'14 5.4 oil question.

[oldpaddy]

Hi all, so the manual says to use conventional. Is there any reason why I shouldn't use synthetic or a blend?
I've got approx 83k miles.

Thanks

 

[Clemson82]

I've used full synthetic since day one in my 2014, no issues. Almost 80k.

 

[Clemson82]

A good "oil" thread with lots of information:
https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/what-oil-filter-do-you-use.30956/

 

[Don Hall]

Hi all, so the manual says to use conventional. Is there any reason why I shouldn't use synthetic or a blend?
I've got approx 83k miles.

Thanks

Some basic info:

https://mobiloil.com/en/article/car...r-oil-facts/synthetic-oil-vs-conventional-oil

 

[montecarlo31]

5W30 synthetic is all I would run in 5.4s. No cam phaser issues no oil issues. I would go 10K between changes and the V100 was still within spec.

 

[JExpedition07]

5-30 of either or will be best.

 

[Julian]

I ran full synthetic in my Ford Focus from new for eleven years. I only put 156000km on it til i sold it a few weeks ago. Never had any starting problems (other than dead batteries) even when it sat at -30C for days.

i plan on putting full synthetic in my new to me Expedition. A quick survey of 11 dealers in the Edmonton area tells me that the opinion of service advisers varies 50/50 on the synthetic/conventional use and on changing the filter each oil change (some say its only needed every second oil change).

 

[1955moose]

Running a full synthetic is always a good idea. The only caveat, that was taught to me many moons ago, was to run a conventional high quality Dino, or these days a semi synthetic blend for the first 4-5 thousand miles. The reasoning for this is piston rings need to seat in to their cylinder walls, for proper seal of both the compression and oil rings. After break-in, a full synthetic is a good way to go. Just be sure to keep the oil weight the same as recommended 5w30.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[Adieu]

Hi all, so the manual says to use conventional. Is there any reason why I shouldn't use synthetic or a blend?
I've got approx 83k miles.

Thanks

Manual is full of ****

Use anything from 5w20 Motorcraft Blend to 5w40 Rotella T6 Diesel Synthetic

5w30 runs quieter, 5w40 quieter still

 

[TobyU]

Manual is full of ****

Use anything from 5w20 Motorcraft Blend to 5w40 Rotella T6 Diesel Synthetic

5w30 runs quieter, 5w40 quieter still

Exactly!! All of the 5W flow the same and give same protection at cold temps but the 5w40 gives even better viscosity and protection when hot. If you change it at least every 5000-7000 the larger spread is not going to matter.

 

[Julian]

The best video I found to explain why synthetic is better than conventional (for those of us that want to keep our cars a long time) is by YouTuber EngineeringExplained and titled "Is Synthetic Motor Oil Better For Your Car?" if the link i copied works its here:

I would follow the manual because there are millions of hours of thought, experimentation, testing, and examination by some very highly trained technical people that contributed to it. Legal added thier conservative liability based view to it. And marketing was only allowed to do the cover, thank me for purchasing a Ford product, and occasionally suggest that I buy the Ford version of whatever I may need or want.

 

[chuck s]

so the manual says to use conventional

Really? What version of the manual?

The 2014 Expedition manual actually states Motorcraft SAE 5W-20 or equivalent -- which is every 5W-20 oil on the market . Doesn't state conventional. Ford Motorcraft 5W-20 from my 5.4 engined 2007 was synthetic-blend. (I still have a quart in the cupboard.) Any 5W-20 meets spec. I recall there's a Blackstone Labs white paper that 5W-20 works just as good as 10W-30 in any engine. I stick with spec grades and use pure synthetic in everything.

-- Chuck

 

[TobyU]

But that video even says they only focused on viscosity.
There are more considerations for most people. Flow-ability at cold temp is not even a concern for people in warm climates.
They might be concerned with clean oil bearing scar etc vs dirty but not at all concerned about viscosity.
A 0w20 could protect as well or better than a 5w40 at 80 but I doubt it.

 

[JimmyM]

I switched to 5w-30 Castrol extended protection synthetic last summer. In the spring I'll be moving to 0w-40 Mobil 1 and an external dual filter mount. Not necessarily for better filtration, but for larger oil capacity. I'll be towing a LOT this summer and want the extra viscosity in the heat.

Edit: I'm not completely sold on 0w-40 yet. Still researching. But most things I read say it'll be fine and probably at least a "little" better for high temp viscosity.

 

[rjdelp7]

You Expedition does not recommend 'conventional'. It requires a Ford rating WSS-M2C945-A, oil part#XO-5w20-QSP(5W20, synthetic blend).

 

[rhogan308]

I used off-the-shelf regular motorcraft oil in my '02 expy eb 5.4L until it got to 100K. Switched to a blend until about 175K. Then went to full synthetic. 5W20 in winter weather, 5W30 in summer. She currently has 411,500 miles on the original engine and tranny, no rebuilds or overhauls. Still runs and drives great (some "ticking" in the engine on warm up, but goes away after it gets to op. temp). Just bought a '13 expy el limited 5.4L for longer trips and absolutely love it. But I just can't seem to part with my '02 baby.

Adding an odo pic from a few weeks back.

 

[1955moose]

Folks I think we have a mileage winner here. Their were higher, but had swapped in motor/trans. Can't argue with those numbers.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[txracer16]

Use Motorcraft 5w-20 or 30 (synthetic blend) or another brand blend and change oil and filter every 5k and you should never have issues. You can run full synthetic but not required. Main thing is changing it. Never seen an engine fail because it ran conventional oil and was changed every 3-5k miles.

 

[oldpaddy]

Really? What version of the manual?

The 2014 Expedition manual actually states Motorcraft SAE 5W-20 or equivalent -- which is every 5W-20 oil on the market . Doesn't state conventional. Ford Motorcraft 5W-20 from my 5.4 engined 2007 was synthetic-blend. (I still have a quart in the cupboard.) Any 5W-20 meets spec. I recall there's a Blackstone Labs white paper that 5W-20 works just as good as 10W-30 in any engine. I stick with spec grades and use pure synthetic in everything.

-- Chuck

You're right. Somehow I misread it.