Heading to get a used (14k mi) '06 F-250 PSD soon. This is my first diesel. I've been a motorhead for years and know my way around gassers pretty well.

My impressions so far is that these diesels need a lot of fiddling, trouble shooting, additives, chips, mods, and such. True? I know there are more filters to change but I was really hoping for an industrial quality engine that I could take care of and would take care of me.

I'll probably be on here a lot.

Bob

 

I don't think the psd needs a lot of those things you listed. take care of it and yes, it will take care of you. the motor lives on oil...be religious about it and fuel filters no more than every 15k. did you get an oasis on the rig? congrats.

 

I agree with David...run an OASIS before you buy it! I'm on my first diesel too...plenty of 150s and Rangers in my history. Once you get over 13 quarts for an oil change, it really isn't bad....don't go pricing air filters until your blood pressure is back down.

I'm a believer in Blackstone reports too. Nothing gives you a warm fuzzy feeling like getting a good Blackstone report on your last oil sample.

Joe

 

Thanks, OASIS is clear.

 

Good, that's great news.

Now, go find Blackstone Labs...they're one of the sponsors. Request some kits now because it'll take a couple of weeks for them to arrive.

The first time you change your oil, you want to do a capture and send the sample to them. For a pretty reasonable price (I don't remember exactly but it's under 50) they'll test the oil and come back with a pretty comprehensive report on the health of your motor.

Since this was my first diesel....my pucker factor was pretty high. I went so far as to buy an extended warranty just to be sure I wasn't getting one of the bad 6.0s. IMO, I've wasted that money.

I can't believe the smooth ride and power it has over my (gettin a little tired) F 150. Better milage too. I got 10mpg on a good day with the 150 and get 15.1 all day long in the diesel.

Joe

 

I just ordered my first test kit from Blackstone and IIRC it was $25 for the report and I think there was an additional $10 for something or other, and I believe it was optional for whatever that was. The actual sample kit is free I think.

 

Yup, that sounds right. The kits are free. The option test is if you want to do extended interval changes...I think.

The bottom line is this is a great opportunity to see how your motor's health is doing.

Joe

 

i need to send off a sample of my oil too just for the reassurrance, but the way i look at it is it may seem to be more hasle to maintain but when you look at the engine itself they're alot more simpilar than gassers... Gas engines may go longer intervals with less maintenance with no probs compared to diesels the way i see it but they're gonna poop out long before a diesel will... ie i've seen people treat there gas hogs like crap while i spend my money to service my diesel but even if they took care of the gas engine it still wouldn't last for more than a couple hundred thousand miles roughly (at best)

I'll keep my baby haha congrats on the truck hope you like it

 

Fiddling: Not really...just do the regular recommended maintenances, and check your fluids from time to time.

Troubleshooting: If things go wrong, the 6.0L is a bit more complex than your standard gasoline motor. FTE can be your best friend, in some cases, as there are several certified mechanics & "the usual suspects" that frequent the forums. They are always more than willing to help you out. Outside of that, finding a dealership with a good diesel mechanic will do nothing but good.

Additives: I will head out on a limb & say that there are probably three main schools of thought for fuel additives/treatments for diesel trucks. Those that run additives in an effort to gain fuel economy, those that want the additional injector lubrication in hopes of longer injector life, and the folks that live in colder climates & run an anti-gel additive. Probably the two best reviewed & most recommended within the 6.0L community would be Diesel Kleen's Power Service & Stanadyne.

Chips & mods: Throughout the automotive world there are the "the big three": intake, exhaust, and chip/tuner. It seems that everyone is making at least one of them. and that most stores are pushing one for your car/truck. They are even more popular in the diesel world, as diesel motors generally tend to gain more horsepower & torque than their gasoline bretheren when equipped with similar mods....more bang for your buck, as the saying goes.

Within the 6.0L community, the general concensus is that:

• An aftermarket air intake will not help unless you are getting serious about modifications (turbo, head studs, fire rings, water/meth or propane injection, etc.) and are heading somewhere north of the 500-550 rear wheel horsepower mark. If you are just going to do "the big three", the stock air intake system (Donaldson) will provide the best filtration & flow more than enough air.
• Exhaust systems can lower exhaust gas temperatures...something that can be beneficial when doing a fair amount of heavy hauling/towing and/or running some aggressive tunes.
• Chips/tuners is where you will really see the difference in your truck's performance. It is probably the most argued & debated modification one can do to their diesel. And, it is probably the easiest way to damage, if not out right destroy, a 6.0L and/or TorqShift transmission. There are literally thousands of posts within the 6.0L forums here at FTE regarding tuners & chips. I would STRONGLY urge you to spend some time & do some research well before you ever fork over your cash.
  If you really "need" to have more power, my suggestion is to get a set of "real" gauges first. After that, look to either Eric @ Innovative Diesel or Matt @ Spartan Diesel Technologies (the FTE forum favorite) for an XCal II or III with custom tunes. Both of these guys know the 6.0L & TorqShift inside & out, and will work with you to get the custom tunes built to meet your "needs" and driving conditions. But, don't take my word for it....go do your research.

 

Deluxe05

LOVE the quote at the bottom!!!

 

I would guess the extra $10 is for TBN. With a quality oil at a 5000 (even 7500) mile OCI, the TBN is probably not worth doing. Most oils maintain TBN well for this interval.

Blackstone is one of the cheaper places and seem to be of acceptable quality. I believe it is $22.50 (my shipping was $2.50) without the TBN (total base number). If you get really hooked on getting oil analyses done, Blackstone offers bulk pricing and the cost goes down to about $17 I believe. Since they are a sponsor - write on the info sheet that you are an FTE member. I thought that gave you a slight discount - don't recall. (Maybe this is why my cost was $22.50 and yours was $25 ????)

If you want to get more serious about used oil analyses, you can get a Dyson interpretation of the results where Terry Dyson reviews the numbers, tells you what they mean and how things can be improved. Terry answers all emails if you keep having questions. This is another $50. For most people, this probably is way overkill.

Edit:
Now that I think about it, oil analysis in general is probably over the top for most people, but once a year, it is really very cheap. Even doing it every time, it can be done for about $100 per year.

My opinion only, BUT ........ if you do any of the following, you should probably think about an occasional oil analysis:
- OCI over 7500 miles
- using "aftermarket" fuel additives like 2 stroke oil, canola oil, etc,
- running non-OEM filters (air, fuel, and especially oil filters)
- using non API rated oils
- doing a lot of extended idling
- doing a lot of towing

The fuel additives comment is based on things that MAY happen when using aftermarket fuel additives WHEN you are also experiencing high fuel dilutiuon of the oil.

 

Hmm... I'll have to look into that. Actually I remember clicking on FTE where they asked how I heard of them. I don't know. I want to get mine done on my next- which will be my first with this truck- oil change, to see how the motor's holding up. After that I'll prob. do UOA once a year. When I changed the oil myself last fall it had a will-fit oil filter in it but she seems to run strong with only the normal issues like rough starts in the cold. I did do the HSS, I guess that will be identified on my UOA report? Next change I'm switching to Rotella 5-40 syn, have Rotella 15-40 in now. I don't know what the P.O.'s used but it didn't have the stiction issues I'm having now, maybe they did use syn. Maybe it wasn't an issue since it came from Texas. I also have the Fumoto to install