3.5L EcoBoost Engine Lube

What type engine oil do you use?

  • Petroleum

    Votes: 3 13.6%
  • Synthetic

    Votes: 19 86.4%

  • Total voters
    22

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Bill Schell

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Do you use petroleum or synthetic oil?

I'm having my cam phasers and timing chain replaced on my 2018 and had meant to ask the Ford dealership which is the best option. With oil changes being quite important on the EcoBoost engines (often cited as a source of problem on cam phasers/timing chain), it seems synthetic would be a waste? But I have also heard that it protects these components better during the lubricants service period. If that were the case, given the significant issue Ford is having with this part of the engine, one would think Ford would revise the recommended baseline lubricant.
 

Zig10

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I use the Motorcraft synthetic blend recommended in the manual. It'll be hard for them to complain if something goes wrong with that. I also change every 5000 miles regardless of OLM status. We don't put a ton of miles on it anyway, so it's not much of a cost impact.
 

Dice Roll

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That’s me exactly. 5k on the factory blend. With all these failures and people running full syn, it seems to me slippery oil might be rolling right off the parts right after shutdown. Always heard how hard this engine is on oil, so it’s getting changed at 5k no matter what I put in there. And that’s coming from a guy that thinks people change oil way too often.
 

Fozzy

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Same here, I also take it to the dealer. So they can’t complain about something or someone else’s work. Just remember to mark your filter because some dealers or employees are shady.


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Bill Schell

Bill Schell

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Same here, I also take it to the dealer. So they can’t complain about something or someone else’s work. Just remember to mark your filter because some dealers or employees are shady.


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Never would have thought to do that (need to), but wouldn't that just be the *****!
 

AAOO

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Same here, I also take it to the dealer. So they can’t complain about something or someone else’s work. Just remember to mark your filter because some dealers or employees are shady.


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I always scratch it somewhere with a flat head screwdriver in a spot I know the day I drop it off. Also mark tires with chalk when rotating.
 

Artie

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The poll needs a ‘blend’ option, I marked ‘synthetic‘ but I think my dealer does blend. I, too, take mine to the dealer. If I did it at home I’d use whatever the manual stated.
 

Fozzy

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I always scratch it somewhere with a flat head screwdriver in a spot I know the day I drop it off. Also mark tires with chalk when rotating.

I use a sharpie and put the mileage of the last service on it. Pretty much forces them to be honest. Tires, I number them 1-4 and keep track where they are at. So sad we have to do this. My Ford dealership is one of the super stores and does over 200 oil changes a day. Makes me wonder about the quality with that much quantity.


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Craigga542

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I always scratch it somewhere with a flat head screwdriver in a spot I know the day I drop it off. Also mark tires with chalk when rotating.

At least you mark tires... years ago in my automotive days, had a guy who marked his hub caps and I didn’t catch it. I rotated tires as usual. He came back to pay a few hours later, went out to his car, and came back in yelling at me. Was a very hard argument for 15 minutes until I convinced him I rotate tires, not hub caps. Had to show him tread level, etc. He eventually came back the next day and apologized. Moral of the story, always mark the actual item you want to track o_O
 

BFD350

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I run Shell Rotella Gas Truck Synthetic on my Expedition. I chose it because I run Rotella T6 on my F-350. Even my Ford dealer uses T6 when customers ask for synthetic. The diesel forums rave about Rotella. So I figured it would be a good choice on the Expedition given stop and go driving and some towing.

I change my own based on OLM. It’s not much more than 5k miles anyway. And that way I know that the filter was changed and that the right amount of oil was added. With a Fumoto valve it’s an easy task.

Oil and air filter are always Motorcraft parts. Their oil filters are very good....there’s a good video out there comparing Motorcraft to other brands and the econo filters are really bad.



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