I have an 03 f250 6.0 with just over 74000 miles. Ive done all oil changes except three. Ive been using shell rotella 15w40. I have not had any problems with said oil. Even with heavy towing. Just my opinion.

 

Here is one of the ten I think. Delo 400 15/40. $37 for a case of 6 4qt bottles at costco. I change my oil every 3000 miles in my truck, cars and every other truck or car I have owned. I might also add I will change out my coolent every year along with the tranny fluid. I don't care what color the coolent is. It will still get electrolysis. And transmission fluid will burn and get friction and metal contamination.

 

Sams club has both Delo ($38 6x1 Gal) and Rotella ($36 6x1 Gal)

I am switching to Rotella 15W 40 from Ford oil on my next oil change. I do not know where the notion of 5W 40 came from, I live in DFW also but 5W40??

Where are you guys getting you filters?

 

The notion comes from wanting smoother, kinder, gentler start ups when cold...at any time of year. IMO, 5W - 40, fully synthetic, is an expanded window of opportunity to do so.

A refresher course from innerauto.com:
Oil weight, or viscosity, refers to how thick or thin the oil Is. The temperature requirements set for oil by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is 0 degrees F (low) and 210 degrees F (high).

Oils meeting the SAE's low temperature requirements have a "W" after the viscosity rating (example: 10W), and oils that meet the high ratings have no letter (example SAE 30). An oil is rated for viscosity by heating it to a specified temperature, and then allowing it to flow out of a specifically sized hole. Its viscosity rating is determined by the length of time it takes to flow out of the hole. If it flows quickly, it gets a low rating. If it flows slowly, it gets a high rating.

Engines need oil that is thin enough for cold starts, and thick enough when the engine is hot. Since oil gets thinner when heated, and thicker when cooled, most of us use what are called multi-grade, or multi-viscosity oils. These oils meet SAE specifications for the low temperature requirements of a light oil and the high temperature requirements of a heavy oil. You will hear them referred to as multi-viscosity, all-season and all-weather oils.

I have had zero issues with my engine. How's your's holding up?

 

My .02 worth of opinion on oil.

Based on days of reading posts here before I bought my 6.0, I had decided to use Rotella T and change it at 5000 mile intervals. Over winter months (two oil changes) I used Rotella 10-30 which was CI-4 rated. During the time I was using the 10-30 weight oil, occasionally it would "stumble and make white smoke" around 2000 RPMs under light to medium acceleration. If I stepped harder on the pedal and the boost went up, then it would clear up and take off like normal. When the truck was in for the reverse planetary recall, I had them check it out for the stumbling problem, and they of course could not duplicate the problem, and could not find anyhting "wrong". I even ran for a while with the EGR disconnected and it still would stumble occasionally. ( By the way, my tranny recall showed there was no problem, thankfully. )

When warm weather returned, I switched back to Rotella 15-40, which the containers stated were CI-4 Plus rated, and in the past 10,000 miles, it has not stumled even once.

My opinion, which is not worth much, is that MY engine likes the 15-40 weight oil better than the 10-30 weight of the supposedly similar formulation.

I also believe that for the EGR equipped engines, the CI-4 PLUS rating is important, due to the improved handling of carbon and soot that the PLUS is supposed to give you.

I sent a sample to Blackstone on my last oil change, and they still have not posted my results, even though I have already changed it again. I am anxious to see what the analysis shows from the oil sample.

Don

 

Actually, I think the "40" is more important than the 5W, 10W, or 15W. Time and again people are sharing Blackstone information reporting that their "40" oil has sheared to 30. Seems to plateau there, with no ill affects.

I have wondered though to what level, if any the 30 shears to. Would be inter testing to see.

 

So, can I change to synthetic oil on my first only change, or should I go a few changes and then switch over?

 

I switched to synthetic on the second oil change. This gives the engine a chance to break in a little. There are different opinions on the subject, with some saying switch on the first OC and others say wait 15-20K miles for the engine to break-in. The second OC seems to work for me.

 

I would wait for 1 - 3 oil changes and allow everything to "seat" and break in before using synth. I would say look for the newest rated dino oil (CI4+) and switch to synth. after at least 6,000 - 10,000 miles.

Everyone is different and you will probably get 100 different answers, mileage and oil...

Personally, I did my first change at 3,000... then 6,000 then every 5,000 there after (regardless of driving habits). I have 54,000 problem free miles (except for re-flashes) on Motocraft 15W-40 oil and will switch to synth at my next oil change as I believe that I need the cold weather benefits as it gets colder in the fall and winter here in Kansas City.

However, I will only use a synth that carries the newest CI4+ rating for shear stability and improved soot control over the standard CI4 rated oil.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

Jeff

 

My 1st change @ 5,000 miles...dealer

2nd change...@ 10,000 miles switched to syn oil and have been doing myself @ 5,000 mile increments...just changed @ 20,000 miles this past weekend.

Truck runs great.

 

I've had some pretty good luck with just plain old Shell Rotella 15w-40 dino recently. Well, as good a luck as I am capable of having, at least.

Normal wear metals at analysis on mine at a 2000 mile interval are about 3 times higher than corresponding average and that is normal. When I went from Motorcraft to Shell the Iron, Copper, and Lead averages each fell around 8-12 points. Lead fell the most, from 82 to 70. Tin also fell about 2 points, from 14 to 12.

 

For all you guys out there that think DINO oil is as good as SYN., next time you fly on a commercial jet insist they use DINO oil in their engines.

Just think of all the money hard pressed airlines will save in maintenance costs!

 

LOL

When the main bearings are wallowed out beyond acceptable spec at 18,000 miles from a 4650 WOT shift point, what difference does it make?

 

I don't think anyone has said that one is better than the other. At least not in this thread.

More to the point for some folks is cost vs perceived value. Some chose a satisfactory and acceptable Dino oil because they to not want to brunt the cost of syn oil. Doesn't make them wrong.

Nor would I compare jet engine specs and tolerances to that of a diesel truck engine.

 

Point being Syn. is a superior product, anyway you want to state it. Syn. was originally developed for jet engines because of their extreme operating parameters, whats so different with the 6.0 (50k pound injector press)?

I spend over $40k for my truck, and the least I can do is use the best oil available period.
No doubt using any quality oil on a regular PM schedule will give your engine years of service, but it will never compare to a superior product like Syn. oil.