# Returning to dino after using synthetic (2013 Ford F150) **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** ford, f150\ **Created:** [July 11, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840 "2018-07-11T19:53:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Danny27](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Danny27](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Danny27)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/1 "2018-07-11T19:53:29Z")
Last oil change I went to synthetic oil. Seeing how expensive it is, is o. k. to go back to regular petroleum based oil, or am I better off sticking with synthetic. Thank you; Danny ---
**Author:** ![pyrolord314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@pyrolord314](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pyrolord314)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 8:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/2 "2018-07-11T20:27:20Z")
Check your owners manual. If it says that Synthetic is **required** , then continue to use the synthetic. If synthetic isn’t required then go with dino. Make sure you change it at the requisite interval and check it regularly ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 9:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/3 "2018-07-11T21:16:32Z")
Not a problem to go back to petroleum oil… But you are better off sticking to synthetic even if your manual does not require it. I have used synthetic in every engine I own for over 30 years. Even if synthetic is more expensive than regular oil, it is waaaay cheaper than rebuilding an engine. ---
**Author:** ![psanzone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@psanzone](https://community.cartalk.com/u/psanzone)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/4 "2018-07-13T17:04:24Z")
Synthetic oil was used exclusively in my 2001 Silverado, and it had 247,000 miles on the engine when I got rid of it in 2105. I changed the oil every 10,000 miles as an experiment, and it would burn a quart of oil every 10,000 when it was new and the same usage in the end. If your engine has turbos, use only synthetic (Ford says to use a synthetic blend). ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/5 "2018-07-13T17:16:50Z")
> **[Why Expensive Oil Is A Waste Of Money](https://jalopnik.com/why-expensive-oil-is-a-waste-of-money-1797241527)** > > Blackstone Labs analyzes the contents of used motor oil to check how well engines wear over time. Earlier this month, the lab used its vast database of used oil analyses to study whether certain oil brands tend to contain more metal wear particles;... Tester ---
**Author:** ![edb1961](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/edb1961/32/122_2.png) [@edb1961](https://community.cartalk.com/u/edb1961)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/6 "2018-07-13T17:36:54Z")
Check your Owner’s Manual, I believe the minimum requirement is the Ford 5w-20 Synthetic Blend. I use this in my 2003 Taurus. Price wise it’s not much more than dino oil. Ed B. ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 6:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/7 "2018-07-13T18:25:13Z")
Not a problem if you follow the recommendations in the manual. Read and decide if the Severe Service description includes your conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/8 "2018-07-13T18:28:06Z")
I just try to change it at about 20% life left and use the Ford synthetic blend. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/9 "2018-07-13T18:48:14Z")
> [@edb1961](#): > > Price wise it’s not much more than dino oil. That’s if you change the oil yourself. If you pay someone to change it, they might charge $20 more than mineral oil for semi-synthetic and $40 more for full synthetic. That’s highway robbery. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/10 "2018-07-13T19:07:43Z")
Semi synthetic/synthetic blend? What does that mean? Is it a blend of 5% synthetic/95% dino, 10%synthetic/ 90% dino, etc…? It doesn’t say on the container. But it really doesn’t matter. A semi synthetic/synthetic blend oil is only as good as its lesser component. Which is the dino oil. Tester ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 11:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/11 "2018-07-14T11:48:23Z")
It is a confusing issue. I’m not a scientist and have read only a very little on the subject. I know, from your responses to other questions are highly knowledgeable. Seems neither API, nor SAE, nor the courts have developed any standardization of what is ‘synthetic’. This is NOT an endorsement of any particular brand of oil, and I certainly do not know who produces oil for Ford. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/8/8b70e48820a311079e366303e93d7186fdda60e2.jpeg) From the back of the label-part science, part ad department. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 1:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/12 "2018-07-15T01:13:15Z")
The first word I see on that label is, **Recommended.** It doesn’t say, **Required.** To me, that means I could use a full synthetic oil, or regular dino oil. Tester ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/13 "2018-07-15T01:25:56Z")
It’s critical with variable valve timing engines (which I presume yours is) to use an oil meeting the spec Ford requires. If your truck does anything weird like dropping out cylinders in low load conditions to improve mpg, even more so. From what I see, at least for the 5 liter F150 engine, any oil meeting WSS-M2C945-A and has API Certification mark will do. It is not mandatory to use a synthetic or synthetic blend, just an oil that meets the above spec. Still, if I had that truck myself I’d use the oil they recommend, Motorcraft 5W-20 Premium Synthetic Blend Motor Oil at the minimum. I have a 46 year old Ford truck w/near 200K miles and have nearly always used the Ford recommended oil (Motocraft 10W-30 dino oil for my truck), so far so good. ---
**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 5:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/14 "2018-07-15T05:32:54Z")
If you have the Ecoboost 3.5L, then a semi-synthetic is required IIRC. If you have the 3.7L N/A V6 or the 5.0L V8, then you can use a dino oil that meets Ford’s spec. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 10:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/15 "2018-07-15T10:27:44Z")
Actually I was trying to comment on synthetic vs dino vs blend issue! Not what I do! If I still changed my own oil, yes I would probably use “full synthetic”, but the mess and hassle of doing my own changes (especially taking the use oil in) just isn’t worth it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Danny27](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Danny27](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Danny27)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/returning-to-dino-after-using-synthetic-2013-ford-f150/120840/16 "2018-07-17T20:45:31Z")
Thanks to all, I’ve got my answers; Dan