acids, water and other contaminants from the original crude oil, in its basic form the substance would develop into sludge and lose a significant portion of its lubricating qualities after only several hundred miles of typical commuter driving.

Your own car’s motor oil actually gets dirty after you drive several hundred miles. Here’s what makes it possible for you to enjoy driving as much as 3,000, 3,500 or perhaps as much as 4,000 miles before the oil in your particular engine starts to turn back to “rock oil” again: Those smart motor oil chemists developed unique oil-booster products that help extend the life and enhance the performance of petroleum. These oil-booster products are called “additives.”

After conducting an extensive filtering process to make oil clean enough to flow between the tight clearances of mechanical parts in today’s precision engines, motor oil companies blend in the various additives into the motor oil to enhance its longevity, lubricating qualities and durability. The following are just a sampling of the additives that are blended into today’s premium motor oils:

________________________

Those are just a few of the many elements that oil companies blend into motor oils to literally boost the endurance of the original oil product. Here’s the key point: Each of these additives only complement the lubrication properties of motor oil to help it clean, cool and seal. Yet, each one of these additives can only help oil for a limited period: “detergent” additives eventually get used up; “dispersant” additives can only disperse and contaminants for a limited time period, and so on.

Eventually, that proud and modern motor oil loses those “high tech” additives as their properties wear out. Then that motor oil once again becomes simply rock oil — and each mile you drive starts silently trimming mileage and performance from your engine.

Remember that after those precious motor oil “additives” wear out, the lubricating qualities that protect your engine begin to steadily diminish — and before you know it the liquid in your powerplant has returned to being “rock oil”.

So it's your engine life treat with love or no care.
Orich