Ford 6.0l diesel oil mix question. Okay to do so?

[syndini]

Guys serious question here;

I have a 2006 Ford F-350 with the 6.0 diesel. You know the engine that has the infamous hydraulic electric unit injectors that seem to shred the most expensive oils into hamburger in a few thousand miles, all but a couple of brands anyway.

I have a couple brands of oil that are left over from past oil changes and I would like to use them if possible.

The brands are as follows:
1 qt Schaeffers 5w-40 synthetic diesel
1 qt Royal Purple 15w-40 synthetic diesel
1 qt Amsoil 15w-40 synthetic diesel

If I put 12 quarts of Delo 15w-40 conventional in and 1 quart of each of the above listed synthetics in (15 qts total) when changing my oil and filter would that be safe?

All meet the minimum API rating for my engine, and my OCI is only 5000 miles, just hate to waste it!

 

[Mr Nice]

YES

 

[chubbs1]

DO IT! DON"T WASTE...

 

[tinmanSC]

Go for it. Have no worries.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

DO NOT MIX THEM! Blend them.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Guys, I've removed some posts and reopened this thread.

This engine is known for some SERIOUS issues and according to the OP VERY picky on what oil is being used.

Lets help him out and get some valuable info posted here!

Thanks in advance, Bill

 

[syndini]

Thanks for your help Bill!

Yeah, most all Ford 6.0l diesel owners are familiar with the quirks and problems that have plagued this engine, many non Ford 6.0l diesel owners may be aware of the many problems and break downs that have been part and parcel with ownership of this engine but are probably unaware of what many of us 6.0 diesel owners are still learning. That is that many of the break downs that occur with this engine are a result of oil or coolant issues. One of the several problems with the oil seams to be that the oil shears and breaks down long before the factory recommended service intervals are reached. This causes problems in the Hydraulic Electric fuel injectors which are fired by using the engine oil that is pressurized to something like 3500 psi. Another problem that has been brought up by many mechanics is the clogging of the small passages in the oil cooler a very important component on this engine. I personally don't know the cause of the oil cooler problems at this time but there are several theories. However, it has become pretty obvious to many of us 6.0 owners that the oil is EVERYTHING in this engine, and it only likes it when it's clean and up to performance standards!!! Many of our favorite brand name oils that provide superior results and show great UOA in other diesel engines don't seem to hold up as well in this engine for more than 3500 to 5000 miles (Factory OCI is 7500 miles for normal use). Many of the owners that run Rotella and most other convetionals have gone to the old 3 month or 3000 mile OCI because UOA have shown shearing down a grade as quick a 3000 miles in this engine. That can get expensive when a filter is 20 to 30 dollars and the engine takes 15 quarts of oil when changing.



So oil mixing that seems to work fine in most all other engine applications may not be the case for this particular engine. I've read on here in some posts the POA base oils and ester base oils are a bad idea to mix for reasons that I can't remember. I have no idea what is in the oils I listed above but I surely don't want to put anything in this engine that might upset the apple cart in the add mixes of these oils and cause some catastrophic failure of any of these engine components.

Hopefully some of you chemist on here can look at the oils I've listed above, know if those brands are going get along well enough not to be an issue with this engine. Don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish. I'll be glad to provide any information about my equipment, service practices or what ever else might be important.

Thanks to all that have helped and posted and hope somebody might be familiar with this engine and the make up of my leftover oils enough to give me a confident recommendation.

 

[STG]

Since a 6.0 engine costs over $15,000, I've never mixed oils. I've used Delvac 1 5w-40, Mobil 1 for Turbo Diesel Trucks 5w-40 (when it was Delvac 1 and after the formula change), and recently Shell Rotella T6 in my 2005 F250.

THE ONLY TIME MY ENGINE CONTAINED 100% PURE OIL OF ANY TYPOE WAS AT THE FACTORY. When I changed to Delvac 1, there was some factory fill left. When i changed to new formula TDT, there was some Delvac 1 left inside. When I changed to Rotella T6, there was TDT left over inside.

Come to think of it, since I have never flushed 100% of the old oil out of my 6.0, so there's a tiny amount of the original factory fill, and subsequent larger amounts of every oil that's ever been in my engine.

It's OK to mix oils of the same API spec. Were not talking about DOT 3 and silicone brake fluid.

 

[syndini]

Originally Posted By: STG
Since a 6.0 engine costs over $15,000, I've never mixed oils. I've used Delvac 1 5w-40, Mobil 1 for Turbo Diesel Trucks 5w-40 (when it was Delvac 1 and after the formula change), and recently Shell Rotella T6 in my 2005 F250.

THE ONLY TIME MY ENGINE CONTAINED 100% PURE OIL OF ANY TYPOE WAS AT THE FACTORY. When I changed to Delvac 1, there was some factory fill left. When i changed to new formula TDT, there was some Delvac 1 left inside. When I changed to Rotella T6, there was TDT left over inside.

Come to think of it, since I have never flushed 100% of the old oil out of my 6.0, so there's a tiny amount of the original factory fill, and subsequent larger amounts of every oil that's ever been in my engine.

It's OK to mix oils of the same API spec. Were not talking about DOT 3 and silicone brake fluid.



Yeah I see your point, come to think of it, doesn't the High Pressure Oil Pump have it's own reservoir of about 3 to 4 quarts which doesn't drain out when doing an oil change. If that's the case wouldn't that mean that 20 percent of the used oil remains in the engine after each oil change?

 

[Hammer]

Yes, their is a HPOP reservoir and it only holds no more than a quart. On my 7.3, I stick a tube into the external fill port and can suck out 24 ounces. there is a screen at the bottom that prevents sucking out the 8 ounces or less that the screen prevents the tube from reaching.

 

[tuckman]

Over @ powerstroke.org there is a big push to switch the ford gold coolant out with ELC coolants that meet the CAT EC1 spec (Rotella, CAT, Fleetrite, Zerex ect...). International uses a silicate free ELC coolant on their 365 VT, same motor but with the International name. That gets rid of the silicates that are clogging the oil coolers and the EGR coolers. This combined with coolant filtration the 6.0 has a better chance of living a long life. Well that plus a few other things like ARP head studs over ford torque to yield head bolts, EGR delete (if you don't live in a state or province that does emission testing), if not Bullet Proof Diesel makes a better EGR cooler. I also recommend getting some gauges or a Edge Insight monitor to monitor your EGT's, oil temp, trans temp, coolant temp ect... If your oil temp is 15deg over the coolant temp during normal driving it is a sign you have a plugged oil cooler.

As for mixing the oils...go for it, it is only 1 OCI!

Also the HPOP High Pressure Oil Pump reaches pressure of 5000psi.

 

[widman]

I have a 6.0 in my 2003 F550. As stated above, in any engine there is oil left from before the change, up to 20% in some cases. Some manuals have a "dry" fill capacity and a "refill" capacity.

the actual injector pressure from the HPOP to the injectors is around 20,000 psi once the engine is running. It needs 500 psi on startup just to tell the computer to not shut down the injectors.

There have been many failures of oil filters on this engine that don't hold pressure on the drain valve.

My problems with this engine come from it not having any air filters on the fuel tanks. (I've since added one). Since they are between the wheels for every gallon of diesel you use, you suck in a gallon of dusty air. The fuel filters do not seat very well (at least the Wix that were in mine when I got it) and also, when changing them they allow the dirty fuel to get past. This gets into the HPOP and scratches it, killing pressure.

I would have no problem mixing those 3 oils.

 

[badnews]

Sorry to say this guys but this sounds like a junk science engine

I would not mix oils in this engine in fact I would only use 15 W 40 no matter what Ford says

 

[tuckman]

Originally Posted By: badnews
Sorry to say this guys but this sounds like a junk science engine

I would not mix oils in this engine in fact I would only use 15 W 40 no matter what Ford says



How many Powerstroke powered vehicles do you own?

 

[badnews]

I own a MBenz 3.0 diesel
and
A Cummins ISB 6.7

from the posts here and on other boards I don't think I'd ever buy one

 

[badnews]

http://www.autoblog.com/2005/12/16/fords-power-stroke-diesel-causing-major-problems/

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20051216/FREE/51216021

 

[tuckman]

Originally Posted By: badnews
I own a MBenz 3.0 diesel
and
A Cummins ISB 6.7

from the posts here and on other boards I don't think I'd ever buy one



They have nothing in common with any of the Powerstroke's.

You buy whatever you like.

 

[badnews]

Well yeah I guess I will

 

[mtsinner7868]

Originally Posted By: widman
There have been many failures of oil filters on this engine that don't hold pressure on the drain valve.

My problems with this engine come from it not having any air filters on the fuel tanks. (I've since added one). Since they are between the wheels for every gallon of diesel you use, you suck in a gallon of dusty air. The fuel filters do not seat very well (at least the Wix that were in mine when I got it) and also, when changing them they allow the dirty fuel to get past. This gets into the HPOP and scratches it, killing pressure.


The problem is not with the filters on the Powerstroke..... it's with the idiot that bought the filter to put in them ! If you are NOT using Motorcraft or Racor filters you will eventually experience filter failure leading to further catastrophic failure !!! Racor is the actual manufacturer of Motorcraft filters by the way.

No other brand filter can duplicate the actual OEM filter used on the Powerstroke due to the patent rights held on them. ALL others are sub-standard and if you using anything other than OEM.... Your just rolling the dice for catastrophic failure ! All because some idiot is going to save a $1... or $2

If you are having dirty fuel issues it because of those Wix filters in your filter housings.....(See last paragraph) And what kind of Powerstroke do you have where dirty fuel ends up in the HPO system and scratches the HPOP ???

 

[Gokhan]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Guys, I've removed some posts and reopened this thread.

This engine is known for some SERIOUS issues and according to the OP VERY picky on what oil is being used.

Lets help him out and get some valuable info posted here!

Thanks in advance, Bill

Why don't you try Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40? It's CJ-4, CF, and CF-2 certified, meaning it's even certified for two-stroke-cycle engines. It has a hefty high-temperature, high-shear viscosity of 4.3. I'm guessing the ambient temperatures don't get too low in North Carolina; so, this oil might be the best for your high-shear application. It's also only $9.79 a gallon at Wal-Mart.