6.0 Power Stroke in hot climate

[JAC43]

I just picked up an 05 6.0 Power Stroke. I'm seeing quite a few proponents of 10w30 for these engines,and the manual states this viscosity is ok up to 90° ambient. I plan to tow in temps exceeding this level (Phoenix, AZ), so I'm wondering why Ford specifies that limitation for 10w30? I can't imagine the oil temp at full operating temp being any different between 15w40 and 10w30, even at 115° ambient. If this engine is shearing 40w oil anyway, seems like I might just be as well off with 10w30 year round, and enjoy the cold start benefit.

Does anybody here use 10w30 in hot climates in their 6.0?

 

[Danno]

1st question - was the truck given to you? 6.0L problems are legendary.
And yes, the 30 vs 40 at operating temps is significant enough for Ford to make that recommendation- why second guess them?

 

[Ramblejam]

If you look in your manual, it'll also say "5w30 or 5w-40" is only acceptable to 30°F. However, this was later revised, and is approved for operation across the entire temperature spectrum.

These engines were phased out from the pickups...10 years ago now? When the oil specs/recommendations were originally decided on (15+ years ago), lower viscosity conventional oils (10w-30) and synthetics (5w's) aren't what they've become today.

Roadrunner1 (member here) has shown excellent results with John Deere Plus-50 II 10w30. There are guys on other forums that have shown minimal shear from some of the new 5w-40's.

 

[Bzab32]

6.0 are great after a few tweaks just like my 6.4L (mostly emissions). The 10w30 was recommended because of the high pressure oil injectors as they work better with 10w30 compared to 15w40. I would have no problem using it all year round and I have in my 6.4L. Currently the newer 6.7s use 10w30 all year round and if you go to a dealership they are going to put 10-30 in it. Also those recommendations were probably done before the current standards which have resulted in greater use of 10-30

 

[jeepman3071]

Rotella T6 5w40 would be a great choice for this engine. He does have an 05 which are better than the early models.

 

[wwillson]

You might want to check out this website: http://powerstrokehelp.com/

Bill seems to be a big fan of the 6.0 when it's been bulletproofed. Lots of good videos on Youtube he's done explaining many aspects of bulletproofing the PowerStroke

 

[roadrunner1]

I ran two different 6.0's from late 03 until late '15 when I bought my 6.7. With a properly functioning oil cooler you won't have an issue running 10w30. The need to monitor your oil cooler is mandatory, no matter your oil selection as this one can be the tell tale of complete engine destruction.

I used a scangauge to keep an eye on the system, never had a problem. On the '07 oil temps started to increase slowly over time, I flushed and back flushed the cooling system and never had a problem using 10w30.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: wwillson
You might want to check out this website: http://powerstrokehelp.com/

Bill seems to be a big fan of the 6.0 when it's been bulletproofed. Lots of good videos on Youtube he's done explaining many aspects of bulletproofing the PowerStroke


He has a lot of good points and I agree with pretty much everything he preaches. I mostly used his videos so I could better understand how they all go together so I can better help my customers.

 

[claluja]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Rotella T6 5w40 would be a great choice for this engine. He does have an 05 which are better than the early models.


Fyi, Ford is currently recommending that certain new CK-4s (including Rotella 5w40) not be used in any of their diesel engines due to the lower phosphorous content and wear concerns.

 

[Garak]

Except that low phosphorous Delvac 1 LE 5w30 has the previous iteration of their specification.

Is phosphorus content just another convenient scapegoat for automakers when put in a challenging environment?

 

[beanoil]

10w30 is fine year round. While roadrunner has had success with John Deere Plus 50, I've used Valvoline Premium Blue for a very long time with excellent used oil analysis. I ran Delvac and Rotella as well, but settled in on VPB for bang for the buck. I do have a shelf full of Delo 15w30 for next few changes though, snagged from Amazon at 9.00 a gallon.
And as roadrunner says, you need a monitor to keep tabs on coolant and oil temps. If you have a functioning egr cooler, and oil cooler, the 6.0 is a good motor, very reliable. Deleting the EGR and bypassing the cooler increases those odds if you don't have visual or emission inspections.
Folks run into trouble quickly when tuning the thing and increasing cylinder pressure because the torque to yield headbolts are not up to the task. There are fixes for every 6.0 issue, but left stock, it can run well for a long time. You need to dump the Ford Gold coolant NOW to have a chance at that. I favor Shell Ultra ELC, but you will have great success with any common red ELC.
Mine has been worked on, Bulletproof Diesel EGR, water pump, new factory cooler, studs, FelPro gaskets, and a mild FICM tune, I added a bypass filter. Delta's on a 100 degree day towing 10k is 10 degrees, and I've never seen EGR temp above 1230. It just keeps rattling along....

 

[sdude2k2000]

I had an '06 F-350 with the 6.0L (had it bulletproofed)... was a wonderful truck. Short and easy answer = 10w30 works better in most HEUI (High Pressure Oil Injection) rigs like the 6.0. Reason? The oil does double-duty acting not only to lubricate the motor, but also to fire off the injectors... and as such is subjected to VERY HIGH pressures (borderline hydraulic). The 30-weight will allow your rig to start easier (even in hot climates), idle smoother, and possibly give you an uptick in fuel economy. There's even an argument that it extends injector life. Plus - 40 weight oils consistently shear down to a 30-weight anyway... almost regardless of OCI. You can see my used oil analysis on 5w40 below... note the heavy shearing into a 30-weight within 5k miles. Directly after this - I put in Rotella 10w30 T5. I did not UOA it before I sold the truck - but I will say the truck ran MUCH better (quieter, started quicker, better fuel economy, etc etc). I'm sure my used oil analysis would have been similar to RoadRunner's had I UOA'd it.

LINK TO MY used oil analysis

When the manuals were printed - the common practice was "15w40 for everything!"... but since then - a lot of knowledge of HEUI systems has come. Plus - a lot of R&D has been put into 30weight diesel oils, and as such they are commonplace and of very high quality. CAT now specs 10w30 now for ALL temp ranges in their HEUI heavy equipment. They could care less about fuel economy and/or emissions output... they care about what keeps their systems working under VERY harsh conditions (far harsher than a normal driver of a 6.0L will subject it to). If CAT says it's good enough - then I don't know why Ford wouldn't be.

 

[wtd]

My fiancee has been running Motorcraft 10w30 diesel oil in her 2003 Superduty with the 6.0 since new on a totally stock engine with no problems. Truck only has 94,000 miles on it though.

Wayne