What a difference the correct oil makes.....
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,486
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From: Iowa
Im with Lx on this one... start up is the hardest thing on your engine... add that to the fact that 10w is heavyer than 5w and with the cold weather the oil is that much thicker.... so its would take much longer to get it to the top of the heads as opposed to 5w... i assume 5w will heat up faster as well to some degree... but im not sure...
i have used castrol gtx 5w30 for most of my trucks life... then i switched to royal purple to see what all the fuss was about... i didnt think it was anything special and it made me nervous running my engine that long between changes so i changed it at 5K miles... so really no benifit to runnin it for me... so i then went to castrol high mileage about 120,000 and havent had any trouble yet... i use fram filters and they seem to do the job... but this valve thing in the motocraft filters sounds pretty good.
i have used castrol gtx 5w30 for most of my trucks life... then i switched to royal purple to see what all the fuss was about... i didnt think it was anything special and it made me nervous running my engine that long between changes so i changed it at 5K miles... so really no benifit to runnin it for me... so i then went to castrol high mileage about 120,000 and havent had any trouble yet... i use fram filters and they seem to do the job... but this valve thing in the motocraft filters sounds pretty good.
New User
Joined: Nov 2006
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I have always used Castrol GTX oil on my current Fords ('02 Taurus SE 3.0, '02 F150 XL 4.2 , and '68 Mustang 200 cid) and have never had a problem... I always use Motorcraft filters, I have heard too many horror stories abour Fram, STP, etc.. so I stick with the MC to be safe..
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,673
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From: Chicago Area
I believe the Motorcraft oil is currently made by Conoco Phillips (not Citgo).
I will second (or more!) the use of Motorcraft filters. The bypass valve positioning may be a slight advantage in some situations, but the silicone anti-drain back is more important for an overhead cam engine.
I will second (or more!) the use of Motorcraft filters. The bypass valve positioning may be a slight advantage in some situations, but the silicone anti-drain back is more important for an overhead cam engine.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,514
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From: Maple Grove, PA
i have an 02....my manual says 5w20 and thats what i use....now, i also do have some valve noice that just recently started to show up....i've got a little over 80 K on mine....i also use the MC FL-820S filter every 3 K when i change it....what to do to stop the clatter....it goes away when i get driving but it makes me cringe when i hear it...
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2005
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I think it is normal for these engines to tick a little bit, mine does it sometimes and then it goes away. I found using dino oil quiets it down a little bit, I use GTX 5w20 and 30 in my truck, both have the ford spec on it also.
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2005
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Hate to bring back an old thread, well not really 
but I thought I'd post an update.
It's been about 3 weeks and approx 200 miles since the oil change to synthetic and there has been NO valve tapping/piston slapping when cold since the change to Mobile 10w30.
The engine starts easily and is as quiet cold as it is at operating temp.
Even though theres far to few miles to tell just yet, there is no noticable oil usage either.
My main concern was with the engine keeping some lub in the critical places after sitting 6 to 7 days in between operation and the synthetic seems to be doing this as evidenced by the lack of piston slapping/valve tapping at cold startup.
but I thought I'd post an update.It's been about 3 weeks and approx 200 miles since the oil change to synthetic and there has been NO valve tapping/piston slapping when cold since the change to Mobile 10w30.
The engine starts easily and is as quiet cold as it is at operating temp.
Even though theres far to few miles to tell just yet, there is no noticable oil usage either.
My main concern was with the engine keeping some lub in the critical places after sitting 6 to 7 days in between operation and the synthetic seems to be doing this as evidenced by the lack of piston slapping/valve tapping at cold startup.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 7,907
Likes: 143
A check of the..Motorcraft..website shows all F150 back to 97 is speced for 5w20.
This oil is a blend and is refined using a process called hydrocracking. 5w30 MC is not refined this way last I knew and neither are other oils.
A good education can be had by spending some..time..in a Walmart looking at the oil labels.
Look for this supprise. All the extended oils for Mobil 1 have an exception on the back label. Suprise; it excludes all heavey duty use of that oil. Neat huh!
You should find that the MC oil is 'overall' the best oil and the best price for..Ford..use.
I would say that the fear of thin..oil..is not at all relevent in these engines as..Ford..specs it for all useage.
I tow over my gross combined weight at nearly 12,000 lbs and never have used anything but 5w20 and MC 820S MC filters.
This oil is a blend and is refined using a process called hydrocracking. 5w30 MC is not refined this way last I knew and neither are other oils.
A good education can be had by spending some..time..in a Walmart looking at the oil labels.
Look for this supprise. All the extended oils for Mobil 1 have an exception on the back label. Suprise; it excludes all heavey duty use of that oil. Neat huh!
You should find that the MC oil is 'overall' the best oil and the best price for..Ford..use.
I would say that the fear of thin..oil..is not at all relevent in these engines as..Ford..specs it for all useage.
I tow over my gross combined weight at nearly 12,000 lbs and never have used anything but 5w20 and MC 820S MC filters.
Last edited by Bluegrass 7; Dec 26, 2006 at 09:35 PM.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,489
Likes: 45
From: Central NY
MC 5W-20 is a blend....and when i took my truck to the dealer for an oil change, they threw the 5W-30 in it. When i asked, they stated the FMC no longer recommended (or was it "doesn't care" ?) if you use 5W-20 oil. I always run 5W-30 in my 5.4. Just changed over to Kendall 5W-30 fully synthetic...no problems so far. Also, regarding Fram, the ToughGuard filter has the check valve in it and a 99% efficiency rating.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 788
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From: Cottage Grove, Minnesota
I switched from regular dino oil to the MC 5w30 and have noticed no noise on valve noise on startup. I haven't noticed a difference in consumption. No leaks what so ever. I have 195000 on my 4.6. The only noise it makes is light piston slap when the truck is cold, but once it's warmed up it goes away.
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