Especial86

iTrader: (1)

I could not wait any longer so I swapped out my motorcraft semi synthetic 5w-20 with 7 quarts of royal purple 5w-30 and a fresh motorcraft filter. The ticking sound has definitely quieted down a bit but is still present.

The 5w-20 I drained out was very dirty for only being a 1000 miles old.

After driving for a while I noticed a bit more pep to the motor and it seems the tick is getting even quieter. I will undoubtedly be running 5w-30 from now on or at least in the winter, and possibly 10w-40 or 10w-30 in the summer.
I made a video of the sound but I gotta figure out how to shrink it down in size and upload it.

lariatboy

I have 7 f150 3v's in the extended family, all with lifter noise/tick. 5-30 with Lucas has eliminated the noise and improved performance in ALL of them, and cured a rough idle issue on 3 of them as well.

Especial86

iTrader: (1)

How much Lucas do you put in at an oil change?

lariatboy

20% Lucas, 80% 5-30.

lariatboy

You should notice an instant difference. (by instant, at least give it a minute or two to circulate)

epdog

Ive seen mobile one 0w-20 at walmart. Supposed to increase mpg. Would this be a bad thing to put in my 06 King Ranch.

sillyrabbit0420

Everyone I know who knows anything about modular engines DOESN'T run 5w20 in them.
I run 5w30 in my truck and my S/C'ed Mustang (4.6) with no issues. No "piston slap." And I run the hell out of the 'Stang.

yoop

10W-40 is heavier or lighter than 5w-20? I can't remember how oil weights work and im nothing near a mechanic but I can manage my own truck. So what youre saying is youve ran 10w-40 in your 5.4 v8? Im jsut wondering if that'd help me becasue yes like many of you I have the ever so hated tick tick tick in my engine and im running 5-20....

ocomg

10W-40 is a heavier oil than 5W-20.

From my understanding, the first number is what the viscosity (thickness) of the oil is cold. The higher the number, the thicker the oil. The second number is what viscosity the oil is at operating (hot engine) temperature.

Personally, I would stick with a 5W rather than a 10W for better cold flow, but bump to a 30 or 40 for better viscosity at operating (hot engine) temperature.

DMC60

10W40 is heavier than 5W20. Think of it this way, add the two numbers together and divide by two. This will equal the spec the oil could end up at if exposed to extreme loading and heat. The greater the range an oil Viscosity at cold verses hot temps, the greater the additive package must be to make the oil behave that way. So in theory the straight weight oil is able to remain in spec longer. The trade off though is at cold temperatures it wont flow well enough to protect the engine.

I have been researching this 5W20 debacle, and have run 10W40 in other vehicles for years and years with good success. I would suggest you try the 5W30, or even 10W30 and see if the noise persists. If you really want to know what is going on with your motor there is no substitute for oil analysis.