whats the best oil to run in these lightnings? also what spark plugs should i go for? im freshening everything up.
best oil?
- Thread starter nastyl
- Start date
motorcraft 5w20 synthetic blend. ngk tr6 spark plugs.
Yeah, Motorcraft 5-20 or any fully synthetic 5-20 will work. The only "best" oil is the one you choose.
With no other mods listed besides the cat-back, stick with new stock Motorcraft plugs, they work well and for a long time. Once you up the performance, move to NGK's or equivalent.
With no other mods listed besides the cat-back, stick with new stock Motorcraft plugs, they work well and for a long time. Once you up the performance, move to NGK's or equivalent.
the reason i ask is cuz after i do oil changem feul filters and trans flush im gonna slap a intake, pulley n tune in there just want it to be fine before i mod it tho
I'm not a fan of any 5w20 oil in a modular engine. I use Royal Purple HPS 5w30 in my L.
5/20 Motorcraft or 5/20 Valvoline durablend along with a Motorcraft filter or Wix. Motorcraft filter is the best and usually the least. Depending on mods I would run Tr6ix irdium plugs or Denso It20's.
Same here
hit up unleashedbeast hes an oil guru
Agreed, same applies for 03/04 Terminator Cobras.
Anyone wonder why now Ford uses a 5W-50 full synthetic on the supercharged Fords and a 5W-30 in the EcoBoost turbo Fords but Lightnings and Terminators are supposed to be "just fine" with a synthblend 5W-20?
Think they might have learned something over the years?:dw:
Or that our engines are actually designed to use the 5w20, and the use of anything else compromises what the oil is SUPPOSED to do?
Which is more than just lubricate: it's there to cool the bearing surfaces and internals of the crank, the cams, the rods, the wrist pins; it's there to keep the bearing surfaces apart as well; and to carry contaminants away and (hopefully) trap them in the filter, or evaporate them into the PCV airstream (see the connection?).
Also note that most oil coolers are inside the radiator: this is so the temperature of the oil is controlled and kept at optimum temperature for maximum lubricity and flow. Heavy oils tend to not flow well, which compromises all sorts of things in the engine, and could lead to bearing starvation, oil breakdown (because it overheats in the bearing spaces and breaks down), and eventually bearing failure.
Today's cars are being designed to runs on even thinner oils, mostly because these oils resist breakdown far better than their ancestors ever could. The thinner oil allows tighter tolerances, more flow, better lubrication, better cooling, and better bearing surface control.
So don't diss the original oils: our motors were specifically designed for them; so unless you've built a motor designed for 20w50, it's not a great idea to use it. 10w30 isn't so bad, because it's just the upper end of the range where it extends, which can be helpful in very hot and stressful environments (and it's not so far out of range that it will compromise lubricating/cooling performance).
By far the favorite oil I've used is German Castrol. It is good stuff and I used it for years in my Terminator, and now use it in my L. IMO it's better than say Mobil 1. I use to use Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic and I thought it was very good oil. I've actually thought about trying that new Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic, but am having a hard time splitting from my GC.
If you are not going over 3K between oil changes you may as well just run conventional oil. It works just fine if you change it regularly. I go at least 5,000 miles between oil changes, and will go up to 7,500 and not think twice about it. That's one of the main benefits when using synthetic oils.
I run a Motorcraft filter, and NGK TR6 copper plugs. Changing plugs in a L is a PITA especially on the drivers side. I highly recommend removing the blower and fuel rails to change the plugs. That may sound like a PITA but trust me I can get the blower off and back on in less than an hour if I try, and it probably took me about 8/9 hours when I changed my plugs with everything connected. Fuel rail comes off pretty easy also. One thing I miss about my Cobra is plug changes were a breeze. 30 minute job or less if you hustled.
If you are not going over 3K between oil changes you may as well just run conventional oil. It works just fine if you change it regularly. I go at least 5,000 miles between oil changes, and will go up to 7,500 and not think twice about it. That's one of the main benefits when using synthetic oils.
I run a Motorcraft filter, and NGK TR6 copper plugs. Changing plugs in a L is a PITA especially on the drivers side. I highly recommend removing the blower and fuel rails to change the plugs. That may sound like a PITA but trust me I can get the blower off and back on in less than an hour if I try, and it probably took me about 8/9 hours when I changed my plugs with everything connected. Fuel rail comes off pretty easy also. One thing I miss about my Cobra is plug changes were a breeze. 30 minute job or less if you hustled.
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I have a K&N oil filter in my garage for the L engine. Are they any good? or should I go with motorcraft oil filter.
A K&N will work fine. Hell even a POS FRAM will work and you're not likely to just blow your motor because you run one it's just others are much better constructed, and filter better. K&N is a good oil filter from what I've read.
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Modulars were actually designed for 5w30, Ford just changed to 5w20 (without making any changes to the engines) just to help with CAFE numbers.
K&N is a good filter.
+1 use a 0w30 or 5w30
Everyone will have their opinions. I have a fully built longblock so I use what the builder told me to use.
i use mobil1 10w30 in my mach1 and lightning also a ford motorcraft filter. no problems here.
7.5qts(Moroso oil pan) Mobile 1 5W-20 oil, Mobile 1 filter. I believe the number on the filter is a 210s. I also have an oil pump out of a SN95 4V.
The Mobile 1 filter is much heavier than stock motorcraft and has more surface area of filter media. I'm not knocking Motorcraft oil and filters, used it in my every day beater '97 Ranger 4-banger until the shitty Mazda trans crapped out.
The Mobile 1 filter is much heavier than stock motorcraft and has more surface area of filter media. I'm not knocking Motorcraft oil and filters, used it in my every day beater '97 Ranger 4-banger until the shitty Mazda trans crapped out.
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