New owner for the above vehicle. 1st time diesel owner. got 350 miles on it and at 500 plan on switching to Rotella T6 Full Synthetic. My question is this.... Seems to take for ever for the oil temp and tranny temp to show arrow up. this model has a nice little instrument panel tool that shows you the current temp of oil and tranny. What temp should I let the oil get to before its ok for normal drive?

 

Hmm, I don't really pay attention to oil temp, I know it takes around 10 mins or so to get my coolant up to 160, my tuner keeps me at stock power till then, after that I giver.

I'll check to see what my oil temp is next time.

 

I really like my 2014 Platinum as well, I'm just wondering if I made the right choice by getting the short box vs the long box. At the time , I didn't know it only had a 26 gallon tank. I like the turning radius of the short box but I do miss my long bed and the big tank...

Did you get a long or short bed?

 

Welcome to FTE!!!!

 

I don't think you have to wait for your oil temperature to reach a certain point before you drive, that's the reason we run multi-viscosity oil. Depending on ambient temperature, it can take several miles for the oil to get up to normal temps.
When I start my truck, by the time I get the mirrors folded back out, double check to be sure I've closed the garage door, and set the heater controls, several seconds have passed. I start out, but take it easy for the first few miles. Once I start to get heat out of the heater vents, I think it's warmed up enough to treat it normally.

 

If the motor is running, you're good to go.

I usually wait for above 50° until I drive normally, but there's no technical reason for it.

 

Start it just like you would any other vehicle. Give it along enough for you to adjust your mirror and seat belt and go.

I....if real cold out just drive slowly out of the neighborhood and by then I just drive normally.

If I am towing then it give it just a little more time if really cold out. Then I just take it easy for a few miles.

 

EpicCowlick did this on his 2011: https://titanfueltanks.com/shop/fuel...ies-2011-2012/

 

No need to warm the oil up unless it is sub-zero weather. The truck will actually tell you to "Wait to Drive" if necessary, but even that message only lasts seconds and not minutes.

On the oil change, I am all for being proactive with the first oil change, but 500 miles seems extremely premature. I certainly wouldn't switch to full synthetic at that point. Let the break-in oil do it's job. If you are really concerned about break-in metals, change the filter and top the oil off.

 

I start it, idle out of the garage, hook up seat belt while garage is closing, ease up the 100 foot driveway, and around the circle to the main drag and GO !

Newer ford specs say wait until the oil monitor tells you to change --- my first change was at like 7500 miles iirc

and it's been a beast ever since...
now I did wait for 1000 miles before hooking up the 5er...

 

Worst thing about the short bed, other than the smaller fuel tank, is that you have to use one of the sliding style fifth wheels so you can slide it back for full articulation when pulling a fifth wheel trailer. And those sliding fifth wheels are really noisy and have lots of slop in them. Was given one and since it was free I used it, ONCE! Then ripped it out of the truck and bought a new standard fifth wheel.

Anyone want to buy a slider for their short bed truck REALLY CHEAP???

 

I wouldn't change out the oil at 500 miles. People that have changed out too early have gotten a motor tick and then you have to put an additive back into the oil. I do run T6, but my first two oil changes were MotorCraft Diesel Oil. (mainly because they were free - and those are hard to pass up) Dealer gave me a coupon for the first oil change free and then after I did that, they mailed me another one later.

SB vs. LB is always tough decision. I've owned both too. When I am loading drywall or lumber, long bed is nice. Bigger factory fuel tank is a plus too. When it comes to parking.... SB is nicer. Although in 4x4 trim my problems are more height related getting into parking garages than the extra 18" length...

 

Actual wheelbase difference is 16" (CCSB 156" - CCLB 172"). Back in 2006 when I bought my first CCLB, I test drove both configurations to the exact same tight parking spot at a nearby business and tried parking both trucks. I honestly couldn't tell any difference in the level of difficulty. Since the long bed truck is 3' longer than the average parking space, the short bed does fit better within the confines of the parking space. It all comes down to the driver's tolerance levels. Many people daily drive CCLB dually trucks and park them in the same places that some don't want to park their CCSB SRW trucks. For me the bed length and fuel tank size outweigh the negatives.

 

You are right my math was off by 2 inches. Story of my life.

I have a long bed for the same reasons. Considering a dually for my next truck as well.

 

I have a 2014 F-250 and in the spot where a 4WD switch would go is this other plug. (BTW, I do not have the option for an electronic switch.) It has wires attached to the back and is next to the AC fan control. See picture. Can anyone tell me what this is ? My wife thinks it is a spare change holder.

Thanks, Bill



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