Which oil for breaking in 2024 F250 7.3?

misterjake said:
Oil type of oil? Am I missing something here? I have the mobile 1 spec sheet but it does not show if it exceeds OEM specs. Is it possible to find out if an oil exceeds Fords MC? CLS? I much learning to do.
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The Ford spec tracks the SAE (society of automotive engineers) specifications. As long as the oil says SAE and type SP on the bottle, and is a 5w-30, it meets Ford's requirements.
 
I know cats don't like zinc ( from what I have been told ) but would one oil change with high zinc during break-in hurt them ? Has anyone ever had a cat poisoned using a high zinc oil?

Personally, I do like to get the break-in oil out early in everything. I also like the idea of using Mineral base or simi synthetic until its broken in if not always but thats just me.

With my new 2023 Harley I did change out the break-in oil at 100 miles as like you OP I wanted a high Zinc oil so I used a very high zinc mineral oil but I also installed a new NO CAT head pipe so I have NO cat for zinc to damage.

If It was my F250, I would simply change it at 500 or 1K at my local Ford dealer with a Factory Motorcraft filter with simi-synthetic Motorcraft oil and then get on a regular rotation and perhaps go full synthetic after break-in or perhaps not as I love my local Ford service and I have had great luck using Motorcraft simi synthetic.

I know Mobil 1 has many fans and some haters but I owned a then almost new 4.6L Ford Crown Vic and changed to Mobil 1 oil and Mobil 1 filter at 16K miles and thats what I used moving forward and it being a low milage car I changed the oil and filter often about every 3,500 miles and then sold the car a few years later with only 54,000 miles.

At around 50K the valve seats I guess were leaking as I would get a puff of blue smoke at start up. Not blaming Mobil 1 but that never felt right with me. I have now owned 7 used Crown vics, most retired Police cars ( I buy and sell them for fun ) some with 145K + miles and I never seen a puff of blue smoke again and I always just used Motorcraft simi- synthetic.

I had a slightly modded 1997 Harley I purchased new that I decided to change from mineral oil to Mobil 1 V-twin Synthetic, I put about 15 miles on it and developed a top end tick, drove it back home dumped that "ticking " Mobil 1 synthetic out, refilled with mineral oil and now 25 years later and 40+ mineral oil changes I have never had another tick.

So, simply based on MY life experience I would do one early oil change and stick with Ford service / oil / filter... I have had great results and my local Ford dealer recently started offering come to me service and a 1/2 off promo.

Me being able to watch a Ford tech change my oil in my driveway with Ford oil and filter for less than I can buy it myself while I sit on the porch and watch in the shade...

Its a easy choice for me :)
 
misterjake said:
I’d also say if I use full synthetic I should not have lifter issues in the first place?
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No it still may happen, we used blend and full synthetic at work and had to replace one at 80 some thousand miles. No ours are severe service duty, so take it with a grain of salt. I would use a higher zinc oil- what Ford told us at rebuild, and run a 5w40 in it personally. I would change it every 5k as well.
 
wlk said:
No it still may happen, we used blend and full synthetic at work and had to replace one at 80 some thousand miles. No ours are severe service duty, so take it with a grain of salt. I would use a higher zinc oil- what Ford told us at rebuild, and run a 5w40 in it personally. I would change it every 5k as well.
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Wouldn’t a 5w-40 void my warranty? They will want receipts. I also remember reading somewhere else that the issue is they are machining the block wrong from the other cylinders and after a plastic part breaks, the engine starts to fall apart. Forgive my ignorance. I just want a truck to last me 250,000 miles without a new engine/transmission.
 
misterjake said:
Wouldn’t a 5w-40 void my warranty? They will want receipts. I also remember reading somewhere else that the issue is they are machining the block wrong from the other cylinders and after a plastic part breaks, the engine starts to fall apart. Forgive my ignorance. I just want a truck to last me 250,000 miles without a new engine/transmission.
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They never asked for any receipts from us. The issue is poor metal quality and running a 5w40 is not going to void a warranty. The lifter and cam delaminated and sent metal through the motor in our case.
 
wlk said:
They never asked for any receipts from us. The issue is poor metal quality and running a 5w40 is not going to void a warranty. The lifter and cam delaminated and sent metal through the motor in our case.
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Did Ford provide documentation to use 5w-40 or was it strictly verbal?
 
I never got to change the oil on my 2020 7.3L
I flipped it because the dealership couldn't fix the ultra rough idle until it threw a code but they kept it for weeks so I had ALGO come get it.
Best of luck and congratulations .
 
They discontinued the boss 6.2l v8 which was reliable. And they then introduced the new 6.8L. But I wouldn’t want to buy a new engine that could even be worse. Better the devil you know, then the devil you don’t? I also went in year 4 of this engine hoping Ford figured out what’s wrong. I could understand the metal was rushed during COVID and post COVID at a lower QC to satisfy demand but that’s not the case now. Supply has surpassed demand. My extended warranty is to 65k. Might have to add a powertrain down the road to 100,000.

I could buy cheaper fluids and help the problem occur faster during warranty or spend more on better oil/fluids to help the engine last past the warranty.
It’s like they want our vehicles to not last past 2030….
 
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wlk said:
I personally said 5w40. Ford told us to run higher zinc oil at rebuild time.
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Thanks. Only problem is I live in Cali and zinc destroys catalytic converters and new ones cost 1/2 a new engine. Can’t win either way.
 
misterjake said:
Thanks. Only problem is I live in Cali and zinc destroys catalytic converters and new ones cost 1/2 a new engine. Can’t win either way.
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Only if the oil gets to the catalyst. How much are you burning?

And it’s the phosphorus that poisons the catalyst, not the zinc. It makes zero difference what state you live in.

Oh and oil grades listed in the owner’s manual are recommendations not requirements.
 
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