Looking for most longevity/reliability f150 build?

[Gros Ventre]

This is all in the eye of the beholder, and I definitely didn't want to create a pissing contest; I can't speak for anyone else but I'm not trying to say anybody here is wrong. I know there is no engineering behind never analyzing an oil sample and changing it accordingly - but I guess I'm in the camp that is indifferent to that and will get the same or better results not worrying about it and changing it at least every 5k with a quality product and filter.

Well... Got it. No peeing contest here. The issue as I see things is whether the oil is in good condition or not. So long as its in good condition, why change it? Same concept as why change out an alternator or water pump if it remains in good condition and is serviceable. On the other hand, if you've developed a history that something is at or about the service life you've seen in the past... maybe changing it is a good idea. Across the 30 years of the family, 1992 Suburban I kept, I developed a history of when things failed. So I'm now applying that to my 21 F-150. Why? For several reasons but among those reasons is I don't want my truck failing on the road in a Wyoming winter at -40ºF and 40 miles from anywhere.

Sponsored

 

[Natetroknot]

Yep, understood Bill! You are also a great deal smarter and more analytical than I.

I'm 48 and just did that Cologuard crap in a box thing because Doc gave me the option instead of a colonoscopy. I was embarrassed to drop the dang thing off at the UPS store, and I did plenty of bitching to my wife about how much it could be pointless. Meaning, I'm putting an awful lot of trust in the folks on the other end of that sample. I feel like the same is true of a Blackstone type of outfit with an oil sample, except the moral aspect and human part is missing. Easy thing to pencil whip, lose altogether, or make stuff up. I hope I'm wrong at it doesn't happen with either company - a reputation is at stake and that's just shady!

Another thing here, what is someone supposed to do if wear or premature failure is indicated in samples? I mean, sure in your case you might venture out into the Wyoming winter a little more prepared, but will you or Ford tear into the motor before it breaks? I sure wouldn't. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

Happy to address any direct questions but I think I should bow out of this now. OP, don't mean to sidetrack your thread, thanks for everyone's input!

 

[National Superbike]

Just had my truck in for a battery problem and the tech is a good friend. I asked about engine problems and he said they see the fewest major problems with the 5.0 engines. That's anecdotal but he's been there for 20 yrs so has a pretty good feel for that stuff. His personal truck is a 3.5 but he said the 2.7 was a good engine too.
Ford's OLM is "intelligent" in that it uses multiple factors to estimate oil life. Stuff like trip distance, engine temp, rpm, tow mode, etc. I have 5k miles since the last change and mine shows 39% left. I'll change it at 7k no matter what. I think it is a pretty good guide for most people.

 

[TarnishedCopper]

The ultimate in longevity/reliability? I'd pick like a 1965-67 F-150. Simple and you can't break them! All the electronics and gimmicks of today are just that!

 

[Gros Ventre]

The ultimate in longevity/reliability? I'd pick like a 1965-67 F-150. Simple and you can't break them! All the electronics and gimmicks of today are just that!

I graduated from that 92 Suburban to the 21 F-150... I remain amazed at the computerization. What I'm very uncomfortable with is the degree to which it all makes me ignorant of what's going on in the truck. The issue is the programmers present on the dashboard what they think you need to know but not necessarily what is actually going on. Hence I added standalone system voltmeter and oil pressure and temperature gauges.

 

[Tall Tail]

Sounds like a few stories of some old GMs. How about any stories about 20+ year old 300k+ mile Ford F150s?

 

[MTMan]

Some observations as I've been wrenching for over 35 years.

I've seen some oil analysis where an owner did the long oil change interval with good oil analysis and pulled the valve cover to replace gaskets down the road and the motor was varnished.

The 3.5 eco boost oil gets darker twice as fast as my old 2000 naturally aspirated V8 Toyota Land Cruiser does with 240k we have for the family hauler. I change this one with synthetic every 5k. We drive lots of short trips.

Those eco boost turbo oil feed screens are very tiny and there have been issues with them plugging up from long oil change intervals and taking out the turbo or worse. My buddy lost his turbos at 65k. Not widely reported online but shops have seen this.

My other Ford tech buddy just replaced valve cover gaskets on his eco boost in an escape with over 200k and he swears by the 3-4k Motor Craft semi syn oil and filter change. His motor looked as clean as when it was built. He's a fan of the semisynthetic route and believes Ford mainsteamed that for a reason.

OLM and long oil change intervals are made to get you out of the warranty period.

The Ford manual 3.5 EB interestingly shows a hot climate/Middle East/Africa short trip oil change should be 3k miles. In other words, that's Fords severe service interval still.

So, it really depends on your driving style. Engine oil changes are your best insurance for longevity. I'd add the tranny is next and with the new electronic brake master cylinder booster combo I'd recommend keeping that changed every 3 years per Ford recommendation. I just changed that thing on the Land Cruiser this year with the same technology and it was expensive.

 

[PowerBoostSoCal]

Just had my truck in for a battery problem and the tech is a good friend. I asked about engine problems and he said they see the fewest major problems with the 5.0 engines. That's anecdotal but he's been there for 20 yrs so has a pretty good feel for that stuff. His personal truck is a 3.5 but he said the 2.7 was a good engine too.
Ford's OLM is "intelligent" in that it uses multiple factors to estimate oil life. Stuff like trip distance, engine temp, rpm, tow mode, etc. I have 5k miles since the last change and mine shows 39% left. I'll change it at 7k no matter what. I think it is a pretty good guide for most people.

I read a great article about GMs oil life monitor (which Ford either bought the rights to our just copied as best as possible). The GM monitor was developed in the late 90's using OnStar to send engine information after every start. They would send ambient temp, oil temp, throttle/speed, etc., etc. - GM developed algorithums based on the data - they still use this today. The OLM data was recently tested by an outside firm - the analysis was very conservative - changing the oil at 0% life left when the oil still had more than 2500 miles left! Usually about 10,000 when it went to 0%. So, believe it our not the "solid engineering" is there ... obviously it cannot analyze any specific problems you may have, but it does work ... that being said, I still change my oil at 5K miles and that is mainly due to my need to have my truck last 250K++ with very few (if no) major mechanical issues.

 

[roadPilot]

Agreed. I mean, with allowing my dealer to keep a sticker on my back window, my oil changes are $25 up to 5qts and then about $12 more for the extra 2.75qts.

For $37ish, it's monetarily stupid for met to pay anything to get an oil analysis.

You clearly don't understand the primary purpose of having your oil analyzed on a regular basis.

It's NOT to save $3 by extending your oil change interval 700 miles.

It's to diagnose potential serious internal engine issues before they become expensive repairs.

 

[roadPilot]

I spent nearly 20 years turning wrenches. The only engines we ever used to see that smoked, or with sludge build up were the ones who didn't change their oil every 3-5K miles. Even when synthetic hit the market the issues persisted for those who didn't regularly change it. For those who did change it regularly, rarely did those engines use much oil. Sure having to add a 1/2 a quart every 5K miles was not unusual and tearing them down resulted in minimal wear for an engine with 150-200K miles on them.

My father used to own a hotshot delivery business and he'd put 1K miles on his truck in a week at times. He would change his oil religiously at 5K miles. He'd regularly put 3-400K miles before having any issues with his engines. His 1990 Chevy 1/2 ton for example 375K miles on it, three transmissions later he decides to put a new engine in it. So we tore the old one down just to see how it looked. Sure there was definitely signs of wear but they were minimal at best. The cam and crank shafts were still well within spec and could use standard bearings if we wanted to rebuild it. To our surprise the cylinders still had cross hatch honing marks on them after all the countless hours of runtime that engine saw.

Now they want us to change it every 10-15K miles and these engines use more oil now then ever. Having to add 1-2 qts every 5K miles. Opening up many of these modern engines and they are loaded with sludge and show excessive wear.

Changing the oil at 5K miles is inexpensive way to ensure your engine always has proper lubrication when compared to the myriad of potential issues you can have by stretching it to 10-15K miles.

Bologna. Changing oil at X miles with NO understanding of how much oil life is left or what the used oil contains does nothing but waste money. I've wrenched my vehicles for well over 40 years, everything from oil changes to rebuilding motors. On average, oil changes occurred anywhere between 7-8K and 12-13K depending upon the vehicle and how the oil analyses looked. I NEVER had a single oil related failure in an engine across the 35+ vehicles I've owned and driven.

You NEVER follow an OLM. You have the oil analyzed so they can tell you want's going on inside without having to tear things apart.

He's a fan of the semisynthetic route and believes Ford mainsteamed that for a reason.

There is no standard requiring how much synthetic oil is blended with the mineral oil for it to be called a semi-synthetic engine oil. A synthetic blend oil could be 30% or 5% synthetic–or less.

 

[Natetroknot]

Some observations as I've been wrenching for over 35 years.

I've seen some oil analysis where an owner did the long oil change interval with good oil analysis and pulled the valve cover to replace gaskets down the road and the motor was varnished.

The 3.5 eco boost oil gets darker twice as fast as my old 2000 naturally aspirated V8 Toyota Land Cruiser does with 240k we have for the family hauler. I change this one with synthetic every 5k. We drive lots of short trips.

Those eco boost turbo oil feed screens are very tiny and there have been issues with them plugging up from long oil change intervals and taking out the turbo or worse. My buddy lost his turbos at 65k. Not widely reported online but shops have seen this.

My other Ford tech buddy just replaced valve cover gaskets on his eco boost in an escape with over 200k and he swears by the 3-4k Motor Craft semi syn oil and filter change. His motor looked as clean as when it was built. He's a fan of the semisynthetic route and believes Ford mainsteamed that for a reason.

OLM and long oil change intervals are made to get you out of the warranty period.

The Ford manual 3.5 EB interestingly shows a hot climate/Middle East/Africa short trip oil change should be 3k miles. In other words, that's Fords severe service interval still.

So, it really depends on your driving style. Engine oil changes are your best insurance for longevity. I'd add the tranny is next and with the new electronic brake master cylinder booster combo I'd recommend keeping that changed every 3 years per Ford recommendation. I just changed that thing on the Land Cruiser this year with the same technology and it was expensive.

Hundy’s are my favorite. I have only owned one and I’m an idiot for selling it. Thanks for chiming in and cheers!

 

[Natetroknot]

You clearly don't understand the primary purpose of having your oil analyzed on a regular basis.

It's NOT to save $3 by extending your oil change interval 700 miles.

It's to diagnose potential serious internal engine issues before they become expensive repairs.

You ever seen the last of the Mohicans? Magua understand English very well.

Sorry, I’ve had a few hazy's this evening

 

[Natetroknot]

Bologna. Changing oil at X miles with NO understanding of how much oil life is left or what the used oil contains does nothing but waste money. I've wrenched my vehicles for well over 40 years, everything from oil changes to rebuilding motors. On average, oil changes occurred anywhere between 7-8K and 12-13K depending upon the vehicle and how the oil analyses looked. I NEVER had a single oil related failure in an engine across the 35+ vehicles I've owned and driven.

You NEVER follow an OLM. You have the oil analyzed so they can tell you want's going on inside without having to tear things apart.

There is no standard requiring how much synthetic oil is blended with the mineral oil for it to be called a semi-synthetic engine oil. A synthetic blend oil could be 30% or 5% synthetic–or less.

Is your truck financed? Your home? Waste money, that’s the same comment that brought me into this. Who cares man?

 

[roadPilot]

Is your truck financed? Your home? Waste money, that’s the same comment that brought me into this. Who cares man?

Three of the five cars are paid off. Another is almost paid off. Most people can't afford to pay cash for an $800K home, but 1.89% APR is almost free.

HOWEVER ... most people can spend a few dollars to have their engine oil analyzed to try to avoid catastrophic repair bills. Maybe give up a few hazys to potentially ward off a big repair bill?

 

[dochawk]

The GM monitor was developed in the late 90's using OnStar to send engine information after every start.

It also functions without OnStar; I have a couple of Northstars (a 97 Eldorado Touring Coupe, and a '99 Deville{ok and a '93 Fleetwood, and a '72 Eldorado convertible. So I have a Cadillac problem! ?‍ }), and the engine computer monitors everything in sight--except the oil itself!--to calculate remaining life. [OnStar was part of the Northstar project at Cadillac. AFAIK, the Northstar engine and OnStar were the only parts of that grand scheme that ever made it into production.]

Anyway, does the oil itself come into Ford's calculations, or just the conditions that will affect it?

And how much does Blackstone charge? I'm a professional paranoid, charging $475/hr for it by the time I required, so I'm seriously curious.

Also, I can't imagine someone that lets someone else change his oil draining some off to send in for analysis . . .

Sponsored