IMHO, your climate in Southern BC is warmer than many parts of the lower 48 US, much warmer than Maine, etc.

If you never go high (mountains) or north, you are using the wrong oil.

The Ford dealers are plainly wrong to use 10w30 oil

Why do I have this sick feeling that if you audited them, they are putting AUTO grade 10w30 and not diesel grade 10w30?

Quite frankly, I would be demanding to see the bulk drum to see if it is in fact CJ-4 rated.

I have a gut feel... and you are not going to like it.

BTW, the standard oil that most modern Ford gassers use should be 5w-20, for fuel economy reasons.

10w30 is the standard for older Ford gassers.

Note that there is a world of difference between Gasser oil and Diesel oil. They are not interchangeable at least since the late 1990s!!!!


Standard for diesels is 15w-40, NOT 10w30, which Ford only recommends for cold climates.

Even so, the 10-30 that Ford recommends has to be a CJ-4 rated, NOT SL or something like that.

I know of no high volume / major brand oil that is simultaneously rated CJ-4 and SL at the same time.


I think I would be demanding a visit to the back of the shop where the bulk oil drums are... and seeing what they actually have there.

Since bulk 10w-30 for gassers is dirt cheap, I have a sneaking suspicion...

Demand to see the rating of the oil they put in your truck.. see if it is CJ-4 rated.

Next time you change oil, if I were you, I would demand to watch them do it, and demand they use containers you can visually see as it is poured in.

e.g. Motorcraft HD Diesel (if you want dino), or whatever you actually want.

I would start auditing my bills from them to see what they might have put in as well...


I smell a rat.


The only reason you got by towing 10,000 lbs is because modern oils are so good... that even if you misuse the grade, it still does a moderately good job.

Start looking... use the roach theory.

 

I am running 10w30 now but will switch to 15w40 both HD Rotella products. We have had a colder winter than usual so thats hy the 10w30 but I will be hauling a boat, 7k, around as much as possible as well as temps to 90ish. You gentlemen have done alot more research than I would do. Thoughts?

 

You can't go wrong with a quality product like Rotella T, whether dino or synth.

IMHO, the cheapest name brand Synthetic HD Diesel CJ-4 or better oil beats the best dino CJ-4 of the same grade etc.

You can, keep doing what you are doing except with 15-40 for hot towing.

Or,

Switch to a name brand synth if the price spread is acceptable to you.

If you shop around and buy in bulk, you should be able to narrow the spread by quite a bit.


bismic is a big proponent of year round 5w-40 synth use, so let him speak on that.

I am still in the research phase, so I don't know.

Also -- my extreme winter condition do not apply to most.

If it was my truck, I would switch to Rotella T6 15-40 for the summer.

And use 5w-40 Rotella T6 in the winter.

But, the best improvements / benefits of synthetic is at the low end, not at the top end of temps, so you lose little by using 15-40 dino for the summer.


At this point, it comes down to value judgments and religion.

 

I've usually run T6 from November to April, and 15W-40 the rest of the year. Just had head gaskets done at the local dealer and had a Hell of a time talking the service manager (not saying he's a bad guy) into putting 10W-30 in my truck when they put it together. Funny thing is, all the people at the service counter had nothing but bad things to say about Rotella. Ended up, the mechanic put in 15W-40 Motorcraft because no one told him otherwise.

Long story short, I really notice the thicker oil on startup-it is regularly under 5 degrees at night. I'm going to plug in and see if that matters, but next year the T6 goes back.

Also, while I don't believe any of the anti-Rotella propaganda, I do think I'll switch to Motorcraft 15-40 when I do my spring oil change. I will, however, not buy it from the dealer.

 

General observation:

Whenever you do oil changes with premium oil.

Insist on:

a) seeing the stuff in bottles beside you (verify it is not counterfeit or it is previously opened)

b) watch them put it in

c) have them give back the 1/2 gallon they don't need


I have seen plenty of people rooked by being charged Synthetic, and got either regular dino, or off brand synthetic.

Don't take a chance unless you know the tech / dealer real well.

The switch a roo is so prevalent it is not funny.

 

Your header doesn't say where you are from. But just for kicks. Put some of your regular Dino 10w-30 on the front porch right next to the synthetic Mobil-1 when its -30'F then talk about cold weather chacteristics when you are trying to pour out the 10w-30 outside. And to really drive the point home dont come in to warm up until you pour out the whole galon. Oh yea, invite Al Gore over to explain the principles of global warming while you are at it. I will pour out the Mobil-1 and drink a pot of coffee while I'm waiting on you......don't worry, Al Gore's hot air will keep you warm.

 

Now you have to tell all of us what oil do you use when it really gets cold (and where you are and how cold it gets).

I am validating for an application down to -40F.

 

I think something is wrong with your truck. Mine doesn't do that ever. And I start mine at -50' and -60'F

 

How about old age?

275,000 miles... of it.

 

In my header it says North Pole Alaska. Thats really where I am.

In my Signature, it says Mobil-1 Turbo Diesel Truck Oil.

When the ambient temp is -40' and I drive at 65 mph (cold front zipped up) my EOT is 110' and my ECT is 180'.

When it is truely cold up here trucks with DINO don't start unless they are in a garage.

 

I am not seeing signatures or icons right now.

THey have an FTE glitch.

What weight Mobile are you running?

I am going to go 0w-40 (Petrocanada Duron-E) synthetic next winter.

 

Mobil-1 turbo diesel truck oil only comes in 5W40

 

Ahhh... ok... well Petrocanada have you guys beat.

Incredible good specs on their 0w-40 oil... and 5w-40.

But then, cold weather is their business!

 

What's the label or brand of the Petro Canada stuff your talking about? I'm gonna use synthetic 5w-40 in warm months and switch to 0w-40 in colder ones. I'm in Winnipeg (Winterpeg) Canada.

 

Wow... I guess I have been sleeping at the computer too much... an oil thread and I haven't participated or given my insight for 3 pages of posts!!!

Check out the Ford link below:

MAIN OIL/LUBRICATION PAGE - FORD:FCSD Chemicals and Lubricants

Motorcraft® SAE 10W-30 Super Duty Motor Oil is recommended for use in 7.3L, 6.4L and 6.0L Powerstroke® diesel engines from 0 °F (-18 °C) to 50 °F (10 °C) and 6.7L Powerstroke® diesel engines above 0 °F (-18 °C)

Motorcraft® SAE 5W-40 Full Synthetic Diesel Motor Oil is recommended for use in Powerstroke® diesel engines over a wide temperature range, from -20°F (-29°C) to over 100°F (38°C)

Many here in the United States use 5W-40 full synthetic motor oil due to availability and price (I personally use Rotella 5W-40 due to being able to buy at Walmart). I also use it year round as it aids in quick/easy starts like a 5W oil and protects like a 40 weight oil when the motor warms up... which is the same viscosity of the standard diesel weight oil of 15W-40 dino oil that is universally used in Canada and the US in most diesel equiped trucks... large and small.

Ford issued a bulletin allowing the use of 10W-30, but only for cold weather operation and NEVER when towing or working one's truck/motor hard... due to the lower viscosity protection.

The difference between 0W and 5W is so slight... that I would pick a brand that is well respected and readily available and use it year-round. I like synthetic oils due to being more refined and they operate more cleanly than dino oils... and they offer better cold weather starting and high heat protection against varnish build-up in your injectors and turbo bearings.

Hope this helps and the Ford link above answers your questions?

Good luck,