Thomas Stetson Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Hi folks!, I'm new to Shelby ownership and pick up my 2018 Shelby GT350 this coming Thursday. I am committed to providing the best preventive maintenance I can, and intend to perform an oil change as soon as I take delivery. I will be using Amsoil 5w50 for the service, as well as a Motorcraft filter. Any thoughts regarding use or experience with Amsoil? I will also monitor oil usage during the life of the car as I have heard that some owners have experienced excessive oil burn. Is this at all normal? It seems there instances are few and far between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Why not use what the owner's manual recommends? With all the stories about oil consumption on the 350s I'd stay with Ford products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Stetson Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 So you would recommend Motorcraft for all components? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owenbdk Owenbdk Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 10 hours ago, twobjshelbys said: Why not use what the owner's manual recommends? With all the stories about oil consumption on the 350s I'd stay with Ford products. Rings need to seat, other parts need to work harden. I'm an old mechanic that only knows what you can read in a web search on these engines. I say use oil that is no slicker than Ford installed, get the rings seated or you will use oil. I use full synthetic after 20k miles. Leave the Fram and other low quality filers for use on push mowers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIKEBOY Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 (edited) Don’t change the oil right away, as has been mentioned. Drive the car (under 5K RPM’s) for 500 miles. During that period, keep rowing through the gears....utilizing a full range of RPM’s. And don’t use the CC during that period. Let her warm up after every cold start before you head out (should always do that anyway). And then follow the owners manual (as Tony mentioned) using ONLY Motorcraft oil and filters. My car is a ‘16, I followed that procedure to the letter and the car doesn’t burn a drop. Good luck and enjoy!! BB edit- Oh, and welcome to the Shelby family. Edited February 11, 2019 by BIKEBOY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Stetson Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 BikeBoy, Thanks! I will follow these suggestions regarding the car. I guess most of you do not like the coolant overflow tank. I find it ridiculous looking. Have you swapped out the plastic tank for the Shelby tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIKEBOY Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 15 minutes ago, Thomas Stetson said: BikeBoy, Thanks! I will follow these suggestions regarding the car. I guess most of you do not like the coolant overflow tank. I find it ridiculous looking. Have you swapped out the plastic tank for the Shelby tank? Thomas, I installed the black cover. Easy to do and looks more OEM than a bright colored tank IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIKEBOY Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 https://www.cjponyparts.com/california-pony-cars-radiator-coolant-tank-cover-black-textured-2015-2019/p/ROFTC3/?year=2016&gclid=Cj0KCQiA14TjBRD_ARIsAOCmO9YjMoIfg3kn8j3pQ736qfAqkV5ZV0clT4Jc6WeGdn0EnJrx5P1t0uIaAvOaEALw_wcB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhr1961 Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 (edited) On Sunday, February 10, 2019 at 7:31 PM, Thomas Stetson said: Hi folks!, I'm new to Shelby ownership and pick up my 2018 Shelby GT350 this coming Thursday. I am committed to providing the best preventive maintenance I can, and intend to perform an oil change as soon as I take delivery. I will be using Amsoil 5w50 for the service, as well as a Motorcraft filter. Any thoughts regarding use or experience with Amsoil? I will also monitor oil usage during the life of the car as I have heard that some owners have experienced excessive oil burn. Is this at all normal? It seems there instances are few and far between. Don't listen to some of the above posts except for 2BJShelbys' recommendation to use the factory recommended oil. The 2018 GT350( or any recent GT350 for that matter) does NOT require 500 miles of babying and rowing through gears for the engine break in period, in fact it can be harmful to do so. There is a lot of good information out about the 5.2 FPC and there is a lot of wrong information as well on the net about break in. Ignore it all and follow your manual and supplement manual. I will provide some information below as to why you should follow your Ford GT350 Supplement Manual on break in procedure. It’s a bit long but important to know. People who bought the GT350 thinking it would not burn oil at times did not do any research or are typically not familiar with race type engines. Some people think because it is a race type engine it is built to some high tolerances. There are indeed areas of the engine that are machined to high tolerance but race type engines will typically have looser tolerances in regard to piston/cylinder wall clearance and will also have thinner rings sets for sealing the combustion chamber.They are designed as such to reduce as much friction as possible while also reducing blow by as much as possible. They are built this way intentionally to maximize hp over a broad heat range. This “slop” in piston/cylinder wall clearances allows for a higher degree of thermal expansion, because going from cold to race or track conditions generates a broader heat range and thus a broader range of thermal expansion the engine components will see. If the 5.2 FPC was built to standard production engine spec it would start just fine and then seize up when put on a track. The “slop” is there for a reason. The result of building a race type engine this way maximizes horsepower but it also can cause some Oil Burning and sometimes “Piston Slap”. The the biggest complaints from consumers have been these two conditions in the 5.2 FPC. Both conditions are normal if neither are excessive. The piston slap or “ticking” upon cold start that goes away is normal. If it continues after engine warm up and does not go away then get it checked. If your car burns a quart or so of oil between a 3k to 5 oil change intervals I would consider that normal. Yes some people are claiming no oil burn and some people are claiming 2 or 3 quarts between intervals. If you have your foot in it all the time you are probably going to burn more oil, also if you have frequent cold starts you may burn more oil , if it burns excessive amounts of oil get it checked. It’s not a production engine, it’s a production race engine. A little oil burn and some ticking on start up is normal for the 5.2 FPC. There is a lot of old school thought about engine break in. You don’t have to to run 500 or 1000 miles of varying speed, play “row row row your boat” with the gears, etc. In fact the manual says don’t play heavy with the brakes and the gear rowing for the first 100 miles. Extended 500 mile to 1000 mile engine break in typically applies to standard production cross plane crank engines and yes the standard Mustang manual in the engine break in section of the 2018 Mustang Manual on Page 202 says the following: “BREAKING-IN: Tires: New tires need to be run-in for approximately 300 mi (500 km). During this time, you may experience different driving characteristics. Brakes and Clutch: Avoid heavy use of the brakes and clutch if possible for the first 100 mi (150 km) in town and for the first 1,000 mi (1,500 km) on freeways. Engine :Avoid driving too fast during the first 1,000 mi (1,500 km). Vary your speed frequently and change up through the gears early. Do not labor the engine.” HOWEVER, you do NOT have a standard Mustang, you have a Ford Shelby #GT350 with a Flat 5.2 Plane Crank Engine, you need to refer to your 2018 GT350 SUPPLEMENT MANUAL, which on page 33 says the following: “BREAKING-IN Your vehicle requires a break-in period. Drive your new vehicle at least 100 mi (160 km) before performing extended wide open throttle maneuvers and at least 1,000 mi (1,600 km) before performance or competition conditions. Note: Vary your speed frequently in order to give the moving parts a chance to break in. “ After 100 miles you can rev to wide open throttle intermittently all you want and it will actually help bed the rings properly rather than "hurt the engine" ………but just don’t keep your foot in it too long. In many cases the worst thing you can do is baby a race type engine too long. You have a limited amount of time to bed the rings. It isn’t about the crankshaft, cams, rods, lifters and other components, those are highly machined and finished. The main focus of 100 mile engine break in procedure on the 5.2 FPC per the manual is bedding the rings. The cylinder walls are PTWA (Plasma Transferred Wire) This process creates a low friction surface with a good dimensional characteristics in the cylinder liner, which is required for the 5.2 FPC. After this process the cylinders are honed. Controlled bedding and wearing in of the new piston rings on to the hone of the cylinder walls that is the most important in break in. You want to bed those rings so that they achieve a correct seal against the cylinder walls, and you have a small window of time in which to do so in order to bed the rings properly in order to reduce oil consumption and keep blow by to a minimum.” So again, You don’t need to baby the engine and row through gears a lot for 500 miles. The transmission does not need a lot of rowing through the gears either to break it in, and doing so doesn’t do much to “load the engine”. You want to break in the engine under load. That mean accelerating and decelerating within about 75 to 80% of the recommended max rpm range using the engine to speed up or slow down (applying throttle and taking your foot off it). After one hundred miles of doing so, then the rings will be bedded and you can go wide open throttle from that point as it says in the GT350 supplement manual……….just don’t go wide open throttle for extended periods until after 1000 miles as the manual says. This short break in before being able to go wide open throttle is important. It may seem counter-intuitive to some people who have grown up on a steady diet of regular production cross plane crank engines but the supplement manual instructions are the correct way to do it. Babying a racing type engine for 500 to 1000 miles may actually cause your rings not to bed in properly and will actually increase your oil consumption or piston slap. Follow your manual, not anecdotal input. BTW, Some race engines are only tested on a dyno for 30 to 45 minutes, they are then pulled and components and oil are checked for wear and metals and contaminants in the oil. Then they are put back on the dyno and ran through their paces for only a couple of hours and then they are thrown in the race car to let it rip in competition. Do your hundred miles as instructed in the manual, then "let it rip" some here and there for your own delight and the benefit of the engine, and after 1000 miles of letting her rip at wide open throttle here and there, you can then take it to the track and keep your foot in it. Good Luck and Enjoy. Edited February 12, 2019 by mhr1961 spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secondo Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 +1 What MHR1961 well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhr1961 Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 1 minute ago, Secondo said: +1 What MHR1961 well said. Thank you. The amount of misinformation , or out right wrong information that is posted in TS these days is saddening. This should be a place where people can seek help with their Shelbys and be confident that the info they receive is at least accurate and not people posting crap that can potentially damage a new member's engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secondo Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 2 hours ago, mhr1961 said: Thank you. The amount of misinformation , or out right wrong information that is posted in TS these days is saddening. This should be a place where people can seek help with their Shelbys and be confident that the info they receive is at least accurate and not people posting crap that can potentially damage a new member's engine. +1 Agreed. Or they could just read their owner's manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhr1961 Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, Secondo said: +1 Agreed. Or they could just read their owner's manual. True, agreed and good point. Some people do read the owners manual though and still have an old school mentality that it still takes all engines 500 to 1000 miles to break in and I guess they think they know more than an entire Team of Engineers at Ford and post it. My other guess would be that by the recent behavior exhibited by certain people in a certain topic on TS lately is that there are some people on here who cant even read properly....... Edited February 12, 2019 by mhr1961 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svttim Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 I switched from the Motorcraft oil after two changes to Amsoil. I had zero issues and very low oil consumption. You can never go wrong following Fords direction. No where will it say to baby the engine. Just no long term wide open jaunts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Stetson Posted February 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 Thanks for the info! At this point, with extended Ford PremiumCare warranty, I'm going to rely on Motorcraft and the Ford techs. Amsoil does make a great product though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Torres Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 I have 9500 miles on my 2017. I use Amsoil, no issues thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicosuave1 Posted August 29, 2019 Report Share Posted August 29, 2019 I have a 17 and it does consume a qt every 1000 miles. This is following the manual on break in and doing everything correct I believe. It has 8600 miles, got an oil change at 1300, 4500 and 7500 miles, now at 8600 miles oil looks dirty and low.. Any recommendations would be great. Do I need to get a warranty claim going or what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAI-Steven Posted August 29, 2019 Report Share Posted August 29, 2019 1 hour ago, nicosuave1 said: I have a 17 and it does consume a qt every 1000 miles. This is following the manual on break in and doing everything correct I believe. It has 8600 miles, got an oil change at 1300, 4500 and 7500 miles, now at 8600 miles oil looks dirty and low.. Any recommendations would be great. Do I need to get a warranty claim going or what. From what you posted there is no warranty claim to be made BUT in my opinion it would not hurt to "document" the oil consumption with a visit to your local Ford dealer with that as the complaint. Of course the dealership will close out the repair ticket as, vehicle inspected, no problem found but you will then have reached the goal of having your complaint documented. This can be beneficial down the road especially after your factory warranty expires and something unfortunate happens to your engine. Steven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicosuave1 Posted August 29, 2019 Report Share Posted August 29, 2019 4 minutes ago, SAI-Steven said: From what you posted there is no warranty claim to be made BUT in my opinion it would not hurt to "document" the oil consumption with a visit to your local Ford dealer with that as the complaint. Of course the dealership will close out the repair ticket as, vehicle inspected, no problem found but you will then have reached the goal of having your complaint documented. This can be beneficial down the road especially after your factory warranty expires and something unfortunate happens to your engine. Steven Steven, Ok, thanks for advice, will do. This is ridiculous though, I mean tell anyone with a normal type car about this oil consumption and they act surprised and concerned...and this oil aint cheap, it's not funny. What blows my mind too is why isn't the car telling me when the oil is low, no warning light or anything. Just on me if I don't check it...meanwhile dealer telling me no need for changes except for every 10k miles. Here I am with low dirty oil after only 1k miles. What the hell is going on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAI-Steven Posted August 29, 2019 Report Share Posted August 29, 2019 12 minutes ago, nicosuave1 said: Steven, Ok, thanks for advice, will do. This is ridiculous though, I mean tell anyone with a normal type car about this oil consumption and they act surprised and concerned...and this oil aint cheap, it's not funny. What blows my mind too is why isn't the car telling me when the oil is low, no warning light or anything. Just on me if I don't check it...meanwhile dealer telling me no need for changes except for every 10k miles. Here I am with low dirty oil after only 1k miles. What the hell is going on here One other suggestion, make sure you follow the oil changes shown in the owners manual and keep proof of the oil changes. If it was me I would be having the dealership perform all my oil changes on a GT350 so that there is no questions on that. Yes legally you can do the oil changes yourself or by an independent shop but not knowing what the future holds I would rather be in the position of no questions can be asked if the car was maintained as directed by the manufacturer. Hidden warranties, extended warranties, goodwill gestures are all future possibilities in my opinion. The owner who is prepared will be the owner who gets the quick approval, if ever needed. Steven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted August 29, 2019 Report Share Posted August 29, 2019 What Steve said in the last post. While the oil consumption might be within specs it is certainly not within expectations. My concern would be a few years from now, and if things do go downhill manufacturers are known to offer "silent recalls", more precisely TSB (Technical Service Bulletins). For example, the axle bolts on virtually EVERY Ford GT WILL break. There was never a recall. But if you know what magic words to utter, Ford replaced them for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicosuave1 Posted August 30, 2019 Report Share Posted August 30, 2019 ok so...don't put headers and intake on...don't change my own oil...etc. so I can be in a better position to get my dud engine replaced by Ford later down the line when it gets worse??!! So mad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhr1961 Posted August 30, 2019 Report Share Posted August 30, 2019 2 hours ago, nicosuave1 said: ok so...don't put headers and intake on...don't change my own oil...etc. so I can be in a better position to get my dud engine replaced by Ford later down the line when it gets worse??!! So mad. Your engine isn’t necessarily a dud. You make no mention of how much you have your foot in the accelerator pedal, how hard you drive it, how you drive it, short trips or long road trips, tracking it etc, etc. Some people say they lose a quart of oil every one thousand miles and have no issues with it, others also have a half quart to one quart burn off and when the dipstick gets at mid level the oil burn off stops. As advised above you should go to a dealer and document your concerns with a service call and monitor and document your oil usage . Maybe it will stabilize, but if it doesn’t at least you will have it documented. You shouldn’t really screw around with modding the car, its pretty much dialed in perfect for what it was designed to be…….a track car that is streetable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicosuave1 Posted August 30, 2019 Report Share Posted August 30, 2019 11 hours ago, mhr1961 said: Your engine isn’t necessarily a dud. You make no mention of how much you have your foot in the accelerator pedal, how hard you drive it, how you drive it, short trips or long road trips, tracking it etc, etc. Some people say they lose a quart of oil every one thousand miles and have no issues with it, others also have a half quart to one quart burn off and when the dipstick gets at mid level the oil burn off stops. As advised above you should go to a dealer and document your concerns with a service call and monitor and document your oil usage . Maybe it will stabilize, but if it doesn’t at least you will have it documented. You shouldn’t really screw around with modding the car, its pretty much dialed in perfect for what it was designed to be…….a track car that is streetable. I take it on short outings to dinner, to a walking trail, things like that. I've taken it on longer trips as well, one 16 hr trip to San Diego and one 8 hour trip to Reno. Several 2-3 hour trips north up to Oregon as well. Foots only in it with revs above 4k on onramps and passing situations. Otherwise cruising at 3-3.3k or so is most of the miles. Never tracked. Autocrossed once. This issue hasn't gotten really hugely worse or better since I bought it new, just worried it's getting worse. Yes I will start to document. On adding headers and intake, I know I can't add a blower or turbos without adding weight and hurting reliability, but headers/intake/tune and some weight reduction to get it a little quicker, seems like it would only be an improvement and it should be able to handle it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAI-Steven Posted August 30, 2019 Report Share Posted August 30, 2019 1 hour ago, nicosuave1 said: but headers/intake/tune ................... Well if you are concerned about oil consumption now just watch what happens once you make those mods. No those mods will not have a direct connection to using even more oil but once you make those mods you will be driving the car more spiritedly which will certainly cause more oil consumption compared to your driving habits now. Also if you have concerns about the health of your engine or the longevity of the 5.2 voodoo why would you want to void your engine warranty with those mods? Easy peasy for a manufacturer to deny a warranty claim with those modifications, yes you can fight the claim denial but no guarantee that you would win. Only a decision or perhaps gamble that only you can make. Steven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongoose Posted August 30, 2019 Report Share Posted August 30, 2019 3 hours ago, SAI-Steven said: Well if you are concerned about oil consumption now just watch what happens once you make those mods. No those mods will not have a direct connection to using even more oil but once you make those mods you will be driving the car more spiritedly which will certainly cause more oil consumption compared to your driving habits now. Also if you have concerns about the health of your engine or the longevity of the 5.2 voodoo why would you want to void your engine warranty with those mods? Easy peasy for a manufacturer to deny a warranty claim with those modifications, yes you can fight the claim denial but no guarantee that you would win. Only a decision or perhaps gamble that only you can make. Steven + 100% Great advice Steven! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicosuave1 Posted August 31, 2019 Report Share Posted August 31, 2019 thanks for the head check guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al & Cyndi Haas Posted August 31, 2019 Report Share Posted August 31, 2019 Just an FYI. I have a friend that owns a 2017 GT350. He put headers on it and an aftermarket x-pipe. One of his mufflers developed a "rattle". Car had approx 2200 miles. Ford denied the warranty on the muffler because of the exhaust mods. He did cut the muffler apart and find 2 spot welds were not correctly welded by the way. The replacement stock mufflers are about $900.00 a piece he said. Now I think that the dealer stepped up and use discretionary funds , but still Ford sounds like they are not messing around. By the way he put Borlas on it and it sounds killer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAI-Steven Posted September 3, 2019 Report Share Posted September 3, 2019 On 8/30/2019 at 8:12 PM, 2fords said: Just an FYI. I have a friend that owns a 2017 GT350. He put headers on it and an aftermarket x-pipe. One of his mufflers developed a "rattle". Car had approx 2200 miles. Ford denied the warranty on the muffler because of the exhaust mods. He did cut the muffler apart and find 2 spot welds were not correctly welded by the way. The replacement stock mufflers are about $900.00 a piece he said. Now I think that the dealer stepped up and use discretionary funds , but still Ford sounds like they are not messing around. By the way he put Borlas on it and it sounds killer! Sounds like your friend has a good relationship with his dealer, something that does pay off. To be fair, pretty much every auto manufacturer would have denied your friends exhaust warranty claim, its just how the system works. Glad it all worked out in the end. Steven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secondo Posted September 3, 2019 Report Share Posted September 3, 2019 I'd like to mention here that I'm hoping whoever changed the oil used 5W50 and not the standard Mustang's 5W20 weight oil. That would certainly cause an oil consumption issue. The reason I say this is because when the GT500's were released, and even a few years after, many dealerships were filling 5W20 in them and rotating the tires with the larger rears on the front and smaller fronts on the rear, ignorant of the new GT500's specs. You also mention cruising at 3-3.3K rpm's. That might use more oil than normal as well. Recommend changing your own oil with 5W50 Motorcraft or Amsoil. They both contain the correct Ford specification WSS-M2C931-C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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