So Im getting the 2012 Navigator....

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Adieu

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And this guy starts telling me how his mechanic recommends using 20w50 dino.

Seems to run good, but should I double flush that shit ASAP or what???
 

Ltmax

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If it were mine I'd drain the oil and refill with good synthetic 5w-30 it's the best oil to ensure long life in all newer 6 and 8 cylinder Ford engines.
 
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If it were mine I'd drain the oil and refill with good synthetic 5w-30 it's the best oil to ensure long life in all newer 6 and 8 cylinder Ford engines.

This guy was ranting on and on about how 2007-2010 triton 5.4l were all good, but '11 and '12 suddenly needed heavy oil

I got a suspicion he took it to a mechanic who worked with limo industry too much for too long and started treating everything like it was a suburban

So...
He's full of shit about major changes between early 3rd gen 5.4s and 2011-2012 models?
 

Ltmax

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Yup, the Triton's were designed for 5w-30 and the only reason they changed the specification to 5w-20 was to get an extra .2 mpg sacrificing longevity in the process. The bottom ends are pretty much all the same and all changes to the later engines were minor mostly upgraded phasers, tensioners, and different flowing intake manifolds.

As the engine bearings wear and you start getting high miles it won't hurt to run a bit thicker oil but not necessary.
 

07xln

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I wouldn’t run 20w50 in anything other than a motorcycle. Drain and fill with a synthetic 5w20 and go about your business
 
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Yup, the Triton's were designed for 5w-30 and the only reason they changed the specification to 5w-20 was to get an extra .2 mpg sacrificing longevity in the process. The bottom ends are pretty much all the same and all changes to the later engines were minor mostly upgraded phasers, tensioners, and different flowing intake manifolds.

As the engine bearings wear and you start getting high miles it won't hurt to run a bit thicker oil but not necessary.

Thicker as in? 10w30? Or 5w30 - 5w40?
 

Ltmax

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Thicker as in? 10w30? Or 5w30 - 5w40?

5w40 is OK for very high mileage engines, but if it were mine I'd always run 5w-30 from new and replace the timing chain and oil pump once you hit 200k with a quality timing set and melling high volume oil pump. This is a much better way to ensure plenty of lubrication to those wider bearing tolerances you get after hundreds of thousands of miles of use.

One other thing that I do believe is a good idea is to run high mileage synthetic oils as you can't go wrong with the extra anti wear additives and seal conditioners they contain.
 

rjdelp7

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Any "oil" will technically work. Ford industry standard is syn-blend, not dino. How about opening the owners manual? I would use the RECOMMENDED oil! There is no domestic made vehicle, in the last 30 years, that uses 20W50. My lawn tractor recommends 5W30. Running 20w50 in cold weather may damage engine, starve top end and kill gas mileage. There is an old school theory that, thick oil is quieter and burns less. That may of been true in a sloppy built, 1970s motor , not in a modern engine. There is a difference between a high volume oil pump vs high pressure. New engines run at much higher pressures and tight tolerances.
 
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Big Brian

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oh dont tell him to use what the factory recommends

I made the mistake of doing that on this board and I was shamed for not knowing what I was talking about, I was shunned and felt fuggin dumb for about a minute

then I got over it
 
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