05 F250 Thoughts on going Synthetic

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Sep 27, 2011
Messages
3
Location
VA
I'm a new diesel owner and I want to change to synthetic oil. The truck is a 2005 F250 6.0 with 37000 miles. It has always had Motorcraft 15w 40 in it but I was wanting to go with the Mobil 1 5w 40 synthetic. Any thoughts and information would be greatly appreciated.
 
Rotella T6 5W40 is awfully hard to beat. I've been running it in my '04 F250 6.0L for 117,000 miles with no problems.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: F250Mike
I'm a new diesel owner and I want to change to synthetic oil. The truck is a 2005 F250 6.0 with 37000 miles. It has always had Motorcraft 15w 40 in it but I was wanting to go with the Mobil 1 5w 40 synthetic. Any thoughts and information would be greatly appreciated.


Well where do you live? How cold does it get at night? Do you really need the cold flow properties of a 5 bottom weight oil? Mobil 1 TDT or Delvac 1 are both great oils but very spendy. What are you running for OCIs...what are you planning on running for OCIs?
 
Yeah, if you want to stay with a 40 grade and use a syn, go 5W40. Any of the name brands off the shelf are good and there is little to choose between them in terms of end result. The boutiques may be a step ahead of that.

Bear in mind that you won't get much of a return on investment unless you extend the oil change interval and that's not something you can always do (soot and fuel dilution often being the reasons for oil condemnation, not metals). If you go into the UOA section you can see mineral and syns with virtually the same results over the same period of time (shorter intervals). The only way the syn oil is paying you back is in a high performance situation where the engine is maxed out and you need the extra protection of a synthetic base stock, or over a longer interval where the syn can hold up longer. Still, it doesn't matter how good the oil is, once the soot load is high, the oil needs to go.

The one area where I think the change is merited, even at a "normal" interval, is cold weather performance (5W40 vs 15W40). Not sure "The Old Dominion" gets that cold, but you can be the judge. Fortunately, you can get some of the 5W40, Group III syns, like Rotella & others, at reasonable prices or on sale, so a careful shopper can have it both ways to an extent.
 
Last edited:
Myself I like Mobil 1 TDT, Rotella is cheaper, though. Whichever you prefer and whichever you truck seems to like better is what you should choose. Welcome to BITOG!!!
 
A good friend of mine, and diesel mechanic, has had very good results with Delvac 1 5w40 in his '05 PSD. That would be my recommendation.
 
It gets in the teens here occasionally, usually not for any extended time though. I also drive short distances most of the time. Since the truck has low miles I kind of wanted to start it on a synthetic. the cost is almost $30 more per oil change by going with the Mobil 1 5w40 TDT over the Motorcraft 15w40. Just thinking the 5w40 might offer a little better winter protection and I like to run the same oil year round.
 
Yes, a 5w40 will flow better in the cold, one thing to watch...a 5w40 will also shear pretty well in a 6.0. Very tough HPOP. You could do something like Rotella t5 or t6. Both are a bit cheaper than Mobil one and both are good oils.
 
Mike: As stated above many times any HDD 5W-40 will lubricate and protect your 6.0L yr round... I only have to say this...Your new 6.0L will shear the Unholy ^%$*& out of your oil... As does my 7.3L but not quite as bad as the 6.0L... So with that said...

I would not go past 5k miles between oil changes...If you do? Get a UOA asap! Pouring that expensive 5W-40 in for only 5k miles seems a waste of $... But it all depends on the owner and his fat wallet...

Congrats on you new diesel...

You might wanna check on the egr delete kit for the 6.0L...Those clogged egr coolers have killed many 6.0L...

Visit www.powerstrokenation.com and look around the 6.0L forums..
 
Originally Posted By: -SyN-
Mike: As stated above many times any HDD 5W-40 will lubricate and protect your 6.0L yr round... I only have to say this...Your new 6.0L will shear the Unholy ^%$*& out of your oil... As does my 7.3L but not quite as bad as the 6.0L... So with that said...

I would not go past 5k miles between oil changes...If you do? Get a UOA asap! Pouring that expensive 5W-40 in for only 5k miles seems a waste of $... But it all depends on the owner and his fat wallet...

Congrats on you new diesel...

You might wanna check on the egr delete kit for the 6.0L...Those clogged egr coolers have killed many 6.0L...

Visit www.powerstrokenation.com and look around the 6.0L forums..


+1 EGR delete is a blessing, nary a necessity on these engines.
 
Another option to consider is a 10w-30 HDEO, I've been suing it in my 6.0 year around for the last 50,000 mi. with zero issues, great looking UOA's, and a heavier wallet. At around 11 dollars a gallon its tough to beat.
 
Woah 11 a gallon! What are you running? If you don't mind me asking? The best I can find is t5 at 16 a gallon? Sorry for the hijack
 
Check out the UOA HDEO section, I have several posted there.

The oil is John Deere Plus 50 10w-30, its not a syn, but performs very well in my 6.0. At 136,000 mi. its the only brand/grade I will use as long as I own this truck. A few years ago I tried the Rotella 5w-40 for three successive runs, with UOA's at each interval with less than impressive results.
Wear metals were slightly higher and it sheared to a low 30wt., so I thought why not try a 10w-30. Its listed in the owners manual as an accepted grade and it didn't shear nearly as low as the 5w-40 did.

Prior to trying the 5w-40 I used the Deere Plus 50 15w-40, with a UOA at each OC, so I had a baseline to go off of. Incidently while using the 15w-40 in the 6.0 the oil never sheared out of 40wt, but would use at least a quart between changes, which told me the oil was a bit thick. Evidently, for once, I was right because now with 10w-30 at 7,500 OCI's the dipstick level never changes throughout the OCI.
 
I would not delete the EGR cooler but upgrade to a Bulletproof unit from Bulletproof Diesel. Ken is a great guy and i do a lot of business with his company. I can tell you his coolers are bulletproof and his oil coolers are just as good and well worth the investment on a 6Leaker. If the EGR cooler ruptures you WILL NEED a new oil cooler. When it happens it takes more work then people realize to fix the truck properly. I always suggest a coolant filter on the 6.0 also.

Now onto the syn. Deffinetly run syn in your Leaker. ALL 6.0 PSD expierence injector Stiction, basically the spoolvalve gets hungup. Syn can prolong this from happening but there is no prevention for injector stiction. 5-40 in any syn Flavor will do the trick, delvac, rotella, VPB ECT. You wont notice any difference between them. 5-6K OCI MAX and NOTHING but Motorcraft oil filters....Seriously. If you need me to explain I can go into great detail. I have rebuilt many engines due to aftermarket oilfilters on the 6.0

Good luck with the 6.0 they have been real good to me
grin.gif


If you have any question about your truck let me know.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Smokefan1977
I would not delete the EGR cooler but upgrade to a Bulletproof unit from Bulletproof Diesel. Ken is a great guy and i do a lot of business with his company. I can tell you his coolers are bulletproof and his oil coolers are just as good and well worth the investment on a 6Leaker. If the EGR cooler ruptures you WILL NEED a new oil cooler. When it happens it takes more work then people realize to fix the truck properly. I always suggest a coolant filter on the 6.0 also.

Now onto the syn. Deffinetly run syn in your Leaker. ALL 6.0 PSD expierence injector Stiction, basically the spoolvalve gets hungup. Syn can prolong this from happening but there is no prevention for injector stiction. 5-40 in any syn Flavor will do the trick, delvac, rotella, VPB ECT. You wont notice any difference between them. 5-6K OCI MAX and NOTHING but Motorcraft oil filters....Seriously. If you need me to explain I can go into great detail. I have rebuilt many engines due to aftermarket oilfilters on the 6.0

Good luck with the 6.0 they have been real good to me
grin.gif


If you have any question about your truck let me know.


While I agree with most of what you have posted my current 6.0 along with the '04 I traded in never experienced "stiction". I am not saying that it isn't going to happen, but I have almost 8 years driving a 6.0 under my belt and have never seen it, at 7,500 mi. OCI's.

After reading the million or so posts regarding "stiction" I am crediting my motor oil choice as not allowing this to happen. The Plus 50 does have a superior additive package vs. the over the counter diesel oil available.
 
The EGR cooler is not the cause of the problem with them rupturing. Its the oil cooler cutting off coolant flow to them causing them to overheat.

The oil cooler becomes plugged with junk from the coolant and thats when they can overheat.

Ditch the Ford gold coolant and refill with some EC-1 rated coolant such as Final Charge and Install a coolant filter and it should be good.

Or do the EGR delete and be done with it but I would still recommend EC-1 rated coolant and a coolant filter.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top