I have heard both 5000 and 7000 miles between oil changes. I have been doing every 5k but was wondering if I could stretch that out farther? I drive my truck daily to work about 28 miles each way (mostly highway and some back roads) and I tow a 7000 lb travel trailer about once a month mostly for weekend camping trips (some 7% grade mountain hauls involved). Thanks

 

What are you using for oil? I use Mobil 1 5w-40 and do UOA'S , black stone labs told me at 5,000 miles I could run another 2-3 thousand on the oil but I changed it at 6500 miles.

 

I am using whatever the ford dealerships have been putting in it.

 

Here are my standard recommendations:

If you have not owned one of the newer emissions controlled diesels previously (any brand), be aware that they are far more dependent on proper maintenance than earlier diesels.

Key 6.4 maintenance items:

* Oil changes every 5,000 miles, with quality oil (synthetic recommended), used oil analysis (Blackstone) for every change. Use only Motorcraft oil filters or the Racor (OEM) equivalent.

* Fuel filter changes every 10,000 miles. Use only Motorcraft FD4617 or the Racor (OEM) equivalent filters.

* Coolant nitrite testing at least every 15,000 miles. I recommend every 5,000 miles at the same time you do the oil change for simplicity, the test strips are inexpensive. Do not be confused by the test directions warning not to sample from an overflow tank, the 6.4 does not have an overflow tank it has a degas bottle. The degas bottle is part of the coolant loop with constant circulation so it is a valid testing point. I do not bother "taking a sample", I simply clip the test strip on the end of a long hemostat and dunk it in the degas bottle to test. If the test is below 800ppm and above 300ppm add two bottles of VC-8 additive. If below 300ppm the entire coolant system must be flushed with VC-9 cleaner, rinsed well and refilled with new coolant.

* Cooling system flush with VC-9 and refill with Ford Gold coolant every 60,000 miles, sooner if you have neglected testing and the nitrite is under 300ppm.

* Use a quality fuel conditioner such as the Ford PM-22a/23a conditioners at every fueling. They add lubricity to the fuel, something that ULSD is lacking in which helps protect the high pressure (up to 26,000 PSI) fuel pump. They also help to reduce soot production which results in less frequent DPF regens and less fuel dilution in the engine oil.

* Drain the HFCM water separator monthly. The fuel drained can be poured back into the tank carefully leaving behind any water at the bottom of the collection jar (normally very little). If the water separator drain does not flow well or at all, it may be clogged with either parafin blobs or with bacterial growth. In either case at a minimum the drain valve cover needs to be removed and the clog cleared. If the clog is significant the HFCM cover needs to be removed for full cleaning. If the clog is white and waxy it's parafin and not a significant issue. If the clog is brown or similar and more slimy it is bacterial growth and the fuel tank should be "shocked" with a biocide such as Power Service Bio-Kleen which should not be confused with their Diesel-Kleen.

* The truck should not be used for all short trips and stop and go traffic. The 6.4 and other emissions controlled diesels need regular longer periods at highway speeds to allow proper DPF regeneration and to get to proper operating temperature to help reduce fuel contamination in the engine oil.

* The latest PCM flash (11B23) does not provide continuous indication of when a DPF regen is taking place, it does however add much improved engine monitoring for developing issues. Over time you will get to recognize the subtle changes, but I recommend adding something like the ScanGauge II which will allow you to monitor the DPF temperature which is a clear indication that a regen is in progress when over ~600F.

* Avoid shutting the truck down with a regen in progress. If you have to, run the engine at high idle for a few minutes in park before shutting down to allow the turbos to cool down to normal temperatures before shutdown. If you are interrupting the regens you will see it in your Blackstone report, otherwise you should see very little fuel dilution, <1%.

You should also absolutely get the Ford ESP extended warranty, any repairs to the 6.4 are expensive and a single big repair can easily cover the cost of the ESP warranty. The coolant nitrite testing that many people overlook *is* in the owner's manual diesel supplement, so if you neglect it Ford can deny warranty coverage for resulting damage.

Other Super Duty maintenance items:

* Change transfer case fluid every 60,000 miles.

* Change rear differential fluid every 50,000 miles on DANA axles (F350 DRW and up).

* Change transmission fluid and filter every 60,000 miles on Torqshift transmissions (100k on manual transmissions). If you have the early Torqshift with the external filter the interval is much shorter.

Resources:

Coolant test strips - Buy the 4pk, not the bottle of 50, the strips have expiration dates and you'll only need <10 per year. Most dealer parts counters should have the test strips, NAPA has them, or order direct from Acustrip.
http://acustrip.com/CTS-3_Retail_Order_Form.pdf

Used oil testing - Blackstone Labs, get the pre-paid 6pk of test kits to save a few bucks. You don't need the TBN option:
Order Now

Ford ESP extended warrantys - You can buy them online from real dealers, or use the online price from a real dealer to negotiate a better price from your local dealer. You absolutely want the ESP, while the 6.4 is not problematic as some claim as long as you maintain it properly, nearly any repair is big $ and one good one will cover the ESP cost:
Ford Extended Warranty - Genuine Ford ESP

DPF, oil, coolant temp monitoring - ScangaugeII, you will need to program the X-gauge commands for the 6.4:
ScanGauge - Trip Computer + Digitial Gauges + ScanTools
Ford Specific XGauges : Linear Logic : Home of the ScanGauge

 

ok thanks. I do have the extended warranty on it. I have been doing every 5000 mi oil changes since I bought it in jan. I also changed the fuel filter with it's first oil change that I had done since I didn't know when it was last done. I have been running the power service diesel kleen with every tank and I have been draining the fuel water separater. So it looks like I have been on the right track. I have put on about 11000 miles since I bought the truck. It only has 44K on the odometer and is a good truck. I just want to keep it that way. Thanks for all the useful info. Now off to the shop to get an alignment and a set of michelins put on it..... both right side tires went bald on me. I am hoping this is just an alignment issue. The left are pretty worn down but right is bald. Currently running stock continental junk. Upgrading to michelin LTX.

 

Don't forget the coolant testing, neglecting that can be the source of big problems and since it is listed in the owner's manual diesel supplement, Ford can deny warranty coverage on related damage if they want.

 

I'd change the HCMF draining to weekly, and also get the extra insurance (if you can) from your insurance company...they will pay for damn near anything that goes wrong, and it's cheap. GEICO was like $40.00 on a 6-month policy if I recall correctly.

 

I don't know about the secondary insurance, not sure all carriers offer it.

On the HFCM draining, weekly seems really excessive, especially given the need to crawl under the truck. I do monthly per spec and I rarely have any water come out, just clean fuel. The most I've ever had was about 1tsp of water.

 

Good chance 5K is even too long if you are stock, the engine makes oil in the regen process and you can be several quarts over full by 5K miles. Get rid of the DPF junk and the regen process and I am not afraid of 6K-7K intervals.

 

I agree completely , thats why my oil holds up so well!

 

This simply is not true. In *legal* stock form there is little oil dilution as long as you do not interrupt the regen process when it's occurring.

70,000+ miles in legal stock form with change and UOA every 5k have proven this with 0.5% fuel dilution or less every time except for one month where I was unusually busy and interrupted several regens. That period was about 2% and the next period after that was back to normal at 0.5%.

If you are not interrupting regens, have the most recent PCM firmware and are seeing more than perhaps 1% fuel dilution you have a problem with the engine that should be properly diagnosed. Illegally removing emissions control equipment will not fix that problem, may void your warranty, may get you fined and ultimately the underlying problem may get worse and damage the engine.

 

I was averaging 1200-1500 miles a week when I was using mine for my HVAC company. Hell, I had to change the oil every 3 weeks when it really got busy.

 

True...the rings are sealed pretty well by oil when running. Shouldn't be making oil at all unless the regen is shut off before completion. If it is, let it idle in Park for 3-5 minutes before shutting it off. Mine NEVER made oil. Everything else went TUD though. Must have had a bad one was all.

 

I change my oil on the 5K mark as well. Good oil ensures good valve train lubrication.

I don't make oil either.

 

I am going to agree to disagree here.....many who are "stock" just drive the truck and have plenty of dilution , its not a requirement to let your truck finish the regen process. Those of us who know better may have similar results as you but I am sure there are plenty of people who take relatively good care of their truck and have high dilution rates. I never started sampling until i was deleted so i cant say, but I do know that I have had less than half a percent of fuel if any.

Lots will say that Bio will make fuel dilution worse, in stock form this may be so but i run B-20 religiously and have been for 10,000+ miles with no ill results and my UOA's are great! I do think there are many factors that come into play here so each truck will vary.