So I am the proud new owner of a 1996 F-250, as well as a proud new member of this forum. It is time for my first oil change, and im looking for some advice on what oil i should be using. I know what weight to use and all that, but I am having problems finding a good brand of oil that is compatible with the
Powerstroke.

 

Welcome to FTE. This is a great place for great knowledge.

You can get Rotella oil at Wal-Mart or I get it from Autozone in a 5 gallon bucket. That is the cheapest way I have found yet.
Be sure to get 15W-40 as I am sure you already know. You can get the motorcraft filters at Wally World also.

When you drain your oil it is a 3/4" plug and take a hammer and center punch with you. I take a big pan and put it under the plug hole and filter. Then punch a hole in the bottom of the filter to drain it while the oil is draining. It makes for a much cleaner job.
BTW 15 quarts is usually enough.

Stick around you will see other opinions on oil brands but I believe most run Rotella. Heck I even ran Castrol 15W-40 for diesels for a while but I really like the 5 gallon jug deal.

 

I always fill the filter with oil before installation just a tip that a Ford Diesel mechanic told me then you will not have to worry about possibly ruining a bearing while the pump fills the filter. Just my .02

 

x2 .. It is a bit confusing at first as I had the same problem. My last 5 oil changes I used Rotella-T from Wal-Mart 15-40. I just changed oil a few weeks ago and tried the (Ford) Motor-Craft brand. Think I will go back to Rotella-T next change because engine seems to be a bit rough, especially at idle when cold .. just my observation. As Neal indicated punch a hole in the fuel filter to drain. My first experience I did not do this and I ended up with a big mess on the driveway.

 

Welcome NewRed. I'll add to Neal's tip with the center punch. Try to use one that is tapered from it's tip down to the body of the punch about an inch or so. I use one that is about the thickness of a pencil. What the taper does is allow the punch to stay stuck in the bottom of the filter until you are ready to pull it and position the drain pan.

As for oil, I run Royal Purple. But if you are really into synthetics, Schaffers 9000 can't be beat. It was designed for a Power Stroke. There is also Amsoil. But most of the time those are a bit pricey for alot of people.

As Neal mentioned the Rotella T. Or even the synthetic Rotella which I ran before the RP. The synthetics make for alot easier start up and a tad quieter running engine.

And I've also run the Delo 400. All of which are excellent oils for our truck. The main thing is to keep it changed on their intervals. In my opinion it's 3000 for dyno oil and 10k for synthetic.......for an unmodified engine.

Modified I like 3k for dyno, and 5k for syn. But again, that's just my opinion. But all the above oils are excellent for our trucks. Just keep it changed. Our motors use oil like hydrolic oil and they sheer it pretty bad. So good oil is very important for a healthy running engine in our world.

Again, welcome to FTE, we are glad you are on board.

 

Good point Jeep, fill the filter with oil prior to install.

 

X2 I forgot that one.

 

I tried the motorcraft once also and didnt like it. Engine ran a lot rougher and it also foamed up. Tiny bubbles on the dipstick when I checked it. I use Rotella-T, with a Motorcraft filter.

 

I switched over to rotella for two intrevals but went back to motorcraft diesel oil. It ran rougher on the rotella and the smell from the ccv was twice as bad(yes I was too lazy to run it to the back of the truck) Walamrt carries it for $10.something for 5 quarts.

 

synthetic oil doesn't absorb the heat of caused by friction as well as dinosaur oil. I've always been told to use dino oil in the engine and synthetic every where else.

 

I run the motorcraft oil too......after blackstone reports my intervals are 8k....but have Amsoil in the trans and diff

 

Thanks for the tip on punching a hole in the filter!! I always made a mess and knew there had to be an easier way.

 

Now while the filter is draining if you take a 2 litre bottle and cut the bottom out you can slip the bottle over the filter to remove it from under the truck with no drips on the driveway.

 

That is a great idea .. if I remember to cap the other end.

Tried to rep ya but can't. There is something wrong with this system as I don't rep often but when I do I need to spread it around .. to who?

Is ADMIN listening ??

 

Thanks everyone!
I'm still debating on whether I want to spend the extra $$$$ on Sythetic, but if I am changing the oil every 10 K, I think I would break even.

Will the filter hold up to 10 K without needing to be changed?

Does eveyone recommend Motorcraft Filters? I bought an STP filter from Auto Zone, Should I be getting my money back?