[kninejk]

Hey All!
I’ve been a member on this forum since 2017 But have never asked a question until now. Here’s my story and question to follow. I own a 2004 Ford F-350 with the 6.0 that I bought new from the dealer. It was slightly less than 5 years old and still under the emissions warranty when the EGR blew out and eventually caused the engine to hydro lock when I pulled into the dealership for repair. Long story short they did the repairs with multiple oil and coolant flushes before sending me on my way and the truck ran flawless for the next 10 years until recently and had a FICM, injector and glow plug issues as well as a leaky turbo boot. I had a reputable independent mechanic who was once the top Powerstroke guru at our local dealership who has had his own business for about 15 years now do the Bulletproofing job I had done. some might ask why bother with bulletproof a 16 year old truck and I’ll tell you. Other than the engine issues I recently had, the rest of the truck is in extremely good shape and still looks pretty new and Bulletproofing now after 16 years on a truck that just turned 100k is much cheaper than buying a new truck. Especially when I’m considering retirement in the next few years. Also, by the total mileage it’s pretty obvious that I don’t drive the truck all that much on an annual basis. So, my question to you all of you is this: Would it be any benefit to run a full synthetic oil in the engine at this point? Cost for me is really a non issue so don’t bother there. I live in Oregon where the winters are relatively mild but we occasionally do get low temps well below freezing and once in a great while into the minus degree temps. but rarely. I guess I’m mostly wondering what I might see in performance or mpg increase? Thanks in advance from this old guy for any positive feedback.

 

[DENNY]

I have run a lot of different oil over the years. No real performance or mpg increase with any (unless solving a particular issue). The 7.3 can be oil sensitive, Foaming and Romps are two things that come to mind both can be solved with a non synthetic oil. I only change once a year so I have gone to full synthetic 5-40 in my Ford, Cummins, and Bobcat. Same oil for all of them. I do think synthetic is a better oil in general. If all I had to use was non synthetic I would not loose any sleep over it. DENNY

 

[DonWarkentin]

I have switched to full synthetic in all of my vehicles. The reason why is because when you consider what it would cost to buy a new vehicle to replace any one of them, the extra cost to go full synthetic is comparatively pretty insignificant, especially when you change your own oil as I do.

 

[Big Horn]

Only 100K, that’s nice. Sure you are aware, but worth mentioning, the synthetic 5W-40 will help with easier starts in cold weather also (and worn injectors)......if you live in part of the country with cold winters. I’m very happy with the Rotella T6 in my 7.3

 

[kninejk]

I have run a lot of different oil over the years. No real performance or mpg increase with any (unless solving a particular issue). The 7.3 can be oil sensitive, Foaming and Romps are two things that come to mind both can be solved with a non synthetic oil. I only change once a year so I have gone to full synthetic 5-40 in my Ford, Cummins, and Bobcat. Same oil for all of them. I do think synthetic is a better oil in general. If all I had to use was non synthetic I would not loose any sleep over it. DENNY

Hi Denny, thanks for the reply. What do you mean by “Romps” in your reply, this is something I’m not familiar with.

 

[79jasper]

Hi Denny, thanks for the reply. What do you mean by “Romps” in your reply, this is something I’m not familiar with.

Like a lope.
I've never heard of synthetic causing that in any engine. More likely to be from injector stiction.
Personally, I only run synthetic in all my engines, unless I'm in a hurry and don't have time to shop around.
When I had it, I ran delo 400 xsp 5w-40. Cheapest at Walmart. Truck seemed to like it.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

 

[DENNY]

The 7.3 can go rump rump rump on start up. No indication of why or when just happens on some engines no perticular oil type noted. Changing oil type/brand seemed to cure it. I had a 1956 that would quit 1/2 mile down the road if 30 degree and colder if not plugged in or warmed up for 5 min after start. It always started and idled fine. Once it quit let it set for a minute and it started and ran fine. Changed to 10w-30 oil in the winter and all problems went away. I have seen posts on this over the years never have found cause but gets better with lighter weight oil. Seen lots of stuff posted after 20 years on the site. DENNY

 

[kninejk]

The 7.3 can go rump rump rump on start up. No indication of why or when just happens on some engines no perticular oil type noted. Changing oil type seemed to cure it. I had a 1956 that would quit 1/2 mile down the road if 30 degree and colder if not plugged in or warmed up for 5 min after start. It always started and idled fine. Once it quit let it set for a minute and it started and ran fine. Changed to 10w-30 oil in the winter and all problems went away. I have seen posts on this over the years never have found cause but gets better with lighter weight oil. Seen lots of stuff posted after 20 years on the site. DENNY

Thank you again for the reply. As I mentioned before in my original post I recently had the 6.0 Bulletproofed after 100k on the odometer and this included new injectors which I want to keep happy for the long haul. I’m just looking for all of the information I can get to make that happen.

 

[bobofthenorth]

I don't think you're going to ever get a definitive answer. Eventually you'll have to go with what makes you feel good. I don't put enough miles on my truck in the winter to justify a spring oil change so I run T6 0/40 year round. Its what works for me. Obviously whatever you've been doing has worked pretty well for 16 going on 17 years so maybe there's no reason to change. Like I said, eventually you'll do what makes you feel good and there's lot of "right" options.

 

[kninejk]

I don't think you're going to ever get a definitive answer. Eventually you'll have to go with what makes you feel good. I don't put enough miles on my truck in the winter to justify a spring oil change so I run T6 0/40 year round. Its what works for me. Obviously whatever you've been doing has worked pretty well for 16 going on 17 years so maybe there's no reason to change. Like I said, eventually you'll do what makes you feel good and there's lot of "right" options.

Lol! I've had every single oil and filter change up to this point done by the local Ford dealership where I bought the truck new and have it done every 5k. I find it easy and convenient to just pay and have someone else do the work these days but In past lives with all of my previous vehicles I did all of the service and mechanical work myself, I’m just kind of tired of it now. I believe the Ford dealer has always put the motorcraft 15w40 in the 6.0. I did see the heads after the mechanic that did the Bulletproofing pulled them off and for 100k they were pretty clean. I’m not sure how much the oil would have to do with this or my driving style but it is what it is. Thanks for you input, it’s much appreciated.

 

[DonWarkentin]

There are several advantages of synthetic oil over conventional engine oil. A couple that come to mind are:

1. Synthetic lasts longer than conventional.
2. Synthetic is available in some viscosities that to my knowledge are not available in conventional oil. For example, 15w-40 is readily available in both conventional and synthetic. 0w-40 and 5w-40 are readily available in synthetic, but not to my knowledge in conventional. When motor oil is cold, it is more viscous than when it has warmed up to full operating temperature. This cold, viscous oil may not circulate as easily, therefore leaving valuable engine parts not fully lubricated and protected, resulting in faster engine wear. The 0w-40 and 5w-40 synthetic oils are less viscous than 15w-40 when cold; so they circulate better to protect engine parts upon first cold startup before the engine is up to full operating temperature. When the engine is up to full operating temperature, the viscosities of 0w-40, 5w-40, and 15w-40 are the same.

 

[TheCamel]

Since 2009 I have been running a 50/50 mix of Delo 5W-40XSP full synthetic and 15W-40SDE. No problems!