Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => Polls => Topic started by: JJCruiser on December 23, 2017, 11:55:01 am
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Whenever they have motor oil on rebate at Menards, I always stock up. With all the options, I am curious what everyone uses with their Triton V10 engines. I am interested in what weight you use and if you use conventional, blend, or full synthetic. Also, if you have a favorite brand oil, I am interested in that as well. I am sure there is lots of great advice on this question.
Thanks!
JJ
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I change my own oil with Mobil one premium synthetic 5W20. We use our PC winter and summer.
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Ford Motorcraft synthetic blend. 5w20. A mechanic whose opinions I trust said there was no reason to spend more on a full synthetic, and that the V10 was built to operate with the Motorcraft blend. Oil which is quite a bit cheaper than full synthetic, particularly when I locate the 5qt containers on sale, and stock up. But, to each their own.
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I voted.
I always put in 5W-20 per Ford's recommendation in our 2007 owners manual.
I use full synthetic because the "sale" price of full synthetic has come down to within $1 of conventional oil. I buy it on sale for less than $3 per quart, most often Valvoline or Quaker State brands, but I have used other brands too.
I change the oil before we leave on the next multi-week trip. Our PC oil & filter changes are generally at one year and 4000-6000 mile intervals.
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5w20 pennzoil ultra syn. Based on black stone lab reports the motor craft oil had to be changed by 4,000 miles and the pennzoil I can go 7,000 with life left in the oil. With that in mind it’s now cheaper than the motor craft being it’s $25 for 5 qt jug compared to 18 for Motor craft blend. Typically pennz ultra is 40 a jug but I find it frequently for 25 especially on Amazon including shipping. I use Mobil one in my smart car but at 5,000 miles the lab shows it’s about done so I haven’t tried it in my V10. I use motorcraft fl820s oil filter.
No idea if this makes pennzoil better or worse but it’s formulated from natural gas rather than liquid petroleum. My bet is any of the major oils brands are good. Which one works best in your rig and driving conditions can really only be told by spending $30 bucks on a lab test.
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5w/30 full synthetic (Mobile 1)
Why 30 instead of 20,because 99% of our driving is non-stop highway driving at 65mph or higher. 30 weight weight provides slightly better viscosity, thus protection when the engine is at temp and under load.
I have not noticed any change in fuel usage.
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Engine tolerances (distance between moving parts) are much tighter then the days of Detroit Big Iron. As such, manufacturers dropped the oil viscosity to assure the necessary lubrication. This is particularly critical in engines with over-head cam shafts (not quite as critical an issue with PC owners with push rod engines) which need lubrication as soon as the engine starts up.
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Crop Duster. Your spot on with the reasons for the specified oil weight. The days of old where we increase the oil weight based on miles on the unit or how it is used are long gone but sometimes hard to let go of the idea. Also the days are gone where engines had to be rebuilt by 80,000 miles. The design of these engines requires the lighter weight and the longevity of these engines shows the engineers know what they are doing.
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Jospeh,
Thanks for your comment. Very true about the dramatic improvements to engine lifetime. Upgrades in lubrication and technological improvements in engine operation are providing mileage figures unheard of not so many years ago.
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Computer aided design & manufacturing automation along with computerized engine controls and oil and fuel technology are primary reasons why the engines of today are so much better than years past. This is reflected in thinner oil for tight tolerance lubrication and fuel economy. Not just the viscosity of the engine oil has thinned, but also the "generic" duration between oil changes has increased from 3000 to 5000. Vehicle, oil, and fuel technology has changed a lot and so I follow what is recommended in the owners manual. As of late, I change the oil in all my vehicles at 5000 mile intervals (3000 miles in the past) using full synthetic oil because I get it on sale for less than $3 a quart on a regular basis. Otherwise I would use regular oil. I think our 2014 Nissan Altima manual states to change it less frequently,maybe 7500 miles, maybe later yet, I forget. But the old school in me says to change the oil more frequently at 5k.
One other common misunderstanding is the use of higher octane gas than specified in the owners manual, and it's consequences. But that is another topic.
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I change our oil once a year, wether it needs it or not. ;)
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I just received my report from Blackstone labs after just short of 6,000 miles with Pennzoil ultra syn 5-20. The engine has around 44,000 miles. The trip had a lot of mountain driving pulling my little toad. They stated there is no reason I couldn’t go up yo 7500 miles based on the additives left in the oil. I don’t plan on going much more than 6k on a trip between changes but it’s nice to know the oil will hold its own if I need to.
For reference the oil cost 24 and change a gallon thru Amazon.
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Thanks for reporting that.
Our trips rarely exceed 6000 miles on the motor home, often in the 4500-5500 mile range. Like you, I don't change the oil during our trips. I used to check the oil frequently during the earlier years, but the level never drops enough to add a full quart. Now I check only once 2/3 into our trips. Sometimes I will add a half quart, other times nothing.
I use full synthetic motor oil, 5W-20 per the owners manual, the brand of oil varies. It's usually Pennzoil because I get it on sale cheap, less than $3.00 per quart. But I have used other brands (also bought cheap) and sleep well at night.
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Ron, I had to add one quart at 3,000 miles. When I used motorcraft I went thru a quart in 1500 miles. This trip had a lot of hard mountain driving so I’m guessing it may do better on less stressful roads. On my Ford Fusion using motorcraft I never need to add between 5,000 mile changes. I had a Harley V Rod once that when using Harley labeled synthetic would go thru a quart in 1,000 miles , sometimes by 800. I tried a couple of diff brands of syn blends and with Castrol v twin oil I used a quart in 3,000 which was my change interval. I’ve never understood how this could be but assumed it might be due to what ever additives are in the oil but it’s a mystery to me.
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I am a Mobile One fan. 5w20 is usually $23 at Walmart in 5 qt container.
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I'm glad that I found this topic.
We just drove to NY to purchase our 2011 3100. It was about 3500 miles back home, with side trips and I needed to add a quart at 3000 miles. The seller had the vehicle serviced just before we picked the PC up, and I checked the oil (kind of anal that way, I guess?) when we left. They used Motorcraft oil. The V-10 was working through the hills that the east coasters call mountains, and we were pulling a toad (2011 Ford Escape) on a tow dolly. I have been driving a diesel for the past 14 years, so I really had to get used to the higher revving V-10. Anyway, sounds like this oil consumption is "normal" when the V-10 is working this hard?
A side topic to the oil conversation should be one on oil filters. I saw a U-tube video where several kinds of filters were cut apart and the difference between filter material inside of the filters was disappointing, to say the least. The Fram, which I have been using since High School Auto Shop Class were the most disappointing. The NAPA Gold and the WIX filters contained the most filtering material. NAPA Gold is made by WIX.
A good friend of mine worked at the county garage where they serviced all county vehicles including police cars. He said the black & whites were considered extreme duty vehicles; they are driven by different deputies every day, sometimes at high speeds for long periods, but hours and hours of idling almost every shift. They switched to full synthetic, and even with the harsh usage, they changed oil only every 7500 miles. But, they used good filters. Just my 2 cents.
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I have two friends who are bus mechanics. They only use 5w30 synthetic blend in all their V10 buses, some with well over 250K miles. They buy it direct from from ConocoPhillips in 55 gallon drums. ConocoPhillips makes Motorcraft and they claim it is the same as what Ford specs. They claim it is a superior oil for the V10 compared to other brands.
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Reference Zolman's message above. Yes! At least by 2019, Ford specifically recommended their synthetic blend in 5w-30 for the V-10. I researched this thoroughly before my first oil change on my new unit back in 2019, and found multiple sources that confirmed it. I didn't find WHY they want to use the synthetic blend instead of full synthetic, but that was definitely their recommendation.
Because of that, I have continued to use the Ford Motocraft 5-30 synthetic blend oil in my unit. Without that recommendation, I would likely have gone full synthetic in 5w-20 as I do in my other vehicles.
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I have two friends who are bus mechanics. They only use 5w30 synthetic blend in all their V10 buses, some with well over 250K miles. They buy it direct from from ConocoPhillips in 55 gallon drums. ConocoPhillips makes Motorcraft and they claim it is the same as what Ford specs. They claim it is a superior oil for the V10 compared to other brands.
I have used 5w-30 full synthetic in every vehicle I have owned since as long a Mobil 1 has been available. All of them, including 3 RV's on Ford cutaway chassis with V10s in them and several hundred thousand miles between the 3, and never had to add oil between oil changes (about every 8 to 10 thousand miles. I use Mobile 1 or Pennsoil full synthetic in them.
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Reference Zolman's message above. Yes! At least by 2019, Ford specifically recommended their synthetic blend in 5w-30 for the V-10. I researched this thoroughly before my first oil change on my new unit back in 2019, and found multiple sources that confirmed it. I didn't find WHY they want to use the synthetic blend instead of full synthetic, but that was definitely their recommendation.
Because of that, I have continued to use the Ford Motocraft 5-30 synthetic blend oil in my unit. Without that recommendation, I would likely have gone full synthetic in 5w-20 as I do in my other vehicles.
My 2014 PC chassis, Ford reccomends 5w-20. As I said above, I have always used 5w-30. In the 60's and 70's I used nothing but Pennsoil "racing blend" 10w-40. Even in below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
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I use 5W-20 per manufacturer specs. I use Amsoil full synthetic in every thing I own. My PC has almost 35K miles on it and I have never had to add oil between changes. I usually go 5K between changes unless on a longer trip. Just got back from a 6300 mile trip and the oil was still clean...changed it anyway. As a side note a use Amsoil V-Twin synthetic in my Harley and have noticed it shifting smoother and using less oil. Many of the Harley repair shops recommend the Amsoil.
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I was an AMSOIL Dealer for 18 years so I drank the Kool-Aid. I use Amsoil and all my equipment and I just changed the oil in my 2016 Phoenix cruiser 3100 using 5/30 as recommended. I use the Amsoil ASL and plan on changing it once a year. I also use the Amsoil filter. I also use an injector cleaner as recommended by Amsoil as I know it does a great job of keeping the injectors clean. In my diesel truck I also use an injector cleaner. Amsoil does cost more but they make great products .
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2007 PC 2350. 104,000 miles through all types of North American terrain and weather. I try to change the oil (and filter) every 5k miles and use 5w-20 full synthetic. I don't believe the "our oil is the best" advertising hype so at home I use whatever brand happens to be on sale (if I'm on the road when a change is due then I just go to some "quikee-lube" type place and they use whatever they use). Nothing beyond routine maintenance has been done to the engine. Never have needed to add oil between changes. These V10s are known to be durable truck engines.