Let us know how it starts on the 10th, it's suppose to get down to -14F. That should be cold enough.
ROD
ROD
Oil for Cold starting diesels
- Thread starter Snagglefoot
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Your answer has been said, the truck needs maintanance.
My 6.0 would start in 10 degrees anytime no issues using T5 10w-30.
They are a finicky engine but when properly up to snuff are freakin power houses.
Check batteries, ficm voltage, glow plugs, injectors.
Is he running injector lube?
Throwing any codes?
My 6.0 would start in 10 degrees anytime no issues using T5 10w-30.
They are a finicky engine but when properly up to snuff are freakin power houses.
Check batteries, ficm voltage, glow plugs, injectors.
Is he running injector lube?
Throwing any codes?
Geez, working at the mine at 9600 ft in the Sierras, all the diesels started a bit rough. You'd get a cold engine to pop on one cylinder, then two and so on. After a few minutes it would be smooth enough to drive or use. It's normal, as far as I'm concerned. CAT, Cummins, I-H, Detroit 2-stroke, it did not matter ...
Diesels love heat. Warm fuel and hot combustion chambers are what makes them go. Starting at, or below, freezing is not how you make diesel burn well ... As long as it warms up, it's good
I agree that a nice 0W or 5W oil will help some. I'd go there as soon as convenient. But I'd not worry too much about a few minutes of cold rough running.
Diesels love heat. Warm fuel and hot combustion chambers are what makes them go. Starting at, or below, freezing is not how you make diesel burn well ... As long as it warms up, it's good
I agree that a nice 0W or 5W oil will help some. I'd go there as soon as convenient. But I'd not worry too much about a few minutes of cold rough running.
Last edited:
dnewton3
Staff member
I echo rr1's advice.
The 6.0L is a reliable starting engine when all the mechanical things are in shape; good batteries, good FICM, HPOP and gallery rail 0-rings not leaking, intake grid heater working, glow plugs in good shape, etc.
The difference between 10w-30 and 5w-40 isn't that impressive overall. Given the temps stated (zeroF as a low), there's no reason 10w-30 dino Rotella would not work just fine.
My old neighbor had a 2005 6.0PSD and it ran just fine all year long on dino 10w-30 TP (the old version of T4).
The 6.0L is a reliable starting engine when all the mechanical things are in shape; good batteries, good FICM, HPOP and gallery rail 0-rings not leaking, intake grid heater working, glow plugs in good shape, etc.
The difference between 10w-30 and 5w-40 isn't that impressive overall. Given the temps stated (zeroF as a low), there's no reason 10w-30 dino Rotella would not work just fine.
My old neighbor had a 2005 6.0PSD and it ran just fine all year long on dino 10w-30 TP (the old version of T4).
I would not touch MMO, and for this climate the 0w-40 and 5w-40 would be fine. I'm sure the 10w-30 is within spec, too. I wouldn't expect a great deal of difference between the MRV or CCS values of a 10w-30 blend versus a 10w-30 conventional within the same API regime.
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Personally when it comes to a neighbors vehicles I just smile and nod. I wouldn't suggest that he needs some $2000 module tested or however much it costs. Then it turns out fine and your neighbor will just think you're an idiot or something.
The 6.0 should start after about 3 hours plugged in no matter how cold if it's right.
10w30 is the correct oil for most areas. In Canada, a 5w40 or 0w40 would be correct for extreme cold.
If it stumbles or nails when cold, I lean toward a basic rundown of batteries, whether the FICM is healthy, and fuel pressure.
10w30 is the correct oil for most areas. In Canada, a 5w40 or 0w40 would be correct for extreme cold.
If it stumbles or nails when cold, I lean toward a basic rundown of batteries, whether the FICM is healthy, and fuel pressure.
Block heater and any full synthetic 0w or 5w brand name HDEO will be fine if all you're concerned about is low temp starting.
I use T5 10W30 in a farm tractor that has to start in sub-zero and also my old-school diesel pickup. In the case of the tractor, before I had the barn wired for power, it had to start unassisted and with 15W40 and it WOULD NOT crank over fast enough to start. It would with 10W30. Even better with T5 10W30, which, as was mentioned above, has about the same cold flow as the T6 5W40. I've been running mostly 10W30 in the truck for decades now. With any diesel, it's best to plug in regardless. Better for long engine life. Better for fuel economy. Better for oil longevity (less fuel dilution). So, IMO, regardless of what oil he uses, my advice is to plug in. Especially a HUEI engine... which likes 10W30 anyway.
I love the posts on here with all the nay-sayers bashing the 6.0! Worst part is, most have never owned one!!
I have an '05 PSD and its a horse!!! Stock headbolts and all, 130k miles and gets worked all the time. If you take care of Ford's shortfalls and do what IH suggested in the beginning, you will have a reliable, well running truck!!!
Its really easy to make them reliable if you catch it early in life before the damage is done..
1. Ditch the EGR cooler!
2. Flush out the Ford gold junk coolant and replace with diesel spec ELC!
3. NO tuners or power adders! (IH rated these motors at 265BHP max, ford just had to have 325)
4. Change the oil often and use a quality 10W30!
5. Its not a grocery getter, you have to RUN them to keep the soot down and VGT turbo clean!
6. Put the fan and fan clutch off the 7.3 on them, the electric clutch is junk and will not last long
My truck has had Rotella 15W40 in it since day 1 (complete service records came with it detailing everything)
I switched to 10W30 rotella about 10k miles ago and man what a difference!! Starts better, warms up and smoothes out faster, and better MPG!! You don't need 5W40 syn in them but it can't hurt! My truck has outlasted and outpulled any of my buddies with Duramax's and Cummins!
I have an '05 PSD and its a horse!!! Stock headbolts and all, 130k miles and gets worked all the time. If you take care of Ford's shortfalls and do what IH suggested in the beginning, you will have a reliable, well running truck!!!
Its really easy to make them reliable if you catch it early in life before the damage is done..
1. Ditch the EGR cooler!
2. Flush out the Ford gold junk coolant and replace with diesel spec ELC!
3. NO tuners or power adders! (IH rated these motors at 265BHP max, ford just had to have 325)
4. Change the oil often and use a quality 10W30!
5. Its not a grocery getter, you have to RUN them to keep the soot down and VGT turbo clean!
6. Put the fan and fan clutch off the 7.3 on them, the electric clutch is junk and will not last long
My truck has had Rotella 15W40 in it since day 1 (complete service records came with it detailing everything)
I switched to 10W30 rotella about 10k miles ago and man what a difference!! Starts better, warms up and smoothes out faster, and better MPG!! You don't need 5W40 syn in them but it can't hurt! My truck has outlasted and outpulled any of my buddies with Duramax's and Cummins!
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
5. Its not a grocery getter, you have to RUN them to keep the soot down and VGT turbo clean!
My dad followed that philosophy with all diesels. Short tripping a diesel would really make him cringe, and this included long before the 7.3 Powerstroke, let alone the 6.0.
5. Its not a grocery getter, you have to RUN them to keep the soot down and VGT turbo clean!
My dad followed that philosophy with all diesels. Short tripping a diesel would really make him cringe, and this included long before the 7.3 Powerstroke, let alone the 6.0.
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
5. Its not a grocery getter, you have to RUN them to keep the soot down and VGT turbo clean!
My dad followed that philosophy with all diesels. Short tripping a diesel would really make him cringe, and this included long before the 7.3 Powerstroke, let alone the 6.0.
I've absolutely not driven any of my past diesels unless I could really get them up to temp. Even a little TDI VW is nasty on itself with EGR and soot for city driving and not having time to warm up. They don't shed as much excess heat like a gas engine and just takes longer. Grocery getters they are not.
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
5. Its not a grocery getter, you have to RUN them to keep the soot down and VGT turbo clean!
My dad followed that philosophy with all diesels. Short tripping a diesel would really make him cringe, and this included long before the 7.3 Powerstroke, let alone the 6.0.
I've absolutely not driven any of my past diesels unless I could really get them up to temp. Even a little TDI VW is nasty on itself with EGR and soot for city driving and not having time to warm up. They don't shed as much excess heat like a gas engine and just takes longer. Grocery getters they are not.
Yea its sad to see the reputation the 6.0 got and yes it had its share of issues but name one that didn't...
Kids buy these things and put the hottest tune on them they can get, go out and race the darn thing and blow headgaskets and oil coolers left and right but its the "trucks fault"
The way I see it, you can spend less up front and buy a 6.0 then have to do the "laundry list" of things to it to get it reliable and have a killer running diesel or you can pay a fortune up front for that infamous Cummins and put a $3500 transmission in it every other year or deal with the other massive failures Dodge built around that great inline 6.
I was talking to a neighbor last night who owned a 6.0 years ago and said she had nothing but problems with it. Said she had to put new injectors in it before 80K miles, and a host of other problems. First thing I asked her was how "often" you changed the oil and did you use good oil? She said "no, didn't change it hardly ever, they take 4 gallons!" and when she did change it, it went to a lube shop and got the cheapest junk they could find. Nuff said...
Kids buy these things and put the hottest tune on them they can get, go out and race the darn thing and blow headgaskets and oil coolers left and right but its the "trucks fault"
The way I see it, you can spend less up front and buy a 6.0 then have to do the "laundry list" of things to it to get it reliable and have a killer running diesel or you can pay a fortune up front for that infamous Cummins and put a $3500 transmission in it every other year or deal with the other massive failures Dodge built around that great inline 6.
I was talking to a neighbor last night who owned a 6.0 years ago and said she had nothing but problems with it. Said she had to put new injectors in it before 80K miles, and a host of other problems. First thing I asked her was how "often" you changed the oil and did you use good oil? She said "no, didn't change it hardly ever, they take 4 gallons!" and when she did change it, it went to a lube shop and got the cheapest junk they could find. Nuff said...
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Second the Shell Rotella T6 in 0W-40...
Coming from a family of Truckers and Diesel Mechanics, I was told the same thing when I bought my first diesel pickup, with a 6.9. I did my best to avoid short trips and would idle, whenever practical, mostly in cold weather. I did the same thing when I owned a non-turbo 7.3. Other than an injector pump going out on both motors, and having to replace a few glow plugs in the 7.3, in the dead of winter, of course, those motors were bulletproof.
I used 10W30 in the dead of winter in both,15W40 the rest of the year. I noticed easier cold weather starting on those motors, too.
I used 10W30 in the dead of winter in both,15W40 the rest of the year. I noticed easier cold weather starting on those motors, too.
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
5. Its not a grocery getter, you have to RUN them to keep the soot down and VGT turbo clean!
My dad followed that philosophy with all diesels. Short tripping a diesel would really make him cringe, and this included long before the 7.3 Powerstroke, let alone the 6.0.
I short trip mine sometimes but its normally already warm from to/from work drive. I cringe having to shut it off and on when in drive thrus though lol. Ive had mine in 23F temps with it being common rail system I saw no issues even with 15w-40. 5-40 and block heater with maybe pan heater is probly solid choice on older diesels.
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
5. Its not a grocery getter, you have to RUN them to keep the soot down and VGT turbo clean!
My dad followed that philosophy with all diesels. Short tripping a diesel would really make him cringe, and this included long before the 7.3 Powerstroke, let alone the 6.0.
I short trip mine sometimes but its normally already warm from to/from work drive. I cringe having to shut it off and on when in drive thrus though lol. Ive had mine in 23F temps with it being common rail system I saw no issues even with 15w-40. 5-40 and block heater with maybe pan heater is probly solid choice on older diesels.
I remember my 7.3 psd I had was a beast but it wasn't a fan of cold temps. Solid engine though cant kill them [censored] things and you don't have to spend 1000s to bullet proof them.
Originally Posted By: Shata
I cringe having to shut it off and on when in drive thrus though lol.
I think my dad managed to avoid going through drive thrus for the most part with his, but the 6.2 L of the day wasn't too noisy.
I cringe having to shut it off and on when in drive thrus though lol.
I think my dad managed to avoid going through drive thrus for the most part with his, but the 6.2 L of the day wasn't too noisy.
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