Oil change and timing chain rattle ('97 Mark VIII, 126K miles)

[Shevretti]

Hi!

I'm changing oil in my Mark VIII every time computer says I should do it. I was always using Valvoline SynPower 5W30 and Motorcraft or K&N oil filter from around 108K miles when I bought the car.

Every winter when the temperature in my garage drops below 30F I can hear a bad timing chain rattle that sometimes takes over a minute to quiet. When the temperature is over 40F I barely hear this sound and it's not audible in the summer at all.

It's time for another oil change so I'd like to help my Mark VIII somehow. Think I'll use some engine flush hoping that it will clean oil passages a little and maybe I should try different oil? Do you think Motorcraft 5W20 may be better? Or maybe I should try some 0W30 oil? I also thought of using Royal Purple 5W30?

Thanks in advance for help!
Mariusz...

 

[brentalan]

I use 0W-20 Mobil 1. Our cars had a TSB (technical service bulletin) saying that 5W-20 can be used and 0W-20 can be used in 5W-20 applications so I would suggest trying that.

 

[danny_holtermann]

if i remember correctly, it took like 7k before my computer actually told me to do so, are you actually going that long, or are you going every 3-5 thousand miles?

 

[Shevretti]

if i remember correctly, it took like 7k before my computer actually told me to do so, are you actually going that long, or are you going every 3-5 thousand miles?

It's always about 3-4K miles and 6 months in my case.