stateproperty3423 said:
salutations,
Lately I've been reading through my manual and of course ford says the only thing to use is motorcraft everything else is poison....anyway do all of you only use motorcraft parts or do you use anything that has a good reputation.
lets see:
oil-I think i'm going to use mobil 1 5-w20 full syn. because I heard from you guys that, that is the best
oil filter-what do you think is the best I'm thinking of getting motorcraft
spark plugs- what do you guys recommend?
air filter- any recommendations?
ps. is motorcraft availible at retailers like auto zone or is it hard to find
The advantage to Motorcraft is that they definitely will meet Ford Spec and work with no problems. Most name brands will also work well and meet spec. It is when you get into discount brands that you have to be more careful.
I use Mobil 1 in almost everything with an engine since 1980. Dino oil is also excellent but I believe Ford spec requires at least a syn blend. So a good Syn or blend meeting the API and SAE spec for your engine will be fine. Note that some cars will startup quieter with 5W30 instead of 5W20, mine went form maybe 5 sec to less than half a sec of clatter on cold start and that was using a suspect Fram filter instead of the Motorcraft that came on it. If your car is still under warranty it may be an issue if you use 5W30, but I use it since I have never had an oil related failure and don't expect Mobil 1 to fail me now. In my experience the syns seem to pour a bit thinner than the equivalent dino oil in any case, so wild guessing is that you are not going to have pumping issues with a syn that is slightly above spec. Just my opinion.
I prefer Purolator(there are store brands made by them) but have had difficulty finding them for the LSV8. So I bought Wix thru mailorder since I heard they have a good reputation and have the specified anti drainback valve(not all brands do). I am currently using Fram since that is all the local Autozone carried, I am nervous about Fram due to bad press. From my experience the chain stores do not always carry the same brands or models from store to store, so even though my local Autozone carries some Motorcraft filters, they don't carry the one for LSV8.
I have not had the car long enough to change plugs yet, but past experience is that Champions and AC work well. I have had rust problems with Autolite. I have heard that Bosch Platinums don't hold up and the ones I used on my last car didn't do as well as the price would seem to indicate.
I like Purolator Air Filters, but haven't needed to change yet on the LS so no opinion there.
When you shop for things like oil filters and air filters, take a look at the brand name part number. Look at the store brand and see if they have a part number that is essentially the same. A lot of times the filter will be exactly the same. My experience with GI Joes house brand in the NW(I recently moved to SoCal), is that their Powerflo filters are made by Purolator and packed in a plain box. They cost $1 to $2 less. One guy has cut the house brands open and verified that the Powerflo is the same as Purolator.
Note that Purolator does not necessarily have the anti drainback valve even though they used make to and maybe still do make the Motorcraft filter for Ford and do include the valve. In my mind the antidrain back valve is a minor issue IF the filter sits so that the oil flows down away from the motor instead of up when it is off. The purpose of the valve is to prevent dirty oil from sneaking back into the engine when it is off and also keeps the cold engine clatter noise down.
When buying parts and lubricants etc, look to see if it meets the Ford spec which can be found in the manual. Also sticking with name brands is a good idea unless you know who makes house brands. You won't go wrong with Motorcraft, but you have to realize, most Motorcraft parts are made for Ford by someone else, find out who that is if you want the same part for less money or easier to find.
Just my opinion,
Jim Henderson
