I have always used Motercraft oil in my trucks. some with more than 300,000 miles and when I open them they look like brand new inside.


Bruce

 

I dont think you have to use high mileage oil yet dustin.

 

i am another big fan of the Shell Rotella T. used to use nothing but Chevron Delo 400 but the Rotella has proven better in everything i put it in. i use Motocraft or Wix filters. avoid fram at all cost! wont even bother with Synthetics, alot of money for no proven benefit over Rotella. the trucks in my family have the miles to show for dino oil

1972 F100: 330K miles, Chevron Delo 400 straight 30 (never had any engine work or trans work) still going strong

1977 F150 4x4: 375K miles on 71 Boss 351 engine 10:1 compression, Chevron Delo 400 straight 30 (no engine work in that milage) due for rings, still daily driven.

1968 F250 with 380HP 390: 366K miles when decomissioned. Chevron Delo 400 straight 30

1968 Mustang GT 289hipo: 200K miles when sold, Penzoil straight 30

 

My 92 is at about 213,000...I haven't been too picky about filters...but the oil gets changed every 3K...usually Penzoil. Mine has the 351 and it still gets up and runs.

 

Don't waste your money on synthetic. Not that there's anything wrong with synthetic. From what I read it's the best stuff there is but at 180K mi you're gonna need that extra cash for every thing else that's gonna need replacin. I buy the 89 cent quarts by the case when they're on sale with rebate and any kind of filter that's on sale. The fact that you change your oil routinely is what is important, not the brand or brand of filter. I have 3 vehicles with 180Kmi+ and it's not the engine that I have worry about.

Granted, there probably have been instances where one type of filter made a car blow up but I'm sure it's not normal for that to happen. My neighbor has used Penzoil in his vehicles for 40 years and 40 year old vehicles need new brakes, seals, shocks, springs, tires, wiper blades, paint, carb rebuilds, hoses, water pumps, tstats, etc, more often than they need synthetic oil or special filters. His engines run like tops and have always had Penzoil put in them. I don't use Penzoil in my vehicles but only because they're never 89 cents a quart.

 

Yeah good point man but my truck is in pretty good shape and aint 40 years old if it was im sure it would be a whole different situation here but i dont think anything needs to get replaced i just had er checked out not that long ago and she is in tip top shape for now anyways also checked er out too before i bought it but things might start going remember its only km not miles

 

Just keep in mind,. im not sure if the previous owner used synthetic oil, but switching to a synthetic at that high mileage usually leads to leaks due to the smaller molecules found in synthetic oil. Your best bet if regular oil was used before is to stick with regular oil. Ive used mobil 1 5w30 in my excursion and it has 108k on it and not a leak, but then again i used synthetic from the first change.

 

Just the facts:

1995 F350 crew cab, 351 (5.8 for you metric folks), 2.7 miles on odometer upon taking delivery from dealer on 2 December 1995; 349,374.8 today. Nothing but Motorcraft 5W-30 and a new Motorcraft FL820 filter every 5000 miles. Burns (?) up to 1/2 quart between changes - but only if driven hard for prolonged periods at speeds of 70 MPH+. Engine has never been opened. MPG: 10.5-12 in winter, local driving @ worst/13-16.5 highway @ best.

Now the commentary:

"If it works, don't fix it!"

Any Tritons out there that can match these numbers?

What a sad day when Ford decided to start ditching the pushrod powerplants: the I-6s, then the Windsors, then the 385s.

First Santa Claus, then the Easter Bunny - and now all of this!

dn.

 

I use motor craft filter and penzoil 10w-40 on mine. I also throw in some seaform right before I change the oil, then a quart of my crankcase is lucas.

 

You're right but it is 110 mi old and that's around the time when all the wear items start to become due. Just because it's in tip top shape doesn't mean that the water pump isn't about to spring a leak and the spark plug wires aren't about to start shorting on you, and the shocks aren't about to blow their seals, and the exhaust isn't about to rust through, and I can go on and on. My truck is in tip top shape but I got under it last night to clean up some things and found that the water pump is leaking. It'll only cost me about $15-20 for parts but the better part of a day to clean up everything. Like I said, Synthetic is the best there is and if you want to pay $40 for do it yourself oil changes then have at it. Mine cost me less than $10. It's been my experience that 89 cent a quart oil keeps my engines running superbly. It's all the other wear items that suck up my cash. It's a good thing I do all my own repairs. I don't know how I'd be able to afford to pay a mechanic.
Why do you throw Seafoam in your oil before changing it? If it's to loosen things up you ought to just use mineral spirits. It's a ton cheaper.

 

The molecules aren't smaller it's just that the bonds between atoms are stronger in synthetic. I think the jury is still out on causing leaks...(statement made at risk of igniting flame war )

Personally I've never had it happen to me in the 3 or 4 vehicles I've converted over to full synth. Although on 2, I "weaned" them off full organic with a couple of changes with synth blend because of high mileage.

I in order of prefer Hastings, Wix, & Motorcraft filters in that order.

qman is right about the high wear items. They are like bombs waiting to go off after a 100k miles. Some will last seemingly forever, but you can never really tell.

PS edit : I never use anything but Marvel Mystery Oil for a crankcase flush.

 

I'm not a synthetic basher. I have two buddies that put it in their cars. One guy I just don't understand. He trades in his new truck about every 3-4 years. He's an Amsoil dealer and pays $6 a quart for his oil and whatever the filters cost. His oil changes must be $50. He does all of this for the next owner. Would you?

I spent some time wondering if using synthetic was the right thing to do but now that I'm 43 years old I've come to realize that I just can't justify the cost. So what if my engine wears a little more. We're probably talking angstroms and I'll never notice it and the engine will still outlast anything I'll ever do to it. I spend so much time and money repairing the "post 100 Kmi bombs" that I just think money is better spent doing that. Wear items will "have to" be fixed. Synthetic oil changes do not "have to" happen. Again, not a syn basher, just my opinion.

I've heard some folks comment that they're taking care of their investment. Again, this is just my opinion so nobody come unglued here, but I don't see my vehicles as investments. To me they're tools. You use them, wear them out, throw them away, and get another. It just happens to take forever to wear them out, and if you keep repairing what wears out the tool will last a long time. Besides, I'd consider any investment that drops 20% of it's value the moment you purchase it and continues to loose value for the next 20-30 years to be a very poor investment.

I had this old 87 Volvo. I bought it in 90 when it was pretty new, washed it every weekend, purchased $120 worth of seat covers and 15 years and 200 Kmi later the trans burns up. A new trans was gonna cost more than the car was worth so it became a junk yard car with really nice seats. I should have kept my $120 and wore out the seats too.

 

89 F250 with 289K miles

Since 100K been using Rotella T in the blue bottle and Wix or Motorcraft filters. Changed every 8-10K miles. Last year I took the valve cover on the drivers side off to replace a leaking gasket. Everything looked almost new with hardly no wear marks. I took a mic to it and there was almost no wear and it was well within NEW tolerences.

That was proof enough for me going forward - Rotella T in the blue bottle.

Ken

 

How much is Rotella T by the quart? And how much is a Wix filter?

 

i use quaker stae 5w-30 high milage and fram tough guard oil filters. ive used them on every vehicle ive ever owned and never had a problem. i worked in a tire and lube shop for a couple of years and that is all we used and we never had any problems cause the customers always came back for another changin