2000 Ford 7.3L UOA

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This is the first sample I sent out for my truck. As you can see it was about 10 months ago and the truck is coming up for another oil change. I wanted to see what you guys think. I have had this truck since the Fall of 2009, I bought it with 161K miles. Last winter it developed a romping issue on cold starts and I am considering changing to a different type/brand of oil to help the romping issue as winter is just around the corner. I have always used Rotella T 15W40. This truck is used for towing probably 50% of the time, usually pulling a 5 to 6K lb trailer, so nothing really heavy. Thanks for any suggestions.

black-99-bird-1211-albums-uoa-29632-picture-f350-uoa-104504.jpg
 
The fe isn't an issue as the 7.3's were known to shed more than other engines.
The morning romp can be cured with 10w-30/5w-40. The HUEI system, which your truck employs, prefers lighter oil at start-up as the HPOP is using the motor oil as hydraulic fluid.

These engines will last a LONG time, just make sure your coolant is maintained as required.
I have one 7.3 and it has had 10w-30 run in it for years, without issue.
 
Syns are a great way to extend the OCIs, but if that's not your game, then there are less expensive alternatives that will return greater fuel economy, easy starting, and excellent protection.

Consider at 10w-30 dino HDEO for your area. It will never be "cold" enough to warrant a syn there, and if you don't greatly extend the OCI, the payoff is unobtainable.

Deere and Rotella are fairly easily found in 10w-30 HDEO, and now Mobil and Delo are becoming to come to light as well. That grade will help reduce the romp, improve economy, and yet still hold wear at bay.

And don't get caught up in the "shearing" issue; it's minor (if even present at all) with the thinner grades.


As for the UOA itself, the Fe is higher than it should be, but no where even close to being a problem. Only after you run several UOAs back-to-back with the same fluid would you even begin to understand what's "normal" for your engine. Everything else is fine with your engine. Don't worry too much about the Fe; being a bit high is not a cause for concern, but only a reason to continue to monitor.
 
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First, thanks for all of the responses.

I am glad to hear the iron is not a cause for alarm just yet. I am not concerned about extended OCIs on this vehicle as obviously it only sees about 4 to 5K miles a year. With that said, I have never looked to see what HDEOs are available at my local Wal-Mart or Tractor Supply in a 10W-30 weight. I'll have to see what I can get locally...

I will be sending off another sample with the next change, is there any reason to do a TBN if I am not concerned about extended OCIs?

It will be a few weeks before I change the oil again, I will post up when I get the UOA back. Thanks.
 
Given your intent to OCI annually at 4-5k miles a year, TBN and TAN are a waste of money. You'll never get into a danger point with today's lubes and fuels. The sulphur content is so low in today's ULSD that acid production is practically nill, and only an issue in extended OCIs. Since you'll not be putting yourself in that situation, you don't need TBN/TAN testing.

As for the lubes, given the age of your rig, I'd offer that most any WallyWorld and TSC or RuralKing will have a lube for you. 10w-30 is certainly going to reduce (but perhaps not eliminate) the "romp". WW typically carries the T5 in 10w-30; you don't "need" semi-syn, but the reasonable cost (you can catch it on sale occasionally) and ease of attainment are hard to pass up. It can often be found at prices near dino costs, when on sale.
 
I'll check and see what my local places have.

dnewton, you seem to have some insight on the romp issues with these trucks. Can you tell me what causes the cold start romp? As stated before, I have owned this truck since the fall of 2009. The first 3 winters I had no cold start romp, it only started last winter. I fully expect it to return this winter, obviously if I plug the truck in it does not romp. I have a performance 6-position chip with custom tunes. I have learned that if I switch on the high idle once the truck fires, the romp goes away immediately. The high idle is set for 1000 rpm.

Through some research, I have been unable to determine what causes the romp, however several people have stated they switched to T6 and it cured there truck of the romp issue. I assume the romp is caused by a problem with the injectors? Any insight you have on this subject would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Just saw that a local place has Rotella T5 in a 10W40. Would this be an option as well? Would this be better or worse than the T5 10W30?
 
The romp is often blammed on "stichion", but that is a separate (and over-blamed and misunderstood) issue.

The romp is generally associated with the interaction of the lube and the FICM or PCM or whatever term you prefer (model year dependent). Because HEUI is depending on the oil to provide injection pressure, the thicker cold oil reacts slower at start up, and somewhat hinders the injection rates. The computer, in turn, tries to "adjust" and compensate for this and increases injection commands. That in turn ups oil pressure from the HPOP, and (in a sense) over-revs what the desired idle speed would be, so the computer adjusts it back down. Hence, the romping, cyclical idle until the oil warms up a bit. I've heard it be longer in cycle in some trucks, and shorter in others. Both the time to "normal", and cycle frequency, kind of depend on the individual truck and lube load. It's really annoying, but also harmless, essentially.


Why is shows up at certain times in vehicle life, and yet not others, it is beyond me (and others) to describe accurately. It just happens.


Generally, lubes with lower vis specs will help solve (or at least reduce) the romp in cold weather. My neighbors 6.0L PSD would romp on 15w-40, but was greatly reduced on dino 10w-30. The issue is very similar with the 7.3L PSD. The real difference between the 7.3L and 6.0L is that the older 7.3 uses oil to lift the injector pintle and a spring to close it, whereas the 6.0L uses oil pressure to achieve both tasks. But I've heard romping in both, and it's mentally bothersome. Won't hurt a thing, though.
 
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I don't know that it's fair to call them stupid and wasteful, at least across the board.

For some who understand how to use the data, both in a micro and macro sense, looking for ranges and trending, along with tell-tale signs of contamination, they can be a great tool (but not the only tool to rely on).

For many who don't understand, and simply play with them as toys, then I'd find some merit to your objection.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
why do you waste your money on these stupid tests anyway? All they do is get you concerned about nothing.


Why post a comment like that in this topic? What exactly did my "stupid test" get me concerned about over nothing?

I am trying to find different options for engine oil to help with my cold starting issues. Please do not post in this topic if you have nothing constructive to add.
 
dnewton, thank you for the insight on the romp issue. Would you go with the T5 in a 10W40 or 10W30? The 10W40 was not discussed in this thread previously and I was wondering if it was overlooked or if I should avoid it. Thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: blue72
dnewton, thank you for the insight on the romp issue. Would you go with the T5 in a 10W40 or 10W30? The 10W40 was not discussed in this thread previously and I was wondering if it was overlooked or if I should avoid it. Thanks.


Either one you mentioned will satisfy your 7.3, with the conventional being the most cost effective(10w-30).

As dnewton mentioned, what ever choice you can easily obtain should play a deciding factor.

In my 6.0 and 7.3 I run John Deere Plus 50 II 10w-30, it seems to hold up for me very well, its competitively priced, and the Deere dealership is the closest outlet for engine supplies, and I seem to be in there picking up something weekly.

I have no information on the 10w-40, it does meet the spec and for all practical purposes it should work just fine. The 10w-30 will give you a little bit more of cold-cranking umph.
 
About the only place I've seen the T5 in 10w-40 is TSC; if you dont' have one near you, it's not at all convenient. And, the price was STEEP (as lube products can be at rural locations).

However, about any Walmart will have 10w-30 T5, and it is more reasonable at shelf price, and can be often found (with patience) at good sale prices approaching dino costs.

I use dino Rotella 10w-30 and have had stellar results in my mixed fleet (Dmax, Kubota, Scag mower, GL1800 'Wing ...). I'm not at all against using the T5, but I look towards maximixing the investment, and I've yet to find a condition I can induce that makes a dino fail. And trust me, I really tried to break it down in my use two years ago (subject of my Dmax UOA; linked in the normalcy article on homepage).

I've got a Deere dealer near me, too, but the Rotella is a few bucks cheaper per gallon. Roadrunner1's overwhelming success with their dino fluid proves PSD's survive just fine on the stuff as well.

Use the thinner lube; you'll be impressed with the protection they offer, and likely will reduce or eliminate your romp issues.
 
run a synthetic oil like rotella 5w40 then. Also make sure your batteries are good. I had a neighbor that his would do the same thing and it sounded like his batteries were barely turning the engine over fast enough to have a smooth start.
 
I would run 5W40, the Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme cured it in my 6.0, either T6 or PBX would help. Seems like thick oil causes too much fuel to be injected, in my 6.0 it actually sounded like it was hydrolocking the cylinders, knocking noises & large quantities of unburned fuel smoke. Also had a blown head gasket by 50K, no way to be sure if the romp caused it. Several sets of new batteries & a new FICM made no difference, but the engine did make it over 250K, burned little to no oil, and still had the original turbo when the transmission died & the company got rid of it.
 
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