View Poll Results: Specifically for the 2004-2008 5.4L V8 Triton, what oil do YOU use?
0W-40
9
1.06%
5W-20
474
55.76%
5W-30
289
34.00%
5W-40
18
2.12%
10W-30
33
3.88%
10W-40
13
1.53%
Any of them, it doesn't matter
5
0.59%
Other
9
1.06%
Voters: 850. You may not vote on this poll
5.4L Engine Oil - "What Should I Use?"
03-04-2019, 12:39 PM
#361
Renaissance Honky
I go back and forth with the viscosity: thicker oil for higher pressure, but higher pressure (coupled with the new Melling pump) can blow out seals (like in those tensioners). Redesigned followers increase pressure and direction of oil on the cam lobes. Oil must be thin enough to properly get through the screens in the VVT solenoids. "Thin as you can, thick as you need." Either viscosity can be justified for different reasons... my '04 truck went 150k using only the Ford semi-synthetic 5w20 (and that's with the earliest versions of the VVTs, phasers, and tensioners) so there's no reason it couldn't hit at least that with upgraded parts and a full-synthetic 5w-20.
My main question is if anyone has tried the new Rotella for gas engines, regardless of viscosity? Either way I'm eating my words, as Autozone has a sale on Pennzoil Platinum ful-syn 5 qt jugs for only $17, so I'll be picking up 3.
My main question is if anyone has tried the new Rotella for gas engines, regardless of viscosity? Either way I'm eating my words, as Autozone has a sale on Pennzoil Platinum ful-syn 5 qt jugs for only $17, so I'll be picking up 3.
The fun trick here is when they set up the 5.4 3v for the 5w-20, they gave it a bigger oil pan and a little better cooling through the oil filter/coolant adaptor stalk. Their trick was to run the 5w-20 a little cooler on average, and the temp difference was about enough to give it the same average viscosity at operating temps as the 5w-30 was running before. The lower viscosity cam into effect for CAFE purposes during warm-up and by having a lower HighTemp/HighShear viscosity number. The downside of that is they were pushing the oil closer to its boundaries, and when the bad stuff started to happen there wasn't any protection left for cam bearings.
Higher pressures pushing out the tensionser seals? didn't you put in the metal ratcheting 2v tensioners? :-D
Plus, there's an oil restrictor feeding each cylinder head, so the pressures in the heads shouldn't get high enough to cause an issue, and the pressure bypass built into the oil pump as well. Pressure can only go so-high before that opens.
That's a helluva deal on the Pennzoil, don't pass it up! (b.t.w, does your truck blow right through a quart or so if you change brands/viscosities?)
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dukedkt442 (03-04-2019)
03-04-2019, 12:52 PM
#362
Member
The fun trick here is when they set up the 5.4 3v for the 5w-20, they gave it a bigger oil pan and a little better cooling through the oil filter/coolant adaptor stalk. Their trick was to run the 5w-20 a little cooler on average, and the temp difference was about enough to give it the same average viscosity at operating temps as the 5w-30 was running before. The lower viscosity cam into effect for CAFE purposes during warm-up and by having a lower HighTemp/HighShear viscosity number. The downside of that is they were pushing the oil closer to its boundaries, and when the bad stuff started to happen there wasn't any protection left for cam bearings.
Higher pressures pushing out the tensionser seals? didn't you put in the metal ratcheting 2v tensioners? :-D
Plus, there's an oil restrictor feeding each cylinder head, so the pressures in the heads shouldn't get high enough to cause an issue, and the pressure bypass built into the oil pump as well. Pressure can only go so-high before that opens.
That's a helluva deal on the Pennzoil, don't pass it up! (b.t.w, does your truck blow right through a quart or so if you change brands/viscosities?)
Higher pressures pushing out the tensionser seals? didn't you put in the metal ratcheting 2v tensioners? :-D
Plus, there's an oil restrictor feeding each cylinder head, so the pressures in the heads shouldn't get high enough to cause an issue, and the pressure bypass built into the oil pump as well. Pressure can only go so-high before that opens.
That's a helluva deal on the Pennzoil, don't pass it up! (b.t.w, does your truck blow right through a quart or so if you change brands/viscosities?)
The truck has only ever ran 5w-20 motorcraft and 3k mile OCI (with Motorcraft filter) for 153k miles. It's been 3k and 3 oil changes since I did the timing job at 150k so I've only used the cheap ford stuff... at 155k, I'm switching to the Pennzoil (went with 5w-30) full syn and a 5k mile OCI, so I'll find out if it starts drinking oil at that point. I think it's one of the thinner 5w-30s, so that should help give proper flow characteristics.
Last edited by dukedkt442; 03-04-2019 at 12:55 PM.
03-04-2019, 01:49 PM
#363
Renaissance Honky
Mine only ever drank oil if I changed what I fed it. The first quart would be GONE in a few hundred miles, then another half quart or so and things would settle down. Right now it's between 3 and 5K mi before it uses a quart, I'm pretty happy about that.
The oil restrictors in the passages to the head would actually drop a bit more pressure with a slightly thicker oil, but once that oil gets to where it needs to be (bearings), it has the reserve strength to do a much better job when the engine has started to have the failures. Also, less would come out the blown tensioner seal.
Fed mine 5w-40 for about 10,000 miles before I did the timing job. Other than feeling a little sluggish, it ran very very well. These things aren't nearly as sensitive to oil grade as the internet would have you think.
The oil restrictors in the passages to the head would actually drop a bit more pressure with a slightly thicker oil, but once that oil gets to where it needs to be (bearings), it has the reserve strength to do a much better job when the engine has started to have the failures. Also, less would come out the blown tensioner seal.
Fed mine 5w-40 for about 10,000 miles before I did the timing job. Other than feeling a little sluggish, it ran very very well. These things aren't nearly as sensitive to oil grade as the internet would have you think.
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dukedkt442 (03-04-2019)
03-05-2019, 07:54 AM
#364
Bill
03-05-2019, 08:56 AM
#365
Member
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SilverSport (03-06-2019)
03-05-2019, 11:36 AM
#366
I used a Ford racing high volume & high pressure oil pump (billet steel backing plate) when I swapped out my parts at 90k (had always used the motorcraft 5w20 blend oil & FL820 filter).
Ive been using 5w30 synthetic (hydrocracked) oil & a standard motorcraft FL820 oil filter since I replaced the parts & now Im close to 50k.
(I'm using the non ratcheting style tentioners)
.
Ive been using 5w30 synthetic (hydrocracked) oil & a standard motorcraft FL820 oil filter since I replaced the parts & now Im close to 50k.
(I'm using the non ratcheting style tentioners)
.
Last edited by Fordjunkync; 05-06-2019 at 09:03 AM.
03-06-2019, 07:05 AM
#367
03-06-2019, 08:35 AM
#368
Member
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SilverSport (03-07-2019)
03-19-2019, 06:02 PM
#370
Senior Member
*Yawn*
That video has tossed around these parts for quite some time.... The CAFE std excuse for 5W20 has also been passed around here a lot as well, and Ford has flat out denied that. Frankly, the difference in fuel economy is almost negligible. I don't think it's a big deal either way and is based more on anecdotal data and personal preference.
I'm rolling over 150,000 in my '06 and have run nothing but full synthetic 5W20, and have never had noise or required a repair (though this winter I experienced the all too common exh. gasket or manifold leak). The quality and cleanliness of oil has much more to do with longevity than whether you run 5W20 or 5W30, but that's anecdotal as well and based on nothing other than my personal experience... Also, the difference is not as significant as it seems as these ratings are general, not exact and the actual difference is not as large as it appears.
Stick with whatever works for you.
That video has tossed around these parts for quite some time.... The CAFE std excuse for 5W20 has also been passed around here a lot as well, and Ford has flat out denied that. Frankly, the difference in fuel economy is almost negligible. I don't think it's a big deal either way and is based more on anecdotal data and personal preference.
I'm rolling over 150,000 in my '06 and have run nothing but full synthetic 5W20, and have never had noise or required a repair (though this winter I experienced the all too common exh. gasket or manifold leak). The quality and cleanliness of oil has much more to do with longevity than whether you run 5W20 or 5W30, but that's anecdotal as well and based on nothing other than my personal experience... Also, the difference is not as significant as it seems as these ratings are general, not exact and the actual difference is not as large as it appears.
Stick with whatever works for you.
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SilverSport (03-20-2019)
