Please don't shoot me. I am looking at the purchase of a 1997 FORD 7.3L PSD truck. Vehicle has around 150,000 miles on it. I have seen some video advertising on the web of changing the top oil from the HPOP and then after replacing most of the oil, adding a 12oz bottle of PRO LONG enginge treatment. Anyone with experience, PROS, CONS, HARSHNESS, NOT NEEDED etc? Looking for feed back
Prolong in 15W40
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What is Prolong supposed to do? The HPOP oil circulates so really it doesn't need changing.
I once used Prolong's super dooper Aerosol spray on a bicycle chain.
2 weeks later it was frozen solid.
2 weeks later it was frozen solid.
dnewton3
Staff member
The HPOP uses the same oil system as the rest of the engine. I don't understand the reference of "changing the top oil from the HPOP ..."
Regardless, there is no general need for oil additives with today's lubes, presuming the engine is in good mechanical shape. The truck you are reviewing averaged around 12k miles a year; not bad, really. Should be PLENTY of life left in the ride. The old PSD is an excellent engine and reknowned for longevity with good simple maintenance. Unless you suspect something is wrong, I'd stay away from the additive. I'm not familiar with the product, but I'm skeptical at this point. And if there is something wrong with the HPOP, I doubt oil additives would solve it anyway.
Regardless, there is no general need for oil additives with today's lubes, presuming the engine is in good mechanical shape. The truck you are reviewing averaged around 12k miles a year; not bad, really. Should be PLENTY of life left in the ride. The old PSD is an excellent engine and reknowned for longevity with good simple maintenance. Unless you suspect something is wrong, I'd stay away from the additive. I'm not familiar with the product, but I'm skeptical at this point. And if there is something wrong with the HPOP, I doubt oil additives would solve it anyway.
Why not just use a good synthetic oil? If the oil you want is not good enough then adding Prolong won't make it any better. Why not use a better oil......
Good truck and engine, good luck with it
Good truck and engine, good luck with it
I have only heard on one gentleman referring to changing the HPOP oil. He swears by it, and well must do alot of marketing. I am not bashing this guy, because he has alot of tips for the powerstrokes. I wanted to find out what people knew of PROlong, and or additives for the oil. I do understand the oil circulates, and I have looked at books and diagrams, Its simple that it does circulate
I have been looking for an 7.3 in this style truck. I am close to purchasing I hope, if the deal goes through.
Originally Posted By: dnewton3
The HPOP uses the same oil system as the rest of the engine. I don't understand the reference of "changing the top oil from the HPOP ..."
Regardless, there is no general need for oil additives with today's lubes, presuming the engine is in good mechanical shape. The truck you are reviewing averaged around 12k miles a year; not bad, really. Should be PLENTY of life left in the ride. The old PSD is an excellent engine and reknowned for longevity with good simple maintenance. Unless you suspect something is wrong, I'd stay away from the additive. I'm not familiar with the product, but I'm skeptical at this point. And if there is something wrong with the HPOP, I doubt oil additives would solve it anyway.
This is a very good answer. I will just add I have had family members use Prolong and none of them had any positive feedback, nor negative either except in their bank accounts. Just stick with a quality conventional HDEO and you will be great. Almost every additive I can think of is a bunch of hype and some dangerous.
The HPOP uses the same oil system as the rest of the engine. I don't understand the reference of "changing the top oil from the HPOP ..."
Regardless, there is no general need for oil additives with today's lubes, presuming the engine is in good mechanical shape. The truck you are reviewing averaged around 12k miles a year; not bad, really. Should be PLENTY of life left in the ride. The old PSD is an excellent engine and reknowned for longevity with good simple maintenance. Unless you suspect something is wrong, I'd stay away from the additive. I'm not familiar with the product, but I'm skeptical at this point. And if there is something wrong with the HPOP, I doubt oil additives would solve it anyway.
This is a very good answer. I will just add I have had family members use Prolong and none of them had any positive feedback, nor negative either except in their bank accounts. Just stick with a quality conventional HDEO and you will be great. Almost every additive I can think of is a bunch of hype and some dangerous.
I'll add even if you suspect something is wrong with the engine to still not use Prolong.
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This person that has posted the video of the oil changes also runs a very successful diesel repair service in Bufford, Georgia. I personally believe he's the real deal when it comes to knowledge on these trucks.
One thing to note about his method of oil change is that he changes two variables at one time. He does a evacuation of old oil from the injector reservoir which does NOT drain during a oil change AND he adds the Prolong additive directly to the reservoir after the oil change.
To prove whether the Prolong is of any value you would have to try doing the thorough oil changes to include evacuation of old oil exactly as he does in his service videos except do NOT add the Prolong additive. Apparently it takes over 100,000 miles to see injector damage so the testing could take time for verification.
Very interesting videos on Youtube if you search for Bill Hewitt or Powerstrokehelp.
I personally think you'd see the same benefits by simply doing the thorough oil changes (evacuate the oil pump housing with each oil change).
One thing to note about his method of oil change is that he changes two variables at one time. He does a evacuation of old oil from the injector reservoir which does NOT drain during a oil change AND he adds the Prolong additive directly to the reservoir after the oil change.
To prove whether the Prolong is of any value you would have to try doing the thorough oil changes to include evacuation of old oil exactly as he does in his service videos except do NOT add the Prolong additive. Apparently it takes over 100,000 miles to see injector damage so the testing could take time for verification.
Very interesting videos on Youtube if you search for Bill Hewitt or Powerstrokehelp.
I personally think you'd see the same benefits by simply doing the thorough oil changes (evacuate the oil pump housing with each oil change).
dnewton3
Staff member
Well - to be honest, this guy's videos are really not that impressive and his testimony of the Prolong product is not fulfilling, at least to me.
I don't see the HPOP procedure as needed, nor the additive.
The HPOP is subordinate to the lube system as a whole; the oil in the HPOP is mixed with all the other oil. Why a "top oil change" is needed is beyond me. Putting prolong into the HPOP is fundementally no different than putting it into the crankcase via the valve cover fill port. Pouring Prolong into the HPOP for 15 minutes means practically nothing when you consider that there will be another 5k miles or more of mixing the product with the oil in the crankcase.
There are guys that have a LOT of miles that never did this HPOP procedure, just following the OEM OCI procedure and intervals. I do agree that frequent oil changes will add to the longevity of the unit, as a whole. I think the longevity will good as long as you do reasonable OCIs. The proglong likely has little to nothing to do with the longevity.
Am I missing something here?
I don't see the HPOP procedure as needed, nor the additive.
The HPOP is subordinate to the lube system as a whole; the oil in the HPOP is mixed with all the other oil. Why a "top oil change" is needed is beyond me. Putting prolong into the HPOP is fundementally no different than putting it into the crankcase via the valve cover fill port. Pouring Prolong into the HPOP for 15 minutes means practically nothing when you consider that there will be another 5k miles or more of mixing the product with the oil in the crankcase.
There are guys that have a LOT of miles that never did this HPOP procedure, just following the OEM OCI procedure and intervals. I do agree that frequent oil changes will add to the longevity of the unit, as a whole. I think the longevity will good as long as you do reasonable OCIs. The proglong likely has little to nothing to do with the longevity.
Am I missing something here?
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I agree that he isn't a highly polished, meticulously trained 'rockect scientist' type but he does have a strong reputation down here. Sometimes the education learned from the shop floor is far more valuable than what Georgia Tech. is giving.
I do know of one person that he helped with their truck that saved them several thousands of dollars on injector work. His oil change procedure and filter housing service was the key.
As for the Prolong additive... who knows. I do rudimentary testing of oil additives in a old motorcycle where I can feel a difference in shifting. The only thing that's ever made a noticeable difference for me was Motorkote and I've tried everything. Of course the Motorkote ruined the clutch but that's cheap for a educational lab experiment.
I do know of one person that he helped with their truck that saved them several thousands of dollars on injector work. His oil change procedure and filter housing service was the key.
As for the Prolong additive... who knows. I do rudimentary testing of oil additives in a old motorcycle where I can feel a difference in shifting. The only thing that's ever made a noticeable difference for me was Motorkote and I've tried everything. Of course the Motorkote ruined the clutch but that's cheap for a educational lab experiment.
Well, had a reply all typed and lost it. so here I go again.
FowVay, Thanks for mentioning the guys name. I felt reserverd to mention his name, as it seems people tend to do more bashing, or negative comments. NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE HERE>>>> I do agree some of his videos are bare bones, but hes posting them, and his shop secrets, it doesnt seem that he pushes everyone to come to him.
As for the HPOP oil change, I can see where we could debate this all day long.. Hence why I posted about it. It makes sense that the oil IS NOT changed during the oil change drain. Now as far as how fast the oil replenishes from the sump to the HPOP I am not sure.
Is it safe to say, that purchasing a used truck with unknown OCI's, I could do an HPOP drain and refill. Then watch it's progress on the next.
I dont think the truck I am looking at is abused, but with the currents owners information, the truck may have sat sometime before he came into it.
I have had questions on the PROLONG, and couldnt quite figure out how valuable it would be. Hence why I asked here
FowVay, Thanks for mentioning the guys name. I felt reserverd to mention his name, as it seems people tend to do more bashing, or negative comments. NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE HERE>>>> I do agree some of his videos are bare bones, but hes posting them, and his shop secrets, it doesnt seem that he pushes everyone to come to him.
As for the HPOP oil change, I can see where we could debate this all day long.. Hence why I posted about it. It makes sense that the oil IS NOT changed during the oil change drain. Now as far as how fast the oil replenishes from the sump to the HPOP I am not sure.
Is it safe to say, that purchasing a used truck with unknown OCI's, I could do an HPOP drain and refill. Then watch it's progress on the next.
I dont think the truck I am looking at is abused, but with the currents owners information, the truck may have sat sometime before he came into it.
I have had questions on the PROLONG, and couldnt quite figure out how valuable it would be. Hence why I asked here
I don't think anybody is saying this guy is not knowledgeable on trucks/mechanics etc. That being said it does not mean he is an expert on lubrication etc.
Why use an oil that is not as good as it could be and add Prolong to make it better. Why not just run a better oil and be done with it?
Why use an oil that is not as good as it could be and add Prolong to make it better. Why not just run a better oil and be done with it?
The oil inside the HPOP circulates at a very very slow rate...with the rest of the motor. At my summer oil change, I took a sample from my pan-->{5K mile OCI}. Ran the oil through my fingers, oil felt clean. It looked really good for 5K miles... Then I sucked out the oil from my HPOP-{Only}-->Oil was very black-some what nasty looking. Ran oil through fingers, had a bit of grit to it. This is not the same oil that's in my pan. Needless to say, I poured fresh oil in my HPOP-1qt. I told myself I would change the HPOP once a yr... It only takes 10min to suck the old oil out...
You other PSD owners can do as U wish... I myself {Seen it} & {Felt it} this oil needs some attention.
I do beleive the oil circulates throughout the 7.3L...But like I said-->It's at a very very slow rate.
Allen: Like many have posted above...Todays oils are awesome... U don't need Prolong...The only additive I have added to my 7.3L oil is Schaeffers Moly Treatment...
http://beansdieselperformance.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=127
You other PSD owners can do as U wish... I myself {Seen it} & {Felt it} this oil needs some attention.
I do beleive the oil circulates throughout the 7.3L...But like I said-->It's at a very very slow rate.
Allen: Like many have posted above...Todays oils are awesome... U don't need Prolong...The only additive I have added to my 7.3L oil is Schaeffers Moly Treatment...
http://beansdieselperformance.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=127
dnewton3
Staff member
Perhaps the good compromise is to suck out the oil in the HPOP, and fill with fresh, but forego the additives? I can see some validity to this approach.
Syn, dnewton, and all
Thank you for the info and input. I was lookin for what Syn said about the difference in oils between the HPOP and the Sump. I havent bought the truck yet, going to look at on Sunday for sure. I wanted to get this discussion out of the way in the form of my own maintenance. I think doing the HPOP with fresh oil, and running it will be the route of travel, without an additive at this time
Thank you for the info and input. I was lookin for what Syn said about the difference in oils between the HPOP and the Sump. I havent bought the truck yet, going to look at on Sunday for sure. I wanted to get this discussion out of the way in the form of my own maintenance. I think doing the HPOP with fresh oil, and running it will be the route of travel, without an additive at this time
without an additive, in my opinion, is a wise choice. I've had one 7.3 and two (including current) 6.0's, well over 300,000mi. total and have never changed HPOP oil in any of them.
Although I don't think you'll harm anything, I also don't think you'll gain anything.
On the additive point of view I am adamantly against using any oil additive, using a high quality oil and filter negates anything you can gain from an oil additive. The reason for using good oil is the additives are already blended in the oil, by engineers. They are being paid to blend oil that meets API specs and know much more than any of us here, or for that matter any aftermarket additive supplier.
My best advice I can offer is to change the oil and at the end of the service interval pull a sample and send it into a lab for analysis, if it meets your expectations continue with that brand/viscosity, if not switch to another.
good luck with the new wheels
Although I don't think you'll harm anything, I also don't think you'll gain anything.
On the additive point of view I am adamantly against using any oil additive, using a high quality oil and filter negates anything you can gain from an oil additive. The reason for using good oil is the additives are already blended in the oil, by engineers. They are being paid to blend oil that meets API specs and know much more than any of us here, or for that matter any aftermarket additive supplier.
My best advice I can offer is to change the oil and at the end of the service interval pull a sample and send it into a lab for analysis, if it meets your expectations continue with that brand/viscosity, if not switch to another.
good luck with the new wheels
I usually try to change the oil in the high pressure reservoir. I figure its getting more used oil out of system. Kinda like if a pan has two drain plugs, takes a litle extra time and usually less than a quart but seems worth it. If you would like an additive check out Hot Shot's Secret. Its supposed to clean the oil side of your injectors real well. It's kind of expensive but I figued, why not, they only suggest using it like once every four oil changes. In my truck, I had about 175,000 on my set of injectors when I used it. I did pick up a little better fuel economy as I keep track of the number of miles I get on each tank.
I would not use Prolong in anything. Here is a technical paper about additives. Most of the companies have been sued for false advertising and told to stop making false claims. That is the reason you do not see all the additive commercials on tv anymore. Here is some info : https://www.amsoil.com/techservicesbulletin/MotorOil/TSB MO-2010-04-01_chlorine_oil_treatments.pdf
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