Synthetic oils

[trkbilder]

Any suggestions on synthetics for a 2.9 that "ticks" like a Swiss watch. I've been running Shell Rotella T 10w-50 with Lucas oil additive. Kept it quite during warm weather but now as it gets colder it is starting to "tick" again. Has new lifters, adjusted to factory specs.HELP!!

 

[exbass94]

First off, stop using Lucas. You're not gaining anything, and it could harm your engine. All it's doing is making that thick oil (which is way too thick for your engine by the way) even thicker. Add to that the cold weather making the oil thicker still and it's no wonder your engine is ticking from not enough oil flow.

It's like trying to drink a thick milkshake through a straw, as opposed to say, drinking soda from a straw. The milkshake is thicker and harder to suck through the straw. Your engine is having a hard time pumping that thick oil to the parts that need the lubrication badly. Just put some 5w30 in there without any additives and run it year round.

I've never heard of 10w-50. Are you sure that's what you have in there? Maybe it's a typo and you meant 10w-30? If so, disregard the thick oil statements. But I still wouldn't use the Lucas. And going to a 5w-30 or even 0w-30 will flow better in the cold weather, so I would use one of those. I'm switching to Mobil 1 synthetic 0w-30 for the great cold-flow abilities this winter.

 

[trkbilder]

You're right, I think it is 15w-50. Not sure on that one either. I tried thinner oil but the tick wouldn't stop. I went the other way and no tick all summer. Mobil 1 is what I used in my T-bird turbo coupe and never had any problems. That sounds good. I'll let you know.

 

[Totalled]

It's a design flaw in the 2.9... it won't go away unless you rebuild the motor and enlarge the oil galleys to the lifters...

 

[trkbilder]

It's a design flaw in the 2.9... it won't go away unless you rebuild the motor and enlarge the oil galleys to the lifters...

Yea, I know that but I can get it to a level that I can live with. I've had a quite summer for the most part, 'til I push it hard.

 

[fastford04]

mine ticks like crazy too! ive tried everything from 10-30 to 20-50 im not went any lower then 10-30 tho....i was just afraid that if i went lower then 10-30 it'd hammer harder an hurt the motor...

I use castrol all the time, i dont live in a really bad cold part of the us. would you suggest runnin 5-30 in it also?

 

[trkbilder]

I'm trying to figure all this out but I'm going to try Mobil 1 10w-40. We both live about the same distance from the equator so our climates are about the same. I'm in N.C..

 

[exbass94]

mine ticks like crazy too! ive tried everything from 10-30 to 20-50 im not went any lower then 10-30 tho....i was just afraid that if i went lower then 10-30 it'd hammer harder an hurt the motor...

I use castrol all the time, i dont live in a really bad cold part of the us. would you suggest runnin 5-30 in it also?

5w-30 is almost the same as 10w30. They are both a 30-weight when they get up to operating temperature. The only difference is a 5w-30 flows better when its colder. 0w-30 flows even better when it's cold, and once again, it's still a 30 weight when it's above freezing. Therefore, I see no advantage to using 10w-30 over 5w30.

 

[trkbilder]

5w-30 is almost the same as 10w30. They are both a 30-weight when they get up to operating temperature. The only difference is a 5w-30 flows better when its colder. 0w-30 flows even better when it's cold, and once again, it's still a 30 weight when it's above freezing. Therefore, I see no advantage to using 10w-30 over 5w30.

Me either but it rolls off the tongue better and it's easier to find. Thanks.

 

[fastford04]

ok i see what you are sayin...sorry for the confusin...

 

[JohnnyO]

It is ticking because the oil it thicker in the colder weather and not flowing as well.
2.9 all tick, as mentioned.
I would run 10w-30 Rotella in the winter, I've seen it at Wal-Mart, that should minimize it as good as it will get.
Mobil 1 will likely make it tick louder.

 

[nightshift]

Genetics

If you have to use that heavy oil to keep your lifters quite in the summer, then your lifter noise is most likely being caused by insufficient oil pressure to your lifter galleys.

The next-to-last camshaft bearing has a groove cut in it. Oil comes from the crankshaft below, runs through the groove, through two oil passages, and into the galleys. If you have excessive clearance between the camshaft journal and that camshaft bearing, the oil will take the path of least resistance and piss out from between the journal and the bearing instead of getting up into the lifter galleys.

This, along with the infamous cracking heads, is a design problem inherent to the 2.9. It's a little present from Cologne, for the shellacking we gave them in WW2. (just kidding, sort of).

IF this is what's causing your ticking, no amount of flushing or heavy oil will reliably stop it.

FWIW, I use shell Rotella 5W-40 synthetic with a Motorcraft FL1A filter. It should have enough range in the viscosity to meet your needs (I'm in So.Fla.), and you can't beat the price / performance. The Walmart down here carries both.

 

[pacodiablo]

Give 5W30 or 10W30 Pennzoil Platinum a try. I didn't use it on a Cologne engine, but my 2.5L was always very quiet with Pennzoil Platinum 5W30.

 

[AllanD]

5w-30 is almost the same as 10w30. They are both a 30-weight when they get up to operating temperature. The only difference is a 5w-30 flows better when its colder. 0w-30 flows even better when it's cold, and once again, it's still a 30 weight when it's above freezing. Therefore, I see no advantage to using 10w-30 over 5w30.

IT's about the additive package of viscosity modifiers that make the oil
behave in a specific way.

there are additives that are required to make an oil with
a 6:1 (numerical) spread (like 5w-30) that can be left out
of a 3:1(numerical) like 10w-30.

And besides the specified oil for a 2.9 engine is 10w30.

BTW, enlarging the oil passages to the lifters is not the prefered
method of eliminating a valve tap.

the first most effective way is to swap in cam bearings that aren't
worn Main bearings while you are at it.

The next thing that's required is making your own lifters because
the stock 2.9 lifters are manufactured in such a way that they
collect crap and don't tend to "self bleed", but this is likely to
be expensive

Actually the best method to reduce the tendency of a 2.9 to
tap is to replace it with a 4.0 which was specifically redesigned
in all the problem areas of the 2.9 engine

The tap that some 4.0's are prone to has no relationship to the tap the 2.9's make (4.0's gall their rocker sockets and upper pushrod tips)

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[Zachalanche]

I've gotten good results from an oil cooler and 5-40 oil.