1997 F53 460 and Rotella R6 5w40 - Good Sam Community - 2837293

Hey guys,

I have a 97 F53 chassis with the 460 with 11,000 miles. I just got it so I don’t know what oil was in it but it had a Ford filter and the oil looked surprisingly clean. Today I put a Mobil 1 filter in it and Rotella R6 5w40. I was wondering what you guys think of this oil for my motor and miles. The book calls for 10w30 or 5w30. Thanks!

32 REPLIES 32

If done correctly, those older F53 brakes will perform correctly for 2 year. Then it's maintenance time. First thing to do is exchange the calipers for ones with metal pistons. The phonetic in the OEM pistons will swell over time. Before you clamp the outer pad in the caliper, check the fit in the caliper bracket. I usually find the metal on the pad too long and it won't float loosely in the caliper bracket. Once the outer pad metal is shortened a little the caliper and pads will float back and forth with out dragging. I like to clean the surface on the caliper bracket, where the pins slide, with a file to get rid of all the road crud. Same goes for the caliper if not replacing. Use the special synthetic caliper grease on the pins and surfaces and your brakes will serve you well. So every 2 years clean and grease the caliper pins and mount surfaces and change the brake fluid. Check the caliper boots for tears and replace as necessary.

Richard

95 Bounder 32H F53 460
2013 CRV Toad
2 Segways in Toad
First brake job
1941 Hudson

MH's sit more then they move and those calipers love to stick. I could never figure out what it was that made them do that. What I did figure out was if I put the rig in reverse and back up 50-100 feet while pumping the brakes I could usually free them up.

Even when the rig is moving daily they can stick. I was driving from the north to south and was in Florida near Destin when two bikers cut in front of me and hit the brakes to make a right turn. I slammed on the brakes and thought I was going to kill them. Luckily those brakes held. About 4 miles down the road both front calipers stuck shut.

Limped into the park for the night. They did free up just enough in the morning to make it to a truck stop for repairs. For me the brakes were a constant battle, and I had to always be on top of them to avoid problems.

BTW, I had all new top line loaded calipers by the time I was done and still had issues from time to time. Taking the temps will tell you when one is starting to stick before it becomes a bigger issue. Changing the fluid every couple of years will help with that soft pedal feel. Ford even came out with a special brake fluid for that F53 which had a higher boiling point trying to fix the problem.

There’s no fool, like an old fool.

John&Joey wrote:
One last tid-bit and I'll let you go. Get a cheap thermal heat gun and shoot the hubs and/or calipers after each good run (after you greased the slides, and swap out the brake fluid every 2 years.) For a long while you'll wonder why, then one day you'll say "dang, guess that guy knew something."

Thanks for the tips I appreciate any and all you can give me!! Out of curiosity why do you say that? I do have those temp guns though and will do that

One last tid-bit and I'll let you go. Get a cheap thermal heat gun and shoot the hubs and/or calipers after each good run (after you greased the slides, and swap out the brake fluid every 2 years.) For a long while you'll wonder why, then one day you'll say "dang, guess that guy knew something."

There’s no fool, like an old fool.

John&Joey wrote:
In this case I would stick with OEM spec's (also I would even buy it from Ford and pay the devil his toll make sure you state F53 or even Super Duty.)

Remember the thermostat is for the engine (and for cab comfort,) not the fluid in the radiator. If all you did was run the engine without it, the fluid would not have enough time in the radiator to cool down properly.

What you want to make sure is that the fan's thermostat is working correctly. As I remember it is a bi-metal coil that when it heats up it grabs the fan and spins it. That will bring down the temps right now. If with those few miles and those many years that coil is corroded, well you're a street smart guy.

Thanks! I actually just ordered a Robertshaw balanced thermostat which is supposed to be the best. As for the fan thermostat it definitely works it kicked in the other night when the temp went up and cooled it right off like you said.

In this case I would stick with OEM spec's (also I would even buy it from Ford and pay the devil his toll make sure you state F53 or even Super Duty.)

Remember the thermostat is for the engine (and for cab comfort,) not the fluid in the radiator. If all you did was run the engine without it, the fluid would not have enough time in the radiator to cool down properly.

What you want to make sure is that the fan's thermostat is working correctly. As I remember it is a bi-metal coil that when it heats up it grabs the fan and spins it. That will bring down the temps right now. If with those few miles and those many years that coil is corroded, well you're a street smart guy.

There’s no fool, like an old fool.

John&Joey wrote:
FWIW, sounds like you got yourself a great rig and the prior owner was on top of things. Two things that are issues on that rig that get overlook are the rear sway bar bushings, and the brakes.

Brakes are the weak link to that rig. You need to keep the slides greased, and the fluid changed with the highest temp you can afford.

If you still have an issue then look at the flexible brake lines. Sometimes they would flake off inside and stop the fluid from moving. That's a PITA to find that one.

Glad to hear! I do notice the brakes squealing. I will start checking into them. I am wondering what do you think is the best thermostat temp? 192 is stock, I always thought cooler was better to an extent. I’m between 160 and 180... I am in So Cal so I’m not somewhere that is usually very cold.

FWIW, sounds like you got yourself a great rig and the prior owner was on top of things. Two things that are issues on that rig that get overlook are the rear sway bar bushings, and the brakes.

Brakes are the weak link to that rig. You need to keep the slides greased, and the fluid changed with the highest temp you can afford.

If you still have an issue then look at the flexible brake lines. Sometimes they would flake off inside and stop the fluid from moving. That's a PITA to find that one.

There’s no fool, like an old fool.

John&Joey wrote:
That's fantastic. Looks like the prior owner knew what they were doing. Watch out about that temp thing. As memory serves me correct that thermostat was some sort of a high performance one. Not the China cheapy you get at the stores.

Other thing you need to pay attention to is the fan. That was a thermostatically controlled fan and you should hear it "roar" when it engages. If you don't hear it roar then do some due diligence. If you do hear it roar and the temp goes down then it's all good.

Old school trick is to put some tape to it and then something that doesn't move. If the tape is broken then you know it engaged and you just couldn't hear it.

Thanks for the info I believe the thermostat is a balanced one. And actually the fan did kick on the other night when it got up there and then cooled right off so that’s good!

That's fantastic. Looks like the prior owner knew what they were doing. Watch out about that temp thing. As memory serves me correct that thermostat was some sort of a high performance one. Not the China cheapy you get at the stores.

Other thing you need to pay attention to is the fan. That was a thermostatically controlled fan and you should hear it "roar" when it engages. If you don't hear it roar then do some due diligence. If you do hear it roar and the temp goes down then it's all good.

Old school trick is to put some tape to it and then something that doesn't move. If the tape is broken then you know it engaged and you just couldn't hear it.

There’s no fool, like an old fool.

John&Joey wrote:
I know you feel like an engine with only 11k on the block after 20 years is a real find, but honestly it might not be.

Oil is only one small item. Hopefully the engine was ran at the most ideal times so that the oil kept internal rust buildup in check. For example if he put on 11k the first year then sat in a barn for 19 years you'll have problems. On the other hand if he did a 100 mile run every few months for 20 years then you got a winner.

Also oil is one of the smallest of things in my mind right now. With so few miles I'm guessing maintenance fell to the wayside. Thinking you got original antifreeze, fuel filter, brake fluid, and transmission fluid all in there from 1997.

I would run that unit very lightly in the beginning and keep a sharp eye out for puddles. Guessing that tranny could be a leaker, and maybe those brakes will lock up after some hard stopping/miles. You might have a great rig there, but I would baby it in the very beginning till the cobwebs are out of it.

Actually, the engine looks brand new. The oil came out looking like it was just changed too. The trans, everything looks brand new. I don't know how often they drove it but it didn't sit for a long period of time, and you can definitely tell they took care of it. It had brand new tires, roof, etc. I drove it home and it did 70mph easily, and now I have the Banks headers on it and it's a real difference. I don't beat on any of my stuff. Everything I have is babied for the most part. I do notice the thermostat seems to be a little sticky.. sometimes the temp will go up near the end of the normal range, and then drop back down to the middle. I just bought a new thermostat for it, but I bought the 160. I know it came with a 192 from the factory so I am thinking about going with a 180 instead. I am going to flush the coolant too, but the coolant looks good. The pan on the transmission looks like there isn't a leak anywhere, but I would like to do that too. Someone has changed the fluid on the rear diff too as I can see a little silicone on it, and it looks like it leaked a little at some point as the bottom is a little soiled.

I know you feel like an engine with only 11k on the block after 20 years is a real find, but honestly it might not be.

Oil is only one small item. Hopefully the engine was ran at the most ideal times so that the oil kept internal rust buildup in check. For example if he put on 11k the first year then sat in a barn for 19 years you'll have problems. Doesn't matter what type of oil you'll use, you'll have problems. On the other hand if he did a 100 mile run every few months for 20 years then you got a winner.

Also oil is one of the smallest of things in my mind right now. With so few miles I'm guessing maintenance fell to the wayside. Thinking you got original antifreeze, fuel filter, brake fluid, grease, and transmission fluid all in there from 1997.

I would run that unit very lightly in the beginning and keep a sharp eye out for puddles. Guessing that tranny could be a leaker, and maybe those brakes will lock up after some hard stopping/miles. You might have a great rig there, but I would baby it in the very beginning till the cobwebs are out of it.

Sidebar, that link to the oil made me laugh. Guessing he never rebuilt an engine in his life. Being book smart is not the same as being street smart.

There’s no fool, like an old fool.

lenr wrote:
Everyone should use the oil that provides the best night's sleep. However, here is a link to a technical article on why diesel oil in a gasoline engine might not be a good idea.
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28576/comparing-gasoline-diesel-engine-oils-

To answer the original OP question, I would would use Motorcraft 5W-30 Semi-Synthetic or Mobil 1 5W-30 Full Synthetic, both for gasoline engines unless oil consumption is excessive, which might call for thicker oil.

From memory (I'm not going to cite a reference):

Ford and Honda did some research back before the turn of the century that showed that thin oil on cold startup was more important than thick oil when up to full temperature in terms of long term wear. My late 90s and 00s Ford gas engines recommended 5W-20 for this reason. (Have not owned a Ford gas engine since 2004 so have no knowledge if this has changed.)

Back even earlier GM found that increasing the polymers in the oil to move it from 10W-30 to 10W-40 caused their engines to develop more carbon deposits. (Modern engine design might have found another fix for this, but it could also be why Ford goes with thinner oil--The modular engines had a tough time with carbon.)

The old old 10-30 verses 10-40 has absolutely nothing to do with this 5-40 post

Quote:

Not only does 5W40 Rotella T6 meet API SM specifications (oil for gasoline engines), but it's sold as mixed-fleet oil which means it's specifically intended to simplify fleet maintenance by using it in both gasoline and diesel engines.

Everyone should use the oil that provides the best night's sleep. However, here is a link to a technical article on why diesel oil in a gasoline engine might not be a good idea.
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28576/comparing-gasoline-diesel-engine-oils-

To answer the original OP question, I would would use Motorcraft 5W-30 Semi-Synthetic or Mobil 1 5W-30 Full Synthetic, both for gasoline engines unless oil consumption is excessive, which might call for thicker oil.

From memory (I'm not going to cite a reference):

Ford and Honda did some research back before the turn of the century that showed that thin oil on cold startup was more important than thick oil when up to full temperature in terms of long term wear. My late 90s and 00s Ford gas engines recommended 5W-20 for this reason. (Have not owned a Ford gas engine since 2004 so have no knowledge if this has changed.)

Back even earlier GM found that increasing the polymers in the oil to move it from 10W-30 to 10W-40 caused their engines to develop more carbon deposits. (Modern engine design might have found another fix for this, but it could also be why Ford goes with thinner oil--The modular engines had a tough time with carbon.)

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