The 4.6L in my 2004 Expy will go 5K between the months of say September and may and never burn any. But in the hottest part of the summer under normal operation she may use half a quart in 3000 miles.

I think I would maintain a 3K to 5K dump cycle and make up what ever is burned / lost during that time frame.

 

^^^^ X2 And the Phasers have to get oil via the VTC Solenoids and other small oil passage ways to effectively adjust valve timing quickly in response to engine load changes. Have you seen those 'itty bitty' holes in the VCT Solenoid screens?

 

No, I'm saying that the API certification includes volatility testing so you don't have to consider it for normal use of engines in good condition. This testing is valid, of course, but the consumer doesn't have to worry about it. In today's engines, if you see more than 1/2 quart loss between 5000 mile changes, there is a mechanical problem. I cited my own experience in many new cars over many years because I do not believe that experience could possibly be just good luck.

 

I'm seeing a lot of mentioning to drop the synthetic oil. Please correct me if i am wrong, but doesn't the 5.4L call for at least a semi-synthetic oil?

 

No, it calls for an oil meeting a certain Ford specification. If you look on the back of the jugs just about any modern (SN rated) "conventional" oil will meet that spec. The Motorcraft just happens to be labeled synthetic blend. Conventional, synthetic and synthetic blend are mainly marketing terms in North America. To read enough on this subject to make you head explode you can check out bobistheoilguy.com

 

I guess we're on opposite ends of those experiences then. Most of my vehicles have used oil and I've been able to reduce it by switching brands at times. Reduce not completely eliminate. There are many variables in those situations possibly different driving habits over an OCI, different viscosity between brands in the same labeled weight, an additive package that possibly swelled valve seals and of course NOACK. The NOACK being the one that is actually documented would be my first try to reduce a consumption issue.
The max allowable to pass SN standards is 15%. In results of a test PQIA performed Motorcraft skated by at 15.2%, Valvoline NextGen failed at 18.4% and Pennzoil led the pack with 6.5%. Keep in mind no one standard should be considered the end all be all test for an oil and any (legitimately) SN rated oil is a very good product.CONSOLIDATED DATA ON 5W-20s EXAM

 

I started using Mobil 1 back in 1995 when I bought my second T-bird. The first oil change was with the full syn. I would change the filter at 6K miles and change the oil and filter at 12K miles. I did this with my '95 T-bird, my '99 Taurus and my '04 expy until it reached 80K miles.

Then my wife's driving changed drastically and she only drove the Expy about 7K miles per year. I switched back to MC syn blend and now I dump every 5K as per the owner's guide.

My 2010 focus has only had MC syn blend as it's driven less than 8K per year and I've never had anything but MC oil in my 2011 truck.

I've had the same service from both and quite frankly I couldn't tell any difference between running one of the other.

 

96 Cavalier 2.2 owned 40-80k miles no noticeable consumption on Trop Arctic 5w30
87 K1500 5.0 60-70k 1 qt during 3k with Valvoline 10w40
89 K1500 5.7 180-190k 1 qt during 3k with Valvoline 10w30
98 F150 4.6 20-70k no noticeable consumption Napa, Valvoline, motorcraft 5w30
97 Sierra 5.7 no consumption 3k intervals GTX 10w30
99 k1500 5.7 90-170k 1 qt valvoline 10w30 and valvoline maxlife 5w30 2 qts Motorcraft 5w30
04 F150 5.4 90-170k 2 qts per 5k on Motorcraft 5w20 1 qt per 5k on Pennzoil 5w20
02 zx2 2.0 80k-170k no consumption on Motorcraft up to 5k Pennzoil up to 7500 and Pennzoil ultra up to 10k.
Those are just the vehicles I remember the specifics on. None of these were just one time use of that particular oil except for the 10k run on PU in the zx2. Just the experiences of someone who drives a lot and experiments with a few different oils. Too many variables to be scientific but my experience has shown over and over IF a vehicle does consume oil it has used more with Motorcraft. It's likely that all my GM vehicles consumption were due to the awesome valve stem seal designs of those engines.

 

My early suggestion was to drop Mobil 1 full synthetic, not synthetics in general. Other full syns like Valvoline MaxLife would be fine but I have had excellent luck with MaxLife syn blend which is what I recommended the OP try.

The line between good syn blends and full syns is pretty vague these days; the guy with the million mile van got 1,299,000 miles out of a '97 5.4 using regular Valvoline, and not changing that often in terms of miles (but his driving was straightforward highway miles).

George

 

Its a funny thing but for some reason I seem to have had better results with a syn-blend than full syn. I have used Royal Purple and Mobil 1 full syn. By 'better results' I mean less engine mechanical noise on start-up and just better-looking oil for longer. Motorcraft Syn-Blend is my favorite oil now. I had tried it before getting the truck in a Saturn VUE 3.0L V6 that tended to rattle on start-up - instant fix.
Now this is really funny - I like the way it feels. This is the slickest oil I have used - not just when new but when draining too. And its impossible to get oil spots from it out of asphalt. I don't know what's in it but it sure works. If they made a 0W-20 I would use it in the new Honda Odyssey.

 

Hey Saxman:
I have actually seen a listing for 0W20 Motorcraft Syn Blend oil for use in Ford's hybrid vehicles (Cmax and Fusion?) but it's likely gonna be hard to find.

But another piece of info I recall reading is that Honda branded oil in the US is now made by Conoco-Phillips, same as Motorcraft, and virgin oil analyses have found that Honda and Motorcraft oils are virtually identical in full syn and syn blend varieties. (Honda oil before 2011 was Mobil Clean 5000.)

That said, my wife's '07 Civic gets changes at the dealer and just like my Subaru dealer, they use Valvoline 5W20. However, I don't know what the Honda dealer would use for 0W20--do they spec full syn? So if you find 0W20 in either Motorcraft or Honda brand names, it may well end up being the same oil. Alternatively you might be able to find Conoco Phillips oils as well--although I don't know how available that brand might be. If your Honda dealer uses Honda brand oil for your Odyssey, you will probably get Conoco Phillips.

As I may have said in this thread, I used full syn in my van for 30k miles (Quaker State and Pennzoil Platinum) and used Motorcraft before and after that, and the Motorcraft always "felt" slippery, started well in the winter, etc. And it oddly always has looked quite clean on the dipstick.

I have not read anything bad about Motorcraft oils in recent years on any forum. Good stuff.

George

 

Thanks - that's great info and good to know. Strangely I have not been able to determine exactly what the Honda oil is. The Owner's Manual just says 'Honda premium 0W-20 oil' without listing the API standard or type (full syn, blend). Nobody on the Honda forum really knows and the service dep't will use blend or full as you wish. I've never seen such an incomplete recommendation before. I will need to figure it out probably by late July as that will most likely be the time of the first change. At this point I'm leaning toward the full-syn. The 'Variable Cylinder Control' VTEC engine has had trouble with excessive oil fouling in the controlled cylinders, requiring repair. It is thought that this has been rectified with a revised oil control ring but going in knowing this, I will err on the side of 'overkill'. Besides, the vehicle is exceptionally 'sweet' and I want to keep it that way. I don't get to drive it much but 'she' keeps it going all the time. When I do get the seat, I really enjoy it. In two weeks I'll drive it on its first trip of over 50 miles and I'll be able to lead-foot it on some on-ramps.

 

Ask your Honda dealer what oil they use. As I said, our Honda dealer uses Valvoline for my wife's Civic but that is 5W20. They may use Honda (which is Conoco Phillips) or still use Valvoline for 0W20. And I know our dealer does use full syn on the newer models because they send coupons with 2 price tiers on oil changes--one for regular oil and one for full syn.

My Ford dealer used to use Valvoline in the 5W30 days (we took my wife's Sable there for changes) but made a switch to using all Motorcraft syn blend oil by the time I got my van in 2003. (I assume they will also do full syn if I pay the price.)

George

 

Probably only going to find the 0w20 Motorcraft oil at a Ford dealership. Before I left the local dealership they carried it in quarts only so it was pretty expensive. The way they priced at the time anything out of bulk was dirt cheap but quarts were not. At the time their Mercon V out of bulk was cheaper than Super Tech from WalMart.

 

I thought I had made that clear - they will use either Honda oil; syn-blend or full-syn, at your choice. Apparently syn-blend is sufficient to maintain the warranty.