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Need help with oil


jcombs

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I have a 97 XLT extended cab that i just got and have no clue what weight of oil was used or what type i.e. syn, blend, or conventional that has been used but i do know that it has at least 230k on the odometer but is mileage exempt on the title. i live in southeast Indiana. I know that %w30 is the typical recommended weight but with cold winters and 230k or who knows miles and the other unknowns, I am seeking guidance. I know that full synthetic is what I would typically use in other vehicles but want to see what people that have owned these for longer than myself use with great results or more knowledge given my climate region unknown milage and history. I know that i will be doing valve cover gaskets due to leaks and plugs and wires due to sputtering and backfiring. i would assume oil has ruined a few plugs and who knows when that was all changed. I just got this truck and the first thing that i have done and only thing i have done was an auto to manual swap. I will be doing a writeup on this as there are a lot of missed details for what i experienced . but all other stuff i have yet to learn and now reading on here to get a base knowledge and will add new findings as i see them. what plugs would you use?
 


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I personally would avoid a regular full synthetic on an engine with that many miles. Full synthetics tend to clean very well, so any build up that is blocking a potential leak may get cleaned away and then you have a leak. This tends to happen most around the valve seals, and then you get oil consumption.

Personally I would stick with a 5-30 high mileage blend. Throw in a quart of Lucas if you feel it isn't thick enough.

High mileage oils have additives to reswell and soften seals that may be dry and brittle, so they are supposed to help with consumption issues.
 

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Here in AK, I use Mobile1 0W-30 in the Winter. Helps tremendously with starting. Rest of the year, I use whatever 5W-30 synthetic that is on sale.
 

jcombs

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I personally would avoid a regular full synthetic on an engine with that many miles. Full synthetics tend to clean very well, so any build up that is blocking a potential leak may get cleaned away and then you have a leak. This tends to happen most around the valve seals, and then you get oil consumption.

Personally I would stick with a 5-30 high mileage blend. Throw in a quart of Lucas if you feel it isn't thick enough.

High mileage oils have additives to reswell and soften seals that may be dry and brittle, so they are supposed to help with consumption issues.
Sweet! I will give this a shot as that makes perfect sense. Like i said, I know nothing about this motor or model year. I do know how a lot of it works and what I am doing while I am working on it. But I have also been around long enough that i know there are tips and tricks for fixing the odd quarks that each make and/or model and what not from what other guys have went through. that means that I can make life simple rather than do it by the book. Thanks for the fast response!
 

John H

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My 01 4.0 has 193,xxx miles, I have used Valvoline full synthetic in it for quite some time with no problems. I have also used half a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil in the engine to clean it out and it also helped my timing chain rattle because it cleaned the tensioners. If I had your truck I'd use a full synthetic and not worry about oil leaks that it may cause, personally I've never experienced synthetic oil causing a leak. Also I wouldn't use Lucas in the engine, just use lighter or heavier synthetic oil. I live in deep south Texas, In the winter I use 5W-30 and summer I use 10W-30. I also use MMO in my gas tank, again no issues with moisture in the system, keeps injectors clean, and it is a good upper cylinder lube plus its cheaper than the other brands.
 

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My 01 4.0 has 193,xxx miles, I have used Valvoline full synthetic in it for quite some time with no problems. I have also used half a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil in the engine to clean it out and it also helped my timing chain rattle because it cleaned the tensioners. If I had your truck I'd use a full synthetic and not worry about oil leaks that it may cause, personally I've never experienced synthetic oil causing a leak. Also I wouldn't use Lucas in the engine, just use lighter or heavier synthetic oil. I live in deep south Texas, In the winter I use 5W-30 and summer I use 10W-30. I also use MMO in my gas tank, again no issues with moisture in the system, keeps injectors clean, and it is a good upper cylinder lube plus its cheaper than the other brands.
I understand the thought process behind using a "thicker" oil in the summer, but there is little to no functional difference between 5W-30 and 10W-30 in warm weather.

Also, I didn't say to avoid all full synthetics. I said to avoid regular full synthetics. There are high mileage FS formulations avaliable from Mobile, Valvoline, and Carquest, and those are only the ones I can think of without trying. Any one of those would also be an excellent choice.

I just don't see the 4.0 as being special enough to warrant spending the extra money on a full synthetic oil. There is no functional or performance need for it as that engine doesn't have a tendency to sludge and never runs hot enough or hard enough for thermal or mechanical sheer to be a huge problem for the oil.


I do prefer Lucas oil stabilizer to just regular heavier oil, because it helps the oil stick to stuff in a way that 15-40 just doesn't.
 
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jcombs

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I understand the thought process behind using a "thicker" oil in the summer, but there is little to no functional difference between 5W-30 and 10W-30 in warm weather.

Also, I didn't say to avoid all full synthetics. I said to avoid regular full synthetics. There are high mileage FS formulations avaliable from Mobile, Valvoline, and Carquest, and those are only the ones I can think of without trying. Any one of those would also be an excellent choice.

I just don't see the 4.0 as being special enough to warrant spending the extra money on a full synthetic oil. There is no functional or performance need for it as that engine doesn't have a tendency to sludge and never runs hot enough or hard enough for thermal or mechanical sheer to be a huge problem for the oil.


I do prefer Lucas oil stabilizer to just regular heavier oil, because it helps the oil stick to stuff in a way that 15-40 just doesn't.
Well the part where full synthetics may clean too well and can cause issues for me specifically makes perfect sense. I dont know who did what and how hard the drove or how bad they abused this motor. The truck is in decent shape so i will run a blend for a few changes then maybe move to full syn when i know that the blend has done some cleaning and rehab. heck may even stay with a blend IDK but i do know that I personally had had horrid luck with conventional in used cars. 5W-30 blend it is .....for high mileage.
i do have a spare 4.0 that the last owner said cranked but wouldnt start after it overheating and was driven for about 5 miles with no fan or radiator.......dumba**.... but i can either sell that or slowly rebuild it. i bought a blown up truck to rob the manual stuff for a "Correct" swap not rigging it up to work.
 

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I personally would avoid a regular full synthetic on an engine with that many miles. Full synthetics tend to clean very well, so any build up that is blocking a potential leak may get cleaned away and then you have a leak. This tends to happen most around the valve seals, and then you get oil consumption.

Personally I would stick with a 5-30 high mileage blend. Throw in a quart of Lucas if you feel it isn't thick enough.

High mileage oils have additives to reswell and soften seals that may be dry and brittle, so they are supposed to help with consumption issues.
Agree, I would use 5w-30 Valvoline Max Life and a Motorcraft, Wix, or NAPA Gold filter and change every 3000 to 5000 miles.
My Sport Trac will hit 150,000 miles this week and has none of the issues that you would use a high mileage oil for and I don't use high mileage oil in it (yet) but it's been run on Pennzoil Platinum or Mobil 1 from new.
 
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