oil&filter?

what would be the best oil & filter to use in my 2001 taurus flexfuel? it has 172000 miles on it. i just bought it 1 week ago and it runs and drives perfect now. i want to keep it that way! thanks

Did you buy it from a used car lot or a private party? If a private party, you may want to ask them what they used for oil since it seems to be working.

If from a lot, they may have changed the oil and filter before selling it. There are a lot of varying opinions on oil and filters, but ultimately if you get an oil that has the proper SAE rating and a filter that meets or exceeds OEM standards and preferably has a check valve, you should be fine. Synthetic or conventional oil is basically your preference, but synthetic does seem to have some worthwhile properties.

-Rod

thanks shorod. i was leaning toward synthetic oil. maybe valvoline max life. now i will have to find a filter with a check valve in it. by the way i did buy it at a used car lot. thanks again

All you need to know is FS400 and Motorcraft 5W-20 (Synthetic Blend) and a 16MM wrench. The following is my personal opinion. ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS change your own oil. You will do a much better job, can inspect the bottom of the engine area yourself and will have the satisfaction of a job well done. Tips:

-Use an engine flush (I always do). I recommend the GUNK brand.
-Pack the top of the starter with shop rags before uninstalling the oil filter.
-Use a combination wrench so that you can feel the torque you are applying (ratchets and sockets may strip the drain plug).

I hope that this has been helpful.

what would be the best oil & filter to use in my 2001 taurus flexfuel? it has 172000 miles on it. i just bought it 1 week ago and it runs and drives perfect now. i want to keep it that way! thanks

I work at an oil change shop and have a 99 taurus with 190k miles. So I might be able to help. I have tried many oils and filters. If you do not have any leaks you can use synthetic but if you have leaks synthetic are way to expensive because they are a thinner weight oil. If there are no leaks Mobil 1 is one of the best synthetic oils out there. They also make a good oil filter, it has to be a Mobil 1 filter though. It has to have a one with the name to be there good stuff. If there are leaks look to see how bad they are. If they are not bad there are many sealants that can help. Lucas oil products are good to use. They have an oil stabilizer that will help stop leaks and slows down oil consumption. It is a good product and replaces a quart of oil. One guy said to run a oil system cleaner. That is a good idea to do espically if you go over on the oil change time frame(about 3 months 3 thousand). You can go a little longer. And if using synthetics even longer. You run a cleaner to get all the nasty gunk that builds up. The Motor Gunk is a good product too. I think I covered most of it. If you have any questions just ask. Oh, another good thing to do is replace the fuel filter every 15k. It does good with helping with gas mileage.


Brian

http://www.mr2.com/TEXT/oil_filter_test.html Please note: WalMart SuperTech filters are made by Champion Labs. As for engine oil, Ford MotorCraft synth blend oil is very good oil often overlooked and relatively cheap at WamMart. If you do a lot of high speed driving, towing and really tax your engine then go for the full synth oil. Otherwise you will get many care free miles out of the MotoCraft oil.

All you ever need to know about oil, then some:
http://www.boss302.com/oil.htm

Put gas with techroline in your tank. Put Mobil One 10-30 in the crank (its good for 5k miles)

P

We wouldn't use anything other than synthetic oil (Pennzoil Platinum (http://www.pennzoilplatinum.com/) or mobil1) and K&N (http://www.knfilters.com/oilfilter.htm) filters. There IS a difference! WalMart has the Pennzoil Platinum fairly reasonably priced, but do NOT buy a filter from Walmart :p