rockhead11

I use amsoil and filter and love it. I have had the dealer change the oil every time except the last time, due to questionable actions by the guy doing the service. Any who, I took the filter off with my bare hands, No filter wrench. They are supposed to be put on hand then 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn more. Maybe that's the problem, filters are not being put on tight enough. Just thinking outloud. By the way, just my opinion, a amsoil filter is much better than a motorcraft.

rockhead11

Yes, I had the timing chain rattle.... until I changed my oil and filter myself. I might still have it, just has not done it since.

greyboosted

Mobil 1 130k miles

Ron AKA

I am looking at buying a 2015 3.5 L Ecoboost F150, so no direct experience. There are a couple of issues with the Ecoboost engine that make me pause with concern. One is the reports of gasoline dilution of the engine oil. There is even a TSB out on the issue. Apparently the engine direct injects a lot of fuel during warm up, which does not always vaporize that well. It runs down past the rings and into the oil. If you do not drive it enough for the gas to boil off and get sucked through the PCV valve to the intake, it builds up in the crankcase oil. The issue seems to be worse when used for short drives.


If you do some checking of used oil analysis reports (Bob is the Oil Guy is a good source), you will find users are seeing gasoline in the oil, and the viscosity is reduced out of spec to a 20 weight instead of a 30. This seems to be happening in warm climates as well as colder ones, over just the course of a normal oil change interval, not extended.


So what does this have to do with oil to be used in the engine? First is that it would make sense to find a 5w-30 that is at the higher end of the permitted viscosity range at 100 deg C, so you have some room to thin down in use. Second, if fuel is going to dilute down the viscosity, it does not make sense to stretch out the miles between changes. In fact it would make more sense to change even more often than Ford recommends. For that reason it may not even make sense to use a synthetic, just a conventional or blend that is at the higher end of the hot viscosity range.


The second issue with the Ecoboost engine and direct injection is that of carbon deposits on the intake valves. They do not see fuel air flowing by them, only air, as fuel is injected direct to the cylinder. That means fuel additives will not keep the intake valves clean. Another source of carbon on the valves is oil leaking up past the valve stem seals. Thinner oil will leak more. So thicker oil helps with this issue too. And last the other source of intake valve carbon deposits is the oil vapor recirculated though the PCV valve to the intake manifold. It can burn on the intake valves. Heavier oil also helps with that too. There is a measure called the Noack Volatility Index which is the % of the oil volatized in the test. Lower is better.


Summary on Oil? The best oil is at the heavy end of the 100 deg. C viscosity range. It should be replaced often to get rid of the gasoline in the oil before the viscosity drops too low. Better that it is lower in cost, than it is long in life. You want a low Noack %, but that may be a bit contradictory, as often the synthetics have lower Noack. So you may be best with a low cost, heavy, low Noack, synthetic, and change it often.


And then there is warranty. I would not be brave enough to use an oil that does not meet Ford's specification for 5W-30. Quite a few oils, but not all do.


Just my thoughts based on the issues with the Ecoboost that I am aware of and concerned about.

Ron AKA

I provided my comments earlier, but with further research on the EcoBoost engine problems, I have revised my thinking somewhat. The EcoBoost provides some unique challenges for the oil. First it is direct injection and that tends to promote blow-by the rings especially during startup. Second the PCV system becomes quite ineffective during boost conditions as there is no positive flow through the crankcase. The combination of these two factors is not good. The oil suffers from dilution and viscosity loss due to the gasoline, and the corrosion inhibitor (TBN) levels are consumed more rapidly due to poorly vented moisture.

What does that mean when choosing oil? I would suggest the following in order of priority:

1. Get the highest possible 100 deg. C viscosity SAE 30 weight oil. SAE 30 viscosity is within spec from 9.3 to 12.5 cSt. You want an oil as close as possible to the 12.5 cSt. The purpose is to keep the viscosity in the SAE 30 range, even after gasoline dilution. The higher the starting viscosity the better.
2. A secondary measure of high temperature viscosity is HTHS. Again you want as high a value as is available for a SAE 30 weight oil. Oils meeting ACEA E6, E7, & E9 will have a minimum HTHS of 3.5.
3. A high TBN value is useful to prevent corrosion due to moisture in the oil, and extend life of the oil. An oil meeting those ACEA specs will have a minimum TBN of 9.

Assuming your want to maintain your Ford warranty, you will have to choose a 5W-30 oil, that meets Ford specs or is API SN qualified. Note that Fords does not say it has to be GF-5 qualified, and it is actually best to avoid oil which is GF-5 qualified. It has a fuel economy component which discourages higher viscosity oil, which is your number 1 priority.

So what oil?

First I would not recommend the Amsoil Signature oil. It is not approved by Ford or API. The 100 deg. C viscosity is 10.5, which is not high. The HTHS is 3.2, which is not high. TBN is high at 12.6, but that is about the only merit to this oil.
http://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2880.pdf

I do suggest one of the three following oils. The first two are potentially the same oil with different names, and both good.

1. Mobil Delvac 1 LE 5W-30 - It is API SN qualified, has a 100 deg. C viscosity of 11.8, HTHS >3.5, and TBN of 10.
http://www.mobil.com/Canada-English/..._LE_5W-30.aspx

2. Chevron Delo 400 LE Synthetic 5W-30 - Also API SN qualified, 100 deg. C viscosity of 11.7, HTHS > 3.5, and TBN of 9.8.
https://cglapps.chevron.com/msdspds/...&docFormat=PDF

3. Kendall GT-1 Full Synthetic Euro 5W-30 - API SN qualified, 100 deg. C viscosity of 12.0, HTHS 3.5, and TBN of 7.3. This one is a bit of a mixed bag, and the reason I put it third. It has the highest 100 deg. C viscosity, but the lowest TBN... Probably good if you are not going to attempt long oil change intervals, which I would not recommend in any case.
http://www.phillips66lubricants.com/...w%20826309.pdf

Hope that helps some. I'm convinced that if one is very selective about the oil used in the EcoBoost, one can minimize the engine wear issues caused by the gasoline diluted oil.

Chrisc321

millwrat

Start or stay with OEM oil for warranty purposes (keep oil change receipts or records, just in case)

Personally, as an Engineer who actually owns an Ecoboost, I opted for Mobil1 EP 5w30 ($27/5 qts at WalMart) and known good oil filters. OEM filters cannot be disputed for pure warranty purposes, however I chose Mobil1 M1-212 oil filters. When purchased at AAP or other places with discounts, they are a cost-effective excellent filter.

Used oil analysis, for those inclined, is helpful.

As the EB is a high-performance engine, and direct injected, oil change intervals should be frequent. Seriously, if you drop 35K+ on a truck, 3k vs 5k vs 7.5k oil changes is a low % of overall total cost of ownership. Early on, during break-in is critical. After it settles in, and used oil analysis backs it up, then ok to stretch it out.

Phenomenal engine. Take care of it, and it will take care of you.

papa tiger

That is my belief to, will continue to take fine care of our 2 3.5L EB's both are not past drive train warranty, checked Motocraft and all oils are GF5 so motocraft is up to date with Fords Specs. We intend to purchase several of the 2.7L EB's for our fleet seeing the lighter truck will perform well for us. Like that a lot! Not to faze out the 3.5L's due to its heavy tow/haul. Just will back its mileage down for deliveries on site of back hoe or bobcat. Will get the 2.7L with tow/haul and 2.7 heavy load option to test it against the 3.5L EB for future purchases down the road a couple of years. No sense going to big if we need to but if 8500 is the limit for the 2.7L it is soooo close.

itguy08

Ecoboost 2.7 is direct injected just like his bigger brother.
http://www.autonews.com/article/2014...with-high-tech

Chrisc321

I wonder if it needs a catch can.................