6.0 Powerstroke Recommendation

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4Scott4

4Scott4

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Jun 29, 2014
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Georgia
ok I have an all stock 05 f250 with 6.0 Powerstroke. It has 125,000 miles. I live in North Ga. so the temperature around here is all over the board. I don't drive the truck daily so I only change the oil maybe twice a year.. Last time I went with the t6 5w40 syn.. I plan to change the oil fairly regularly 3,000-4,000 miles. My mechanic recommended that I use "cheaper oil" and change at least every 3,000 miles... He recommends Delo 15w40.. Thoughts??

I really just want everyone's opinion on what oil I should use because I don't like going long intervals but I don't know that I like the idea of not using " the best" .. Meaning I do like the idea of using Syn but is it a total waste at 3,000-4,000 miles... If I go with 15w40 it would probably be Delo or Delvac as those are cheap and available.
 
As a fellow 6.0 owner, remember that the oil plays a vital role in other functions of the motor, aside from lubricating the rotating assembly. The oil is also fed into the high pressure oil pump (hpop) which sends the oil at up to 4000psi to the injector rails, which feeds into each injector and uses the oil pressure to send the burst of fuel into the cylinders as needed. This magic is done at the top of each injector in what is known as the "spool valve". The spool valve is actually the most commonly failed component on injectors, because it tends to get clogged up with sludge and other carbon deposits, inhibiting it's ability to properly fire off the injector. This is the 'stictation' you've probably heard about with 6.0 injectors.

The turbocharger is also thirsty for oil as part of it's regular spinning duties, but also to lubricate the unison ring actuator that opens and closes the valves in the turbo based on throttle response.

Delo and Delvac are fantastic oils in their own right. But the 6.0 as a diesel engine should really be in it's own category for the amount of maintenance that's needed to keep it in tip top condition.

Btw - why are you changing syn at 3-4k miles? I run T6 and go 5-7k miles, depending on how dark it gets and how bad it starts to smell.
 
Great post thanks for the info. I do realize the importance of maintaining this engine regularly., they are great engines if they are treated right but they are very sensitive lol

Basically that's my question.. My mechanic said to go short intervals 3,000 miles and don't use "expensive " oil.. So should I stick on the path I'm on and go about 5,000 on 5w40 syn?? Or switch to cheaper and go shorter??
 
Man if it were me, I'd stick with the expensive stuff for longer. I've seen fleet trucks that got cheap oil and aftermarket filters (use only OEM filters, btw) and it's not pretty.
 
As far as oil, Rotella or Delo 10w30 does just fine, and in fact, shows better UOA in many cases than their thicker 15w40 brothers. The 6.0 will shear a 40 weight down to a 30 anyway over the OCI, where a 30 goes in as such, and still comes out that way. You'll also find a lot less nailing when cold with a 30 weight. Synthetic is really not necessary at all in this motor unless your are really extending your OCI and going to monitor it with UOA. If you are running even 5k OCI, synthetic is a waste of money. Contrary to popular belief and internet folklore, the 6.0 is a fine engine, as long as you leave it alone. Tuners raise cylinder pressure, and stretch the bolts, lifting the heads off the block. Your best investment is an Edge monitor. Watch the delta between coolant and oil temp. Mine runs within 10 degrees just driving, I've seen as high as 20 degrees when towing and the turbo is constantly supplying boost. Always use the factory Ford oil filter. They fit correctly and work as designed. At 125k you are just broke in. Drive it until the wheels fall off.
 
Thank you guys. I just can't decide if I wanna go with 10w30 or stick with the 15w40 lol with the input you guys are providing i def think I wanna stay away from the 15w40 and at least go 5,000 miles. There is just so many opinions on these things! I even had one guy tell me to drain the gold coolant and use regular green.. I'm not doing that But I have considered flushing and switching to the CAT coolant. Any opinion on that?
 
I switched to Zerex EC-1 ELC a little over two years ago. The CAT stuff wasn't available locally, but Zerex was carried at NAPA year round. There's also Rotella EC-1 coolant as well.

When I switched, I did a tap water-only flush to get as much of the Ford premium gold junk out as possible. I didn't do a chemical flush at the time because I didn't want to plug the oil cooler. When I finally blew the head gaskets, I was running a 14 degree delta anyway. So the first thing I did before tearing down the truck for head gaskets was a full Restore/Restore Plus chemical flush. You should've seen the [censored] that came out.
 
Do you recommend flushing And switching or is there a chance I could clog something up?
 
No. I need to get a monitor of some sort i know.. When I say bone stock I mean bone stock! An older man had the truck before me and put most of the miles on it. I did pull the Oasis report and the truck has has the egr cooler replaced and the ficm replaced. Since I've had it I've done alternator, icp and crankshaft position sensor.
 
Yea I'd get a monitor and find out your deltas before anything. If they're high, you stand a good chance of plugging an already compromised oil cooler.
 
The 6.0PSD does great on 10w-30. It also does well on 15w-40 in warmer climates (such as GA). As mentioned, the HEUI will either be fed a thinner lube, or it will make one for you.

Data shows that the wear rates are not generally affected by the vis, so if that is your major concern, then either vis would do fine.

Other concerns are not likely to affect you; cold idle romp and such won't be an issue in GA.

I would recommend you run the normal OCI (out to around 7.5k miles) on any CJ-4 lube you prefer. Use a conventional base stock; you will never reap the benefits of syn in regard to starting or wear or OCI.


By far and away, the oil cooler is the origin of nearly every evil facing the 6.0L PSD. Address that first and foremost. Being stock, if you haven't had issues yet, you will eventually. And they get more expensive the more you ignore them.

Awaiting rr1 to chime in here ...
 
Briefly,
10w-30 is all you need.
You don't need syn.
7,500 mi. OCI listed in owners manual.

I currently have 211,000 mi. on my '07 with NO issues, ever. The OP asked for a coolant recommendation, I used JD CoolGard II, its a tri-HOAT so its completely compatible with Ford Gold, its a long-life coolant with a service life of 6 years/6,000 hrs.
 
Regarding the oil, I like the 5W-40 synthetic for less chance of build-up and better cleaning action vs the std 15W-40 for my IH VT365 (aka the Ford Powerstroke 6.0). The OP's question about coolant is what I will offer input. The oil cooler is a coolant-to-oil heat transfer. The problem is the Ford gold coolant (G-05 type) is not a low-silicate formula. The oil cooler gets plugged up on the coolant side, which then leads to the EGR problems. There has also been reports of excess casting sand getting caught in the oil cooler.

The fix is to clean out all of the gold coolant and fill with std heavy duty diesel red colored type coolant. Rotella EC-1 or Zerex EC-1 are examples. So is Fleetcharge, it also has the SCA's. Although I have not heard the 6.0's being as sensitive for cavitation, it is widely used for most heavy duty diesels so I figure it can't hurt having it.

If the oil cooler is already plugged up, the chemical cleaners can help get it back to regular flow again. Replacement is best to ensure it is clear. Then refill with the diesel coolant. BTW, my VT365 came with factory diesel red coolant, and a coolant filter as well. Seems Ford did not think a filter was needed, and the problems with the gold coolant vs red coolant.
 
Ford Gold (aka Zerex GO-5) is low silicate and had been since its inception. The main cause for oil cooler plugging in the 6.0 were from guys adding programmers and overheating the coolant in the egr cooler, which is just upstream of the oil cooler. The flash-boiled coolant residue would quickly plug the oil cooler, and the cascade of problems will begin.

There were also failures on completely stock trucks where egr coolers leaked, along with the International variant with the "red coolant".

I've been in and around diesel engines here since the early 70's, and the only diesel engine I have ever seen any "build-up" in are the 2 cycle Detroits. My seat time in my two 6.0's total over 375,000 mi. with never an injector issue.

The complex high pressure oil system was a joint venture between International and Cat. It's basically a poormans high pressure fuel delivery system. It evolved from its inception many times until it landed in the 6.0 with more pressure than ever before. Cat noticed its shortcomings fairly early and speced 10w-30 for almost all of its applications.

Most stiction issues are from damaged FICM's, not gunk in the spool valves. If one is using an oil that leaves deposits behind I suggest you never purchase that brand ever again. My current 6.0 has 211,000 mi.and I have never experienced "stiction".

Sorry form the rant but I've been down with the flu since thurs. I seem to have some pent up energy.
 
Programmers overheating the coolant? I have to question this. I'm running Quicktricks.com Looney Tune on mine and the coolant stays the same temperature it has always been - 192 at cruising. It jumps up at WOT pulls, but no more than it did when the truck was stock.

Stictation has occurred in many 6.0's that had a perfect 48v at the FICM as well.
 
Motorcraft gold will plug a cooler from silicate drop out, have a cut away on my desk. Run a 0 Silicate full OAT coolant, Navistar specifies this for the VT365 as a factory fill. Use Fleetgard System Restore Plus to flush, monitor oil cooler delta T after to verify a good flush, replace oil cooler if delta T's are too high or plan for a short engine life. Stiction is a lack of maintenance issue. Unbeknownced fuel or coolant dilution will munch this engine sample your oil every once in a while to catch a problem before it gets big and unexpected. Run a 40 grade oil 5W40 or 15w40 and you'll be fine.
 
The coolant flash-boiling in the egr cooler is a well known problem in the 6.0, and you will never notice a difference in coolant temp due to thermal efficiency of the coolant system.

One has to remember that the 6.0 was the first production medium duty diesel to implement these epa mandated changes back in late '03, there was a learning curve. Fast forward to 2015 and med duty diesel engines have at least twice the egr cooler capacity. It was found that even a stock 6.0 towing up a long grade would flash-boil coolant in the egr cooler.
 
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