








Oil change concerns
Once Ford went to the 5,000MI/6 month oil change interval with the OHC 4.0L, 4.6L, 5.4L, and 6.8L engines the internal conditions took a hit. I keep engines for life and stick to the severe duty maintenance schedule. I have many of engine still in my possession (mostly 6.8L 3V) that I have personally owned and maintained since new. I pull the engines from the trucks when the truck is retired from service. All the engines in my possession have over 350k original miles and are free from internal deposits/crud as well as have near factory compression in all cylinders. I re-gasket these engines while checking them internally and put them back together in case I need one for a truck im still using.
I on the other hand buy a few used trucks per year that have been totaled by insurance from accidents. I get the carfax/autocheck reports with these trucks and just about every one has a full service history documented. The engines in these trucks are 5.4L, 6.8L, and 6.2L with around 100-250k miles on them. The service record all show oil change intervals between 7,500MI and 12,000MI. When I pull the engines out and open them up the internals have a thick coat of varnish and light sludge, the piston walls have considerable scoring, the PCV systems are usually gunked up, and when I check compression I get readings that jump around between cylinders. Yes these engines run and perform but they are not the healthy engines they could have been if the oil was changed at a more reasonable interval.
Just wanted to share this.

2L 300Hp+ lasted 500,000Km with NOTHING needing to be done to the engine, I sold it and the guy drove it for 4 years...
2.5L 400Hp+ so far 300,000 Km and nothing wrong as far as I know, I sold it a few years ago...
With both vehicles I changed the oil & filter, at the recommended 6,000 Km for the 1st oil change and then switched to a full synthetic oil which I didn't change for 18,000 Km but changed the oil filter every 6,000 Km. Both engines were run at 30% or so more Hp than the manufacturer's Hp #...

Sure made me a believer in synthetic oils.
I am curious though, what you feel the useful life of a non synthetic oil is. Since Ford does not specifically call for a full synthetic, and the 10w30 (recommended) of the Mortorcraft variety is not a synthetic oil, I'll make the assumption that the initial fill likewise is not synthetic. You will also notice that the factory installed filter is different than the replacement variety. Is it better, is it worse, is it the same.....anyway, be prepared to add some oil after you change that filter. It holds a good amount and makes a decent mess.
Don't take any of this as me trying to convince you or change your mind, I honestly could care less what you ultimately do with your truck, and it's clear that you have your way. This is how I kind of look at it, in regards to the IOLM, it doesn't know what type of oil you are using, synthetic, non synthetic, different viscosities...unless you believe that all oils are created equal, the IOLM is not a perfect way of deciding oil change intervals. The manual gives some examples of what effects the oil life, and what kind of oil change intervals one might see based on that. Nowhere does it mention anything about oil type being a factor. I could be wrong(I probably am haha), but I'm not comfortable with the idea of a conventional oil going 10k miles/1 year, and I also don't buy into the idea that the manufacturer suggested intervals are based on longevity of the components.
But, to do a sample properly, you have to collect it mid-pour out of the pan.. in which case, you've drained roughly half the pan's capacity.. may as well do an oil and filter swap while your hands are dirty.

Then when you get the results back, you'll know if you wasted your money changing it early, or prevented a fiasco because you got dirty oil out. The onboard OLM is only a timer, it doesn't know if you started your engine at -30*c not plugged in, to drive it 5 miles before shutting it off for there day, or if you put a 20,000 lb trailer on it and tugged it through Death Valley in August.
Don't go by that. Go off your usage, and mileage. Yes newer oils are better than from 30 years ago. They have more additives, keep things cleaner inside your engine, and better lubricated. Part of the additives being better, is they hold more particles in suspension, and some of them are smaller than the microns in your filter.
I know I'll be doing my first oil change between 1500-2000 miles, and the second about 4000 later, then 7500 after.
Probably overkill, but it's my truck, and that's what I've had success with in the past with these 6.7's
Side note, I grew up in PG, still have lots of family and friends there, one in fact works at the dealership you must have gotten it from. Good luck with the new rig
The instrument cluster provides messages to inform the driver about the engine oil life status, engine oil life reset status and when an engine oil
change is required. The duration of the interval between engine oil changes is calculated in the PCM and varies due to driving conditions. The
PCM assumes a base mileage of 16,090 km (10,000 mi) or 1 year for normal driving. However, this number is adjusted down for conditions such
as high engine temperature, high engine rpm, use of flex fuel, engine hours (diesel engines), oil dilution (diesel), engine torque (diesel), oil
temperature (diesel) and possibly low engine oil level. The PCM calculates and provides the engine oil life percent message to the IPC. The IPC
further converts the remaining engine oil life using the driver's configured engine oil life start value and displays the engine oil life percentage,
indicating the remaining engine oil life. The engine oil change minder can be reset at any time by the driver.
The IPC receives the engine oil life message from the GWM over the HS-CAN3. The GWM receives the engine oil life message from the PCM
over the HS-CAN1.
The PCM receives the engine oil life data reset message from the GWM over the HS-CAN1. The GWM receives the engine oil life data reset
message from the IPC over the HS-CAN3.
This is like taking a crap and asking what TP to use and how many times should I wipe....Only you can decided
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
This is like taking a crap and asking what TP to use and how many times should I wipe....Only you can decided

I am curious though, what you feel the useful life of a non synthetic oil is. Since Ford does not specifically call for a full synthetic, and the 10w30 (recommended) of the Mortorcraft variety is not a synthetic oil, I'll make the assumption that the initial fill likewise is not synthetic. You will also notice that the factory installed filter is different than the replacement variety. Is it better, is it worse, is it the same.....anyway, be prepared to add some oil after you change that filter. It holds a good amount and makes a decent mess.
Don't take any of this as me trying to convince you or change your mind, I honestly could care less what you ultimately do with your truck, and it's clear that you have your way. This is how I kind of look at it, in regards to the IOLM, it doesn't know what type of oil you are using, synthetic, non synthetic, different viscosities...unless you believe that all oils are created equal, the IOLM is not a perfect way of deciding oil change intervals. The manual gives some examples of what effects the oil life, and what kind of oil change intervals one might see based on that. Nowhere does it mention anything about oil type being a factor. I could be wrong(I probably am haha), but I'm not comfortable with the idea of a conventional oil going 10k miles/1 year, and I also don't buy into the idea that the manufacturer suggested intervals are based on longevity of the components.
Yes, you are 100% right, I asked the wrong questions... It should have been what would you do, not what you think I should do...

It's whatever the manufacturer says... In my case what the oil-life monitor says 16,000 Km max.
as for the synthetic oil, its what the oil manufacturer says... Some say up to 24,000Km...
I, too, was brought up with the 3000 mile OCI, regardless. No questions asked. Bought a 99 Sierra and it had the OLM on it. Not a percentage back in those days, just a message when it was time to change it. Well, for the first year or so, I still changed the oil every 3k miles. Then, I decided to try using the OLM and I'm glad that I did. My OCIs have ranged from 4500 miles up to nearly 7000, dependent of how it's been used. Over 22 years later, all is still well. Ever since then, I've used the OLM for all my vehicles with no issues.
At 200k miles your number of changes and cost (noninflated) with $70/change is
40 at 5k/mi each for $2800
26 at 7.5k/mi each for $1820
So an extra 1k for peace of mind
Anyway, if you were older, you would realize that your opinion has been shared by generations of young folks, including those who are currently old folks.
If you were wiser, you might understand why the old folks think like they do. Unfortunately that comes only with experience, which is generally related to age.

Understand? What does that word mean to you? My understanding of why you did something isn't license to do something. I understand why Elizabeth Holmes did what she did doesn't mean "I excuse".














