6.0 Powerstroke Recommendation

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I switched to an EC-1 coolant 2 years ago. Zerex. Water flush only. No issues with either the Ford gold, (changed at 95k) or the Zerex red. No change in temps. I feel better though. Ill be switching again to Shell Ultra ELC in the spring.
Yep,more injectors fail because of the FICM than anything else. The Edge will monitor and display FICM voltage. I feed my truck 1 ounce of 2 stroke TCW-3 per gallon of diesel to help the injectors a little.
 
Originally Posted By: roadrunner1
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.


Right, I heard about stock trucks doing it while towing heavy loads, just never heard of it being pinpointed to a programmer. Doesn't really pertain to me anyway, first thing I did when I bought the truck was delete it. EGR cooler had just been replaced by the dealer a few months prior too.
 
My neighbor's 6.0 was totally stock from day one, and he had the EGR/cooler issue after 80k miles; it was his DD with occasional towing of a boat. Never saw a tuner on it at all. And yet it suffered from the cooler issues, the stuck turbo issue, the FICM issues, etc. Modding it is asking for issues to manifest on top of all the others. Not the least of which is also only having 4 bolts per cyl; increased cyl pressure from tuners makes for head gasket leaks.

It is my opinion that if one corrects the cooler issue (good coolant, flushed several times, install bypass coolant filter), and keep fresh batteries, that the 6.0L can be as robust as any other diesel in STOCK form.
 
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You will not see a change in "temps" on your dash. Oil cooler delta T can only be measured via data stream, it is the difference between engine oil temp/coolant temp. The FICM does not cause an injector to fail, only malfunction until driver voltage is corrected, the FICM output is current limited via FET injector driver output i.e. voltage drops the current does not increase, therefore no damage to injector coils will occur only sloppy or no response of the control spool. Coolant does indeed boil in the EGR cooler, this is the reason for the small hose from the cooler output passage to the "degas bottle". Boiled coolant then condenses back to a liquid.
 
To answer the OP's original question... the 6.0L will take just about any oil you put in it, however I do agree that it prefers the "thinner" lubes because I've yet to see a 15w40 UOA that hasn't ended up as either a 30-weight, or darn near close, after a short 5k run. 5w40 synthetics generally start a bit thinner from the get-go, but still suffer the same shearing. The HPOP absolutely shreds the oil in no-time, but the shearing doesn't seem to manifest into an issue as the trucks (mine included) don't tend to care, but it does beg the question... why not start with a 30-weight from the start? While they too will sheer, they sheer at a MUCH lower rate as documented by various UOA's.

Either way... the big thing is to consistently keep your lube changed. If you have your EGR still intact, 5k is where I'd just hit it and quit it. Without your EGR, and with UOA support, you could stretch it out if you wanted as the oil itself will hold up absolutely fine in regards to contamination (unless you have bigger problems)... you'll just need to keep an eye on viscosity to make sure it isn't sheering too badly.

In terms of dino -vs- synthetic... you'll get all kinds of opinions on the matter. With the shorter OCI runs most 6.0L owners do, I personally don't think it matters quite as badly. That being said, I'm a fan of running the highest quality lube you can get for your money. I picked up my Mobil 1 TDT 5w40 for $13/gallon when AutoZone had a deal last year... so I felt good about that. Shell is constantly running promos on their Rotella line (especially if coupled with their Fuel Rewards Network)... so that's another good place to start. My next run will be with 10w30 Rotella T5.
 
If it can shear down a 40 weight to a 30 weight, wouldn't it shear a 30 weight down to a 20 weight then?

This is where I'm confused.
 
This EGR cooler issue is not at all unique to the Ford engine. This has been a major headache in commercial trucking for over a decade. Some of it has gotten under control with the advent of SCR which allowed the amount of EGR to be dialed back to much lower levels, thereby taking the strain off the cooler.

I have seen several instances, including even a 5w40 full synthetic, being sheared down to a 30w in short order. My Detroit 60 can make some 15w40 oils scream for mercy. Given the right conditions and the right engine, some weird things can happen.
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
If it can shear down a 40 weight to a 30 weight, wouldn't it shear a 30 weight down to a 20 weight then?

This is where I'm confused.



Not necessarily.
The idea that a 40 grade is a bit thick,so it shears to be able to flow easily through the clearances. Once it's sheared enough and the back pressure lessened the shearing forces are also lessened.
Did I say that right?
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
If it can shear down a 40 weight to a 30 weight, wouldn't it shear a 30 weight down to a 20 weight then?

This is where I'm confused.



UOA data (and there is a lot of it) shows that once it reaches the 30 grade, it settles there. The HEUI in the 6.0L will shear down a 40 to a 30, but it generally will not shear a 30 much if any at all. Once down to 30, it pretty much stays consistent.
 
Originally Posted By: dnewton3
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
If it can shear down a 40 weight to a 30 weight, wouldn't it shear a 30 weight down to a 20 weight then?

This is where I'm confused.



UOA data (and there is a lot of it) shows that once it reaches the 30 grade, it settles there. The HEUI in the 6.0L will shear down a 40 to a 30, but it generally will not shear a 30 much if any at all. Once down to 30, it pretty much stays consistent.


And I have speculated for some time that the bulk of the shearing occurs during warm-up. Cold, vicious oil through the HPOP destroys the VII.
 
Is it reasonable to assume that a 40 weight sheared down to a 30 weight will most likely not perform as good as 30 weight that has virtually no shearing? In other words running a 10w-30 may provide superior performance to a 5w-40 which has sheared down to a 5w-30.
Does the 7.3 shear 40 weight oil?
 
Theory does not always equal reality. There are plently of UOAs here to show that a sheared xw-40 and a static 10w-30 will both protect against wear in the same manner. Your assumption, although "reasonable", is incorrect. The data available clearly shows that the wear rates of either fluid seem to fall well withing statistical variance. There is no essential "performance" difference between a sheared 40 and a static 30, when both are at 30 grade. I get the theory, but the facts prove otherwise. In my world (statistical process quality control) OUTPUTS (hard data results) are much more important than INPUTS (theory).


Yes, the 7.3L does also shear oil, but not quite as quickly. It has to do with the difference in the way the HEUI injectors are made. A 7.3L injector only uses oil pressure to open the injector pintle off the seat, but a spring closes the pintle. In a 6.0L (and the 4.5L v-6) they use oil pressure on both sides of the pintle to open AND close the injector. So the 6.0L sees twice as many shearing events.
 
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I think Roadrunner posted on a forum one time that he got worse UOAs with JD 15w-40 and its shearing than withe JD 10w-30.

I realize that only testing in the same environment would provide the answer. However if both oils are going to do their work in the same grade I'll take the one which retains its original molecular structure.
 
I had very similar results with the Deere 15w-40, as that was my baseline when I switched to 10w-30. The 15w-40 did shear, but not out of 40 grade.

I had tried Rotella 5w-40 for 3 runs and my wear metals increased, and viscosity sheared to a low 30 wt., lower than any of my 10w-30 runs, and that was the end of 5w-40 for me.
 
Just got my UOA back from 5k miles on Rotella T6 and got the same 'wear metals increased' message from Blackstone. But they said it's nothing to worry about. So T6 will go back in on the next change.
 
Originally Posted By: 4Scott4
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??


I would first ask my mechanic if he knows ANYTHING about the 6.0 PSD. My guess is that he does not. While the advice he gave isn't bad for the normal gas/diesel engine, it not good advice for the 7.3 or the 6.0. Ask me how I know. What you have been told about the HEUI system is absolutely true and your 6.0 will like you much better if you heed this advice.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Isn't the factory recommended interval at 7500 miles? This beast holds 15 quarts.


Yes, and the factory also thought it ok to use 10 bolts on the heads instead of the 17 used in the 7.3! They also thought it ok to use plastic parts where 4,000 lbs of pressure would be introduced, such as the fitting at the HPOP. I don't listen to the factory much when it comes to these engines. I would listen to the many who have gone through the trials and tribulations with these motors and figured out the hard way what makes them bulletproof.
 
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Originally Posted By: dnewton3
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 ...


Dave, I always agree with your assessments and the data you show may be correct, but I assure you, they do not apply to the 6.0. They really don't. Even as a 7.3 owner, I found out just how vital the oil is to the injection systems. I am not talking about the rotating assembly, and those parts are not a problem in these motors, but the fuel system gets VERY expensive real quick if not properly treated. I would always say conventional with 5-7k intervals, but not with the 6.0, if you like your pocketbook in the least.
 
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Best thing I've seen on a 6.0 is run Motorcraft 10w-30 with Rev X seams to be the best for a 6.0. I ran Motorcraft with Rev X in my 6.0's one of them I got 230,000 out of the factory injectors but I changed the oil and filter every 3,000 miles.
 
I had always went 7,500 mi. intervals on both of my 6.0's. 10w-30 Deere Plus 50, and I never had an issue with either. I had never run ANY oil additive of any kind in any diesel engine.
 
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