Diesel service intervals?

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GypsySooners

Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Posts
19
Location
Ocklawaha, FL
Hi again,

First of all, thanks to everyone for helping us decide on a truck.  We just bought our new '06 F-350 Lariat Crew Cab with the 4.30 differential.  Only drove it 40 miles home yesterday but the wife already loves it.  Big relief!!!  :)

OK, in reading the manual it looks like service is required every 7,500 miles and the dealer is, like everyone, trying to intimidate us into every 3,000.  Now I've always had service done, on our previous motorhomes and cars, every 5,000 miles and never had any problems at all.

I understand that the regular service is going to be much more expensive on the diesel.  I don't want to seem cheap, but money is money.  We have the Ford extended, 100,000 mile warranty and I also need to make sure that I don't invalidate that by not doing proper maintenance.

My qestion is, what interval do you think is proper for this truck?

Thanks in advance,

Rich
 
Hi Rich,

Congrats on that brand new spiffy truck.  My thinking is if that is what the Ford manual says....that's what I'd do so that if anything did go wrong, you have it in writing that you followed the manufacturer's instructions. 

We are having the same delima as you with our new tow vehicle.  We just bought an 06 Hyunada Tucson and the manual very boldly says don't change the engine oil until 7500 miles.  Remember how we used to have to change the oil after the first 1,000 miled to remove the little things that came loose during the primary operating time?  You don't need to even to do that with this little car.    So, we are doing what the manual says even though our experience says different.  We also keep every receipt.

However having said that, changing the oil is a relatively minor consideration in the scope of things regarding costs and doesn't hurt anything if done too often.  Now you got me rethinking changing the little car's oil.  ;D

Marsha~
 
Read your extended warranty policy carefully and follow it to a T.? Nothing else matters. Especially whatever anyone tells you.? The Policy company is always right and they want proof so document it and hold on the the records.? ?You could be the winner or loser should problems occur.
 
GypsySooners said:
My qestion is, what interval do you think is proper for this truck?

Thanks in advance,

Rich
?

What ever the owners manual says nothing more nothing less is required.? While changing at an earlier interval will not hurt anything the manufacturer has determined what is proper for the vehicle.? If the manual says 7500 miles or one year which ever comes first then that is what is recommended by the manufacturer and can be safely followed.? I.E the Cumins manual for our ISC Cummins Diesel recommends oil change intervals of 15,000 or one year which ever occurs first.? Since we do not normally put more than 15K on in a year the oil is changed every year while we are in Montana.


 
There are usually separate maintenance schedules for normal and severe service.  Be sure you read the definition of severe service as some RV usage is considered severe and requires more frequent service.
 
I am funny about oil in diesels in Light Trucks.  I like to change it every 3000mi with Rotella 15/40, get the zerks lubed, change the air cleaner and fuel filter and service the transmission at 15,000mi when using it under severe conditions such as towing.  Seems like a lot of maint....but then it is the cheapest form of prevention I can think of.  I have seen too many vehicles at 50-60000 miles have problems because someone did not want to spend the money or do the PM.  I am also particular about oil as the forces in a diesel engine are far more than a gasser.  The factory may say 7500mi but it is your truck and when the day comes that the warranty is complete and the factory walks away or when you sell it you will reap the rewards of more money with its sale or having a vehicle that will go 2-300000 miles.  Then again I am a tire pressure freak checking them at least weekly and sometimes more depending on use, altitude and temperature.  I used to race motorcycles and have seen what severe conditions do to vehicles and towing is severe.  Needless to say this is IMHO and a standard I set for myself. 
 
Definitely check what the owner manual says about "severe duty" or some similar term - towing a heavy trailer probably quaifies if there is a separate maintenance schedule that.  If half your miles are towing and hal "normal service", you can split the difference between the  normal maintenance interval and the severe duty schedule.
 
My only reason for stating "check your extended policy" is because I have seen (Not Me)on more than one occasion where an extended claim was denied because of no documentation of changes to engine and to tranny.  An extended policy has their own requirements and they don't always co=inside with normal specifications.  READ THE POLICY and you will sometimes find odd differences.  Ask some of the service managers and watch them scratch their heads on some of them.  For instance some state 20K miles on Tranny fluid changes. 
That's sure nothing like an auto or pickup.
 
In towing the rule is go with the truck manufacturer's severe duty maintenance schedule.  Because things are so tough on transmissions, having to uncouple and recouple under heavy load, I like to change the transmission fluid annually with a power drain. 

Remember, oil is cheaper than steel.
 
Normal service - OK to go the 7500 miles, but if you tow, use the severe guidelines. Even when not towing, I religiously follow the 5000 mile rule. It's a bit more expensive, but like the previous poster said, oil is a whole bunch cheaper than drivetrain maintenance. Enjoy your new truck, don't baby it (Ford diesels need to be run up past 3000 RPM fairly regularly to keep from carboning up the EGR valve), and don't be afraid to make it do some work.

Larry
 
I have a 2001 F250 Powerstroke and have always had the oil changed at 3000 miles; I'm coming up on 106,000 miles at this time. Never have had a engine issue.

I did to have the transmission rebuilt last month. The only reason I bring that up is , make sure you understand what your service provider does for a full transmission service at 30, 60, 90 thousand miles ( I think that's the interval ). There seems to be two schools of thought, 1. drop the pan, replace the filter and refill. That only takes care of the fluid in the transmission not the transfer case. 2 Flush the fluid in the transmission and transfer case and call it good.

Unknown to me #2 was what my dealer was doing when I came in for my transmission service. They didn't see the ware that I was having and my transmission went out while I was en route to a campsite. The people that repaired the transmission said it was normal ware that caused the failure, at least normal ware for this type of transmission.
 
I am sure some of you have seen my previous post and realize I am very PM oriented to an extreme...but not the worst as I have seen individuals who really overkill the PM routine.  We are buying a Jaguar auto and they were giving me the PM schedules.  Oil changes are recommended every 10,000 miles and they do not recommend synthetics!  The AT is a sealed unit and is serviced only at 100,000 miles as is the manual.  On the AT there is not even a dipstick to check the fluid level or condition of the fluid!  Sparkplugs go for 100,000 miles!  They do recommend a K&N air filter.  There are computers aboard this thing that record seatbelt use, speed, braking and car movement such as skidding.  Jaguar states they will not release the info from the "black box" unless told to do so by a court of law or by the owner.  Seems like big brother is along for the ride whether we want him there or not.  The oil change schedule is what really got my attention.  Seems like the shear forces on oil, even in a car, would be significant enough to break oil down although synthetic might have a chance of survival.  Jag is very specific about oil filters as their filters have micron filtering better than aftermarket filters.  Guess you cant just slip a Ford filter in.  I am going to explore this in depth with their service department!       
 
Phil,

As you have found out, many new autos have sealed transmissions. They have no filters, and when p.m. time rolls around, they pump out the old, flush thoroughly, and pump in the new. Heck, the tranny on my Stealth twin-turbo has only two dealer serviceable parts - the input and output shaft seals. Anything else requires replacing the entire unit!
 
I guess I have been stuck with trucks and my Wrangler too long.  On my Dodge, which has their wonderful  Dodge AT, it is like Sunday morning services checking the AT fluid level and color and going thru the rest of it to make sure everything is OK.  I had the worst time switching over to 10-30 weight oil having always used a 10-40 or heavier oil and now they suggest 0-30 to 5-30 :eek: .  The Wrangler asked for proper service, basically the 15,000mi/30,000mi routine with oil changes in between.  Sealing an AT seems unholy to me as you don't know what is going on in there other than by feel which is not precise.  I grew up riding motorcycles and a lot of my neurosis/PM thinking comes from that.  PM is what kept you alive and the bike together.  As Spouse would say, relax and go with the flow or welcome to the 21st Centuary.  Seems like something is missing when the AT dipstick is not there and I am thankful they at least left the oil dipstick.  I enjoyed the car-truck/driver interaction under the hood which is being taken away.  Oh well there is always the RV that needs its PM as well as the motorcycles. ;)
 
GypsySooners said:
Hi again,

First of all, thanks to everyone for helping us decide on a truck.  We just bought our new '06 F-350 Lariat Crew Cab with the 4.30 differential.  Only drove it 40 miles home yesterday but the wife already loves it.  Big relief!!!  :)

OK, in reading the manual it looks like service is required every 7,500 miles and the dealer is, like everyone, trying to intimidate us into every 3,000.  Now I've always had service done, on our previous motorhomes and cars, every 5,000 miles and never had any problems at all.

I understand that the regular service is going to be much more expensive on the diesel.  I don't want to seem cheap, but money is money.  We have the Ford extended, 100,000 mile warranty and I also need to make sure that I don't invalidate that by not doing proper maintenance.

My qestion is, what interval do you think is proper for this truck?

Thanks in advance,

Rich

Rich,
If you are towing a camper, that is considered heavy duty service and the recommended Ford interval is 5000 miles. All the dealers put stickers on after service noting a service point of 3000 miles. Ignore that and use 5000 or 7500 if not heavy duty service. . I also send out an oil sample to Blackstone Labs for analysis at each oil change. Have been doing that for several years and consider it a worthwhile investment. For example, after the last change they discovered 8.5% diesel fuel in the oil which is indicative of a fuel injector problem. Have to get it in and checked as we just got back from a 3 month trip.

 
Bruce, I am impressed you send out for oil analysis...good stuff!  If I ever get a Class 8 I will be doing that for sure.  I am sort of curious though.  Would not the trucks computer pick up that fault with the injector?  I know the fuel system was monitored in my Dodge and I suspect Ford does that as well?
 
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