I know this probably has been discussed, but after searching for a while, I couldn't come up with anything specific.

Recently I purchased an 05 F350 5.4 with 212k on it. Love the truck and even though it has high miles, I hope it'll last for another 100k, like my friend's did. It has a bit of a tick, not sure if it's the lifter, but it sounds like a mild diesel. I also know that cam phasers were dependent on oil quality etc.

So with that in mind and given the high miles, I'm seeking expertise on which oil to use in order to prolong the life of this motor:
-Stay with 5-20, or 5-30 or 10-30?
-Conventional, or would switching to synthetic help still (heard that not recommended to switch to synthetic in higher mileage motors, but if it helps the camp phasers, lubrication, maybe worth it?)
-Motorcraft of some other brand;
-Any additives such as mystery oil worth it?
-Also didn't get a manual, so not sure how many quarts are recommended, 6? 7?

Any other advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance - Konrad

 

the tick sound is very common. FORD put out a document to service centers instructing them to use 10W40 in motors in which customers complained about the tick.

there are mods to the washers within the phasors which basically use washers with smaller holes with the goal of increasing oil back pressure.

then there are new phasors.

or you can put your radio up louder, change your mufflers so that they are louder than the tick, etc.

sometimes its not the phasors and actually leaking manifolds due to cracked stud bolts...another common problem.

 

I have a little over 100k on my 08. I am in Texas and with the hot weather I have run 10-30 in the summer. I use Marvel mystery oil in my fuel, keeps the fuel system clean and lubricates a little. Never tried it in the oil, I have a friend that swears by it though. Good luck with your truck!

 

Thank you both for chiming in.

Seems like a big jump from 5w20 to 10w40. Can it hurt the engine in any way by switching to such higher weight and viscosity? Maybe switching to 10w30 would be more gradual and still help the tick and the motor itself last longer? The noise itself doesn't bother me too much, just want to make sure the motor lasts. On a side note, I've been reading people putting 15w40 in as well and swearing by it. Not sure which way to go.

The washers sound like a good idea too, but I'll have to talk to my buddy as that may be a little out of my league to work on the phasors.

shot93 - my friend also swears by that stuff, although I've never used it. May be worth a shot.

What do you guys recommend for oil brand? Seems like many like Motorcraft around here or Valvoline Max Life for high mileage with more cleaning power? Conventional? Blend? Synthetic?

 

145k on my 2V V10 and have been using Motorcraft 5w20 for the last 20k. Motorcraft filters as well. Cheapest place is Walmart. Also Motorcraft oil is a synthetic blend which is recommended for most newer engines.

 

All Motorcraft is synthetic blend? I just check Walmart and you're right, definitely the cheapest - thank you!

 

150K on my 5.4, I use motorcraft 5w20 and Motorcraft filter. No leaks or oil burning off. No idea what was used by previous owner howerver.

On my work truck, 01 ranger with 3.0, I had been using MC oil and filter. Last change used maxlife 5w20 and the motor is a lot quieter now, less rattles etc. Will see if it slows down the loss of oil. Checked oil again today, its been 3 months since it was changed, and it was still at the full mark, so there is a chance it slowed it down.

 

The stuff I have been using and seen is.

Not sure if they have a dino Motorcraft oil.

 

I would do an oil change using the Motorcraft filter and 5w20 oil and see if that helps the tick. Both the filter and oil are sold at Wallyworld for a great price. If you still have the tick after the oil change, I would go with a higher viscosity at the next oil change as mentioned by speakerfritz.

 

the 10W40 spec came from a ford Sb/TB. The obvious draw back would be cold weather starting.......and becuase of that....I tried instead Mobil 1 Disel 5W40 with the thought that cold weather starts would be fine and the W40 would help the tick. my findings are that the tone of the tick changed in that it was a dull tick ...but fundamentally the tick was still there.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking, except maybe just increasing warmed up viscosity to 30, so from 5w20 to 5w30 and I'd still have the same cold start-up protection to keep the upper half protected.
Again, my main concern is to prolong the life of the 212k engine, rather than the noise itself. I'm sure heavier would be better protection for the worn out parts, but I'm a bit worried about the small tolerances these motors have.
I think either 5w30 or 10w30 would be a happy medium. The only bad part is, I don't think Motorcraft makes 10w30, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

go to 15w-40, the tick will go down alot vs 5w-20, i run 15w40 in all my trucks i own

 

Try 5-20W first, if there is a small amount of oil lost between oil change interval then stay with it. If there is a significant amount oil lost between oil change interval then try 10-30W first, if oil lost is reduced a little, then try 10-40W; this is for summer. Switch to 5-30W or 5-40W for winter.
As far as oil brand goes, there is very little difference between the mineral base brands but synthetic oil is a different story. I used to work for a refinery, we supply oils for over 30 different popular brands worldwide in both mineral and synthetic oils, in accordance to customer specs which I found very much alike. Big name oil companies do the same, we buy from each other to save the transportation cost. So just find a brand that meet your truck spec and your pocket, then stay with it.
At 212K, if the previous owner used synthetic, then you should stay with synthetic. If he used mineral, then you should stay with mineral. Send the old oil out for testing to determine the oil type. I'd not switch oil type at this stage, it might do more harm than good.

 

Ford 5W-20 is an excellent oil backed up by many favorable UOAs.

If you can't stand the "noise" (common with this engine and 5W-20) go with a 10W-30 synthetic.