Ford 6.4 Powerstroke engine and AMSOIL input needed

[TAArrowood]

Hey guys.. I've been toying with the idea of replacing my engine oil (Powerstroke 6.4) with AMSOIL on my next change.. I have been using Mobil-1 and it it seems to be doing ok, but I've heard a lot of good things about the AMSOIL diesel oil.. I don't do a ton of towing, although I do have a 25' Airstream that I pull a few times per year.. Just looking for input from anyone who has used it and willing to share the good, bad and ugly.... It is priciy and I use 15 quarts per change so I want to make sure it's an upgrade before I spend the extra $$.. Thanks for any input..

 

[Cameron.25]

It's good stuff, I've been using it for years. I think all the synthetics nowadays are pretty good tho. You can sign up to be a preferred customer and get a discount. It's pretty cheap and pays for itself with the discounts pretty quickly

 

[49ereric]

I never fix what isn’t broken

 

[Cubby]

Sorry to be a debbie downer here but I've worked at Ford for the past 23 years and your driving a ticking time bomb with that 6.4, I wouldn't spend any extra money on oil.

 

[TAArrowood]

You’ve peaked my interest. What are your issues with the 6.4? Just curious.

 

[Ice-kub]

You’ve peaked my interest. What are your issues with the 6.4? Just curious.

I've got a couple buddies that are diesel techs for Ford. I've heard allllll the horror stories but the only thing they've ever mentioned was something to do with the skirts on the pistons, never looked into it but aftermarket pistons apparently make them bullet proof. Pretty costly job though.

 

[PineBrook413]

with modern motor oils engine failure isn't going to be from this oil or that oil as long as its at the correct level and is changed at a regular interval.

 

[jimh406]

I use Rotella T6. As far as don't waste oil goes, that's one of the the reasons people have trouble with 6.4s and 6.0s. Poor oil or bad filters can kill injectors while good oil and additives can keep them alive. I've found synthetic to make diesels quieter.

Ford-trucks.com has a 6.4 subforum if you want to know about 6.4s or any engine put in Fords. Some put hundreds of thousands of miles on them with no issues other than the emission system. I've had my ticking time bomb for about 10 years as the second owner. It was used to tow horses cross country and the service records were in the Carfax.

Of course, some have also blown up 6.7s with CP4 fuel system issues. But, that's just Fords. Similar issues have happened with other brands.

There is no replacement for a diesel if you actually need one or want one. Otherwise, most gasoline engines have less issues. YMMV.

 

[TAArrowood]

This is the only truck and only diesel that I’ve owned. I bought it with 80k on it. It now has 232k with nothing but normal maintenance to it. First owner took great care of it and maintained it by the book. I’ve only had one issue so far. It would loose power when under load. After doing a bunch of research I found that the fuel pump error code was actually a firmware issue. The computer was set to send fuel to the turbo too early and actually acted like it was flooding the system with fuel. I had my dealer flash the computer with the latest firmware and the problem was resolved.

 

[bigeyedfish]

I'd much rather keep fresh oil in an engine than spend more money on the oil and use a longer OCI.

I don't know that you can do much to bulletproof a 6.4. It's an amazingly powerful engine, but they have a bad reputation for a reason. If it has made it to 232k, you might be in good shape. When things go wrong with that engine, they do it in style.

 

[Cubby]

Now I should make it clear there are some good ones out there that seem not to have issues but the issues I've seen here are mostly heads cracked and getting oil in the coolant, turbo failures is pretty common around here also. In fact these motors were so bad that the scrap yards around here won't even sell a used 6.4 anymore.

 

[Cubby]

Pinebrook413 hit the nail on the head ALL oil now days is good oil, hell Wal-Mart Super Tech oil is some of the cheapest and best oil out there but people get so hung up on name brands anymore that they don't want their friends to know they use Walley World oil in there toys

 

[CCooper]

Keep up on being good with your service intervals. We had a fleet of 6.4’s at one point of about 8 of them including my own at the time. They are prone to make oil deleted or not. Mine was the only one out of the 8 that made it past 150,000. Sold it to a buddy’s dad who has over 300,000 on the odometer last time I asked- still running strong.

 

[Slugz]

Do a comparison with Shell T6, Valvoline Blue and Amsoil. One of those may fit your needs better than another.

That being said the Shell T6 5w40 is a really good do.it all oil. And when I say do it all....I mean all. Small motors to big diesels.

 

[doc holiday13]

I wouldn't bother with AMSOIL.. Nothing special about it other than costing more. Stay with Mobil-1.. My last vehicle I used synthetic all the time. I tried amsoil and immediately it started seeping out of all the gaskets. Went back to regular oil and no more seepage. Engine had sub 50K miles on it too

 

[Brooks]

Good oil like Shell Rotella T6, good filters that you change often, air filter, oil filter and fuel filters, only buy diesel fuel from stations that sell a lot of fuel so you’re always putting in clean fuel, drain the water separator regularly and a diesel will last for a long, long time. A lot of people don’t know much about engines today and they don’t want to spend money on regular maintenance. We have run millions of miles on Shell Rotella oil so I’m pretty partial to it.