Hi, everyone, this is my first post here.
I am about to go through my first winter with my 2008 Ford F250 with the 6.4L diesel engine. The manual states that I need 5w40 oil if ambient temps are going to get below 20 degrees frequently, which they will this winter in OH.
The problem is that 5w40 seems to be a synthetic only grade, and costs more than twice as much as regular dino 15w40. I can get my 15 quarts of MC 15w40 for less than $36.00 at wal-mart, but the cheapest 5w-40 is Rotella synthetic which would cost me nearly $80.00 just for the oil.
With the fuel dilution problems on the EPA 2007 engines, I don't feel comfortable following the suggested 10,000 mile OCIs; some on FTE have reported as high as 13% fuel dilution at that interval. So going with a synthetic for the sake of longer OCIs doesn't make sense, so I'd like to stick with conventional dino oil every 5,000 miles.
Do you guys think I'd be okay with 15w40 and using a my block heater for cold starts below 20 degrees? Or should I bite the bullet and get the expensive stuff?
I am about to go through my first winter with my 2008 Ford F250 with the 6.4L diesel engine. The manual states that I need 5w40 oil if ambient temps are going to get below 20 degrees frequently, which they will this winter in OH.
The problem is that 5w40 seems to be a synthetic only grade, and costs more than twice as much as regular dino 15w40. I can get my 15 quarts of MC 15w40 for less than $36.00 at wal-mart, but the cheapest 5w-40 is Rotella synthetic which would cost me nearly $80.00 just for the oil.
With the fuel dilution problems on the EPA 2007 engines, I don't feel comfortable following the suggested 10,000 mile OCIs; some on FTE have reported as high as 13% fuel dilution at that interval. So going with a synthetic for the sake of longer OCIs doesn't make sense, so I'd like to stick with conventional dino oil every 5,000 miles.
Do you guys think I'd be okay with 15w40 and using a my block heater for cold starts below 20 degrees? Or should I bite the bullet and get the expensive stuff?