07' F250- Went to the dealership for 10,000 mile oil change and asked them to check the oil level before they drain it out. It didn't register on the dip stick, which really bothered me. They said there was no visable sign of oil leaking. This was the second oil change sence new, the first was at 5,000 miles also changed by the dealership. I just returned from a 2,200 mile trip pulling a 34' airstream TT weighing 8,500 lbs.. My last "2000"- F350 7.3-PSD DW with 105,000 miles on it when it was totaled in an acident, was never low on oil. Whats up with this, has anyone else had this problem?

 

That's why you are supposed to check your fluids at LEAST every (other) fuel stop.

 

He He He. this is funny!

 

Your owner's manual tells you to wait at least 20 minutes after shutting down engine to check engine oil level. If dealer did not wait, they and you have no idea if the oil level was low or not.

RoyC

 

good point, they may not have waited long enough for all the oil to return to the pan before they checked it...

as was stated, you should check your oil whenever you're at the fuel station filling up. Ideally you should check it everyday (at least when you have a CDL and you drive commercial vehicles) but at least once a month at the very least !!

 

Once a week at the very least IMO and even if a dealer or anyone for that matter services a vehicle it is the operator/owner's responsibility to check fluid levels...

 

OK, so who waits for 20 minutes when they're fueling up to get an accurate oil level reading? If thats how long it takes it wouldn't be practical to check while stopping for fuel on longer trips. Back to my main concern, should I be this low on oil? Where is it going?

 

I'd be concerned too. Your new truck should not use that much oil. But, there's little you can do about it at the moment.

Start checking your fluids regularly and see if it continues to consume oil. I have heard of cases where the mechanic did not put enough oil in the motor when doing a routine oil change. It's possible it never had enough for the last 5,000 miles. Personally, I always check the fluid levels as soon as I get home from the service shop. They make mistakes like anyone else.

Like others have said, check your oil level after giving the motor plenty of time to bleed. I like to check mine in the morning on the weekend on a cold motor. The dipsticks on these motors suck the big one. The dip tube always is wet with oil and there is no way to pull the stick without picking up that oil. You cannot find a distinct level mark on that stupid plastic plumb bob. So, if it's wet, I call it good. If your's was completely dry that would REALLY scare me.

Let us know what you find after the next 1,000 miles.

Bill

 

I'm guessing you have a gasser? It's taken me about 10-15 minutes before to fill up a diesel tank without having it harpooned.

 

Take no offense here but, if you are going 5,000 miles with out checking your oil and then depending on the dealer, you shouldn't be driving a diesel! Probably not even a gasser.

 

Perhaps it is time in life to learn how to check your own oil level... And why would you ask the dealer to check the level before they changed it unless you suspected something was wrong?

Smells troll-like...

-Mike

 

Perhaps your assuming I didn't check the oil level. Truth is I never said I didn't check! I did check it 4 times while on my 2200 mile trip. I knew the oil was still showing on the dip stick but getting lower each time I checked. The last time I checked it was after completing the trip and it no longer registered on the dip stick. It was also time for an oil change so without delay I went to the dealership. The reason I ask them to check the oil level before draining it, is because not once in all the years of having the dealership or any fast oil change place change my oil, they have never checked the oil level before draining it. Which personally I think they should do to make the customer aware of a potential problem. I also wanted to know if they were going to recommend any further action be taken. I also wanted to find out if this was a common problem with the 6.0 psd so I posted here looking for information. Now some of the responses are positive and helpful and addressed the oil problem and others seamed to take aim at what they assumed was my incompetence. So thanks for your help.

 

My apologies if you were offended but your thread did not say that you checked your oil and it did not state that the oil level was progressively declining while you were checking it. Lack of information can get you answers that you are not looking for!

 

One thing I noticed on my '07 was that it took nearly 4000 miles for the oil to darken enough to actually SEE it on the dipstick. Any earlier than that, and you couldn't tell -- the oil was just too light to show any contrast. I had no idea where the oil level actually was, since the metal part of the dipstick collects enough oil on the trip out that it coats it.

At that point, I also discovered that the dealer was over-filling the engine; the oil level was showing up on the metal part of the dipstick, not the plastic part.

-blaine

 

Hey Cape, what's the status of your truck? Declining oil level as you describe isn't common on the 6.0. If there's no obvious external leakage and there's no oil in your coolant, then I would suspect that you have a seal failure in your turbo.