HouTxEngr

Changing oil typically takes me 30 minutes, start to finish. I've been asked, "why change oil yourself?" Answer is simple - a friend of mine had a brand new Mustang GT two months, then had the dealership change the oil...free. On the way home, he heard a bang, then came to a stop. Seems the oil filter wasn't on tight and he ran his motor dry.
I use Super Tech 100% synthetic and Motorcraft filters...until now.
My last new truck -2010 F150. Went to change the oil at 3000 miles and without much choice, I went to this setup: https://www.f150forum.com/f72/budget...-system-90460/
I can now change oil in 15 minutes...

Ozymandias

The topic addressed and your question is often discussed ad nauseum… I am sure the F150 forums are no exception, and you can find any answer you are pre-disposed to agreeing with from tens of thousands of interweb sites, articles, research studies, and personal testimony from any number of moderately literate, internet equipped shade tree mechanic living in a camper trailer who has put over fourty-three billion trouble-free miles on the last 12 cars he’s owned and the other 26 cars his family drives while using his favorite brand X motor oil.

Here is an over-simplified answer to your question:
What does synthetic oil have that the other doesn't?

Conventional Oil – Dinosaur juice, highly refined hydro-carbon based petroleum product like motor oil used as a lubricating agent/medium for high temp moving parts to provide longevity to metals and other alloys.

The molecular arrangement (or the molecular chain rather) of ‘oil’ has unique properties that regulate & dissipate heat, provides lubricating qualities that all greatly reduce friction and other benefits. Motor oil doesn’t naturally boil and turn to steam like water at 212f, doesn’t change properties or states of matter very easily (i.e. Ice = solid 32F, Water = liquid 33F – 211F, Gas – steam/vapor >212F).

The chains of molecules and their unique natural arrangement gives conventional motor oil the most cost effective commercially viable product that is (or has been) plentiful and operationally effective and consistent.

Downside? The particular arrangement and structure of these molecular chains to provide all of these qualities in a single quart, do NOT stay together infinitely. Over time, heat, pressure, foreign contaminates, age (add all this to a modern engine and then rinse, lather & repeat) the nice pretty chain of atoms and molecules begins to get torn apart, crushed, heated up, cooled down, mixed with trace amounts of gasses from combustion, carbon, metal fragments and a host of other materials from the periodic table that I would be making up if continued to talk elaborate on them any more beyond what I have here.

So, basically, all the reasons you put motor oil in your engine in the first place, begins to lose its unique qualities of why you’ve been putting oil in your engine.

Synthetic Oil – Man-made product designed in a lab and other manufacturing processes that mimic the natural [conventional] properties of motor oil. A bunch of Ph.D types got together and determined just exactly how lubricating oil works, its specific chemical properties and the precise molecular chemical chain that makes it do what it does, but rather brilliantly re-engineering it using different processes forming a chain of molecules that do not tear and break down like the natural stuff.

Consider this analogy: You have a cotton rope. Strong, reliable, will last a decent while. It does everything you want, and functions beautifully for your purpose. Eventually, that cotton rope will age, mildew, fray, separate, stretch; So all the unique arrangement of cotton fibers lose their unique qualities of a strong rope and will eventually break.

Now, they orig made Nylon fibers (rope) in a lab. It’s a synthetic fiber that happens to be man-made. It has properties of a rope, it looks like a rope, bends, twists, etc… but it doesn’t exactly rot or breakdown the same as a natural [conventional] cotton fiber now does it?

Synthetic oil does need to be changed like regular oil, only in less frequent intervals. There will inevitably be contaminates that manage to get in the oil, and the filter will only filter out so much of these contaminates for so long until you need to simply change out both.

Its not like your engine is a sentient living being that can tell or sense what kind of lubricant is circulating around its internal parts…. It’s an engineered machine with specific engineered purpose of exploiting chemistry and mechanical physics. Synthetic oil is more expensive, but it is a marvelous product of innovation providing all of the benefits of conventional motor oil and doing for longer period of time, and with a more consistent and reliable function of lubrication and heat transfer. You truck can spend its time on a lift getting a new filter every 3-4K miles, or it can be on the road or in your garage more often and only being on a lift getting a new filter and fluid change every 10-15K miles.

BD

Lherna07

Ok just changed to synthetic and forgot to ask when i need to change the oil i use my truck as little as possible due to work and wanted to see how many miles i could go through with the synthetic

BlackIce83

I roughly change every 7,000 miles. But I switched to Mobil One Extended Performance an you change your oil every 15,000 miles or once a year, Yes I said it CORRECTLY! I called Mobil personally an they verified that information.

Jax123

I actually enjoy changing my own oil, but while my truck is under warranty - I have the dealer do all and any maintenance work so there are absolutely no warranty issues.
I know, I know, - that the factory is suppose to honor all maintenance as long as it is properly documented, but I would rather be safe than sorry.
I use the Motorcraft full synthetic 5W-20, but when the warranty is up (if I haven't traded), I will go back to changing myself using Amsoil 0W-20 synthetic and Amsoil filter.
It really amazes me when someone buys a multi-thousand dollar vehicle and then tries to save a few bucks with convention.al oil Go figure!

avman63

I us Amsoil in everything IE.. engine and oil filter, tranny, front and rear dif, xfer case, air filter.

MurphM

i know this is an older thread but I didnt want to start a new thread just to start a new thread. I have an 09 F150 5.4. I put very few miles on it and usually get to six months or more before I get anywhere near 5K miles on it. Would you/do you think I should change the oil every six months even if the miles dont add up that quickly. Overall I am leaning towards doing the oil changes. The cost of two oil changes per year is not very much considering what the truck is worth and what keeping it in good shape is worth. Let me know your thoughts!

djjr50

I think its a time and/or mileage limit. I am not sure the minimum, but I have heard that you should change your oil every quarter OR when you reach 5k. I'm sure that is to count for oil degradation due to moisture being introduced into the system.

MurphM

Good enough for me. I just think oil changes are pretty cheap and should be done regularly. Still trying to decide if I want to tackle it myself or pay the dealership.

HouTxEngr

Pictures are great. Here's a full description of a 2010 F150 XLT 4.6 oil change:

- Using a set of ramps, pull the truck up on top and lock the emergency brake. Put xmission in park.
- I've installed a oil pan drain valve, so after putting the catch pan under this valve, I open the valve and drain the pan.
- Using a 1-qt zip-loc plastic bag, I surround the lossened oil filter, then remove it (the bag catches the oil).
- I put ~1/3 qt of oil in the FL-820 filter, then screw it on hand tight. Using a filter wrench, I tighten one full turn.
- Close the oil pan drain valve.
- Pull all the stuff out from under the truck.
- Following the book, I put 6 qts of 5W-30 full syn (Wal-mart Super-Tech).
- To fill the oil filter, I press the throttle to the floor and crank for 10 seconds, then go ahead and start the engine and roll it off the stands.
End.

Oil change costs me $23. total, and I KNOW it was done right!