Powerstroke Engine Oil Rquirements

This page is intended to answer the questions of how much and what type of oil to use, and also addresses how often to change the oil. This information is specifically for model year 2000 and the 7.3 litre Powerstroke diesel engine, but should be accurate for 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

Cost

What does it cost to change the oil on Ford F250 or F350 Powerstroke? The last time I changed my oil it cost me $58.07 including tax. This was for 4 gallons of Shell Rotella and a Motorcraft FL1995 oil filter in October of 2009. This left me with an extra quart of oil for future use. The last time I had it done at a service station (3 years ago), it cost me $97.00.

Type of oil to use.

From the owners manual that came with my truck:

"For normal or severe service, use Motorcraft oil or an equivalent oil conforming to Ford Specification WSS-M2C171C or API Service categories CG-4/SH. Do not use oil labeled with only one of the following category designations; SG, SH, CE, CF-4, or CG-4, as they could cause engine damage."

The viscosity needs to be as follows:

15W40 Viscosity is preferred from 30F up and can be used to as low as 10F.

10W30 Viscosity is preferred from -10F to +30F and can be used up to 90F.

5W30 Viscosity can be used at 30F and below.

0W30 Viscosity can be used at 0F and below.

It should be noted that current API specifications differ from the ones published in your manual. Most will be backward compatible. Make sure you use oil intended for a turbo diesel truck.

I personally use Shell Rotella 5W40 Synthetic motor oil. The 5W40 has wintertime starting advantages, but is good for year round use, even in hot climates. I prefer oils that are API certified and bear the API label on the container.

Capacity

The 7.3L Powerstroke requires 15 quarts to change the oil. 13 quarts for the crank case and 2 in the filter.

Interval

Normal service operation:

"Normal Service" is just that, normal driving which does not include any of the conditions defined under "severe service"

With "normal service" operation, change the oil and filter every 5,000 miles.

Note: I believe after model year 2000, they upped the "normal" interval to 7,500 miles. Verify the correct interval in your owner's manual. If you do not have a manual, they are readily available online from Ford as a PDF file.

Severe service operation:

"Severe Service" is defined by Ford as any of the following conditions:

If you are operating your vehicle under any of the conditions above, use the following service procedures:



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