Synthetic Blend?

[TrailMaster]

So I'm loving my brand spankin' new FX4, but have a couple concerns already.

I live in extremely cold country, below zero temps almost every night through our long ass 6 month winters. We see -30 and even sometimes -40 nights aren't unheard of or unusual. We're already seeing low single digits overnight, and I've noticed when starting the truck the next morning there's more steam coming out of the exhaust than I'm used to or like seeing. Enough to get the gravel underneath wet. There is no antifreeze, gas or oil smell to the steam, and after about ten minutes of running it seems to stop. After driving to full operating temps it is not apparent, so I'm thinking it's condensation. After warmup I always drive a good 25 or 30 minutes minimum. So. I'm wanting to get the factory 5w-30oil out of there! It only has a few hundred miles on it, but I purchased a new Purolator Boss filter and want to replace the oil with the recommended 0w-30 weight before the brutally cold temperatures set in.

I digress, back the topic question. The manual is recommending a synthetic blend. Why? I have been a synthetic guy for decades now.

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[bgn]

They don't "recommend" it because, as far as I can see, there is no full synthetic Motorcraft 0w-30. Any synth in that weight is still good.

 

[Montana]

Because FORD wants to sell you their cheap crap for a higher price tag.

They do make a 5w-30 full syn though, but it's more profitable for them to use the syn blend they have been marking for a while now.

Honestly there are so few 0w-30 oils, I'd just stick with 5w-30 and get a block heater then warm it up before driving with remote start for 10 minutes.

BTW, my Maverick has a pretty gaseous remote start even in warm weather. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Do your oil analysis and go from there.

 

[Ranch]

I think that using synthetic blend is just fine,

 

[Montana]

I think that using synthetic blend is just fine,

It is, but for the cost why not use full synthetic? If saving $2 on an oil change is that serious I'd say there are more pressing issues. Full syn all around is better engine oil.

 

[Ranch]

It is, but for the cost why not use full synthetic? If saving $2 on an oil change is that serious I'd say there are more pressing issues. Full syn all around is better engine oil.

I'm not against using a full syn.

 

[Silver23]

At those extreme low temps I would use full synthetic for sure.
And a 0-30 is the way to go.
There is no doubt that a full syn will flow better than a blend at those low temps.

 

[Exranger]

That voice in your head: full synthetic full synthetic, listen to it my friend... do or do not, there is no try...

 

[paneubert]

Just had a funny thought. If viscosity at low temps is a concern, then all the fuel dilution people worry about is a good thing. Right? Dilute that oil with some gas. Keep it flowin! Haha!

 

[Montana]

Just had a funny thought. If viscosity at low temps is a concern, then all the fuel dilution people worry about is a good thing. Right? Dilute that oil with some gas. Keep it flowin! Haha!

Problem solved. Move to colder climates

 

[TrailMaster]

Looks like full synthetic it is! I wouldn't have used Ford MotorCrap oil anyway, but synthetic has many advantages over dino jizz.

 

[Ron Neal]

There is nothing wrong with blended oil as 5w30 is still 5w30 wether it's a blend or synthetic and understand considering a 0w30 for very harsh winters. I prefer a blend myself but understand if full synthetic is what you like. Price of oil isn't relevant for me with only 2 oil changes a year and I don't want to crawl under the truck to change it so my dealer does it. Yeah that costs a little more but so does a Starbucks coffee.

 

[Samus]

dino jizz.

 

[Decayed]

Looks like full synthetic it is! I wouldn't have used Ford MotorCrap oil anyway, but synthetic has many advantages over dino jizz.

The motorcraft blended oils are fine. Nobody wants to handle warranty claims due to poor performing oil. You will not damage your engine using it. It's more important to change the oil and filter regularly than it is to pick the perfect oil. If it meets ILSAC 6 spec you are good to go. Pretty much all name brand full synthetics meet this standard, including Amazon, costco and walmart branded oils. The new specs are about the additives as much as the base oil.

The motorcraft oil filters are good to go, too. I'd buy those preferentially over virtually anything else. For what they cost they are very nice filters internally.

 

[Dudley]

I have a 2.0.
FWIW on another Maverick site when I went to change oil first time I was going to go with Pennzoil full synthetic. A user responded with:

"I'll bet it DOES NOT meet the Ford Spec!"

Another user responded with:

"It doesn't matter if an oil is a syn-blend or full-syn for our purposes. Actually irrelevant. The right WSS- numbers are ALL you ever have to think about, to preserve the engine warranty. The only thing that matters on an oil jug or bottle you buy is these WSS numbers printed on the back:
Ford WSS-M2C962-A1 (0w-20 for the Hybrid only)
Ford WSS-M2C961-A1 (5w-30 for Ecoboost only)
Ford WSS-M2C963-A1 (0w-30, Ecoboost only when you might start it at below -10F) (Mobil1 AFE 0w-30 is the only oil I've found that meets this)
Seeing the correct WSS- number on an oil bottle means Ford's Warranty Dept. will honor your engine warranty if something goes wrong and they question your oil type used."

I responded with:

"'The Pennzoil Full synthetic said it 'meets or exceeds Ford's WSS-M2C961-A' but not A-1. The Pennzoil High Milage blend says 'meets or exceeds fords older numbers'." (I took it back and got what matched the above, which was Motorcraft blend).

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