When did Ford change the recommended engine oil for the GT?

[Fastfwd]

I've got 5-20 on my cap and 5-30 in my manual for a 2019 (US Spec). I just bought some 5-20 for an oil change, but I might see if I can swap it out for 5-30.

I do enjoy driving it a little harder than a daily commuter vehicle. Is there any drawback to making the change just before the seasons start to change and it gets a little cooler? Looks like my last oil change was almost a year ago. So, it's probably going to last throughout the year anyway.

Sponsored

 

[CJJon]

I've got 5-20 on my cap and 5-30 in my manual for a 2019 (US Spec). I just bought some 5-20 for an oil change, but I might see if I can swap it out for 5-30.

I do enjoy driving it a little harder than a daily commuter vehicle. Is there any drawback to making the change just before the seasons start to change and it gets a little cooler? Looks like my last oil change was almost a year ago. So, it's probably going to last throughout the year anyway.

Practically speaking, there is no difference.

Wait, almost a year since an oil change? You been in a coma for the last 9 months?

 

[Fastfwd]

Practically speaking, there is no difference.

Wait, almost a year since an oil change? You been in a coma for the last 9 months?

The Mustang is a second vehicle. I really haven't taken any major trips in it this year. So, I guess I haven't done enough miles for the oil life meter to gauge that it needed to be changed. There's no way I'm changing 10 quarts of synthetic oil every 3 months. Is anyone doing that?

 

[CJJon]

The Mustang is a second vehicle. I really haven't taken any major trips in it this year. So, I guess I haven't done enough miles for the oil life meter to gauge that it needed to be changed. There's no way I'm changing 10 quarts of synthetic oil every 3 months. Is anyone doing that?

The oil life meter uses other things to gauge oil life than mileage. Time is one variable. Have you checked your meter?

 

[Rapid Red]

I've got 5-20 on my cap and 5-30 in my manual for a 2019 (US Spec). I just bought some 5-20 for an oil change, but I might see if I can swap it out for 5-30.

I do enjoy driving it a little harder than a daily commuter vehicle. Is there any drawback to making the change just before the seasons start to change and it gets a little cooler? Looks like my last oil change was almost a year ago. So, it's probably going to last throughout the year anyway.

To answer the question.... NO, will not hurt a thing. Personally I don't know about this TIME monitor deal.

Yes seeing the post, experience and common sense tells me. The driven mileage, flat out or pussy footing, determines the lubrication life.

Further more don't believe I've ever run across anyone. Who's had a motor failure or maintenance problem oil related. Because the damn thing sat .

To qualify that last statement, if a car was parked at a time when the oil change was due...... Then a WISE man would change it before dusting it off and driving .

5-30 is a good choice . And the most common. 30w having been used almost as long as cars have been in use.

 

[sk47]

The Mustang is a second vehicle. I really haven't taken any major trips in it this year. So, I guess I haven't done enough miles for the oil life meter to gauge that it needed to be changed. There's no way I'm changing 10 quarts of synthetic oil every 3 months. Is anyone doing that?

Hello; I sometimes only change the oil in my vehicles once a year if I do not get 3000 miles on them. I use synthetic oil which ought to help. Thing is I make sure to drive at least once a week for about 15 miles minimum, usually more. I am retired so do not drive too much. But once a year is a stretch and a minimum to my thinking.
I do not know about changing oil every three months. Such will be good to be sure but may not be needed. To me much will depend on how much a vehicle sits. Thing about oil is it has a function beyond oil pressure, lubrication and engine cooling. That function is to trap stuff from the combustion process. There are chemicals in oil designed to trap some combustion byproducts. If you drive often and far enough the heat will drive off some of the trapped stuff. If you lest a vehicle sit for long periods that stuff can form mild acids that can etch surfaces. A slow process to be sure.
So if the car is to sit for a month or more my plan would be to change the oil just before it is parked. Such as in areas where some park the car for the winter. Had a friend with a 1972 911T I used to service. He had a bad habit of parking the car for long periods of time. It had a dry sump which held around nine quarts. I changed it for him one time. A couple years later I was called to get it started after it has sat a while. I asked if he had changed the oil. No he had not it only has 800 miles on it was his thinking.

I walked away from buying a 1965 Pontiac GTO a while back. Owner had kept it nice enough. But when I asked about the last oil change, it had been over three years. Too long to pay a premium price.

So I do not see the need for every three months unless it sits two and a half months. I do see every year even if it was only driven 100 miles. Maybe six months as a compromise or just take it out for 30 miles once a week?

 

[Fastfwd]

The oil life meter uses other things to gauge oil life than mileage. Time is one variable. Have you checked your meter?

Yes. I keep tabs on it through the app on my phone. It just started to go under 10%.

This oil change with 10 quarts (plus and extra quart to carry in the trunk) and oil filter is going to run about $80. Plus, I might send this one off to Blackstone - so, maybe another $30 on top of that.

I think I'll trust that however Ford calculates when the oil needs to be changed that the meter will tell me accurately. It might be calculating the time too for that matter idk. 10 quarts is A LOT of oil. I just checked the level on it and it looks clean as a whistle.

I've done nothing but change my oil according to the oil life gauge in my Honda for the last 7 years and I haven't had any issues with nearly 160k miles.

 

[engineermike]

As far as I can tell, the oil life monitor does take time into account.

 

[sk47]

I've done nothing but change my oil according to the oil life gauge in my Honda for the last 7 years and I haven't had any issues with nearly 160k miles.

Hello; First let me say I do not know that any car maker actually will compromise good practice in order to be able to advertise lower maintenance costs. I did flush out a potential issue when shopping for a new economy car a couple years ago.
After getting very close to the deal I wanted I discovered the car had a timing belt and not a timing chain. The owners manual had that belt replacement at over 100K miles and also a time limit.
I went in to have a talk with the service manager to get an opinion. The service manager thinks as I do that around 90K miles is a better mark.

I am suspicious of extended mile oil changes. Maybe for no good reason. My Chevy Silverado has an oil life monitor built in. last time I changed the oil I did not reset the monitor just to see how long it would go before suggesting an oil change. That was back in December of 2020 and the monitor did have some months and miles already on it. Not many miles on the truck in a year. It is a 2004 I bought new and has 61K miles on it now. Not sure how time figures in?

 

[TomOz]

As far as I can tell, the oil life monitor does take time into account.

It definitely does.
I drove very little last year due to COVID - around 5,000km.
The Oil Life Monitor was suggesting I replace the oil exactly 12 months after the last service.

Now I'm driving more and I did a track day, I should see if that is still the case.

 

[TomOz]

It definitely does.
I drove very little last year due to COVID - around 5,000km.
The Oil Life Monitor was suggesting I replace the oil exactly 12 months after the last service.

Now I'm driving more and I did a track day, I should see if that is still the case.

I know I'm replying to myself, but whatever.

Driving the GT today and it came up with a "Change Oil Soon" message, so I did the numbers.

When I had change the oil last year, It had done exactly 3.443 kms (damn COVID).
The previous oil change it had done exactly 11,488 kms.
The "Change Oil Now" message came up exactly after 12 months in both cases, so that was definitely time based.

With the recent message, the car has done 7,019 km and it's been 9 months since the last oil change. This was after a fantastic track day where the revs were very high for about 2 hours (spread over the day).

So it must use time, distance and how hard you push it in the calcs. I suppose it might also use the speeds (I did hit 220+km/hr all throughout the track day).

 

[ice445]

I know I'm replying to myself, but whatever.

Driving the GT today and it came up with a "Change Oil Soon" message, so I did the numbers.

When I had change the oil last year, It had done exactly 3.443 kms (damn COVID).
The previous oil change it had done exactly 11,488 kms.
The "Change Oil Now" message came up exactly after 12 months in both cases, so that was definitely time based.

With the recent message, the car has done 7,019 km and it's been 9 months since the last oil change. This was after a fantastic track day where the revs were very high for about 2 hours (spread over the day).

So it must use time, distance and how hard you push it in the calcs. I suppose it might also use the speeds (I did hit 220+km/hr all throughout the track day).

It always expires on time at exactly 1 year since it was reset.

 

[TomOz]

It always expires on time at exactly 1 year since it was reset.

Hmmm, mine is showing otherwise.
Do you track your car by any chance?

 

[Norm Peterson]

I didn't read through the whole thread, but my semi-educated guess for the change in viscosity spec involves the direct injection.

On earlier cars that only say use 5W30 for track time tells me that time at elevated temperatures is an important parameter that seems to have been extended to normal use as well following further experience.


Norm

 

[CJJon]

It always expires on time at exactly 1 year since it was reset.

Correct. Unless the algorithm computes otherwise, then it could be shorter than 12 months.

Sponsored