Oil additive f350. 7.3 2001

rbs62 wrote:
Sorry about that I ment add to fuel !

I used DieselKleen in my old jetta TDI for 300,000 miles.

I put no additives in the oil of my '96 7.3. But in the fuel, I do use a dose of Power Service and a touch of 2-cycle oil intended to provide a little lubricity to the "dry" diesel being supplied nowadays.

The reason is that the process to remove almost all sulphur from diesel fuel has left it almost without natural lubricity. To compensate for this, the individual fuel jobber is supposed to add some lube to the diesel before supplying it to the fuel stations. The problem is there have been reports of fuel in various areas of the nation that tested woefully under-lubed, which can cause an abnormally high wear index factor when used in diesel engines.

I doubt this is an enormous problem when one considers all the various sources of diesel, most having adequate lube. However, the cost of my precaution is very little, and for that small cost comes the potential to help the fuel system remain healthy, especially the fuel injectors.

Sure the fuel additives add a few pennies per tank, but my 7.3 has never been to a mechanic since they put it together 21 years ago, and I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible. What little work the engine has needed so far, mostly routine maintenance and a replaced radiator and water pump, I've been able to do myself.

The costs of ownership for my old 7.3 has been relatively small. I believe I paid around $26K for my F250 when I bought it new off the lot 21 years ago. I think I could sell it for at least half that right now if I suddenly went insane.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

whjco wrote:

The_real_wild1 wrote:
Why add anything? Just keep doing normal oil changes. If you are concerned at all you can get your oil analyzed every couple changes to see if anything is going on.

X2. I owned 2 7.3s and did nothing but change the oil with Rotella 15w-40 between 3500 and 5000 miles. Never saw the need for an oil additive.

Bill J.
Lexington, KY

Same oil here for my 7.3 for nearly 16 years, nothing else.

marcsbigfoot20b27 wrote:
My 7.3 in my sig gets an additive custom mix.

1 dose of Optilube XPD, Diesel Kleen + Cetane, 1/2 quart synthetic Super Tec 2 stroke oil.
Truck runs great and makes less noise.
Of course on the 140 hp tune it does whistle a little. ;)

Early 99 7.3 Superduty bought new in July 98, sold in March 2014 . Going on 16 years , never once did I need or use any fuel additive. IMO a waste of money. It was running just as good as the day I bought it .

I ran a DP tuner, and as far as noisy, ya it was, and whatever you have done to think it is quieter, maybe, but they are just plain noisy, and nothing is going to change that much to not be obnoxious . Big reason the noise of the 7.3 comes up all the time, they are NOISY

Bamaman,
I did the same thing with my '99 until I found out that the oil in the HPOP is changed with the engine running. I thought it was good maintenance till I dropped the plug one time and spent an hour looking for it. Decided then that I didn't need to do that job. ;)

I have one of the last 7.3's built with 115K miles. I just change the oil every 5K miles and refill with Motorcraft 15W40. I've tried thinner diesel oil but the fuel injection didn't work quite as well.

From time to time, I'll change the oil in the HPOP. I'll siphon old motor oil through a allen head plug on top of the HPOP. I'll replace it with fresh oil, replace the plug and run the engine a few minutes. I'll repeat the procedure 3-4 times and the last time, I'll put in Prolong instead of motor oil. That's the only non-motor oil that goes into my engine.

Mont G&J wrote:

RAS43 wrote:
That study is 10 years old and means nothing today, IMO. Fuels have changed as have engines. All I use is an antigell additive in cold weather.

The OP has a 15 year old truck, and the diesel fuel is actually the same. The fact you use antigell is useless information IMO.

Actually 15 years ago LSD diesel was 500 ppm sulphur content. Since 2006 it dropped to Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel at 15ppm Max.

This results in less lubricity so us guys with older diesels designed for use with older diesel use lubricity additives.

RAS43 wrote:
That study is 10 years old and means nothing today, IMO. Fuels have changed as have engines. All I use is an antigell additive in cold weather.

The OP has a 15 year old truck, and the diesel fuel is actually the same. The fact you use antigell is useless information IMO.

The_real_wild1 wrote:
Why add anything? Just keep doing normal oil changes. If you are concerned at all you can get your oil analyzed every couple changes to see if anything is going on.

X2. I owned 2 7.3s and did nothing but change the oil with Rotella 15w-40 between 3500 and 5000 miles. Never saw the need for an oil additive.

Bill J.
Lexington, KY

I always put nitrogen in my oil. You never need to change oil, its lighter, and only costs ten dollars. P.S. Your engine lasts forever!