Don't won't to sound stupid but I'm new to owning a diesel and I want to know how many miles I can go on oil changes? Also my brother in law works at a fork lift company and I can get oil from him they use some kind of oil that they put in their diesel and gas trucks. Was wondering if that would be ok as long as it was the correct date. I don't won't to mess my truck up since I just spent so much on rebuilding the engine. This will be the first oil change since rebuild and I have about 4000 miles on it. Any helps would be appreciated as I use this forum for sound advice. I have a 03 f250 crewcab 6.0 auto 4x4 6 inch lift 37 inch Toyos

 

That should be correct weight. And they use the same oil in there gas trucks as they do diesel so I'm also asking if oil that goes in diesels the same as in gas engines.

 

Don't assume that any diesel oil is okay. 6.0 she be finicky about oil.

Check this guide:
http://www.powerstrokediesel.com/doc...ange_Guide.pdf

Use only Motorcraft oil filters, or Racor which is the actual manufacturer. The filters are patented, and there are common problems when any of the aftermarket filters are interchanged. Bad problems.

The Rotella products are very popular with 6.0 owners. And the Rotella T6 synthetic has worked miracles for some that have rough cold start issues.

 

Will it be ok to run synthetic since it was just rebuilt and I have horrible cold starts sometimes.

 

15-40 is recommended, but a lot of guys run 5-40 rotella T6 to alleviate cold start issues. Did you address the cold start issue while the engine was being rebuilt?

 

They put a new low and high pressure pump in hadn't been an issue since. High many miles between changes?

 

I use mobil one 5w40 year round.My truck loves it.I go 3000 miles between oil changes.Most guys go 5000.Just dont go over 5000.

 

The link below is a good article put out by the American Petroleum Institute. I am one of the guys that can attest to full synthetic 5W40 helping with cold starts (on my 6.9L and 7.3L). Using 5W40 in the winter eliminated my block heater usage. 15W40 in the summer saves me $$. My 6.7L doesn't seem to know when it's below zero so I'll probably just stick with the 15W40.

As far as frequency, fail safe is to go with the owners manual. Personally I've done mine at 5K on my previous trucks and the new one I'll go with the information center. On a fresh rebuild I like to change the oil and filter within the first 1,500 miles. There's a lot more debris in the engine as it's breaking in (piston rings, main,rod and cam bearings, valve seats etc).

API rating CJ4 is the current release that the newest of diesels require.
CJ4 supersedes CI-4, CI-4 plus

http://www.api.org/certification-pro...GLISH_2013.pdf

 

Also filters. A couple guys I know and all our ambulances run wix filters from napa and rotella oil and have for years. Do I need to pay all that extra for ford motorsports fuel and oil filters? I run the napa filter on my f150 5.4 2002 and I have 324000 miles on it.

 

And this is why the 6.0 gets a bad reputation. Well, part of the reason.

If you can't afford the proper filters, maybe you ought to just sell the truck away.

 

Correct filters are critical, I had a napa brand secondary fuel filter collapse after 5000 miles, that's half of the expected life. I hate the cost, but I know Motorcraft filters should be built to the correct specs. Of course any brand could have a bad batch.

 

I can afford the filters but was just wondering if there was a difference. Just like going to autozone or napa to get a part instead of ford. Do you go to ford for every replacement part on your trucks?

 

Not only are the correct filters critical. You need to make sure that somewhere
along the line that an aftermarket filter and cap have not been used and the cao
left behind. It happens all too often,

The best advice I can give is come on over to 6.0L Power Stroke Diesel - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums
Up at the top is the Tech Folder. Do some reading and then ask questions
in the forum. You will find a lot of very helpful people there that are willing
so share what they know with you.

Sean

 

Yes you need to buy them. Bill (and others) have said this several times. If you dont like it, well then dont do it, but you will pay more in the long run than you would on getting the right filter.

And you dont have to go to Ford to get the filters, Autozone carries them. Motorcraft brand is Ford brand. Like they said, there is a patent on the filters, so NO ONE EXCEPT FORD can make the correct filter. Everyone else is just close. And close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

As far as what oil you should be using, make sure it is a diesel oil.. That is look for a rating such as "CJ-4" on the bottle. Synthetic is fine. Synthetic is always fine, dont listen to the urban legends about switching to and from synthetic. You may switch to synthetic in the winter for cold start protection and back to conventional in the summer if you wish. In fact many people do.

As mentioned, the 6.0 is a picky eater, and it doesnt like ALL diesel oils, just like how I dont like all pizza toppings, but when faced with pizza I'll usually eat it anyway.

Point being, do some research into GOOD oils. I could go into great length (as could some others here) about the properties and chemistry of different oils, or I could just tell you that for a 6.0 a quality "Synthetic" is better. Look to Rotella T6, Mobil TDT, Delvac, Valvoline Premium and Extreme Blues and you will be fine. Pick one you like, try them all and choose your favorite.

AMSOIL also works great in the 6.0 according to many users. The cost:benifit weight is up to you. R/P.. just keep walking.

 

Interestingly, when I bought my truck brand new and pre-purchased maintenance for the first five years/60,000 miles the dealer recommended 7,500 mile oil change intervals. As soon as my pre-purchased plan expired, the same dealer recommended 5,000 mile intervals.