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When to change the oil, what with?

4K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  ArcticDriver 
#1 ·

Hi All, Thanks for your time,
I just got a 2003 F 250 super duty with a 6.0 with 144,300 miles on it, could or would someone be so kind as to tell me at how many miles I should change the oil and what weight oil I should use, also someone told me this thing holds 16 qt`s of oil, wow is that right,:scratchhead:
OK Thanks again Have A Great Day.
 
#2 ·
Most people will change the oil every 5K miles. OEM filter is recommended. the oil weight will depend of your area and temperature but 15W40 is the most popular.

I personally like rotella T6 5W40

Yes it hold about 15 qts.

good luck with the new truck
 
#3 · (Edited)
I also use Rotella T6 synthetic 5-40, and Motorcraft or Racor filters ONLY. I change at 5k intervals and it will hold ~16qts, mine and a lot of others I know seem to throw/leak out the first quart so I only refill with 15qts and I don't have any major leaks at all. It seems most 6.o's do like to seep oil from various places but as long as it doesn't leave any on the ground and doesn't get low I wouldn't worry about it. They have been nicknamed the 6 leaker for a reason. Just for your info 16qts in a diesel pickup is nothin' my Detroit DD16 in my Freightliner holds 46.5 qts.
 
#5 ·
Don't overfill it. You always want to leave room on the dipstick so you can see if you are ever "gaining" oil level from a leaking injector (fuel in the oil).
 
#9 ·
No Cricha,

According to the Ford website, Rotella T-6 5W-40 is not on the "approved" list.

If Buckhunter1 is looking for an equal alternative to Rotella and for a good price then he might consider Chevron DELO 400ES in 5W-40 (which is still the old CJ-4).

Buckhunter, in case you are new to this--the cheapest motor oil prices are often found at Wal-Mart unless NAPA or similar are running a sale.
Here is the WalMart webpage. Its important you get the 400 LE and not a different series of letters:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Chevron-Delo-400-Low-Emission-Synthetic-5W40-Gallon-Jug/20896087

The Ford Motorcraft oil filter fL-2016W for the 6.0 is a top quality oil filter at a good price:


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Motorcra...online&wl12=16880600&wl13=&veh=sem#about-item
 
#7 ·
I like Delo Synthetic 5W-40 with Archoil.
 
#8 ·
14.5 quarts is all I put in. I believe that is the correct amount. Don't use all 16 quarts I was told! I use Rotella T6 and Motorcraft filters from Walmart!
 
#10 ·
Buckhunter,

Since you are new to Powerstrokes you might not be aware that there is a big hornets nest right now surrounding diesel motor oils.

A new generation of motor oils have just been introduced to the store shelves over the past few months called CK-4 (the previous generation is CJ-4 and has been around 10 years). These ratings are given by the American Petroleum Institute (API).
The new generation is an attempt to meet EPA requirements for improved fuel economy standards by using thinner oils and also an attempt to protect emissions equipment in late model engines by lowering the amount of elements such as Zinc & Phosphorus. The downside is that these elements are beneficial for their anti-wear properties.

The result is Ford has issued a statement that says the new CK-4 oils are not approved for Powerstroke engines because the new formulation does not provide adequate lubrication.

So those Powerstroke owners who care about their investments are searching out the old CJ-4 diesel oils since this last generation has Ford approval.

Since you live in NJ and its a cold climate, your 6.0 will run better on a full synthetic diesel oil with a viscosity of 5W-40.
The 6.0 has occasionally issues with "stiction" and this synthetic 5W-40 helps to prevent stiction.

Hopefully all of this trouble gets sorted out in the next few months before your second oil change :winking:
 
#11 ·
I've run 5W40 T6 Rotella for the past 75k. I change it every 5k and use an OEM filter. I refill with 16 quarts every time. In my experience all Diesels seep some oil. Diesels have what would be considered a ton of blowby by gas engine standards, but that's just how they operate. When you are constantly having positive pressure in the crankcase seals are going to seep.

The oil formulation question is a big one. Diesel oils finally got lumped in with the other oils that lost a lot of their zinc and phosphorus content several years before, creating a panic in the classic car hobby because flat tappet cams need ZDDP to prevent wear. This has led to special formulation oils available for the classic car hobby as well as ZDDP additives that can be mixed in with the new oils that have too little ZDDP. The greatest concern for me would be injector wear in an HEUI engine like the Powerstroke. The rest of the engine should be fine because they all run roller cams now. Even without the ZDDP I have to believe that synthetic is better than a conventional oil because of the increased lubricity, better thermal stability, and uniformity. Conventional oils contain heavy hydrocarbons like parafins that can lead to sludge formation. I do wonder though if a typical ZDDP additive would work to correct the issue. Any idea what the current concentration is vs. the old?
 
#12 ·
Yesterday I went to WalMart to pick up a gallon of Delo 400 LE because I need an oil change. I had previously bought a bunch of it at Sam's but am down to only 12 quarts, so I needed more. I got there and they did not appear to have any 15-40. They had a gallon of 5-30, but only one. They were well stocked with the more expensive Delo semi-synthetics and full synthetics though. So, since Sam's is nect door, I went over there and they don't have it either. They are selling a box with two 2-1/2 gallon containers of Delo 400 SDE in 15-40. This is a CK-4 oil. Frustrated, I called the nearest AutoZone and they had 1 gallon left, so I went over there and bought it. It looks like this oil change will be my last with Delo 400 LE.

It looks like retailers are pulling stocks of the CI and CJ oils in favor of the CK ones.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I don't know about "pulling stocks".
More likely running out of old CJ-4 inventory from the warehouses.

But many of the new CK-4 rated HDEOs have now made the Ford "Approved" list without one single change having been made to the formulas.

It was either a true "miracle"... like turning water into wine.

OR

Ford made much ado about absolutely nothing.

There is speculation that the new CK-4 oils may have the benefit of advanced technologies that traditional oil analysis techniques are currently not testing for.
 
#14 · (Edited)
14 quarts give or take.
10w30 in the 6.0 PSD. Used oil analysis proves time and again that the 6.0 shears the VI in oil quickly. A 10w30 does not have as much VI in it, and it is much more stable over a change interval. Less nailing when cold, a small improvement in MPG as well. Win-Win.
If you don't believe me, look yourself with "The Google". Lots of info available on 10w30 in 6.0.
You may still find a few AutoZone's with the 2.5 gallon jug of Rotella T5 closed out for 15.00. Worth a look.
Yes, Ford has drawn a line in the sand with the CK-4 roll out. The 6.0 will not care if it's CK-4. The 6.4 does, with it's crappy valvetrain. The 6.7 might, the jury is still out. Lots of folks don't realize they have already run CK-4 in their Fords when Shell was bottling CK-4 in CJ-4 jugs last year for a couple months before the official introduction.
The point is somewhat moot, Shell made the list straight away, but the fact that they had the nerve to sell something that was misrepresented has turned a few away from SOPUS products.
If you cannot find any CJ-4, or single rated CK-4, adding a small amount of Redline Break-In additive to put the P at 1000PPM and the Z at around 1300PPM is a very easy solution.
 
#15 · (Edited)
14 quarts give or take.
10w30 in the 6.0 PSD. Used oil analysis proves time and again that the 6.0 shears the VI in oil quickly. A 10w30 does not have as much VI in it, and it is much more stable over a change interval. Less nailing when cold, a small improvement in MPG as well. Win-Win.
If you don't believe me, look yourself with the Google. Lots of info available on 10w30 in 6.0.
You may still find a few AutoZone's with the 2.5 gallon jug of Rotella T5 closed out for 15.00. Worth a look.
Yes, Ford has drawn a line in the sand with the CK-4 roll out. The 6.0 will not care if it's CK-4. The 6.4 does, with it's crappy valvetrain. The 6.7 might, the jury is still out. Lots of folks don't realize they have already run CK-4 in their Fords when Shell was bottling CK-4 in CJ-4 jugs last year for a couple months before the official introduction.
Edit in progress when I get to a real computer.-----

There is more to the equation than just shear stability. Quality of base stock is important (synthetic oil has superior shear resistance over Dino) and perhaps more important is the amount and the quality of antiwear additives (and just throwing in some after-market Redline does come with some risk of compatibility). As for 5w40 being victim to greater shear, the tests I have seen at BITOG are that at most it drops to a very heavy 30-weight and then at 5,000-mile OCI so the majority of its life was still at SAE-40. Even then, this was not found to be uniform amongst all brands of oil because some brands tested were still staying at the low end of SAE-40 at 7K mile OCI.

There is a reason Ford does not recommend 10w30 for towing so when you promote the use of 10w30 in your 6.0 it might be considerate to less experienced owners to make them aware of the Ford Recommendation of the ambient temperatures that 10w30 is approved for towing.

Also, a small point is Rotella was not filling CJ-4 jugs with CK-4 for a couple months. It was a relatively short period of time immediately after the re-formulation; however, these jugs were likely on some store shelves a couple of months. But your general point is correct that some PSD owners might already have various mixes of CJ-4/CK-4 in their trucks.

Now that Ford has recently included so many popular HDEOs to the "Approved" list the entire issue is behind us. The CK-4 formulas were fine all along and very likely have improved Viscosity Modifiers that will have improved "stay-in-grade" characteristics.

Still, I am happy to have a good stash of CJ-4 until we start seeing UOAs on the CK-4.
 
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#16 ·
As has already been mentioned use only Motorcraft, Racor or Navistar oil and fuel filters with you 6.0. Y will want to make sure you still have an OEM oil filter cap as some aftermarket filters come with a taller cap and the OEM filter will not work properly with that, there are a lot of pictures on the net showing the difference. 6.0 Powerstroke Oil Cap Problems and Differences | Ford 6.0 Powerstroke Oil Filters
 
#18 ·
Dang Herb,

Nobody can ever accuse you of not being serious about your filtration.
 
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