What is the best motor oil for the trac?

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Alan Peters

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Staying with a motorcraft filter. But what brand of motor oil is the best for the 4.0l motor? I've heard of labs that test motor from your engine, but what have others experienced. I've heard mobil1 syn oil can be noisy with the 4.0l from other boards.



Big Al
 
Do you want to use synthetic or regular conventional ?.......



And honestly the Name brands are all good oil......



I use the Valvoline syn in my 03..... 10w30 as my mileage is getting up there ( normally 5w30) and in the 2010 Adren I use the 5w20 motorcraft syn as it is cheeper here then any of the name brands.....



IF using conventional try to stay with the same brand but it really doesent matter...



Just my .02



Todd Z
 
For my money the Motorcraft semi-syn oil is the way to go. If I wanted to save $2 on the change, I would not feel bad about using any 'house brand" (wallyworld, Oriley, PepBoys etc..)

The oil companies have motor oil figured out. I would not buy the no-name brand from the $.99 store though. God knows what could be in there.
 
When I used syn-blend in my cars. I used motorcraft or valvoline. Im now using castrol full syn. Reason was the the price I got for it with a K&N filter. Filter was free. I bought 2 changes. Im going for a 10k oil change, with a filter at 5k. I will send a sample to blackstone labs. About 1k till a oil change. If it is bad I will change it sooner.

I hear that penzoil plat. syn gets good lab results.
 
I've always used Valvoline MaxLife in my Cougar and used it in my Trac until the last oil change when I tried Mobil 1. I think I'll go back to Valvoline. Which reminds me, I'm coming up on the next oil change soon.
 
Both conv and syn really. I've runn synthetic since new really. But Todd you bring up another good question. I'm at 78,000 miles should I consider switching to a 10w oil rather than sticking with a 5w. I'm in Michigan and kind have gone both ways about putting 10w in during the winter and 5w for the summer.
 
Big Al, IMO, I would only consider the 10-30. If you are in hot climate and starting to hear some vale or chain rattle.
 
The 10 is thicker then the 5.... All depends on driving, towing, racing,...... I do it as I let my ST warm up in the winter and then drive it like i stole it !!!



Todd Z
 
Have only used Mobil 1 since 90 in all 7 Ford cars and trucks, never had a motor problem. Some have had as many as 200k on them. I am a true believer!
 
Oil threads are a blight on all motor-related forums everywhere.



It's so easy to say "I use xxx" or "You should use yyy" and such posts have absolutely zero value.



Nowhere do you see somebody post "You shouldn't buy zzz because I always used it, changed it according to the manufacturer's schedule, and it killed my engine." You never see anybody post that because it doesn't happen. So use whatever brand you like, change it according to the manufacturer's schedule, and forget about it.
 
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I kind of agree with "noheat". All modern motor oils are as good as it gets for today's engines. I would recommend going to a 100% synthetic oil. I have always noticed a slight improvement in gas mileage with synthetic oils and you can extend the oil change interval to about 10K-12K miles.



I have used Mobil-1 5W-30 in all my vehicles for the past 10 years and it did well for me. My 2008 Mercedes came from the factory with Mobil-1 and that's what I have been using since I bought it. Of course the engine requires 9 quarts of oil for an oil change, but I only need to change the oil once per year or 13K miles...whichever comes first. So far that's only once a year.



I don't use exotic oils that have a special distribution network or oils that I cannot easily find at my local autoparts store or even Wal-Mart. It does not need to be that complicated. Changing the oil is more important than the brand of oil you use.



...Rich
 
Mobil one with a Mobil one filter. The filter is of synthetic material and has a very uniform pore size to filter the smaller particles better. Have been doing this since Fall of 2008, love it. no problems, 5000mile change cycle. Oh, 5W-20 only. Bob
 
Personally, I run Amsoil 10W30 with an Amsoil EO filter and change the oil once a year. (I am at 111,000 miles and she runs fine)



I do know of engine rebuilders that curse Quaker State oil. They claim that it clogs the engine up with parrafin wax. This has been some years ago and I would hope that if it is true, they would have figured that out now.



As others have mentioned. Oil is pretty much oil. Use what you feel comfortable with.





Tom
 
I do know of engine rebuilders that curse Quaker State oil. They claim that it clogs the engine up with parrafin wax
Click to expand...



Tom,

Back in the early '60s. My dad was using oil named Ammallie. It pluged every oil passage in the 312 cui T-bird motor in his '56 ford. I looked like dried black buttermilk.



After much cleaning and installing external oilers to the rocker shafts. We saved the motor.



I think that was an oil brand specific to this area of Texas.
 
Most oils use a parafin based crude oil, but that parafin is not the same kind of parafin as candle wax.



Most of those stories of parafin based oils clogging up engines are old stories back when oil was just oil. Todays oils all have an API (American Petrolium Institute) Service rating. The API ratings require oils to meet very specific standards of quality for each type of engine they are used in. Almost every couple of years the API Servic rating standard changes because of new engine developments.



As long as you use an oil with an API service rated for your engine or even higher, you should not have any problems.



If you have ever torn down an engine that has over heated, you will see the rocker arms and push rods, coated with a dry black mud from what the heat has done to the oil. I once bought a Chevy with a blown 350...that overheated. I took the valvel covers off and after removing the rocker arms, I could not get the push rods without using a pair of pliers because the pushrod holes were clogged with dried caked oil and sludge.



Most of that comes from not changing the oil regularly, using the wrong kind of oil, not just because the oil is parafin based.



...Rich





 

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