My 1st!
 

Yeah I know, I should probably just do the research but that's what you guys are for! :-X04. I'm at the point where I need to do my 1st oil change with the new to me truck I bought a few months back. Just wondering if there is anything specific that I need to know about filters, oil brand etc...? It appears I will need 14 qts, correct? Anything else need to be addressed at this time, aka fuel filters? I'm not even sure where those are.... I enjoy doing changes myself so taking the truck to a shop really isn't much interest to me.

Thanks for the help on this not so exciting topic!

Any good diesel rated oil will work for you. Rotella, mobil, synthetic, etc. I'm a motorcraft filter guy here. 14.5 is about what it takes, give or take a little. The fuel filter is in the middle of the motor, with a round spin off lid on it. It's under the engine cover if you still have that. Another good place for a motorcraft product.

Motorcraft all the way. Fuel filters about every 7500 and 5k for oil. Or start doing oil analysis and see what they say about OCI. I run Rotella T6 with the motorcraft filter or the big Donaldson filter. Advanced auto sells motorcraft fuel filters. Looks like the Donaldson filter link I was going to give you is no longer valid. I will have to do some digging.

Huh, mine is no good either.

Truck Parts for Semi,Trailer,Heavy Duty Trucks @ RyderFleetProducts

I run Rotella and a Donaldson..

I personally like Schaeffers products (Oil, ATF, Gear oil) because I read a lot of good stuff about them over at Bobistheoilguy.com!

Ryder no longer sells their 6 pack of donaldsons for whatever reason and created a different part number for them... When I searched Ryder site for the ELF7405 it came up with this.
I will note that Ryder still sells them for the same price a piece... its just shipping is a PITA. I would recommend purchasing 6 at a time as they fit into a nice box...only pay for shipping once! I am on my last one from the purchase I did a year back.
Oil filter, DBL7405, Donaldson - Ryder Fleet Products

Dug up some filter PNs:
Motorcraft FL-1995 (Ford part # F4TZ-6731-A) - 20 micron
Fleetguard LF-3630 (standard media) - 10-12 micron
Fleetguard LF-3974 (Stratapore) - 10 micron with 2 micron at 50%
Fleetguard LF-3374 (Stratapore--extended capacity)
Wix 51734 - 20 micron
NAPA 1734
Baldwin B7039 - 12 micron
AFE Proguard D2 44-LF004
K&N HP6001
Purolator Pure One PL44872
Purolator L44872
Fram ExtraGuard PH3786
Fram ToughGuard TG3786
Fram Wearever HD HPH3786FP
Carquest 85734
AC-Delco PF2174
Amsoil ASF99
Amsoil SDF99
Donaldson P550371 - 12 micron
John Deere TY24772
Donaldson Endurance ELF7405 Dual flow - 10 micron.

Also, I had this in a word doc in my folder of misc stuff I find on FTE.
Don't credit me with what you read below.

Filters: Micron Ratings What Do They Mean?

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Micron Ratings What You Should Know & Ask


I would like to clarify some points regarding Microns and Micron ratings for the non engineers, scientists and Tribologists among us (most of us).

Micron ratings are how oil, fuel, hydraulic and other liquid filters efficiency are measured. What is a Micron? It’s the size measurement given to microscopic particles. A human hair for instance is 40-80 microns wide.

When talking about Micron ratings there are two different ratings commonly referred to or given to a filter.

The Nominal Rating which is basically this. The smallest size particle the filter will catch 50% of the time on a consistent basis. The Nominal rating is just a way to get a lower number in the marketing and really doesn’t mean anything to you and I where our trucks are concerned. For instance the Baldwin B7039 is a direct replacement for the Motorcraft FL1995 oil filter. Baldwin’s B7039 has a Nominal rating of 12 microns. That means that 12 Microns is the smallest particle it will catch 50% of the time. Who cares about 50% of the time?

The next and most important rating is the Absolute Rating. The absolute rating is this. The smallest particle the filter will catch 98.7% of the time. This is the rating you should be asking for when you are researching your filters. For instance the Baldwin B7039 has an Absolute Rating of 25 Microns. The smallest particle it will catch 98.7% of the time is 25 microns.

However my explanation of the Absolute Ratings needs to be broken down a little more. Let us talk about Beta ratios and how they work as they are critical to really knowing how the filter can actually perform and are not as easily manipulated as a Nominal or Absolute number can be the unknowing consumer.

“Nominal” ratings are ok when nothing else is known; as some info is always better than no info. And “nominal” ratings can help compare one filter to another, but only at 50% efficiency.

There is a much better way to compare filters, though. Beta ratios are a multi-level rating of the efficiency of a filter. Some filters can be very good at one particle size, but poor at another. Beta ratings allow us to understand how a filter performs overall. While it is not an exact correlation, it can be presumed to reasonably represent both the “nominal” and near-absolute ratings. I say “near” because it is not set in stone where the rating is done. But the general concept is that the Beta rating gives a wider range of efficiency visualization. A very common Beta rating is “2 / 20 = x / y”

Beta ratings are read in a particular way, and some basic math must be applied. Betas are stated as two fractions, each representing a ratio. Please understand that it is NOT the actual fraction you are using, but rather the numbers as individual values. They are merely stated as a “fraction” for the purpose of easy short-hand notation.

You must take the first number (upper number) as an inverse to the number “1” (one), and then subtract that resultant percentage from a whole of 100%. This applies for the upper and lower numbers individually. Then you use the second fractional value as individual number to know what micro size the rating is stated at. Here’s an example.

Beta rating of: “2 / 20 = 13 / 23”

The “2” is taken as a percentage, when divided into “1”; i.e. 1 / 2 (one-half), or 50% missed. So 100% particles minus 50% missed = 50% caught.

The “20” is taken as a percentage, when also divided into “1”; 1/20 (one-twentieth) or 5%. So 100% particles minus 5% missed = 95% caught.

The “13” is the particle size at the 50% rating. In other words, 50% of the time the filter catches particles that are at, or larger than, 13 microns in size.

The “23” is the particle size at the 95% rating. In other words, 95% of the time the filter catches particles that are at, or larger than, 23 microns in size.

Using this formula allows you to understand how a filter does its job with both large and small particles, and how efficient it is at those particular ratings. It is a much better view of the filter’s abilities as a whole.

If you can find out the Beta Ratio on your filter I suggest you do so. If you can’t get the Beta Ratio on your filter the Absolute rating for your filter will be the next best thing to find out. Brand shouldn’t play a role in your decisions for a filter Beta Ration or Absolute Micron rating should. If you care about your truck and want to make it last for a long time use the best Beta Ratio (if available) or Absolute Rating filters you can buy regardless of cost. It’s the best thing for your investment in a Diesel truck. If you want to improve on what is available to you, install a bypass or Dual bypass filtration system. It is said by oil industry experts and Tribologists that if you can filter to and below 5 microns you will virtually eliminate the wear particles that cause damage to the internals of our engines. From that point you will wear out the additive package in the oil and not the oil itself or your engine.

Awesome! Thanks guys.

I run Motorcraft everywhere possible. I have aftermarket fuel systems on everything, so I use Baldwin filters there.

I do 3000 mile changes on Motorcraft oil and filters. I do fuel filters every other oil change, so right around 6000 miles.

Also, since this truck is new to you and you're getting your maintenance schedule figured out, you might want to get some test strips for your coolant and check the SCAs. These trucks have an SCA additive in the coolant to prevent corrosion in the water jackets. The SCA levels need to be maintained as the SCA does wear out and you will need to add some over a long period of time. It wouldn't be a terrible idea to check the SCA a couple times a year. The test strips are made by Fleetgaurd. I don't have a part number off hand. You can get the Motorcraft SCA additive from Ford as well. I'm terrible about not checking or maintaining the SCAs in my own trucks, but it is something that everyone should at least be aware of.

Good to know about the SCA. To be honest I wasn't aware of that! One more question. Is it more about the mileage or the life span with these diesel oil changes? What I mean is say my truck doesn't get it's 3,000 miles in a year. Keep in mind I'm not going to drive this one in the winter so up here in MN my drive season is April to November. Is the oil still okay to run the next year or are there more contaminants associated with the diesel fuel? According to the sticker in the window I still have 1500 miles left on the oil that's in the truck however it's last oil change was April of 2013.

I would get nervous having oil that old in the truck. That's just me though. I do my 3000 miles within a month and a half or less, so I have never had to worry much about the age of my oil. I think I would change it once a year if it wasn't getting the miles over that period of time.

Oil doesn't break down from sitting. You'll be fine. Half of oil sits on the shelf that long.

However, those bottles are sealed.

Water from condensation can't enter those sealed bottles like it can in an engine.

But, also running the engine for 30 minutes every month should let any condensation that built up evaporate.

That's how I view it...

I think the real issue is here that you need to drive your truck more! LOL

(this coming from a guy who lets his sit all winter long). :-drink

I hear ya, but I just think there are too many myths and wives tales about oil and how it does this or that :-blah When it gets used, then it is the real issue. I highly doubt there is enough condensation, even after sitting all winter, to really merit a change. But whatever, to each his own. if makes someone feel better, then by all means spend that $80. I owuldn't worry about it, especially if it gets started up once in awhile and brought up to temp.