7.3l Powerstroke UOA Delo XLE 10w30

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 18, 2014
Messages
9
Location
Washington (WA)
Here's my latest UOA AT 5600 miles. What does everyone think about the results? I'm no expert, but it looks like I can comfortably extend this oil out farther
smile.gif
I have had the next fill in for about 4000 miles so far. Would 7500 be pushing it? The first two analyses were Delo 15w40, and it looks like the 10w30 is doing a superior job.

Thanks!
UOA_2_9_15.jpg
 
7.5k miles is probably good here.

10w-30 does much better in PSDs than folks would typically think. It won't shear like a 40 grade.
 
So much for HEUI needing a 40 grade oil...

I agree. 7.5-10k should be doable with this setup.

Woah! Full stop! Time out! That lab is in spokane? Can you give me the name and how much these analyses are running?
 
Last edited:
Another prime example of 30wt. exceeding expectations. There is a major difference between the HUEI system in the 7.3 vs. the 6.0 as the 7.3 operates under less pressure. The UOA clearly shows that the oil didn't even shear in 5,000 mi. and wear looks good, even the 40wt. samples shown your truck didn't shear it out of grade.

I have an older 7.3 (IDI) that I have been running 10w-30 in for years with good UOA's also, keep doing what you're doing.
 
Thanks for the input. I'll go 7500 on this fill and report back. Maybe that will give me enough time to find more of the Delo XLE at Wal-Mart since it always seems to be out of stock! Can't beat the price that's for sure.

The place that did the sample is The Oil Analysis Lab. I think it was 50 for TBN and TAN, otherwise 30 for a basic sample. Not sure what the market rate is but they're local and I can drop off a sample on the way to work.

The usual responses I get when I tell people I run 10w30 is "In a 7.3??? Say goodbye to your turbo! You can only run 15w40!" and a lot of head shaking. Also I have gained slightly over .8mpg on average since I started running it, with 25k miles of fill ups tracked to compare to. Winter mpg average is up over 1.2mpg from last year on 15w40.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Wicked94Z
... The usual responses I get when I tell people I run 10w30 is "In a 7.3??? Say goodbye to your turbo! You can only run 15w40!" and a lot of head shaking.



Generally, the prejudiced notion is that thicker oil is important for film-thickness under high bearing loads (crank and rod journals). I certainly agree that a minimum thickness is important, but wear data clearly shows 10w-30 is "thick enough" in many, many applications, and even in the 7.3L.

Why the turbo in a 7.3L would be affected with respect to vis is beyond me; it sees no such loading like the crank and rods. As long as the hydrodynamic barrier is present, the film strength really isn't a major player here. Their fears are unfounded and based upon rhetoric IMO. I'd file that under "poppy-cock" until they could produce solid evidence.
 
Last edited:
Also, when the 7.3 was introduced it was speced for 30wt., my only guess for the switch to 15w-40 was because it was readily available and everyone was recommending it.

I heard all of the same lines when I went to 10w-30 in my 6.0, and when I produced lower wear numbers at longer OCI's than what they were doing on their own trucks quite a few re-examined what they were using, and a few converted.
 
Originally Posted By: Wicked94Z
Thanks for the input. I'll go 7500 on this fill and report back. Maybe that will give me enough time to find more of the Delo XLE at Wal-Mart since it always seems to be out of stock! Can't beat the price that's for sure.

The place that did the sample is The Oil Analysis Lab. I think it was 50 for TBN and TAN, otherwise 30 for a basic sample. Not sure what the market rate is but they're local and I can drop off a sample on the way to work.

The usual responses I get when I tell people I run 10w30 is "In a 7.3??? Say goodbye to your turbo! You can only run 15w40!" and a lot of head shaking. Also I have gained slightly over .8mpg on average since I started running it, with 25k miles of fill ups tracked to compare to. Winter mpg average is up over 1.2mpg from last year on 15w40.


0.8MPG is pretty significant! I figured it would be 0.5 at best. It makes sense it would be higher during the winter, though.
If itr gets to that point, Im in Spokane the 2nd Sunday of the month and sometimes more. Our local Walmart is usually fully stocked of this stuff. :p
 
There's virtually no shearing going on here. When I used the XLE in my truck, it had sheared down to 10.2 (from a voa of 11.57) after 23k miles of heavy duty use and it still gave me excellent results.

The XLE isn't a high tbn oil but it looks like you can go far beyond 7500 if you choose to do so. Thanks for posting.
 
I agree the mileage gain is significant. I am generally skeptical about any purported mileage gains, but I have a very consistent driving style, over a consistent hilly route and the proof is in the pudding. My all-time best tank before 10w30 was 18.2mpg, which was somewhat of an outlier. Worst tanks in winter were around 13.9mpg. But after switching I achieved two tanks over 19mpg this last summer, with my summer average around 17.9 mpg. Worst tank this mild winter was 15.7mpg. Lifetime average over 27000 miles is up to 16.5, and has risen .5 mpg in the last 10k running the 10w30. This is an automatic truck with 4.10 gears on 33s.

Dustyroads I read your thread on the 10w30 in your rig. Very impressive!

Colt45WS, I'll pay you for your time if I can't find any up here. It's worth it if I can get 7500-8000 out of this oil and the truck is happy
smile.gif


Also I am seeing a negligible drop in oil level over the interval. Seems to be about .5-.75qt which was what I was seeing with the 15w40.

Thanks for the replies!
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Huge MPG increase?


On a percentage basis yes. That must be four to five percent improvement (?). In my business that kind of gain would get me to jump out of the truck and start doing cartwheels.

I think .8 is a nice improvement in a big ol' pickup truck.
 
It's roughly a 5% improvement in mileage, which I think is considerable. Temps regularly hit over 90 degrees here in the summer, but the sample shows the oil held up fine. I did not tow last summer, but this upcoming I will be towing 6k on a weekly basis. But to me this doesn't seem to qualify as a "high" load situation, so I will probably continue to run the 10w30.
 
My wife has a 2002 Powerstroke I have been running the 15w-40 . I have always wondered about the 10W-30.
 
I just thought I would update. I've been running 7500 mile intervals with the 10w30 and my basic statistical analysis says the MPG improvement IS significant at a 5% alpha when compared to the same time period with Delo 15w40. 2nd winter in a row where I haven't felt the need to plug the truck in down into the single digits. Also it seems like Walmart has had a more consistent supply. Now I wish they'd start carrying it in the 2.5gal jugs like the Rotella T5!
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Wicked94Z
I just thought I would update. I've been running 7500 mile intervals with the 10w30 and my basic statistical analysis says the MPG improvement IS significant at a 5% alpha when compared to the same time period with Delo 15w40. 2nd winter in a row where I haven't felt the need to plug the truck in down into the single digits. Also it seems like Walmart has had a more consistent supply. Now I wish they'd start carrying it in the 2.5gal jugs like the Rotella T5!


thumbsup2.gif
Good to hear that! I've been using the XLE this winter, too. It is a low viscosity oil as far as 10W30 HDEO'S go. I've done some cold starts with it (-26 & -22 being the coldest) without any aids. The oil pressure needle still swept up to full pressure faster than 15W40 @ about 0 to -5.

Are you adding any oil with it or maybe more than you did with 15W40? Mine (Volvo truck) doesn't use any with the XLE but it's still a low mileage engine. Being a bit on the thin side, I'm curious if you see any difference vs the thicker oil.
 
It doesn't burn much at all. Down less than a quart in 7500 miles, and it has a leak too. Motor has 200k on it now, so pretty low miles for a 19 year old truck. Well you're seeing much colder temps than me!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top