which oil

MIAMI-MARK-VIII

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planning on doing oil change and filter 97 mark viii I do not know what the previous owner used what brand of oil and filter do you guys recommend thank you all
 
i use motorcraft 5w20 and a motorcraft fl820s filter.
the car has over 200k, and the main and rod bearings looked excellent when i took it apart to replace the rings.
 
Okay cool ill check it out I am also planning on changing my lifters
should I replace with oem or is there any other aftermarket ones that would be a little better and what else should I replace or check while I do that job
 
Manual calls for 5-30. Mark owners typically use 5-20, 5-30 or even 10-30 in warmer climates. If you don't want to run full synthetic just use a name brand quality oil, most are syn blends.
I've used Pennzoil, Valvoline Max life, Mobile 5000 and for the last couple years Quaker State Defy, all with good results. And by good results I mean that my engine didn't make any odd noises, smoke or blow up while using them. :) All high mileage formulas.
For filters use either the MC 820s or any of the Puralators. I'd stay away from the lower lines of Fram if at all possible.
 
Ford back-spec'd these cars to 5W-20, so you can switch to that now. 5W-30 is fine, too. I'd go with the 20.
 
Built with 5w-30 in mind, in the late 90s/early 00s Ford did a TSB that said you can start using 5w-20. Brand, in my opinion, really doesn't matter. All oils are so much more refined and better products than they were just 10 years ago, even Walmart swill is better than the best stuff from 1997. I would use Motorcraft filters though, they're only $4 and considered really good.
 
Built with 5w-30 in mind, in the late 90s/early 00s Ford did a TSB that said you can start using 5w-20. Brand, in my opinion, really doesn't matter. All oils are so much more refined and better products than they were just 10 years ago, even Walmart swill is better than the best stuff from 1997. I would use Motorcraft filters though, they're only $4 and considered really good.


True that. I've used the Supertech HM a couple times years back when I was unemployed. That's when it was significantly cheaper then the next cheapest name brand though, these days I think it's only a buck or two cheaper for a 5qt jug. The uoa tend to look good for them and I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.
 
I change my oil at 3000-4000 mile range and use Wix brand filter and Castrol 5-30 oil. Although I do use the Motorcraft 5-20 in winter months with the Wix filter and do use Mobil 5000 5-30 on occasion as alternate to Castrol. DO NOT use cheap oil filters and try using the Lukas oil additive when temputures get extremely hot or cold.
 
I work in the oil industry... wix/napa or motorcraft are my favorites I avoid fram. Purolater is a Pennzoil filter like what they use at quick lubes. Aka Pennzoil 10 minute oil change. It looks like you are all stock. 5w30, Any of the major brands with the high mileage formula would be good. If you wanted to jump to a full synthetic with high mileage formula that would be fabulous. Be prepared to spend $8 a quart and I don't think the mark would appreciate it any more. I avoid amsoil and Mobil synthetic products. High mileage has a different additive package with emphasis on detergents and dispersants as well as seal swelling to help with seeping. There is other stuff too but lets stick to the basics for the moment..
 
What are the advantages of using 5-20 over say 5-30 or even 10-30? My mark has like 180k on it.
 
OK
I will stick my head out on this one and give everyone the chance to cut it off and stomp it.

I will keep this simple and skip all the fancy engineering and science. Put in Valvoline, Castrol, Pennzoil High Milage 5w30. Skip the fancey additives. It seems that if you start off with a premium product, full synthetic for example, the pop and pour additives have no significant effect and most times cause harm. If you start off with a lower grade product and add add additives you typically get the extra protection you are looking for. HOWEVER looking at the money side of it you will spend the same money if not more than if you would have bought the right product to begin with..... Think of it as a Blower to NOS comparison, JUST KIDDING!!!!

Simple single line answer, as the number gets bigger oil gets thicker and flows slower. In case it helps... "W" = Winter not Weight.... it starts out thin and grows "thicker" as it heats up.

If this was an old pushrod motor, 302 for example, 10w30 is what it calls for and what you should put in it. It has larger bearing clearances and accordingly it was engineered to run a "heavier oil".

As the complexity of engines grew, OHC and variable valve timing for example, the oil has been tasked to do other things than just lubricate and cool. One that we can all relate to, it has been tasked to work timing chain tensioners. These passages are small and the "work" needs to act quickly. The quickly part is addressed by using a lower viscosity of oil that is "thinner" and has a faster flow rate.... 5w20 and 5w30 specifically to our discussion.

If we use a "thicker oil" it will take longer to get to the top on "start up". Likewise it will take longer to get to the bottom of the pan. If it hangs up top it spends more time around the seals(valve and cam) than it should and "could" promote oil loss/consumption, just one example.

One option to keep a thicker oil and increase the flow rate would be to go to a synthetic oil. However at face value does not gurantee it is going to work as intended without reviewing the specifications of one product to the next.

Here is a perfect example of someone who thinks they know more than they think.

2006 F-150 4.6 (IIRC? +/- a year) takes their truck to the shop with the check engine light on with a code pertaining to some thing with the variable valve timing, do not the exact detail, PLEASE keep in mind I got this from my customer 7-8 months ago. The shop replaced a variety of sensors. Problem came back, this time it went to another shop same rutine replace stuff and the problem came back. This time it landed at my customer, very good shop that charges a fair price(NOT CHEAP HACKS). They spent ime testing researching and came to the only sensible thing that it had the wrong oil in it, if nothing else it was a cheap risk compared to all the other stuff. Guess what? It fixed it! The theory is that someone put in 10w30 or possibly an additive of some kind and under certain operating conditions the system didnt like it. It makes perfect sense. The truck had variable valve timing, a rather complex system component wise, very simple in operation, plus hydraulic tensioners in the Wiscosin winter.

Question... what is better in your Mark VIII rear end 75w90 or 75w140? gear ratio 3.08 - 5.56 or any other, doesnt matter.Whick is the best and why?
 
I love hearing insight from someone in the industry. Thank you.

I personally use 10w-30 High Mileage Full Synthetic in my 93 with 210,000 miles. I also live in Florida though and "cold" here is 70's lol.
 
The answer to the trivia question of what gear oil is best for your Mark. 75w90.. Rule of thumb the slower the motion of gear/mass rotation the heavier the lube. Spin it faster the lighter the lube. Reasoning is that any given contact point is spending more time in contact/pressure and needs more film/protection.

Anything that calls for 80w90, use 75w90 if you are willing to spend the extra money or want better protection and less resistance.

Whale sperm aka "friction modifier" additive for posi clutches is advertised to be "in there" for some products. Personally? Buy another bottle....
 
I love hearing insight from someone in the industry. Thank you.

I personally use 10w-30 High Mileage Full Synthetic in my 93 with 210,000 miles. I also live in Florida though and "cold" here is 70's lol.

If mine had that many miles on it in that environment I would do EXACTLY the same thing.

Here is why... Based on CONVENTIONAL OIL....As bearing clearance grows, before bearing failure(high miles well maintained)you experience pressure loss. Within reason one level thicker, you can gain the pressure back and be OK. When doing so you should at least move to a quality main brand synthetic blend, preferably full synthetic. It will help keep the flow rate in check.

Pieces of useless information.

Walmart and other retailer brands are not major brands for this example. Majors for example: Pennzoil, Mobil, Quaker State, Castrol, Valvoline you get the idea...

Oil has four main jobs: protect, clean, lubricate and COOL. Conventional oil is about 80% oil and 20% additives to accomplish the previous 4 goals.

1% of all crude oil is used for lubricants. Notice the parts store doesn't change the price of oil on the shelf like the gas station does at the pump.

Oil industry Barrel we hear about on TV is 42 gallons. When I deliver a Drum it is 55 gallons.

Major brands of conventional oil are synthetic blends, in general 5-12%. There is NO STANDARD (sae or otherwise)TO QUALIFY "SYNTHETIC BLEND"!!! If it has .5% they can call it synthetic blend. The majors don't market different levels of synthetic blend, too confusing to the consumer. No other reason..... Major brand TRUE synthetic blend is around 25%. Full synthetic around 50ish%.

Rule of thumb....Conventional oil starts to breakdown at 150 degrees F. Every 15 degrees above it wastes away about 20%. This includes burning/smoking/oxidizing. 165 degrees it is about 80% effective/efficient and begins its death spiral. Synthetic oils start to break down at 250 degrees F. When oil is "overheated" It is called oxidization. Oxidation of oil is easily seen on the bottom of valve covers, it is the yellow/gold/black haze on the inside of them. If you run ANY conventional oil for any length of time on the best maintenance interval it is there. If you run full synthetic it will have VERY little if any. If you switch to synthetic over time it can erase some of the color.

250 degrees on conventional it is Junk... Dead... No good... Motor going to die any second if not already. Disclaimer..... These are general numbers not dependent on a specific brand or viscosity and the amount of time the oil is held at the given temperature. If you want to know the specific point of your favorite oil look at the technical data sheet, NOT msds.

Thus in Florida, Arizona, Texas and so on in the summer on YOUR car 10w30 full synthetic is a good call. Any major brand except Mobil 1. Allow me to clarify, Mobil 1 is not bad or junk. The cost of the product does not line up with the quality of the product compared to other offerings in the market place.

Hope you guys take this and make it useful in someway....
 
So 10-30 full synthetic it is thank you for the info so there won't be any problems switching to full synthetic as I don't know what the previous owner used
 

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