I'm coming up on my first oil change. Should I use the regular 15w 40? We're headed towards winter though so I am thinking of something a bit lighter maybe. I know CJ4 motorcraft is best, or some synthetics. I don't know that it makes much sense to go synthetic if I change it every 5k.

 

I used mobil 1 5-40 in my 6.0 and thats what im gonna use in my 6.4....if anything I will have peace of mind knowing I have a great oil in there!!!

 

I use the 15W40 Motorcraft year round.

 

whatever you use, make sure it's a CJ-4 rated oil. I personally use Archer Gold or Archer Premium 15W-40. However, I don't think you'll find it in Ohio . . .yet.

 

Local stuff for you?

 

I use Shell rotella 15w40.

 

I think I'll make a round of 15W40 this next go-around. However, the reasoning for my question is more temperature related. It gets pretty cold here in Ohio in the winter - sometimes around 0 or below on real cold nights. If the temps are below freezing, or colder, for extended periods will that be of any concern? I do have a block heater also...

 

The book will have the chart for the oil weights. IIRC it needs to be under 50*F to run the 10W30. I always wanted to run it in the winter but we get too many days over 50. One way around it is using 5w40 but I hated the cost of it.

 

Is the CJ-4 rating all that really matters? Or is brand name going to make that big of a difference? How about for warrenty work later down the road if need-be? I will probably be doing most of my own oil changes so documenting everything is key. If the oil doesn't say "motorcraft" is that an issue? I know the filters need to be motorcraft's.

 

You just need to make sure it's CJ-4 oil. Any brand that meets the CJ-4 specshould be OK provided it's not a fly by night brand. I'd use 5W-40 in the winter time if I were driving enough miles to have a winter oil change.

As to the question above - Archer Oil has been around since 1929. It is an aircraft base oil - 6082D - therefore a very premium oil. It is not just a local thing, but is more regional -from Illinois west to the Rockies. Archer now has two 15W-40 CJ-4/SM oils; a parasynthetic, Archer Gold 15W-40 and a petroleum base, Archer Premium 15W-40. We just introduced Premium 10W-30 which is rated CJ-4/SM. We've had Gold 5W-40 out for over a year now. It is also a parasynthetic CJ-4/SM.

All of Archer's crude base stock comes from Kansas, Oklahoma or Texas. None of it comes from overseas or even Pennsylvania for that matter. We carry a life of your component warranty. We will cover replacement costs if you can prove our product is at fault. Yes, I know, the proving is tough, however, we believe strongly enough in what we sell to make such a warranty. We provide free oil analysis for those using our diesel product.

Enough of a sales pitch for now.

 

Any CJ-4 should keep your warranty intact. The 6.4 Owners Manual has all this info. When it comes to warranty questions I would call Ford. Definitely Motorcraft on the filters.

 

The reason I ask is I can get John Deere Plus 50 II 15w40 thats CJ-4 rated for DOC/DPF-equipped engines in bulk. Any thoughts about it? I had a few guys say to just go to the dealer and pay the $80 or whatever but I'm not sure I want to go down that route yet.

 

Anyone use Blackstone Labs?

I just filled out the info for my free kit and it looks like it will be up to 2 weeks before I get it. If I change the oil before then can I just grab a sample and hold on to it then send it in when I get the kit? I know I don't have to sample every time, but I would like to see what the first one is. Any reccomendations on sampling/testing frequency?

 

I sample every time. Archer labs is what I use.

The trouble with JD oil is that they buy it from the cheapest bidder. It is not always the same.

If you store your sample while waiting for your kit, how will you keep it from becoming contaminated? Will the container you drain it into be clean?

 

I second that. That's all I use.