Oil Options

[Tj Krawler]

I got my truck earlier this week and want to do an oil change soon. I'm not sure what oil/filter I should go with, or what it has in it now or anytime before me. Looking for something I can run year round. We have temperatures from a week or more in winter at -5* to 100*+ days in summer. I want to go with synthetic.

I can get Valvoline Extreme Blue 5w-40 at Napa for $29/gal. Probably a little less if I go to the Napa warehouse. Or I could go to $39/gal for 15w-40 Amsoil. Is paying more for Amsoil worth it for our trucks, or is it better to just change it every 5k anyways? In spring I plan on converting the truck for WVO, if that makes a difference in oil change intervals. I've heard both ways.


Then should I go with a Ford filter, the Amsoil one, the Napa one (recommended by my Mom's boyfriend, who's always had 7.3s) or go with the Donaldson BHOF?


I'm leaning towards the Extreme Blue, but if I can get 10k+ out of Amsoil vs 5k it would be worth it.

[rufushusky]

Sounds like Rotella T6 5w40 would suit you well, like 19-22 bucks a gallon at Wally World. With 5K OCIs the MC FL1995 is your best bang for your buck...like 10 bucks a pop and 18 microns absolute. If you were running longer OCIs then the Donaldson ELF7405 is a great filter but about three times as much as the MC.

Honestly on a truck in good operating condition 10k is not THAT long of an OCI if monitored with a UOA. International recommends a 8-10k OCI for the T444E, which has an oil pan with 2 more quarts of fluid than ours.

WVO will, from most accounts that I have heard, shorten your OCI so a more economical oil might not be a bad idea from a cost stand point.

While your at it change your fuel filter, Donaldson, Baldwin, FG, MC all make good fuel filters. I would also recomend changing ALL of your major fluids (brake, coolant, ATF, x-case, power steering, diffs etc) unless you know for sure the condition of all of them.

[Tj Krawler]

Originally Posted by rufushusky

Sounds like Rotella T6 5w40 would suit you well, like 19-22 bucks a gallon at Wally World. With 5K OCIs the MC FL1995 is your best bang for your buck...like 10 bucks a pop and 18 microns absolute. If you were running longer OCIs then the Donaldson ELF7405 is a great filter but about three times as much as the MC.

Honestly on a truck in good operating condition 10k is not THAT long of an OCI if monitored with a UOA. International recommends a 8-10k OCI for the T444E, which has an oil pan with 2 more quarts of fluid than ours.

WVO will, from most accounts that I have heard, shorten your OCI so a more economical oil might not be a bad idea from a cost stand point.

While your at it change your fuel filter, Donaldson, Baldwin, FG, MC all make good fuel filters. I would also recomend changing ALL of your major fluids (brake, coolant, ATF, x-case, power steering, diffs etc) unless you know for sure the condition of all of them.

Was trying to stay away from Rotella, but I don't really know why. I don't mind spending a little more on something as important as oil.

The guy we've been getting Amsoil from claims to have had 322k on the oil in his truck before he sold it. Kept getting an oil analysis and it kept coming back perfect.

I'm probably going to get a MC fuel filter next time I go by the dealer, forgot the other day. Need to get new clips to hold the fender liner in anyways. In the spring it will be getting all new fluids. Probably not going to put many miles on it, so it should be under 100k still.

[rufushusky]

Originally Posted by Tj Krawler

Was trying to stay away from Rotella, but I don't really know why. I don't mind spending a little more on something as important as oil.

The guy we've been getting Amsoil from claims to have had 322k on the oil in his truck before he sold it. Kept getting an oil analysis and it kept coming back perfect.

I'm probably going to get a MC fuel filter next time I go by the dealer, forgot the other day. Need to get new clips to hold the fender liner in anyways. In the spring it will be getting all new fluids. Probably not going to put many miles on it, so it should be under 100k still.

He put 322k on the same oil? Hmm..sounds an awful lot like the old Frantz sales pitch.

Yeah I know some PSD ppl aren't rotella fans...I don't really know why. Every UOA I have seen with it has been as good as any other name brand motor oil (Delo, Delvac, VPB etc etc). Amsoil is great stuff, your just spending a lot up front for it. For my shorter (7500 mile) OCIs it is not really worth it. Right now I have Rotella T5 10w-30 and it seems to be performing pretty well.

There a few Cummins Northeast in upstate NY, they have VPBE 5w-40 usually goes for around rotella t6's price, I think the last time I got it in 2007-2008 it was like $19 a gallon.

Cummins Northeast - Locations

I don't know if any of those locations are near you. I am lucky enough to have one two towns over, great resource for parts and usually pretty reasonably priced.

[JEL]

Originally Posted by rufushusky

He put 322k on the same oil? Hmm..sounds an awful lot like the old Frantz sales pitch.


.

lol I agree, and if it's true, I'd sure feel bad for the next owner!

If you want to stay away from Rotella (although I have no problem with it in my truck), then Valvoline Blue is great stuff as well. I see no reason you can't go 10k on Premium Blue synthetic, and if you do, it may be a good idea to use the BHOF from Donaldson.

[ScottyP5947]

I am a huge fan of the Rotella 5-40, it's inexpensive and always comes back good with an oil analysis from Blackstone at 5k intervals. I used to run Mobil Delvac 1 5-40 in my TDI, but that's because it took 4 quarts and the few bucks didn't hurt much, although now that I have gone to Rotella in the TDI, it's just as happy and oil analysis comes back great on it at 10k miles.
I know it ruffles a lot of feathers but Amsoil is a lot of hype and people promoting it for their own 'business' - good oil but overpriced and I always feel like it's some cult when someone is trying to sell me on it again... YMMV, but just remember when is the last time you heard from someone who changed their oil and suffered an oil related failure? Not too often these days - all oil is at least 'decent' oil.

Scott

[JEL]

Originally Posted by ScottyP5947

I know it ruffles a lot of feathers but Amsoil is a lot of hype and people promoting it for their own 'business' -

I agree. I look at oil like toothpaste. Crest, Colegate, and Aquafresh (Delo, Rotella, Delvac) will all do just as good a job for 99% of us. There may be some extreme cirumstances when we need something special like Sensodyne (Amsoil, Redline), but the majority of us can use what ever is most readily available at the best cost with little-to-no difference in performance.

[Bldblk]

I bought the ford powerstroke 5qt jugs because they didnt have the rotella. but i just got flyer in the mail from tractor supply with rotella 5 gallon buckets. I am huge huge huge fan amsoil products but your money can be better suited elsewhere, unless you want 100 syn then amsoil all the way. TJ, do you get your amsoil from the guy on 75?

[Tj Krawler]

Originally Posted by rufushusky

He put 322k on the same oil? Hmm..sounds an awful lot like the old Frantz sales pitch.

Yeah I know some PSD ppl aren't rotella fans...I don't really know why. Every UOA I have seen with it has been as good as any other name brand motor oil (Delo, Delvac, VPB etc etc). Amsoil is great stuff, your just spending a lot up front for it. For my shorter (7500 mile) OCIs it is not really worth it. Right now I have Rotella T5 10w-30 and it seems to be performing pretty well.

Looked into it more. It was every 100k, truck had 322k on it when he sold it. I think it was a 24v Cummins.

Originally Posted by ScottyP5947

I am a huge fan of the Rotella 5-40, it's inexpensive and always comes back good with an oil analysis from Blackstone at 5k intervals. I used to run Mobil Delvac 1 5-40 in my TDI, but that's because it took 4 quarts and the few bucks didn't hurt much, although now that I have gone to Rotella in the TDI, it's just as happy and oil analysis comes back great on it at 10k miles.
I know it ruffles a lot of feathers but Amsoil is a lot of hype and people promoting it for their own 'business' - good oil but overpriced and I always feel like it's some cult when someone is trying to sell me on it again... YMMV, but just remember when is the last time you heard from someone who changed their oil and suffered an oil related failure? Not too often these days - all oil is at least 'decent' oil.

Scott

I've heard bad things about some Rotella oil in TDI's. My Moms 04 Jetta gets Amsoil. OCI ~7,500. We can buy the oil for $100 bucks with 2 filters (bottle says good for 25k) or the dealer can do it for $80. We've been letting them do it. She puts on ~35k a year.

Originally Posted by Bldblk

I bought the ford powerstroke 5qt jugs because they didnt have the rotella. but i just got flyer in the mail from tractor supply with rotella 5 gallon buckets. I am huge huge huge fan amsoil products but your money can be better suited elsewhere, unless you want 100 syn then amsoil all the way. TJ, do you get your amsoil from the guy on 75?

I think it comes from a guy in North Tonawanda. My Mom's BF works with him. IIRC his name is Jeff. He's out of town until Tuesday. There is another guy that's 2 miles from the mall, that sells it, but his prices are higher.

Tomorrow I'll call the Napa warehouse and see how much cheaper they are for the extreme blue. Either way I'll probably end up with the Donaldson filter and 7-10k OCI. At 5k maybe I'll have an oil analysis done. If it does end up seeing WVO I'll probably drop it to 5-7.5k.

[rufushusky]

Originally Posted by Tj Krawler

I've heard bad things about some Rotella oil in TDI's. My Moms 04 Jetta gets Amsoil. OCI ~7,500. We can buy the oil for $100 bucks with 2 filters (bottle says good for 25k) or the dealer can do it for $80. We've been letting them do it. She puts on ~35k a year.

Yeah I know the PD engines in some of the TDIs are very picky about motor oil, but that is a specialty engine. Fleets would hate to have an engine that picky, your 7.3 was designed with a much more uniform maintenance program in mind and therefore is not anywhere near as picky about motor oil.