18 years ago ? Why is that even revelant now ? Did you verify the weight of the oil? It could be that they just used a sticker that was wrong.
Yep, I am getting the same engine in mine. The oil has been changed by a place I trust but I might not let it go super long the first time. We are just waiting on the title which is in the mail from the state and I will have it.
There is no ticking in this engine. It runs smooth but my plans are to go with Mobil 1 0W40 which is basically a 5W30 for all intensive purposes. It pretty much checks the box for all oil standards, both new and old. The old versions of this oil were not suitable for direct injection but the newer ones are. The 2018 F150 uses a combination of port and direct injection so oils that reduce LSPI are very important in these engines.
I also have a 1999 F250 5.4L and a 2010 Toyota Highlander with the 3.5L 2GR-FE. The forums all seem to indicate this same 0W40 is a great oil for these engines as well with oil analyses to back this up so am pretty much making this my universal oil for cars now. The only real disadvantage is a slight loss of fuel economy with the slightly thicker oil than what is specified in the manual but you will get reduced engine and timing set wear so that is a win.
For the small engines, I am pretty much set on Rotella T6. For OHV stuff I am using the 5W40 flavor. For L-heads, I try to use 15W40. These are technically diesel oils but meet specs for gas engines in these grades. Not all grades do. It was suggested by others to just use the 0W40 in everything but I feel these oils look far more broken down in small engines after a normal OCI as well has having more visible metal flake which I feel means more engine wear. I have never had a scientific comparison done but the T6 has always worked well and it more than exceeds all requirements for the small engines I am using it in.
Thanks for the warning about the oil hitting the suspension or frame. I will be aware of that and use a plastic baffle or cardboard like you do. With cardboard, you can throw it on the burn pile and just use a new piece next time. I have run into this on both cars and small engines. It is like the engine was designed for something else and then placed on something else. You gotta love when you change the oil on a generator and it runs all over the frame and makes a huge mess. I have some old baking pans I just set the entire thing in to catch all the oil.
Rotella T6 is shell?
I have an engine in a certain green motorized vehicle. It has an easy change filter/oil system. Problem filter is prefilled, this changes about 45% of the oil. There is no provision to drain the rest of the oil. Did not know this until after purchased. My solution is to change oil twice as often as recommended.
Yes, Shell Rotella. If you want quality synthetic, their production is going to be diminished. Others also use base oil from this refineriny or did. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/shells-pearl-gtl-facility-qatar-stops-production-after-attacks-2026-03-19/
I suspect this is lawn equipment. They do make kits to suck the oil out of the dipstick tube which can work on cars as well. I still don’t like this as there can be sediment and debris in the pan that won’t come out. It is still better than not changing the oil or only changing a small amount.
I hear some people do this with “non-serviceable” transmissions where there is no drain plug but a dipstick. They can do a partial change of the fluid by sucking out what they can which is better than not changing it at all.
More and more stuff is going this way from cars to cheap lawn equipment. I love how it says “Fluid lasts the life of the equipment.” Really, the life of the equipment ends when the fluid is worn out.
I got all my oil on hand or on the way, filters included. There should be no reason for a filter shortage but with how people reacted about toilet paper, I want at least one filter for each change I have one hand. I got two changes per vehicle based on my usage.
Briggs and other brands have been getting blasted for not putting in drain plugs and calling for no oil changes. The idea is the engine will be junk in three years and you have to buy a new one. Add the cheap engines to non-servicable transmissions and pay top dollar for the right paint color. It’s a mad house.
I watched a video where they said it was something like 30% more wear with 5W20 compared to 5W30. An oil analysis can tell you how much wear metal is in the oil.
I would love to see the details behind a video like that, especially on how controlled the experiment was.
And I can show you a video of someone claiming they have proof that the earth is flat
I saw one of those videos, and the person who posted it stated that he had followers, “All around the world”.
To comments regarding my post:
Painted green, not green as in electric.Yes, lawn equipment. I could drain more oil via the dipstick, but as long as the oil remains clear and amber, I will just go with the “easy change”.
Except for all the junk that accumulates in th3 bottom of the crank case. I have to turn my generator over to drain the oil. Don’t know if the sludge in the bottom comes out or not but what’s a guy to do?
We have some here in the midwest too.
It probably doesn’t matter, but you can flush it with diesel.
Really? Since we are probably talking about a one quart or less volume, if so concerned and the correct volume of the same oil, start the motor, let it run for a few minute, then dump that oil out and fill with fresh.
I have no concern about what settled on the bottom of the oil pan. If it was in circulation the oil filter would get it, if it’s not in circulation it poses no threat to the engine. I would never add a quart of diesel to try and rinse things out.
Edit-this comment was for cars. For small engines, sure, I guess. My battery-powered mower doesn’t have that problem.
Small engines don’t have filters in most cases.
Back to oil shortages. Things will be getting much worse, we’re using up the oil inventories that have kept prices from exploding:
It’s not just Exxon. Chevron is also warning that oil/gas prices are likely to soar to even higher levels, fairly soon.