Best Oil and filter for Truck ?

[fixizin]

Great to have someone like DanVB1 on board! (Please dissect and shoot-down the following...

OK, here's what I was told, by a long-time Porsche/Audi/VW mechanic, about why Pennzoil, Quaker State, and ALL brands made from Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil are really BAD about "SLUDGING UP":

Basically, PA Grade Crude is found from upstate NY all the way down to Alabama, and the problem is that this particular "pool" of Eastern US crude oil is HIGH IN PARAFFIN! Yep, that white WAX your grandma uses to can all those good viddles is extracted from crude oil. Apparently internal combustion engines are good at extracting it too.

I use Castrol or Valvoline only, no problems. May go to synthetic and change every 4 years, lol. I end up using Fram filters about half the time... will have to do some research on WHY they are (allegedly) so bad.

 

[rangerdanger9398]

i run a napa gold filter and synthetic high mileage oil and it seems to work pretty good i change it every 4000

 

[pacodiablo]

OK, here's what I was told, by a long-time Porsche/Audi/VW mechanic, about why Pennzoil, Quaker State, and ALL brands made from Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil are really BAD about "SLUDGING UP":

Basically, PA Grade Crude is found from upstate NY all the way down to Alabama, and the problem is that this particular "pool" of Eastern US crude oil is HIGH IN PARAFFIN! Yep, that white WAX your grandma uses to can all those good viddles is extracted from crude oil. Apparently internal combustion engines are good at extracting it too.

Pure garbage. There was an issue with some brands causing sludge decades ago, but there is nothing wrong with Pennzoil or QS today. In fact, Pennzoil typically does well in used oil analysis.

I use Motorcraft 5W20 and Motorcraft filters in my truck. I used to sometimes use 5W30 or 10W30, but I had second thoughts about that when my cam synchronizer went bad after just 60K. I don't have any solid evidence that using a heavier weight oil caused the synchro to go so soon, but I'm going to play it safe and stick to 5W20.

Motorcraft filters are probably the best you can get for the price. They have silicone anti-drainback valves and very solid construction. They are usually less expensive than Frams too.

 

[Fast Fords]

i use the good ol' FL 1 A from Ford (motorcraft) and 5w20 ( i have only had ford oil and synthetic "Q" brand). I liked the synthetic; easier starts, quieter truck, revved freely, better mileage (by maybe .5-1 ) but i couldnt justify spending the amount of money to put 5L of oil in my 2.3L engine.

 

[inferno94]

yea , my dad lives by quaker state , he bought a new nissan truck back in the early 90's , it came with penzoil from the factory , he drove it the 30 miles home , drained the oil , put a napa filter on and filled it with quaker state , and the thing is , the guy that bought it from him still has it , and the truck has over 400k on it and still runs like a top

i was tinking of using the quaker state high mileage that has the slick 50 in it

What's funny about that is that pennzoil and quakerstate are the same oil made by the same company.

 

[Lifted2x]

Pure garbage. There was an issue with some brands causing sludge decades ago, but there is nothing wrong with Pennzoil or QS today. In fact, Pennzoil typically does well in used oil analysis.

I use Motorcraft 5W20 and Motorcraft filters in my truck. I used to sometimes use 5W30 or 10W30, but I had second thoughts about that when my cam synchronizer went bad after just 60K. I don't have any solid evidence that using a heavier weight oil caused the synchro to go so soon, but I'm going to play it safe and stick to 5W20.

Motorcraft filters are probably the best you can get for the price. They have silicone anti-drainback valves and very solid construction. They are usually less expensive than Frams too.

Its not pure garage, there are problems with the penzoil brand of oil. I was working at the local Ford dealership here and in 4 months there was three vehicles that came in with low oil pressure, the last one being a 2007 F150. It had 13k on it with loss of oil pressure while driving. He was using penzoil since new, we pulled off the valve covers to find it was packed with sludge. They could not find any mechanical failures and was not covered under warranty. Ford told him to take it up with panzoil. The other two cars where the same way, no warranty.

 

[valleyvinyl84]

I swear by WIX filters and Wolf's Head oil. Never had a problem.

 

[thegoat4]

What I've heard about Penzoil, which seems plausible, is that it has additives that more aggressively neutralize acids that get into the oil. Most additives that neutralize acids do it by turning into sludge. So, that results in penzoil making more sludge, but you wind up with less acid in the oil eating away at your seals and parts.

Of course, I have no way to test any of that, so it's as much hearsay as the wax thing.

But in my experience, Penzoil does tend to make more sludge than other brands, so something is going on.

 

[DanVB1]

fixizin:

I work for the company that was once Pennzoil (new owners of the refineries now). The Pennzoil/QS company no longer exists, except in name only (Shell owns the name). Pennsylvania crude is about depleted and the sources come from all over the world.
Refining technology has changed tremendously and to meet the latest API specs. Wax is a constituent that occurs naturally in all crudes, but the vast majority is removed (and sold!) in a process called MEK Dewaxing. This is a solvent extraction process that also uses refrigeration to crystallize and remove the wax. Any traces of wax in the base stocks are further eliminated by processes such as Catalytic Dewaxing (CDW) or Iso Dewaxing (IDW).
Bottom line - do not fear sludge from wax in the motor oil anymore!
As far as an engine having sludge at 13K, I find this absurd! I can't imagine, even with no oil change since new, the guy's truck was full of sludge.

 

[Lifted2x]

fixizin:

I work for the company that was once Pennzoil (new owners of the refineries now). The Pennzoil/QS company no longer exists, except in name only (Shell owns the name). Pennsylvania crude is about depleted and the sources come from all over the world.
Refining technology has changed tremendously and to meet the latest API specs. Wax is a constituent that occurs naturally in all crudes, but the vast majority is removed (and sold!) in a process called MEK Dewaxing. This is a solvent extraction process that also uses refrigeration to crystallize and remove the wax. Any traces of wax in the base stocks are further eliminated by processes such as Catalytic Dewaxing (CDW) or Iso Dewaxing (IDW).
Bottom line - do not fear sludge from wax in the motor oil anymore!
As far as an engine having sludge at 13K, I find this absurd! I can't imagine, even with no oil change since new, the guy's truck was full of sludge.

I would not have believed it either if I would not have saw it. But it was bad at least a half inch of sludge on everything. He was changing the oil every 5k miles he had the receipts to prove it too. This was in december of 07

 

[pacodiablo]

Without a used oil analysis, there is no telling what went wrong with the truck. The blame can't be placed squarely on Pennzoil without evidence.

Pennzoil is still the most widely used oil in the country. Millions of vehicles use it without problems. Read up on it at Bobistheoilguy.com.

 

[WNY964x4]

so , wait , what weight oil are you supposed to have in a 3.0 , i run 5W-30 , i thought that is what it calls for , was i wrong ?

 

[pacodiablo]

Ford back spec'd them to 5W20.

 

[WNY964x4]

maybe that is why i fucked my other engine up , i was running 5W-40 in it

 

[fixizin]

Ford back spec'd them to 5W20.

Paco, I gotta throw-down and demand DOCUMENTATION on that one!

Why would the owner's manual--along with one or more placards under the hood--specify 5W30 and not 5W20??

(Besides, my truck has lived its whole life in HOT climes, so I'm sticking with the -30...)