Local 10 min Oil Change shop had Quaker State onhand.
Never gave much thought before with the other cars..
Today I realized the odo is at 3600miles - 2nd oil change.
1st was at 500miles.

Had 6qts of 5w-20 put in.
Is this good oil for 3000miles?
Is it equal or better than the factory 5w-20?
Should I use 10w-30 instead?

Truck will only be driven if it's dry(no salt or snow or rain)..

When is it ok to use synthetic?

 

Get rid of that Quaker State.....Quaker State=Sludge..... At least that is what I have been told for 20 yrs. If a motor is full of sludge when you dissemble it, then the oil wasn't changed or the owner used Quaker State

 

Personally I wouldn't put Quaker State in my neighbors lawn mower.I don't even like him.....the mower didn't do anything wrong.........or something

 

I was too far from my dealer & thought they had more brand selection at the oil change shop.

Castrol GTX would have been nice...

$20 wasted, I'll drain it out this weekend..

 

Actually quaker state and pennzoil is the same company same base stocks.

As far as that goes they all get their crude from the middle east any more so it really doesn't matter.


http://www.pennzoil-quakerstate.com/

 

I switched over to a full synthetic 5W20(Royal Purple #11 Racing oil) at 4,000 miles. I would stick with a 5W20, especially up nawth.

Dan

 

I wouldn't put quaker state in my truck.

I used Valvoline 5w-20 for the first few oil changes allong with a motorcraft filter. Then at about 10,000 miles I switched to Mobil One 5w-30

 

SJL,

I been a wrench turner since the early 60's(can i say that?), business and hobby. I have been racing for as many years. The one thing that stands out when I would tear down an engine for a friend, I could most always guess which brand of motor oil he used. By far, the biggest depositor of ash and debris products was the Pennzoil and Quaker State line of products. Sometimes the oil return galleys were clogged with the stuff.

I think I've made my point. I have yet to rebuild an engine that has run synthetic from inception to rebuild. It is a good idea to allow the engine to break in before using synthetic, unless it was factory standard. In those cases, the engine is pre-broken in at the factory, ie better tolerances. I plan on switching my '02 L to synthetic around the 5,000 mile mark. No science, just a guess as to when it would do the most good without wasting my money.

 

Like what was said before... get rid of the Quaker State (A.K.A. Quaker Sludge)

Jeremy Withrow
2001 Lightning
North Pole, Alaska
Farthest North SVT in the world
"Exploring the arctic at 140 MPH"

 

I wouldn't even put Quaker State oil in my neighbors lawnmower!!!! Polly want a cracker???

 

I would wait till at least untill 8 or 9,000 miles. There have been a few posts of guys switching to synthetics to soon, and getting higher oil consumption.

 

Don's Bolt,

Thanks for the info. I had heard that it is best not to rush getting synthetic oil too soon for the oil consumption problem. I was not sure of when the good time to switch was.

I don't know how tight the tolerances on the L are, compared to other factory 5.4's. My guess is, they are about the same. I can easily wait that long, (9 to 10K Mi). At my present rate, 1400 miles in the first 5 weeks, I will be at that mark in 7 months.

 

I changed my oil at 700 miles, and now I am worried that I may have put Quaker State in! I am @ 1,400 now, so I will have to change it soon to something better. What, besides synthetic, do you think are the best oils? Valvoline......any others?

 

CrazyFoo,

I have had the best luck with Valvoline and Castrol. I am sure there are many that will do just fine for you, use you best guess and stay away from Pennz and Quaker.

 

UPDATE:

5 hrs or so after the oil was changed I started the L..

WHen the engine was COLD & idling - slight tapping sound
or faint knock..

Ruined my hole Friday night..

When she warmed up & was driven no problem..
1st oil change was 500miles - no ill effects.

No complaints with the factory/dealer dino oil..

Castrol will be going in Tuesday after work w/ a new filter.

Hopefully I can save a new owner $20 + time..