# diesel engine?



## bob (Dec 26, 1999)

My friend has a new Ford Powerstroke truck. He said that the diesel engine takes a special type of oil "diesel oil",not available in his local parts stores. The dealer has it for $2.50 a quart-he needs 15 quarts! Is this true?


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## pottstim (Jun 9, 2000)

Bob,
Your friend is right about the Powerstroke taking 15qts. of oil. Dad works in the mining business, and they have Chevy and Ford Diesels. I just asked him and he said the PSD takes 15 qts. of 15w-40 motor oil. They run 15-40 in all their diesel pickups. These trucks are driven down into a zinc mine, sometimes as far down as 1200 feet!
Ray Kirby, a member on this forum, has a Ford pickup with the PSD. You may try to get his attention, i'm sure he can help you out a lot more than I can.

Take care,
Tim


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## KirbysLawn (Jun 13, 2000)

Bob, the 7.3 liter PSD takes 15 qts of qil, correct. The best oils are Amsoil or Shell Rotella. I have a commercial account for Amsoil but I'm not allowed to sell it retail, I think someone on the site does sell it, I'm just not sure who. Most parts stores stock Rotella but some put it near the transmission fluid for some reason. 

Ray


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## plowking35 (Dec 21, 1999)

The oil has to have a c rating. That stands for compression engine, whick is what a diesel is. Rotella T from shell is a very good oil. Amsoil is also, but will be very $$ as it is a full synthetic oil. Mobil Delvac and Delvac 1 are also good oils, along with fleetgaurd from IH.
Dino


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## cat320 (Aug 25, 2000)

My '95 powerstroke has been getting the shell and lattly i have been able to get Castrol for it both are 15w40.I run it all year long with that weight. it seams to be ok in the cold but i plug in to help the engine from overworking it self when the weather gets cold in boston.But long as you get the right rateing and you change it reguarly you should have no problems.hope this helps.


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## John DiMartino (Jan 22, 2000)

I used to buy Shell Rotella T at Sams club for my Cummins,it was 30-32 dollars for six gallons,a case gave me 2 oil changes.The powerstroke holds 15 qts of oil so it can use it to fire the injectors at up to 3000 PSI,some oils had a foaming problem,but now additives are put in most oils to take care of it.Clean oil is the best way to get a long life out of a pwerstroke.Some guys use amsoil in there diesels with the bypass filter and go as much as 100K between changes-this is not a good idea with the PSD.


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## Bobby (Jan 14, 2000)

Hey Bob
A friend of mine bought one. The first thing he did was change the oil. It started running bad within about thirty minuets. It was explained by the mechanic that the cam has eight small circles in it. The injector pump has to see through a circle for correct timing. Foaming oil interfears with the electronic signal.Correct me if I'm wrong,thats what I was told.


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## Tom Smith (Nov 8, 2003)

How often.. How many miles should u change the oil in a diesel ?


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## The Boss (Oct 22, 2003)

I change mine every 3000 miles.:waving:


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## Plow Meister (Oct 16, 2001)

In severe usage like towing or plowing, I would change mine every 3,000 miles. You can stretch it to 6,000 if it is just a grocery getter. Personally, I have run mine to 10,000 a few times (all highway miles to and from Wyoming and back 5 times). You need to be careful with the longevity of diesel oil. Not only does it oil the engine, it also lubes the turbo and helps the injectors fire. There are areas that the engine oil in our PSD's can reach 3,000psi and has to travel through orofices. Old iol can cause problems with your HPOP, IPR, injectors, turbo, etc. You MUST use "C" rated oil. I use Delvac. I get it at AutoZone for $5.00 per gallon. Make sure to pre fill your oil filter. It takes almost 2 quarts to fill.


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## Mebes (Feb 7, 2004)

The PSD does use a different oil
It is rated CG-4 (compression ignition)
And SH (spark ignition)
you should use 10-30 in the winter
and change oil at 5000 normal
and 5000 severe
You have to use an oil rated for both CG-4 and SH
It's all in the manual.


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## Mebes (Feb 7, 2004)

Sorry it's 5000 miles normal service
And 3000 rough service.

Here is a link to the rotella website. (it's what I use)
http://www.rotella.com/products/rotella_t.html


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## Tom Smith (Nov 8, 2003)

Thanks for the info !! Appreciate it !


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## Ggg6 (Oct 14, 2003)

The only thing I saw that didn't sound correct was the $ for Delvac 1. It is Mobil synthetic for diesels and runs about $20/gal and it is not carried at parts stores. Although, Mobil Delvac 1300 is the dyno oil for diesels and runs about $5/gal, and is carried at parts stores as well as others. All the oils mentioned are very good, synthetics are very pricey, good dyno oil will do a very good job as well. Personally I run Delvac 1 with a bypass filter system and extended oil changes at intervals set by a laboratory test done on the oil. So far I am at 30k only changing the filter. Since I mentioned filters, it is extremely important to use a very good quality filter for fuel and oil. Baldwin, Racor, Donaldson, Mobil 1, Motorcraft,Amsoil are the filter mfg. I can recommend. I used to use Fleetguard until I read the specs on them and compared to the above mentioned brands. I am not trying to start any brand arguments, but I have many years as a heavy diesel mechanic, and had my personal favorites when it came to brands of filters. Until I did a lot of research when switching over to synthetic and a bypass filter system. It gave me quite an education and changed some of my long time favorite brands of filters.


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