first oil change, brake squeak

[john112deere]

Brand-new '09 Ranger. 4.0 SOHC engine.

Picked it up with 241 miles (dealer swap), got about 550 on it now.

Dealer I bought it from said no break in oil in these engines, so it would seem to me that getting the oil changed pretty soon (say, between 500 and 1000 miles) would be OK, right? Whether it's "necessary" is a discussion for another day, I'd just like to verify it won't harm anything...


Also, it's had a "squeak" in the rear brakes under moderate braking since I picked it up. I'm assuming that'll "wear out" with time...but I kinda thought it'd be gone by now. How long would you wait before bringing it to the dealer's attention?

 

[polarbear]

Brake squeak/squal is normal stuff- should go away in a few thousand miles. Remember, everything's breaking-in... including the brakes.

 

[john112deere]

I would say if you're going to do it, do it as close to 500 miles or 1000 as possible. It makes oil change intervals easier to remember.

Yeah...I still need to decide on an OCI for this truck...and an oil, for when I start doing it myself. (Again, though...another thread for another day. Right now I'm just verifying there's no break in oil, or special additives, in a brand new SOHC 4.0 engine.)

Brake squeak/squal is normal stuff- should go away in a few thousand miles. Remember, everything's breaking-in... including the brakes.

Figured as much...though I was off by an order of magnitude on how long it'd take. (Haven't used the brakes a whole lot so far, though...lots of snow and ice means I've been driving real slow, and scrubbing speed over long distances as much as possible.)

 

[john112deere]

With you vehicle longevity successes, I'm sure you have an oil preference. If in fact you're open to suggestion, I've been using Ford Motorcraft Synthetic Blend readily available at Wal-Mart.

It's down to either the Mobil1 synthetic used with excellent results in my '97, or the Motorcraft Synthetic Blend. I was nearly decided to switch to the Motorcraft...but it's hard to walk away from an oil that's given me such good results, at a fairly reasonable price. I haven't made up my mind yet.

I've used a 5k OCI in the '97; I'd probably drop that to 4k if I went to the Motorcraft. In either case I will be using a Motorcraft filter.

 

[polarbear]

It's down to either the Mobil1 synthetic used with excellent results in my '97, or the Motorcraft Synthetic Blend. I was nearly decided to switch to the Motorcraft...but it's hard to walk away from an oil that's given me such good results, at a fairly reasonable price. I haven't made up my mind yet.

I've used a 5k OCI in the '97; I'd probably drop that to 4k if I went to the Motorcraft. In either case I will be using a Motorcraft filter.

Motorcraft in the Marquis and the Ranger. 152,000 on one, 95,000 on the other.

 

[john112deere]

Had the factory fill drained yesterday (580 miles), in an attempt to remove any manufacturing/break-in debris.

Dealer put in 5w-20 oil, as is spec'd for nearly all new Fords. All except those equipped with the 4.0 SOHC, in fact, to the best of my knowledge. I asked the service advisor about it; she couldn't explain why the specs were different, but agreed to replace the oil with the 5w-30 the manual calls for.

I'm partly curious about why Ford specs the different oil for this engine, if anyone knows, but mostly I want to know how common a dealership practice it is to use the standard bulk oil in this engine instead of the correct spec'd oil, and whether anyone's ever heard of any issues as a result.

 

[blacksnapon]

Had the factory fill drained yesterday (580 miles), in an attempt to remove any manufacturing/break-in debris.

Dealer put in 5w-20 oil, as is spec'd for nearly all new Fords. All except those equipped with the 4.0 SOHC, in fact, to the best of my knowledge. I asked the service advisor about it; she couldn't explain why the specs were different, but agreed to replace the oil with the 5w-30 the manual calls for.

I'm partly curious about why Ford specs the different oil for this engine, if anyone knows, but mostly I want to know how common a dealership practice it is to use the standard bulk oil in this engine instead of the correct spec'd oil, and whether anyone's ever heard of any issues as a result.

Many engines are constructed with orifices smaller than others. Smaller orifice/oil passage, thinner oil. Turbo Mazdas will develop driveability issues from 5w20 (specs are for 5w30). Just not enough "dampening", meaning, the amount of movement that the crankshaft has, needs a thicker oil to avoid the bearings contacting the journals. Improper oil combined with engine failure will void the warranty.

 

[john112deere]

Improper oil combined with engine failure will void the warranty.

So if I'm reading this right...

If I hadn't caught this, continued to use this dealership for my oil changes (and they continued to make the same error, as I believe they would), and my engine failed under warranty, it would not (or might not) be covered because the correct oil was not used?

 

[blacksnapon]

it would not (or might not) be covered because the correct oil was not used?

That would be an avenue for Ford to take, yes. Make sure you keep all records just in case.

 

[john112deere]

Yep.

Believe I'm gonna have to make a phone call on Monday, too...