Changed the Oil today at 3400 Miles!!
09-12-2009, 09:35 PM
#1
4th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: MD
Posts: 1,589
Changed the Oil today at 3400 Miles!!
well I finalyl changed that crappy blend of synthetic oil that ford supplies with the car! Anyway I noticed when I got under her I have a black piece of plastic protecting the under carriage that says on it " To Change oil you must have a 1.9 NM socket!" Who has a Socket that small!!! ARGGHH I was determined to change it, so I took the Air intake tube off not to hard it comes off in a snap! And you can gain acess to your oil filter that way through the engine bay instead of underneath the car! Had it on in no time, now some oil will drip but nothing a shop towl wont clean up! Overall I will prob go to a shop and look for that 1.9 socket. Just because I dont want to rip the under carriage protector off like some guys I know with 10's did! But all in all she runs so much smoother now at idle I wonder what kinda oil Ford supplies their cars with I would think Fords SYN Blend!?!? But then Ive also heard Shell Conventional, I changed mine with 5w-20 Valvoline Synpower Until I can figured out what Synthetic I want to use!
09-12-2009, 09:45 PM
#2
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: IN
Posts: 168
Motorcraft syn-blend is actually pretty good oil. Not that full syn. isn't better. Bottom cover takes a 5.5mm socket.
Run Amsoil or Mobil 1, preferable the first. With a Wix (Napa) or Motorcraft filter.
I like to get that first oil change over asap, lots of metal and break-in lube the first time 400-500 miles will clean it right up.
Some say to put some miles on the motor before going to syn to break it in. To each his own...
Run Amsoil or Mobil 1, preferable the first. With a Wix (Napa) or Motorcraft filter.
I like to get that first oil change over asap, lots of metal and break-in lube the first time 400-500 miles will clean it right up.
Some say to put some miles on the motor before going to syn to break it in. To each his own...
Last edited by SMiller; 09-12-2009 at 09:48 PM.
09-12-2009, 10:06 PM
#4
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
First oil change on a new car for me has always been at no more than a 1,000 miles (500 if it's convenient).
Reason I change it so soon is two fold, 1) Engine wear (break-in) in the first 500-1000 miles will load up the oil with burnt fuel, exhaust and other caustic stuff because the rings and other engine components have to seat properly, this causes the oil to break down faster and lose some of it's protective qualities and 2) It removes any left over shavings or microscopic metals that may have been left behind from the engine building process (an engine rinse cycle if you will).
7,500 is a farce. 3,000 is the accepted Norm for a mix of city/highway driving, maybe 5,000 if you have full synthetic. You will always get some blow by even on an engine that is broken in, that blow by gets absorbed by the oil and over time it compromises the oils ability to protect the engine. Ever seen oil that's been pulled out at 3000, 5000, and 7500 miles? It's eye opening. If you don't believe your eyes, send the oil out to a test lab to do a comparative for you. You will NEVER wait to change your oil at 7500 again. An oil change is cheap engine protection.
And to the OP, Motorcraft oil syn blend is just as good as any other syn blend out there unless you pay top dollar for Amosal, Royal Purple or other premium brands. Even if you spend extra cash on the oil, it's a waste for a stock car. If you have FI or track the car alot then it's feasibly worth it.
Reason I change it so soon is two fold, 1) Engine wear (break-in) in the first 500-1000 miles will load up the oil with burnt fuel, exhaust and other caustic stuff because the rings and other engine components have to seat properly, this causes the oil to break down faster and lose some of it's protective qualities and 2) It removes any left over shavings or microscopic metals that may have been left behind from the engine building process (an engine rinse cycle if you will).
7,500 is a farce. 3,000 is the accepted Norm for a mix of city/highway driving, maybe 5,000 if you have full synthetic. You will always get some blow by even on an engine that is broken in, that blow by gets absorbed by the oil and over time it compromises the oils ability to protect the engine. Ever seen oil that's been pulled out at 3000, 5000, and 7500 miles? It's eye opening. If you don't believe your eyes, send the oil out to a test lab to do a comparative for you. You will NEVER wait to change your oil at 7500 again. An oil change is cheap engine protection.
And to the OP, Motorcraft oil syn blend is just as good as any other syn blend out there unless you pay top dollar for Amosal, Royal Purple or other premium brands. Even if you spend extra cash on the oil, it's a waste for a stock car. If you have FI or track the car alot then it's feasibly worth it.
Last edited by Derf00; 09-12-2009 at 10:09 PM.
09-12-2009, 10:13 PM
#5
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
Motorcraft syn-blend is actually pretty good oil. Not that full syn. isn't better. Bottom cover takes a 5.5mm socket.
Run Amsoil or Mobil 1, preferable the first. With a Wix (Napa) or Motorcraft filter.
I like to get that first oil change over asap, lots of metal and break-in lube the first time 400-500 miles will clean it right up.
Some say to put some miles on the motor before going to syn to break it in. To each his own...
Run Amsoil or Mobil 1, preferable the first. With a Wix (Napa) or Motorcraft filter.
I like to get that first oil change over asap, lots of metal and break-in lube the first time 400-500 miles will clean it right up.
Some say to put some miles on the motor before going to syn to break it in. To each his own...
+1
The only additional comment I have is regarding the Napa filter. I don't know if they still do it, but Napa used to offer a silver (inexpensive) and gold (premium) line of filters. Stay away from the Silver line. Those oil filters are basically a steel can with a piece of corrugated paper and a check valve in them.
The Gold line has a visibly better filter medium and will feel heavier as well.
09-12-2009, 10:13 PM
#6
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Okinawa Japan
Posts: 187
I follow what you're saying but why does the factory tell you not to do it's first change untill 7,500? I bought a Civic a few years ago and they said don't do the first oil change untill 10k because the oil has some conditioners in it .
09-12-2009, 10:19 PM
#7
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
That is a good question and I honestly don't have a straight answer for you. I can tell you the conditioner information is B.S. and was probably given to you because they didn't know the answer either.
The only "conditioner" that is a new engine is parts lube. The lube is used when you put the main bearing, cam bearings, and any friction parts together in an engine. It's literally washed off the bearing on the first start up and serves no additional function other than to keep the bearings from abnormally wearing during the first start up.
You do have to keep in mind that most OEM recommendations are based on EPA guidelines and their own conservative testing, just like MPG. Remember how a few years ago they recalculated the MPG ratings on every car beause the EPA recognized how outdated their calculations were?
The only "conditioner" that is a new engine is parts lube. The lube is used when you put the main bearing, cam bearings, and any friction parts together in an engine. It's literally washed off the bearing on the first start up and serves no additional function other than to keep the bearings from abnormally wearing during the first start up.
You do have to keep in mind that most OEM recommendations are based on EPA guidelines and their own conservative testing, just like MPG. Remember how a few years ago they recalculated the MPG ratings on every car beause the EPA recognized how outdated their calculations were?
09-12-2009, 10:22 PM
#8
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
Here's a post I found that shows how things change over time, I was totally unaware of a 12,000 mile recommendation from GM...
http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightlin...nd-others.html
This line is what gets me
"Peter Lord, executive director of GM's service operations, said oil can last 12,000 miles or even more for many drivers who don't run their vehicles in extreme heat or cold or tow heavy loads... "It really does depend on the individual customer and how they've used the vehicle," he said.
Lets be honest, that is OEM speak for, "in an ideal world oil would last 12,000 miles" but in reality we do not live in an ideal world.
http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightlin...nd-others.html
This line is what gets me
"Peter Lord, executive director of GM's service operations, said oil can last 12,000 miles or even more for many drivers who don't run their vehicles in extreme heat or cold or tow heavy loads... "It really does depend on the individual customer and how they've used the vehicle," he said.
Lets be honest, that is OEM speak for, "in an ideal world oil would last 12,000 miles" but in reality we do not live in an ideal world.
09-12-2009, 10:23 PM
#9
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Okinawa Japan
Posts: 187
Yeah I remember that and they also started calculating HP differently too so HP numbers actually went down a bit. I just hit 1k on the Mustang maybe I will change it. I usually run Mobil 1 in my vehicles.