Hi all! First of all I'd like to congratulate you for having a resource as great as this for Ford truck owners. I am new to this community and would like to thank everyone that contributes to it.

I am getting ready to buy some synthetic oil for my 2002 F150 7700 Series SCrew and I have a few questions:
I seem to have misplaced my owners manual . Can anyone tell me what kind Ford recommends?
What kind of synthetic should I get?
What is the benefit of using a blend?

This is my first foray into the world of synthetics, so please explain things like I am two years old and be gentle.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Mark

 

I would use 5w-30 mobile one synthetic. I use it in mine, even though it doesnt really mader in an 88 for f-150.
Mobile one synthetic oil is one of the better synthetics, or at least that is what I think

 

A synthetic oil lasts longer I believe mobile one is good for about 6-7000 miles.
You probably know,but 5w means in the winter the oils weight in 5. In warmer conditions the oils weight is at 30.

 

go to Fords web site and sign up under the owners tab. You will be able to view a electronic copy of your owners manual. I think your truck needs 5w20.
Dan

 

It should say on the oil cap what oil is RECOMMENDED.

 

I believe most Ford gas engines from about 2002 and on recommended 5W20 Ford Syn Blend, a very good oil I have been told. I am assuming you have a gas engine.

Since you are probably out of warranty, I would probably go with a 5W30 Mobil 1 syn, but syn is my religion. I have a superstition on any xW20 oils and avoid them, even though logically I think they are probably pretty good.

You would probably get along very well with the Ford blend, or a good dino like Rotella or Delo or I have read Chevron Supreme is excellent. I would probably go with 5W30 unless you lived where it is cold, then I would probably go to 5W20.

I usually have a negative feel for blends since my suspicion is that they have only a little syn in them and they charge almost the syn price. If you are going to pay syn prices, you might as well go with syn. The premium dino oils are very syn like in performance and are relatively cheap.

As usual, the best advice is change your oil and filter regularly and use a good quality oil that meets API and SAE spec for your engine.

Good Luck,
Jim Henderson

 

Thanks a bunch guys. I appreciate it. Your answers have left me a few new questions. My understanding is that synthetics (1) do not thicken in cold climates and (2) do not break down under hot conditions and their popularity is partly due to these facts. The other being, as 88FordF150 stated, is that they last longer. If that is the case why do they have weights such as 5w30 and 10w30 etc.? Why not use a conventional dino oil that has the same weight range? Aside from the reason that they last longer. Or is that the only benefit from using them?

 

Synthetics are more carefully "built" than the conventional mineral oils. They contain fewer waxy hydrocarbons which helps at low temps and less of the volatile compounds which helps at high temps.
Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_oil for some more info on the difference.

For most people, the dino oils are the cheapest way to go, and provide adequate protection. Synthetics ARE better, but it's up to you to decide if it's worth it for your application.

 

Thanks seventyseven! I think I'll give Mobil 1 a try. A person has to try something to know if they like or dislike it.

Thanks to everyone for their help.

Mark

 

Holster, your Triton requires an oil that meets Fords spec 153-H or better. The newest spec is 930. That means that the oil that you need to use in your engine will be a 5w-20. I have posted the criteria here as to the benefits if you want to do a search. Using it will give you maximum life out of youe engine. A synthetic such as M1 will have a PAO basestock. That is the foundation on which the oil is built. PAOs have some advantages and some disadvantages. In extreme low temps, they will flow better but not by much anymore as the blends are right there with them. If you are using a 930 oil, it will be a blend of some kind. Synthetics don't mix with the additive package so some type of binder is used to keep it from falling apart. The PAOs also don't do much for corrosion and additives are used to cure that problem. Synthetics are also poor at staying on the job. It's kinda like it is lazy. When the oil pump stops, it runs back to the pan- all of it. So there is no residual film to protect on startup. So the problem is addressed by using a tackifier to keep some of it on the job. The idea here is to inform you that synthetics are grossly over hyped. The blends will give you the lowest wear metals in analysis. They are also cheaper. If you NEED a synthetic- artic conditions, extreme heat(120F+) pulling a trailer, you might need a synthetic. And don't buy off on the statement that a synthetic will make your engine last longer. It won't. Synthetics do not have any more lubricity than the cheapest dino oil you can buy. Dino oils and the blends have made considerable progress in the last several years. Synthetics have pretty much stayed the same. Most any quality dino oil will stay with a synthetic nowadays. Check out the Viscosity Index on the M1 and then on any dino you may want to consider using. Also look at the HT/HS ratings. That would be the viscosity rating at the bearings under shear. It is directly related to engine wear, the higher- the better. In the 5w-20 oils, Redline is on top of the game at 3.3. M1 is at the absolute bottom of the acceptable scale at 2.6. Most of the standard blends will be in the 2.8- 2.9 range. For normal wear a rating of 2.8 is required. Any motor oil, regardless of manufacturer, is a balancing act. All of the basestocks have their pluses and minuses. Believe me when I tell you, there are very few, if any, oils out there that meet the Ford 930 spec that won't make your engine outlast ownership. The newer 930 oils are pretty close to being bulletproof. Any oil meeting this spec is the best you can use regardless of cost.

Seventyseven, you might want to forget that link. There is some out right wrong statements in their information. the most blatant is their referal to the viscosity. The test for viscosity is the same wether it is water, oil, or concrete. If it is a 5w viscosity- it is a 5w viscosity. Doesn't matter the composition or basestock. Yes there is room in the scale for one liquid to be a little thinner or thicker and still be a 5w but the industry does not go by the scale that you see on the bottle. Most use a kinamatic scale which defines it to near perfection.

 

Flash, I'm willing to admit that not everything on wiki is the gospel truth, but I'm not sure what you mean. Yes the viscosity test is the same, where do they say different?

BTW, I run Dino oil. Can't beat the price.

 

Where the viscosity is different is below the SAE J300 test temperature. Pour points can be an indicator. A dino 5w-xx will almost always have a pour point higher than a synthetic. Having said that, how cold are your winters? If you are not starting your engine below -30C, synthetic is not going to give you any measurable benefit.

As those who have been here awhile know, I am not a "believer" in synthetic motor oils. If you are a typical 3000-5000 mile oil changer and wont consider extending that, Mobil 1 is a waste of money.

Jim

 

Great info Flash. I was wondering in the back of my head that synthetics might be over-hyped. I know of some people that swear by synthetics and others that swear by dino. I just want to use what is best for my truck and you have given me the info I needed.

Jim-The winters here in Indiana range from -20F to 30F...in one day. I started wondering about syn's since I started parking outside (ran out of room in the garage). It is not the temperature itself that I was worried about, it is the wind. Out in the country where I live, the wind never stops blowing (gusts of around 60 mph are not uncommon). It is great in the summer, but is a bummer in the winter. A person has to take the good with the bad, though. And I wouldn't move back into the city for anything! LOOOOOVE the quiet!

 

While I don't want to get into a huge -- synthetic versus dino debate -- I do believe synthetics have some advantages. For instance they are capable of longer oil change intervals without breakdown (meaning changes in molecular weight of the material)
I have a BMW -- which comes with synthetic -- and has 10,000 to 15,000 mile oil change recommendations, driving condition dependent. (the computer decides)
The car now has 166,000 miles on it (1999 model) and I can guarantee that looking inside the cam cover that the sludge buildup is very low. I also have a combined street/track Mazda Miata -- I use synthetic in it -- and I have had the engine open several times -- the sludge and engine wear in it is very low ---
I am also of the opinion -- (being an engineer) that there is more of a viscosity change over time in a dino oil, than with a synthetic.
I have been very successful with synthetics -- and have it in high mileage vehicles and hard use situations. I am not a change it every 3000 miles type of person --even for dino oil and consider that an "old wives tale", especially given the improvements in oils/filtration/and engine clearances.
I however, do not use them in every vehicle -- I have a van with 200,000 miles -- heads have never been off -- it sucks oil and is approaching it's end --- it would be a waste to use it in that vehicle.
There obviously is not a correct answer --- but I would not put synthetics down -- they are very good -- and can be run for extended change intervals -- and become very cost effective. (perhaps adopting a more frequent filter change interval if that makes you comfortable)
thx --- Dale

 

Dale,

My 1992 BMW also has an oil change interval meter, but calibrated for dino, 10,000 mile maximum. Unfortunately, the system no longer works (due to soldered-in NiCads failing). Anyway, it gets 15W-40 Delo 400, changed at 5000-7000 mile intervals (verified with oil analysis) and no sludge buildup visible under the cam cover. Viscosity is specs as new after 7000 miles. Modern conventional base oils, combined with improved VII's, make for a much more stable product than in the past.

The ways that oil "breaks down" is not a change in molecular weight of the base hydrocarbons, but a combination of shearing VII polymers and oxidation of the polymers and the more reactive of the hydrocarbons. Modern refining not only removes waxes for better cold flow, but removes aromatics and other reactive hydrocarbons for high temperature stability.

Jim