Undercoating ? Wiper? Oil?

[capt512]

Hi All,

My MM which I just got a week ago, is going to have to go to the detail shop to look as good as it should.
I was able to talk the dealer into sending it somewhere to clean it up but they did a crappy job and didn't het out the swirl marks.

Anyway I'm not going to mess with them again so I wanted to see how everyone felt about undercoating. Plus or minus!
Since I'm going to the expense to have it detailed I have the oppurtunity to have it undercoated as well.

Also I changed my oil today, with the help of you guys since I couldn't get the filter off, and with only 400 miles on the engine the oil was as black as tar. It looked more like 4000 miles and I was also a quart low.

Have any of you run into that at a low mileage change?

After reading a lot of your comments on oil I went with
Mobil1 5W30. My cap says 5W20 but man that seems awful thin. It gets pretty hot here in the summer and early fall with temp around 100 and indexes much higher so that 20W would be like water

One final thing. Is there any way to remove and reposition the passenger side wiper arm so that its closer down on the winshield like its partner on the drivers side?

To all of you who responded so quickly on my quest to get my oil filter off I really appreciate your prompt responses. I ended up chunking the old filter type wrench and getting a Motorcraft filter cap wrench to use with a ratchet & it worked perfectly.

As usual thanks for all your help on so many different issues I've presented you with.

Have a good weekend.
Mike

[Thomas C Potter]

Undercoat, in therory, with today's decent factory finishes and better grades of metal that resist corrosion, I consider it optional in Missouri, not a heavy winter area just like VA here. I did not opt for uc. Just keep an eye on undercarriage. Check for tape on door drains!!

Oil should not look that bad at 400 miles! Mine at 900 looks great. Also strongly recomend you use 5w20 as FORD states and keep receipts just in case. At end of warranty, or 366 dyas which ever you can toleate, use diff viscosity if you like.

[AngryJohnny]

My MM had only 243 miles on it and needed a qt. of oil, and about that pass. side wiper arm, i had the dealer re-set mine.

i have a total of 398 miles on mine now, and i have had it for a whiel now, i dont drive much, but then again, i have had my MM in the dealer and other shops for a pull in the front end, it turned out to be a bad rear tire, after 3 times in the shop, the dealer had me take it to a shop that nows what they are doing, and after $250 later, it was a bad tire the whole time, and close to 3 weeks.
i am happy with my MM now

good luck with yours :-)

[RCSignals]

"Check for tape on door drains!!"

Yes, mine has tape on the front drain of every door, but the tape does have a hole cut in it.

[RF Overlord]

Originally posted by capt512

Also I changed my oil today, with the help of you guys since I couldn't get the filter off, and with only 400 miles on the engine the oil was as black as tar. It looked more like 4000 miles and I was also a quart low.

Have any of you run into that at a low mileage change?

capt:

I'd keep a close eye on your oil...I changed out the factory oil at ~1000 miles, and it was still clear...Went 3,000 on the second change, and it was just starting to get a little darker. Being "black as tar" after 400 miles doesn't sound right...as far as being a quart low, it could have come that way; check it at every re-fuelling until you're sure it's not losing/burning it.


Originally posted by Thomas C Potter

Also strongly recomend you use 5w20 as FORD states and keep receipts just in case. At end of warranty, or 366 dyas which ever you can toleate, use diff viscosity if you like.

Many of us use Mobil1 5W-30, some use AMSOIL, some use "other" and some use the 5W-20...just bear in mind the owner's manual states that use of 5W-20 is "recommended", not "required"...

[capt512]

Where should I look on the doors to find the tape over the drain holes that were mentioned?

[Mikeenh]

Capt512, I posted this some time ago, but it's a question that gets asked a lot. So here it is again.If anyone wants a Microsoft word copy of this to carry or print out, PM me.


Here are the facts behind 5W-20:
Question: My owners manual species 5W-20 oil. Do I really need to use 5W-20 oil and why did my 2000 model year vehicle require a 5W-30 oil, while the exact same engine in my 2001, 2002 and newer engines "requires" a 5W-20 oil?
Answer: You do not need to use a 5W-20 oil. Do not let your dealer scare you by telling you that you have to use it for your warranty. That is a tactic that some dealerships use to scare customers. Once you know the facts and the Federal Magnusson Moss Act law you will be much better informed to protect your rights and use the type of oil you want to use.
One of the main reasons 5W-20 was specified for your engine is to increase the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) reported to the Federal Government. CAFE is the combined average fuel economy of all of a vehicle manufacturers product line. Minimum CAFE levels are specified by the Federal Government. In order for a vehicle manufacturer to continue selling profitable large trucks and SUV's, which typically have poor fuel mileage ratings, as compared to smaller cars, and still meet mandated CAFE requirements, they must also sell enough of the smaller cars which have much better fuel economy ratings to offset the poor fuel economy ratings of the larger vehicles. For model year 2001, the change to a 5W-20 oil will allow Ford and Honda's overall CAFE to increase by a very small amount, typically in the tenths of a mile per gallon range. 5W-20 oil is a lighter viscosity than a 5W-30 oil and therefore has less internal engine frictional losses, or less drag on the crankshaft, pistons and valvetrain, which in turn promotes increased fuel economy. This increased fuel economy is virtually undetectable to the average motorist without the use of specialized engine monitoring and testing equipment under strictly controlled test track driving when compared to a 5W-30, 10W-30 or a 0W-30 viscosity motor oil.
Question: Could using a 5W-30, 10W-30, 0W-30 or even a 10W-40 or 20W-50, oil in my vehicle which specifies a 5W-20 oil void my new car warranty?
Answer: Absolutely not. Vehicle manufacturers only recommend using motor oils meeting certain viscosity grades and American Petroleum Institute service requirements. Whether a motor oil is a 5W-20, 5W-30, 10W-30, 0W-30, 10W-40 or 20W-50 (for racing and high performance applications in, for example, a Cobra R Mustang) or even a synthetic vs. a petroleum based oil will not affect warranty coverage. The manufacturer is required by Federal Law to cover all equipment failures it would normally cover as long as the oil meets API service requirements and specifications and was not the cause of failure. In addition, the Federally mandated Magnuson - Moss Act states that a manufacturer may not require a specific brand or type of aftermarket product unless it is provided free of charge. If your dealership continues to tell you that you must use 5W-20 motor oil and or/ a specific brand of 5W-20 motor oil, then ask them to put it in writing. Their position is inaccurate, and, in fact violates existing law.*
Additionally, if there is ever a question of whether or not a particular motor oil was the cause of an engine failure make sure to get a sample of the used oil in a clean bottle, typically 6 oz. minimum. The oil can then be sent to two independent testing labs for analysis. This is standard procedure for most commercial vehicles, trucking, construction/excavation and fleet companies and there are numerous certified test labs all over the country. Remember, a knowledgeable and informed consumer is your best defense against being taken advantage of by a car dealership service center.

[capt512]

Thanks Mikeenh.
Since I'm new , I week to this site, I'd never seen your information. Its very importany stuff and I will copy it.
I've gotten so much good info from the guys and gals on this site I'd pretty much decided on going with the
5W30.

[WolfeBros]

Capt......keep your receipts and do***ent mileage and date of your oil change (s). Include type of filter and oil installed.

[SergntMac]

Wow, Mike...Bravo! Great 411 on oil, this is quite an impressive collection of facts, and good advice, thank you!

I'm throwing my .02c up here not as an objection to your thoughts, but as something more to consider in the question.

Also a while back, probably around the same time Mike collected and prepared his comments, I spoke with my SM about the recommended 5W20 oil. He remnded me that heat is much more threatening to our aluminum engine than it is to an iron block engine. Our MM engine is almost entirely aluminum, and things aluminum warp faster, quicker, sooner, and easier than iron/steel components, and they warp forever. Therefore, operating temps need to be monitored and controlled to a higher standard than what is typical for an iron block engine.

With respect to the MM's InTech 4V engine, the oil system is also part of the cooling system. The 5W20 oil is recommended because it absorbs heat faster than other weights/composites, which means it also cools faster in the pan before a return trip. SM also mentioned that DOHC engines love more oil up top, and the 5W20 recommendation insures ideal all season lubrication. "All season," eh? Hmmm...

Now I recall that over this past winter, there was some discussion here of cold starts and engine temps in the winter months with concern for the 180 degree stat. Back then, I used my CarChip EX to run a simple study over one weeks time of zero temps. I discovered that after sitting for 12 hours in zero temps, my MM jumped to 192 degrees in only 7 minutes. That's remarkable, what I would characterize as sharp, or, a heat curve "spike." But, it serves to show how fast an all aluminum engine changes temps, and why proper weight oil is critical to the MM engine. In this case, the 5W20 oil acts as a warm bath, unsuring that block and heads warm uniformly, and avoid a potential "one side hot, one side cold" imbalance that promotes warping. Moreover, after 12 hours at zero, I imagine that the DOH cams have dripped dry, and getting as much oil topside ASAP would be important in reducing start-up wear and tear, and promote engine longevity. Though the "recommended" oil is not required, using the recommended oil is not a bad thing, eh?

I guess this can be argued more, but that's not really necessary. What is most important to any engine, is clean oil. I don't think moving up or down to other weights/composites is enough to wring our hands over, we can get too dicey on details in a personal preference topic such as this. Major points can be overlooked, and what is important, (and nice to see too) is that we are all concerned about it, which means we are paying attention.

The best oil, is clean oil, period. Whether you change it at 2K or 5K, at least you're paying attention, and that's good.

With respect to the question of undercoating, I haven't a clue.

I'm a life long resident of Chicago, a city that leads the world in salt trucks per household, and home to weather we call Sybil. The last time I saw rust on a new car, it was my '77 Dodge Diplomat. Both front fenders literally fell off the car before my power train warranty expired. Pushed off they were, a fender homicide, and the offender is just plain old rust.

I was much more careful about rust proofing and undercoating after that, and I became a Ziebart patron for the next 10 years. However, since then, I've been driving CV/PIs and watching approximately 7000 cars mature under severe use over a period of ten years or so. I would like to know who thinks a white police car looks better with yellow plastic bumpers, but honestly, rustproofing, undercoating, Ziebart, and so on, hasn't occupied my thoughts until I was reminded here.

Don't know if this .02c helps any, but IMHO, why bother with undercoating. Isn't the sheet metal all galvanized steel these days? Can't say I really know anymore, rust hasn't been a threat around here in years.

[Bigdogjim]

capt512: I look out for a fleet of 20 trucks/vans 17 Fords, 3 7.3 L diesel, the rest 5.4 L gas. My crews run 900-1700 miles per week on these engines throught 13 states. (start in NJ) I change oil every 3000 miles. I have traded vans in with 300,000+ miles and no engine problems. Some of my guys go 300-400 miles to thier first stop!! That a lot of high speed high way miles.. Alot of heat also. I use 5W-20 in my MM also.
Big Dog

[RCSignals]

Originally posted by capt512
Where should I look on the doors to find the tape over the drain holes that were mentioned?

On the lower corners of every door there is a drain hole. That is each door has two.
On my car there was tape on the front drain hole of every door. On close inspection though, this tape has a pre-punched oval hole in it. I don't know it's purpose, as it does drain water, just more slowly than if the tape wasn't there.

[jgc61sr2002]

Originally posted by Bigdogjim
capt512: I look out for a fleet of 20 trucks/vans 17 Fords, 3 7.3 L diesel, the rest 5.4 L gas. My crews run 900-1700 miles per week on these engines throught 13 states. (start in NJ) I change oil every 3000 miles. I have traded vans in with 300,000+ miles and no engine problems. Some of my guys go 300-400 miles to thier first stop!! That a lot of high speed high way miles.. Alot of heat also. I use 5W-20 in my MM also.
Big Dog Big Dog Is that 5 W 20 oil Motorcraft synthetic blend? John

[Bigdogjim]

Originally posted by jgc61sr2002
Big Dog Is that 5 W 20 oil Motorcraft synthetic blend? John
No John I use regular oil. Only doing synthetic in diesel van as a test. about 120,000 miles on that one. seems ok.
Big Dog:cool:

[jgc61sr2002]

Thanks Jim. After all the discussion about oil, I think I'll use the 5 W 20 Motorcraft syntheic blend. The dealer gave me 3 free oil changes and thats the oil they use. John

[Fourth Horseman]

Originally posted by RF Overlord
Many of us use Mobil1 5W-30, some use AMSOIL, some use "other" and some use the 5W-20...just bear in mind the owner's manual states that use of 5W-20 is "recommended", not "required"...

Also, my dealer changed my oil once and they filled it with 5W-30 synth blend. So I think we're ok with that weight.

Personally, i'm in the Mobil 1 5W-30 camp. I use their filter too. Oh, and I went with the under coating. Probably not needed, but I plan to keep the car so I figured I'd give it a shot.