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What oil are you guys using?

128K views 216 replies 41 participants last post by  Laytunes 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
NOTE: This first post is being edited in late 2022 to include the Ford Motor Company CK-4/FA-4 Ford Position Statement. Please be guided this as you choose the proper oil for the 3.0 diesel. Ford's statement is below:

Ford Motor Company CK-4/FA-4 Ford Position Statement
On December 1, 2016, the American Petroleum Institute (API) began licensing two new diesel
motor categories CK-4 and FA-4. API CK-4 was released to replace CJ-4. API FA-4 is a low
dynamic viscosity diesel oil released for diesel engines designed for the lower dynamic viscosity
oil.
API FA-4
Ford is now recommending FA-4 motor oil in its smaller diesel engines. FA-4 is recommended
for servicing the F-150 with the 3.0L diesel engine and the Transit with the 2.0L diesel engine.
Ford still recommends against using FA-4 oils in larger Ford diesel engines, like the 3.2L and
6.7L diesel engines, as well as older Ford diesel engines.
API CK-4
Ford continues to recommend motor oils meeting the Ford specification WSS-M2C171-F1
instead of CK-4 motor oils in the 3.2L and 6.7L Ford diesel engines as well as older Ford diesel
engines, 4.5L, 6.0L, 6.4L, and 7.3L. Testing completed on some CK-4 type formulations have
shown inadequate wear protection compared to CJ-4 formulations developed and licensed
before 2016. Therefore, Ford has included additional requirements beyond CK-4 in WSS-
M2C171-F1 to provide additional wear protection. Like many other diesel engine
manufacturers, with their own internal OEM specification, Ford is recommending oils that meet,
Ford Material Engineering Specification WSS-M2C171-F1. The customer should use an oil that
meets this specification. A list of motor oils meeting this specification are shown on the
Motorcraft website under the Motor Oil tab on http://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/main/
.
To ensure you protect your Ford diesel engines use an oil meeting Ford specification
WSS-M2C171-F1 like Motorcraft Super Duty Motor oil or API FA-4 like Motorcraft F-150 Diesel
Motor Oil. Please consult your owner guide for the proper application.


What oil are you guys using?

I was thinking about using Rotella T6 5w40. According to manual should be OK.
 
#3 ·
Rotalla T6 is widely available at about every auto store across the US. I havent seen 5w30 diesel oil on shelves.
 
#5 ·
Straight from the manual
 

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#6 ·
What oil are you guys using?

I was thinking about using Rotella T6 5w40. According to manual should be OK.
So I played in a monthly home poker game last Friday night, and one of the regular players is a PowerStroke Diesel mechanic at the local Ford dealer, and the oil you are thinking about using is what his recommendation was when I asked him about oil, so I think you have selected well.
 
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#7 ·
Even for the 3.0?
 
#9 ·
Just had it changed with Rotalla T6, we will see how it goes!
 
#10 ·
Just saying... that Ford has a special blend of Motorcraft oil with the F150 Diesel label on it. It was designed for the special lubrication requirements of the 3.0 Power Stroke Diesel. The oil is sold in two different viscosity's. One is the 5w30 for the colder temperatures and one is a 10w30 for the warmer climates.


I will be checking if my Ford Garage is using this oil for my first oil change. I would not be surprised that some dealers had not yet stocked the new oil. The Ford Video that I viewed stated that the oil used for the 6.7 should not be used for the 3.0 and vis versa.

Check out the Ford Video on you tube


Motorcraft® F-150 Diesel Motor Oil


Honest John
 
#12 · (Edited)
I got my first oil change about 6 weeks ago. The dealer didn't have the filter or oil in stock. It took them 3 hours to track both down in the Denver distribution center.

Based on my research (no expert), I don't think Rotela 6 meets the extremely low friction requirement, though all major oil companies will soon have it. Castrol has oil that meets FA4 and Ford F150 Diesel spec.
 
#13 · (Edited)
@HonestJohn - Thanks for the info, as I am approaching my first oil change interval/service.

I watched the Ford TechTalk video and I'm sure this is going to drive Ford Service Managers and Techs crazy, as now they will need to stock/use a different oil between the smaller PowerStroke diesels.

I was planning to run Full Synthetic and I thought this news would throw a monkey wrench into the equation, as the video didn't mention anything about Full Synthetic...

I did a little more research and found that the 5W-30 is actually Full Synthetic according to this PDF: https://dadistributing.com/wp/wp-co...torcraft_Oil_Comprehensive_Sales_Aid-logo.pdf

Note the description at the top of Page 5 and the table on Page 7 clearly delineate:
=> SAE 5W-30 F150 Full Synthetic Diesel Motor Oil
=> SAE 10W-30 F150 Diesel Motor Oil

I'll be stopping my dealer this week to ensure they have both the oil (1 Quart Bottle – XO5W30QFA) and correct filters in stock for my next service (based on comments by @Knifeman and @tal0362), as I know for a fact that I am the only person who has taken delivery of a 2018 F150 3.0L Diesel (other two they ordered are still sitting on the lot) from their dealership.
 
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#14 ·
#15 ·
Not full syn though
 
#16 ·
Quote from http://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/main/quickref/oilchartUS.pdf
Check Owner's Guide for appropriate viscosity depending on ambient temperature, duty cycle and biofuel content.
Above 0°F (-18°C) - 50°F (10°C) use SAE 10W-30 FA-4
Above -20°F (-29°C) use SAE 5W-30 FA-4, or 5W-40 WSS-M2C171-F1, CK-4, CJ-4
Above -40°F (-40°C) use SAE 0W-30 or 0W-40 WSS-M2C171-F1, CK-4, CJ-4


This clearly states that regular shelf 5w-40 Rotella T6 is just fine for the 3.0L.

Oils meeting WSS-M2C171-F1 https://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/main/additionalinfo/dieseloilsWSSM2C171F1.pdf
 
#17 ·
Google it.

There are Ford Tech talks on Youtube that seem to be published by Ford. They have a big don't do it circle around WSS-M2C171-F1....

My dealer said I should be very careful about the oil I let other auto mechanics put in the engine. He said, most don't mechanics know yet.. The wrong oil will void the warranty.
 
#18 ·
Post a picture of the big red circle. Also that big red circle could just mean its not recommended/optimal, but not necessarily unsupported as the manual and several other guides clearly state T6 5w-40 (or equivalent) is supported.

Yes a FA-4 oil is recommended, but a CK-4 oil is also supported.
 
#158 ·
Literally the only difference between CK-4 and FA-4 is the HTHS viscosity. Everything else, aka, soot control, viscosity grade, emission system protection etc. is the exact same standard between the two. FA-4 has an HTHS of 2.9-3.2, whereas your CK-4 has a minimum HTHS of 3.5. HTHS is the high temperature high shear viscosity measured at 150 C, which is essentially a measurement of the oil film strength, and protection under high heat and tight spots (aka valves and piston rings). All that the "incompatibility" statement means is that if your engine calls for only CK-4 (or CJ-4 etc), FA-4 is not suitable, as it will not provide suitable protection (therefor not interchangeable). Engines designed for FA-4 can use the thin oil as the pumps and bearings are designed to handle this. That said, all diesel engine manufacturers that support FA-4 in their engines (that I have seen), also support/recommend CK-4 oils, so in that respect, they are interchangeable (however since the other way around is really bad, you can understand why they have to say that they aren't compatible). Detroit diesel for example now factory fills their engines with FA-4, however, you will find that most operators quickly move back to using CK-4 oils in their rigs, as they value protection over fuel economy. As a side not the C in CK-4, CJ-4, etc comes from "compression", and the F in FA-4 comes from "fuel economy". I use a 5W30 CK-4 in my truck, have done analyses, and everything looks great!
 
#20 ·
No one ever said there interchangeable. But for the 100th time. the F-150 MANUAL SAYS 5w-40 CK-4 OIL IS COMPATIBLE.

This is a picture from it. You cannot argue with the print in the manual.
 

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#23 ·
As more are more FA-4 oils come to shelf this thread will be a non issue.
 
#27 ·
Kendall SHP FE (Fuel Economy) 5w-30 is FA-4 compliant. Full Synthetic, HTHS, Low SAPS. I think Kendall is Phillips 66 which bixie stated provides oil for the Ford F150. Kendall is WSS-M2C171-B1 Ford approved. However the 3.0 Powerstroke calls for WSS-M2C214-B1 approval. I have not been able to find out what the difference is between these two approvals.
 
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