08f150xlt

ive read on another forum about switching oils to 15w 40..... they say the ticking goes away, but ive read conflicting opinions about that oil being to thick, but i also read that 15w40 oil has come a long way and shouldn't harm anything, guys have been using for 100k or more miles... opinions or anyone done this oil switch?

dgiancola

im making sure i watch this forumn....this is something ive been interested in as well...

08f150xlt

There was a big forum on another f150 site I'm not a member at...

stp77

well ive seen from my own eyes 10w30 destroy the cam phazers! im not an expert but if theres ticking its not the oil its another problem! then again if its the phazers i guess thicker oil wont really change much,except maybee the vct solonoids they dont like thick stuff!

08f150xlt

I know these 5.4l 3v's have bad Phasers and even if you get them replaced the tick returns, I'm due for an oil change in about 1k miles and thinking I might try this if I hear enough positive opinions, the other forum had a lot of positive results of guys doing this...

stp77

well if ur sure its the phasers its just a matter of time before the fail, if u bring it to a good mechanic he well be able to change them without taking the timing chaing cover off, theres a special tool thats stops the chains from falling off while doing it, remenber that if u let let phasers go till they do fail ur probably looking at a new engine.what kind of filter r u using?

stp77

the cheap filters also have a valve to stop the oil from drainning back outta the heads but its also made out of crdboard and fails really fast, this is the only part i strongly recomend u use the ford one its a really good quality, also r u sure its not ur injectors making the noise ?there really noisy on the 5.4, run ur engine and put ur hand on the fuel rail and u can probably feel the vibration of the injectors at the same time as the ticking, the 5w20 is truely the oil of choice for these engines, make sure u consider all the possible problem before u try changing oils

08f150xlt

I've had the oil changed at ford dealerships, so I'm sure it's motorcraft filters they use. As far as phasers go, my mechanic buddy at ford said the loud phasers are an engineering oops, they won't hurt anything he said, just loud and annoying

stp77

well i dont want to argue with a ford tech, but type in cam phasers in the search engine and look at how much damage they can do! ford doesnt want to admit it because it should of been a recall but then they would have had to change all of them,

silverkorn

because the 15w-40 stops the ticking sounds doesn't necessarily mean its a better oil for the 5.4

What oil are you running now?

If you want to try a "thicker" oil then i would say a 5w-30 is as high as you would want to go with a "stock" engine. the 5w-20 and 0w-20 oil recommended for the 5.4L is an effort by Ford to increase the gas mileage. but running a 15w-xx will cause more wear to the bearings and piston rings when first starting the engine because it does not flow as easy as a 0w-xx or 5w-xx oil will