97 F350 oil choice

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nepatternmaker

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I have a 97 F350 CC 4WD 7.3 PSTD. We use the truck to haul a 20' car trailer. Usually hauling scrap metal. That's primarily all we use it for, unless we need the 4WD to get to town 20 miles away.
We bought the truck last July with 240,000 miles on it. I have been running Cenex 15W40 in it because it's the cheapest thing I found, it's cj-4 rated, it's easily available, and when I first went oil hunting, I did not understand all the different oil standards and how different they were for a diesel. i.e., I'm a complete noob at the diesel thing. We do run Howe's fuel treatment when the ambient gets below mid-40's. As I write this, it's supposed to hit -11 F tonight and the block heater is plugged in. We are in south central Nebraska.

Does anyone know who makes the Cenex oil? Is there an oil that would be a significantly better value? I haul scrap not for fun, but to create a small amount of cash flow in these days of reduced overtime.

Thanks
dave
 
Delvac 1300 Super or Cheveron Delo. PSD's love Either of them. In stock trim the 97's are relatively easy on oil as the injectors are only 90cc compared to 130cc in the late 99-03 PSD. 7500 mile OCI is atainable with either. Also right now Oriely's has Mystic 15-40 semi syn on sale for 15.99 for per 2 gallon jug. This is a great oil with a high TBN.
 
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Welcome to BITOG

It appears they make their own products: https://www.cenex.com/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_30269_0_0_18/LubricantsManufacturing.pdf

Exactly which Cenex oil are you using?

Hard to say what a "significantly better value" means. All depends on what you are paying for this oil vs. a competitor, and what performance you can get for that price.

Sounds to me like you are using a good value product now. 15W-40 is the right grade for that motor; a change to another conventional 15W-40 really won't offer anything more than what you have; it's a 13 yr old truck with well north of 200K so no sense in spending a ton of money on it. If the current Cenex stuff is working for you, keep using it.
 
Like Naz stated above...Rotella-Delvac-Delo- any name brand oil will work... If you are not loyal to one brand. The key is if you make alot of short trips... stop and go... I myself would change your oil every 5k miles. If you are mostly highway driving... U could probably go 7k miles. Just use a good oil filter...Wix-Motorcraft-Baldwin-Fleetguard-M1-Purolator-K&N.

Now I say this: I seen that U live in Cornhusker Country. It gets cold up there. A 5W-40 synthetic will help your PSD start up so much easier when the temp is cold. If U even worry about that... Some do, Some could care less. I just changed to 5W-40 this winter oil change, and my 7.3L starts and runs so much easier... No more cold morning romps. It's your PSD,It's your choice. I change my oil once before summer and once before summer. Alot of choices out there.
 
The Cenex is 'Superlube' heavy duty diesel oil. Back says it meets API CJ-4, CI-4+, CI-4, CG-4CF-4 and CF/SL. It also touts it's 'wear saver technology'

I don't remember the price now, but the Cenex was quite a bit cheaper than the other ones I could find.

I see the threads on using 5W40 in the cold temps, but I thought 5W40 was not approved for heavy duty use, i.e. trailer towing.

Our typical trip is at least the 17 miles to town. Lot of trips are 2.5 hrs, too.

dave
 
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5W-40 synthetic can handle any abuse that the dino 15W-40 can handle. Maybe! Just Maybe handle it better. But any popular brand dino 15W-40 will handle any job U throw at it. I just use the 5W-40 because MHO is these PSD like a lighter grade oil, since almost 98% of the UOA posted shows the PSD shear the oil down to a 30wt and no more. Also my 7.3L just likes the 5W-40.
 
I guess you had two main questions.

1) Who makes Cenex? They do.

2) Is there a better value? Not extactly sure, because we don't know what you paid per gallon.

Any of the major brand name lubes will protect your engine. And that engine is well known for longevity if left in stock form!

If you shop around, you can find oil sales for diesel oil. Of note last fall, Mobil Delvac 1300 was BOGOF! That equated to $6.50/gallon! Excellent oil for a smokin' good price. I am using it now, even though I've always been partial to Rotella. I simply cannot pass up a deal like that.

All the major brands are proven oils, and if you're going to change your oil at 7.5k miles or shorter intervals, any of them will protect your engine just fine. So if you want the "best" value, then find the one with the lowest prices. If you're not brand loyal, you'll have lots to choose from if you just keep your eye open for sales and rebates. And if your Cenex can compete price wise, there is no reason to not use it.
 
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I'd get an oil pan heater, stick it on the pan, use a timer to heat for around 5 hours before you need to start it. If your 7.3 has the HEUI injection pump like my 6.0 uses-5W40 synthetic may not even be enough @ -11F, my 6.0 PSD romps & knocks at 5 F with 5W40 (but block heater helps a little). They just don't like thick oil, PERIOD!
 
Good news is, this morning at 4:30 AM when I headed for work, it was -8 F. Truck started right up. After work, it was 3 F, truck started right up again.

Thanks for the info, I will start checking for sale prices and maybe try some others. I was afraid the the Cenex would turn out to be Penzoil or similar type over hyped garbage. Their premium oil may be good, but I wouldn't put their run of the mill discount house oil in a lawnmower.

Thanks
dave
 
Originally Posted By: nepatternmaker
I was afraid the the Cenex would turn out to be Penzoil or similar type over hyped garbage. Their premium oil may be good, but I wouldn't put their run of the mill discount house oil in a lawnmower.

Thanks
dave


Seems you had all the answers before you asked the question. Problem is, is if the above statement is what you truly believe, then you don't know the answers at all.
 
You could do much worse than Pennzoil ...

I am not brand loyal on lubes, in general, but I do recogize the SOPUS products for the excellent performance and value they offer.

If you can get Cenex for a good price, there is no reason not to use it. But it's not the "magic bullet" of lubes to the exlusion of many other good options.

The more I'm around here, the more I see UOA evidence that nearly ALL of today's lubes, both dino and synthetics, from ALL the major market brand players, are more than capable of doing the job they are intended to do. Some do it "better" than others, but that is always as viewed from a specific application with known parameters and limitations.

If you think PZ products are over-hyped, perhaps you could spend a bit more time reading? I think you'll find some enlightenment.
 
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