432,000 miles and uses oil
- Thread starter wallaman
- Start date
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I would highly advise against changing anything.
Just run what you are running and add oil as needed.
You’ve got dang near half a million miles on a Ford gasoline engine. That goes to show you are doing it right.
A quart of oil every 3k on a motor with that much use in nothing.
If you’re not smoking, leaking like mad, or having other issues with how it runs. Don’t change anything or only adding new variables and that will likely bring adverse issues.
WhiteFalcon
Well-Known Member
With 432,000 miles, you sir, are an inspiration.... Great work!
As to synthetic oil, I'm a firm believer. I've put over 200k on three different cars (Expy, Toyota and Mazda) on a diet of synthetic changes every 7,500 miles. The stuff just works.
As to synthetic oil, I'm a firm believer. I've put over 200k on three different cars (Expy, Toyota and Mazda) on a diet of synthetic changes every 7,500 miles. The stuff just works.
Mr Black and WhiteFalcon: Thank you for the kind words. As I mentioned earlier, a knowledgeable mechanic I am not. Every vehicle I have ever owned I changed or had the oil changed every 3,000 miles no matter the manufacturer's requirement. I never fast accelerated unnecessarily and never started driving the vehicle till after it had set and warmed up. I have been a fan of K & N air filters. Keep one cleaned, oiled, ready to change as needed. I have a 1994 Ford F150 4x4 with the 5.4 Triton I bought in 1994 with 14,000 miles on it. I have run nothing but conventional 10w30 in it, also with a K & N filter. I used it to pull a Bobcat skid loader and it is still a strong runner with 284,000 miles on it although I had to have the transmission rebuilt. I believe in Ford.
10w-30 High Mileage. I would go with conventional and not syn as it might use a little more if synthetic but may also be about the same.
10w-40 is just not a very good oil.
Too much spread in viscosity numbers and it doesn't perform as well as 10w-30 or 15w-40 etc.
I ran mobil 1 15w-50 syn in a 95 Town Car 4.6 for years all year long in Ohio winters.
10w-40 is just not a very good oil.
Too much spread in viscosity numbers and it doesn't perform as well as 10w-30 or 15w-40 etc.
I ran mobil 1 15w-50 syn in a 95 Town Car 4.6 for years all year long in Ohio winters.
Greg Coleman
Active Member
I commend you for getting it to 432K!! In my experience, full synthetic is not helping your engine. If anything, it's more consistent molecular structure will flow into, and through, seals and gaskets easier than conventional oils. It's also substantially more expensive, so changing it at the same intervals as conventional is just throwing away money.
Get a good, name brand conventional 10W-30 for winter, and 10W-40 for summer. Keep changing it as you have, and check the levels more frequently than when it's time to change.
Keep up the good work!! Whatever you're doing has been right!
Get a good, name brand conventional 10W-30 for winter, and 10W-40 for summer. Keep changing it as you have, and check the levels more frequently than when it's time to change.
Keep up the good work!! Whatever you're doing has been right!
Agreed. Synthetics find their way into every nook and cranny and seep and leak a little more.
I am not a fan of 10w-40 though. Better to use 15W-40 like Rotella T5. Awesome oil
Greg Coleman and TobyU: Thank you. I am pretty confused about things. I know what I have done over the years as far as maintenance. Now ... there are members that advise me to use full detergent this and that and others that say use conventional this and that. Without doubting anyone's expertise, how do I know who or what is right?
Terminology. Full detergent...not rally any such thing. Some oils are know to be more detergent than others - meaning they clean better.
All oils except NON Detergent like ND30 are detergent and haven't been used in cars since around 1953. They are only suitable for reciprocation oil style shop air compressors or oiling a fan motor or bearing and then should be a 10 or 20 wt.
People have a weird love/hate/trust relationship and opinions about oil with only a VERY SMALL personal amount of experience to base ALL these opinion they have that they often claim as fact or the way it will be in ALL applications.
All in all it make not that much or a difference.
For all the people that say "I only use full syth brand ***, and ALL my engines have gone to over 225k" there are just as many people that have never use a synthetic and their engines go 225K also.
Most engine failure are not oil type related or even oil weigh related. Most are not even oil related. On the lack of lubrication failures...oil pumps can go out but most are neglect and lack of oil changes and lack of ENOUGH oil!
So regularly changing the oil with any decent quality or brand oil is more important than anything else....and checking to keep the level up.
When an engine is run almost 2 qts low on oil, the remaining oil that is in there just gets overheated and coked up SO much more than if the correct amount was in there.
Snowball effect.
Synthetics, all that I know of have better detergent or cleaning or keeping engines clean inside abilities than conventional oil. This is also why you can go longer between changes with syn...but that's not why all people use it.
They did have a lot more leakage issues with synthetics a long time ago.
Probably because or multiple things. Worse manufacturing tolerances, worse gaskets (cork), less RTV and sealers used. Could have made a difference if a new engine started it's life on syn to the gaskets vs reg oil first. Lot's of variables, but it wasn't a myth back then.
There's a lot of things in oil and the seal sweller stuff might be not the best name for it but they do tend to negate these issues in most cases.
I have had cars switched to syn leak or seep some at first but then go back to not. I have had some not stop. Have had some stop by going back to conventional.
I had a 245k 5.4 that was dry as a bone only start leaking at pass rear valve cover after cheap Rural King (Citgo at the time) full syn and a bottle of blue STP.
Had used Mobil 1 5w-30 for years and no leaks....Was it the STP? the cheap oil with no seal swellers etc? or just it's time to leak at almost 250K.
We'll never know and I haven't changed it again to play with it to see if it slows down. It's not terrible the way it is.
There is always a change with an excessively high mile engine that full syn can be used or leak at a decent rate that would be more than a conventional.
The weight also has a lot to do with it.
I feel synthetics are for lower mile engines or severe duty racing or long hours and idling where you want to try to GET to high miles.
You are already beyond high miles so it is about damage control.....or symptom control to say it nicely. Wan't to find what will slow down oil consumption/leaking without "motor honey-ing" up your engine to where it can't flow back down the return holes to get back to the oil pan and pump.
Some people will freak when you talk about anything but 5w-20 in a 4.6. Funny though they came from factory for decades calling for 5w-30 and they some freaked about putting 10w-30 in them. Maybe some people just like to freak or maybe they are freaks....lol.
You can run about any commonly available oil in them at temps above 50-55F.
You could even run 20w-50 but even I wouldn't recommend that as most are conventional at this weight and if you've ever put qts or oil in the freezer for days and poured them....you don't want this, or lots of STP ot Lucas etc in your engine when the temps get down to 40 or lower.
I ran 15w-50 full syn mobile as if flows A LOT better than 20w-50 conv even though it sounds like it would be close to same.
We ran two 4.6 town car limos on this for years in Ohio winters. Not inside kept cars so cold starts. One was 92 with 121K the other was 94 or 95 with 180K but Jasper reman engine in it. have no idea the mileage but it had smoking valve stem seals on take off after idling so it has a few or maybe someone reused old heads on jasper shortblock if they sell that way.
It slowed down consumption and didn't smoke as much or smell as bad.
On a higher mile 2v ford modular engine, at temps above 50 I would use no thinner than 10w-30 High mileage, and am fine with 15w-50 syn too.
Not a fan or 10w-40 but it is thicker than 10w-30 just keep an eye on it and don't let it get too black looking.
You could use 30HD or also called SAE30 also. Thicker than 10w-30 and fine unless its going to be under freezing out.
All oils except NON Detergent like ND30 are detergent and haven't been used in cars since around 1953. They are only suitable for reciprocation oil style shop air compressors or oiling a fan motor or bearing and then should be a 10 or 20 wt.
People have a weird love/hate/trust relationship and opinions about oil with only a VERY SMALL personal amount of experience to base ALL these opinion they have that they often claim as fact or the way it will be in ALL applications.
All in all it make not that much or a difference.
For all the people that say "I only use full syth brand ***, and ALL my engines have gone to over 225k" there are just as many people that have never use a synthetic and their engines go 225K also.
Most engine failure are not oil type related or even oil weigh related. Most are not even oil related. On the lack of lubrication failures...oil pumps can go out but most are neglect and lack of oil changes and lack of ENOUGH oil!
So regularly changing the oil with any decent quality or brand oil is more important than anything else....and checking to keep the level up.
When an engine is run almost 2 qts low on oil, the remaining oil that is in there just gets overheated and coked up SO much more than if the correct amount was in there.
Snowball effect.
Synthetics, all that I know of have better detergent or cleaning or keeping engines clean inside abilities than conventional oil. This is also why you can go longer between changes with syn...but that's not why all people use it.
They did have a lot more leakage issues with synthetics a long time ago.
Probably because or multiple things. Worse manufacturing tolerances, worse gaskets (cork), less RTV and sealers used. Could have made a difference if a new engine started it's life on syn to the gaskets vs reg oil first. Lot's of variables, but it wasn't a myth back then.
There's a lot of things in oil and the seal sweller stuff might be not the best name for it but they do tend to negate these issues in most cases.
I have had cars switched to syn leak or seep some at first but then go back to not. I have had some not stop. Have had some stop by going back to conventional.
I had a 245k 5.4 that was dry as a bone only start leaking at pass rear valve cover after cheap Rural King (Citgo at the time) full syn and a bottle of blue STP.
Had used Mobil 1 5w-30 for years and no leaks....Was it the STP? the cheap oil with no seal swellers etc? or just it's time to leak at almost 250K.
We'll never know and I haven't changed it again to play with it to see if it slows down. It's not terrible the way it is.
There is always a change with an excessively high mile engine that full syn can be used or leak at a decent rate that would be more than a conventional.
The weight also has a lot to do with it.
I feel synthetics are for lower mile engines or severe duty racing or long hours and idling where you want to try to GET to high miles.
You are already beyond high miles so it is about damage control.....or symptom control to say it nicely. Wan't to find what will slow down oil consumption/leaking without "motor honey-ing" up your engine to where it can't flow back down the return holes to get back to the oil pan and pump.
Some people will freak when you talk about anything but 5w-20 in a 4.6. Funny though they came from factory for decades calling for 5w-30 and they some freaked about putting 10w-30 in them. Maybe some people just like to freak or maybe they are freaks....lol.
You can run about any commonly available oil in them at temps above 50-55F.
You could even run 20w-50 but even I wouldn't recommend that as most are conventional at this weight and if you've ever put qts or oil in the freezer for days and poured them....you don't want this, or lots of STP ot Lucas etc in your engine when the temps get down to 40 or lower.
I ran 15w-50 full syn mobile as if flows A LOT better than 20w-50 conv even though it sounds like it would be close to same.
We ran two 4.6 town car limos on this for years in Ohio winters. Not inside kept cars so cold starts. One was 92 with 121K the other was 94 or 95 with 180K but Jasper reman engine in it. have no idea the mileage but it had smoking valve stem seals on take off after idling so it has a few or maybe someone reused old heads on jasper shortblock if they sell that way.
It slowed down consumption and didn't smoke as much or smell as bad.
On a higher mile 2v ford modular engine, at temps above 50 I would use no thinner than 10w-30 High mileage, and am fine with 15w-50 syn too.
Not a fan or 10w-40 but it is thicker than 10w-30 just keep an eye on it and don't let it get too black looking.
You could use 30HD or also called SAE30 also. Thicker than 10w-30 and fine unless its going to be under freezing out.
