Anybody using Rotella T6?

[Trigganometry]

I get my oil tested for a baseline on health. Use full synthetic and WIX filters. Usually about 7.5K on changes. My last report references shear so it’s good to know when you get happy enough with these trucks you will need to be mindful of the change times.

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[Wytchdctr]

It's funny to read people who say that there is no reason to doubt Ford, and stick with their OEM oil, but then state that they change oil ever 5k miles vs recommended 10k. Dont trust Fords engineers???

The owner's manual has a breakdown from 10k down to 3k on when to do an oil change / when the indicator should say to change the oil; depending on what you do with the truck.

 

[Floyd]

It's funny to read people who say that there is no reason to doubt Ford, and stick with their OEM oil, but then state that they change oil ever 5k miles vs recommended 10k. Dont trust Fords engineers???

Hilarious, but not applicable in this case. I have always taken the best advice I could find, tested it against experience, then took responsibility for the consequences of my decisions.

Once I have written the check, the vehicle belongs to ME and NOT the manufacturer.

When working on someone else's vehicle, we collaborate to decide who is to take that responsibility and I won't do work I don't trust to accomplish the intended task.

I can't tell you how many times we have had to modify a manufacturer's procedure or reengineer their F*ups.... Still they are usually the best single source for good information.

As for trusting engineers? I refer you to a quote from the great Ronald Reagan...."Trust, but verify"

 

[ccasanova22]

It's funny to read people who say that there is no reason to doubt Ford, and stick with their OEM oil, but then state that they change oil ever 5k miles vs recommended 10k. Dont trust Fords engineers???

Well, some might say the manufacturer is inclined to set the interval longer so you buy a new vehicle earlier due to extra wear.

What has never made sense to me is, if an independent lab (such as Blackstone) says the oil is OK (and I plan to sample every oil change), why would they lie? Making false reports and having engines blow up would just hurt their reputation. Same for Ford.

So my guess is a reasonable OCI (7.5k or 10k) should be fine if backed by hard data.

I will post my Blackstone when I get it to see how my 2.3L fares compared to the rest. Should have it in a week or two.

 

[Floyd]

Well, some might say the manufacturer is inclined to set the interval longer so you buy a new vehicle earlier due to extra wear.

What has never made sense to me is, if an independent lab (such as Blackstone) says the oil is OK (and I plan to sample every oil change), why would they lie? Making false reports and having engines blow up would just hurt their reputation. Same for Ford.

So my guess is a reasonable OCI (7.5k or 10k) should be fine if backed by hard data.

I will post my Blackstone when I get it to see how my 2.3L fares compared to the rest. Should have it in a week or two.

Seriously, what does it cost for a good UOA nowadays?

Is it more than the price of 6QTS of good oil?
Also.... is it fair to think that a UOA at every oil change is maybe a bit excessive for non competition use? How about every 50K or so to check for impending wear?

 

[ccasanova22]

Some of us may have jobs where large decisions depend on cold, hard data so the UOA’s are just another way to collect information. Not saying it’s right or wrong. Just that a $30 UOA is not a big deal to me.

 

[Floyd]

Some of us may have jobs where large decisions depend on cold, hard data so the UOA’s are just another way to collect information. Not saying it’s right or wrong. Just that a $30 UOA is not a big deal to me.

Thank you!
So a UOA is about the same price as a crankcase full of clean oil with a filter.

An oil change interval of 10K with a UOA is then about the same price as an oil change interval of 5KI without a UOA.
Sounds like both owners get peace of mind for about the same price.

My money is still on clean oil....
10K oil will be a bit more than twice as dirty as 5K oil from the same application.
Still clean enough for many owners.

Just anecdotally....
Spill a cup of clean oil on a clean concrete floor.
Spill a cup of 10K drain oil on a different spot on the same floor.
Wipe up the mess and notice the contrast.

 

[fusseli]

I love the argument against collecting data and all for doing unnecessary service intervals. And trying to save $30 here and there on a $40k truck. It’s not about the pennies saved to me it’s about science and the data and having proof my truck is tip top. Keep changing your oil at 5k and you’ll be fine your way. Don’t discourage UOAs and literal technical proof.

@ccasanova22 I’m doing the same thing, have got a UOA every change including factory fill. Posted it a page or two back.

 

[VAMike]

It's funny to read people who say that there is no reason to doubt Ford, and stick with their OEM oil, but then state that they change oil ever 5k miles vs recommended 10k. Dont trust Fords engineers???

there isn't a "recommended 10k", there's an oil change indicator and a note in the manual that the max is 10k or one year. most people don't get to 10k before the light goes on.

I use the recommended oil at the (actual) recommended interval and don't understand all the faffing around with oil change voodoo. I guess if it's what you do for entertainment, have fun?

 

[Grumpaw]

Well, some might say the manufacturer is inclined to set the interval longer so you buy a new vehicle earlier due to extra wear.

What has never made sense to me is, if an independent lab (such as Blackstone) says the oil is OK (and I plan to sample every oil change), why would they lie? Making false reports and having engines blow up would just hurt their reputation. Same for Ford.

So my guess is a reasonable OCI (7.5k or 10k) should be fine if backed by hard data.

I will post my Blackstone when I get it to see how my 2.3L fares compared to the rest. Should have it in a week or two.

So it costs $35 for an analysis....and it costs me around $35-$38 to do my own oil changes with synthetic/Ford filter every 5000 miles....I'll change my oil instead.
I've never had an analysis done, nor do I plan too.
Out of every 5000 miles I put on the Ranger between changes 1500-2000 of those miles are towing a heavy travel trailer, which to me is severe usage. And if we have a longer trip in the near future, I will change the oil/filter earlier.
Use whatever oil/filter you want, at whatever interval you deem necessary.
I'm not going to change your procedures, and your not going to change mine....we're just here to post our differences and accept that we each have our own ways of doing things.

 

[dtech]

here is a post from a Hyundai forum, indicating another type of notification when it's time for an oil change, me I choose to rely mostly on Ford's OCI :

"I have a Santa Fe sports 2016, and recently, engine oil light came up almost every 2000 miles, and when I checked, there is almost no more oil inside the engine, so I had to do a oil changes.

there is no leak from the engine, just very low oil level after 2000 miles, so I had To change it.

Does anyone have similar problem like this?

the type of oil I change is mobile 1, I also tried synthetic, almost the same result.

thanks in advance"

 

[Floyd]

We had a Cat 990 payloader which was used to load petroleum Coke (filthy service)
It took (if I recall) about 25 gallons of engine oil plus filters.
It cost (15 years ago) about $250,000 for an overhaul on a recommended 11,000 hour schedule.
UOA was used to monitor engine wear and samples were taken while in service, to determine whether to extend or reduce turnaround times in order to save major components.
Down time for service was very costly as it loaded 7000 tons of Coke per day.
The $35 was considered worth it for this application, but we would have been laughed out of the shop if we submitted a UOA for the field service truck.

 

[Dgc333]

FWIW, in my 50+ years of vehicle ownership and ~1 million accumulated miles I have never had and internal engine failure. I typically keep a vehicle 7 to 10 years and generally put 150k to 300+k miles on them before moving on.

Prior to oil life monitors I would change my oil on 5k intervals when using conventional oil and 7.5k intervals with synthetic in my turbo vehicles. Since my vehicles started coming with oil life monitors I start planning my next oil change when the monitor drops below 20% and typically have the oil changed by no later than 10%. I generally don't pay attention to the number of miles anymore.

I have never paid.much attention to oil brands, I get what ever is on sale at Walmart. I generally get Motorcraft filters for both my Ford and Mopar vehicles because they tend to be the least expensive at Walmart.

 

[Floyd]

here is a post from a Hyundai forum, indicating another type of notification when it's time for an oil change, me I choose to rely mostly on Ford's OCI :

"I have a Santa Fe sports 2016, and recently, engine oil light came up almost every 2000 miles, and when I checked, there is almost no more oil inside the engine, so I had to do a oil changes.

there is no leak from the engine, just very low oil level after 2000 miles, so I had To change it.

Does anyone have similar problem like this?

the type of oil I change is mobile 1, I also tried synthetic, almost the same result.

thanks in advance"

I think I have met this guy or at least a hundred just like him!

 

[ccasanova22]

Interesting that some bring up CAT diesel engines and oil analysis.

They used to (and I think still do) perform oil analysis in-house at Building LC in their Peoria, IL facility.

Dozens of techs in lab coats would analyze oil samples from dealers across the country, and they were so particular every machine there was calibrated within CAT-specified tolerances.

The lab was so sophisticated that even the light fixtures had to be a high CRI (color rendering index) of 90+ so the techs in white lab coats could see the color and impurities in oil easily.

A few doors down was their failure analysis lab where they analyzed everything from cracked pistons to blown transmissions to hydraulics, etc. IIRC the 3 main types of failures were (a) overloading/over temp, (b) lack of lubrication, and (c) wear.

For those that ran mining trucks in dusty environments, sometimes there was no choice if an engine failed in a bad spot - it had to be serviced to get the truck out of the mine.

Anyways, the engineers would pour over this data and go over ways to maximize longevity while keeping the whole operation profitable. Kind of like a balancing act.

The simple fact that one leaky air filter, or contaminated coolant, could take out a big $$$ machine always fascinated me. And although I’m no longer in that field of work, it’s the science that always fascinated me.

FWIW, I’m a communication systems engineer, so none of this is my expertise “per se”. Just an enthusiastic owner. I’m sure many do things differently and that’s fine - more than likely our trucks will rust out before they need any engine work, lol

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