New (to me) F350 6.0 What oil?

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racin4ds

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My wife and I just picked up an immaculate 2006 Ford F350 with the 6.0 diesel engine.(Yes its had all the work done)

I know these things are hard on oil from what I hear... We will mainly haul a few round bales with it and the wife's and daughters 2 horses to shows. It won't be worked hard but it will be used alot.

This is my first time owning a diesel, what oil works in these things? I've always been told Rotella was the one and only but I also see motorcraft has their own diesel oil too. This truck has right at 100k miles on it so its just broke in. We want it to last!!
 
If it were my truck I would run Rotella T6 or Mobil 1 TDT.

What all work has been done to it? I really would like to buy a 6.0 PSD even though I have made a lot of money on broken down ones.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I really would like to buy a 6.0 PSD even though I have made a lot of money on broken down ones.

Fix the few issues, keep tunes mild, and you're good to go.

For a late-model diesel truck, they're super cheap, and I'd much rather have one than the later 6.4L
 
Either the mentioned Deere Plus 50, or Valvoline Premium Blue 10w30. You can run a 15w40, but if you UOA, you'll find it will be a 30 weight in 3000 miles anyway.
Always the factory Motorcraft or a Racor filter. DO NOT use any Purolator or new Rotella, too short. Others come with their own cap, like NAPA and Wix, but that locks you into using theirs.
"All the work done", "studded", "bulletproofed" are terms thrown about wildly on these. You need to know what has been done, specifically to address the problem areas in this design. You NEED a monitor: SCT, Edge CTS, or even an OBD2 interface and the Droid app Torque Pro, especially if towing. Even with work done, and even with work done properly, these things squeeze out head gaskets at an alarming rate, especially with tunes. If the factory Ford gold coolant is still in there, dump it for a silicate free ELC coolant. The silicates drop out, get deposited in the oil and EGR coolers and things go bad in a big hurry.
Monitoring ECT vs EOT (delta) FICM voltage, and boost is your best defense against something really costly. Batteries must be tip top. The FICM can be damaged by weak batteries.
Redline 85+ or Opti-Lube in the fuel is a really good idea as well.
A relationship with a 6.0 is like living with someone that is bi-polar. Some times OK, sometimes in the toilet, sometimes, really crazy.
Yep, I have one, yep I really love it, but it has not been an easy relationship.
 
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I was going to say, the only time you don't run a Motorcraft filter is if you have the BulletProof remote filter that does away with the factory filter.
 
Ford has a recommendation out that they recommend a higher cetane for this engine. May want to consider for your use.
I have several hundred of these PS 6.0s in my fleet.
When Ford told me about the reco on the cetane, I basically told them they were "crazy". No way I could manage a cetane boost additive every fill given our use.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Deere Plus-50 II 10w-30


Check out the HDEO UOA section here you will find several UOA's of my '07 6.0. All of the other 6.0 advise is good, I had an '04 and the '07 with no issue with either. 10w-30 would be the correct choice for your described usage.
 
I had always went 7,500 mi. per owners manual with the Plus 50, UOA's always had came back stellar.
 
I've seen roadrunners UOA on the Deere oil. Can't argue with his numbers, or his success. You need to run it longer to be cost effective, it's about 70.00 for 5 gallons.
OTOH, VPB goes on sale at NAPA and Menards (usually in spring) for about 10.00 a gallon. I run 5k OCI on VPB, and have very good results as well. Your choice.
10k is a really l o n g time in a 6.0 . The HPOP tears up the oil (4000 PSI!), and the injectors are pretty sensitive to oil condition and being clean. Not saying it's impossible, just surprised. UOA one of your changes and take a look at the viscosity and TBN, then decide.
 
Just found the service records today in the glovebox of all places!
smile.gif


Its has had a steady diet of Rotella 15W40 since new and changed every 7-8000 miles.

Should I stick with Rotella being that its the only thing its ever seen or is there better? I have no issues with 5000 mile OCI's. We'll only put maybe 10k miles a year on it.
 
You can keep running Rotella, nothing wrong with it. Some of us just think there might be some better stuff out there. :)
Your change interval really needs to managed by fact with a couple of UOA. Once you get a feel for what the engine does to the oil, you'll have a good idea when to change.
 
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I run T6 in my 7.3 to 10k with a filter change every 5k. It makes a world of difference starting on cold mornings and the truck is quieter on it than it was on 15w-40. If cold isn't a factor for you, I'd just stick with 15w and run it 5k but 10k is a stretch and I wouldn't risk it on dino oil. 15 quarts of synthetic oil is not cheap, but definitely worth it if you live in a cold area which is why I use it. If I lived in Arizona I'd just use 15w year round and not worry about it.
 
The cold-flow characteristics of 10w-30 & 5w-40 are almost identical, the "seat of the pants dyno" could never tell the difference. My 6.0's were both work trucks, hauling and towing heavy. 10w-30 UOA's always came back stellar, I also have a 7.3 IDI that I switched to 10w-30.

The 6.0 HUEI system chews up a 40 wt. into a 30 wt. in short order, whereas a 10w-30 maintains its original viscosity and allows for easier cold-starts. I had tried a 5w-40 and they were the worst UOA's I had in either 6.0. 10w-30 is the correct grade for your 6.0 per your described usage, try whatever is readily available and UOA.
 
Rotella T5 10w30 from WM is a great choice for 5K in the 6.0L. $16 a gallon is good on the pocket book too.
 
Sounds like you've got yourself a nice truck.

My vote goes to Rotella T6 5W-40 full synthetic & a Motorcraft oil filter. I've always had great results with Rotella products in my diesel farm tractors, side by sides, ATVS, etc. as well as my 6.0L & 7.3L PowerStrokes that I no longer own.
 
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