2000 Ford SuperDuty Powerstroke Questions

I got rid of my 5.7 Chevy and got into a 7.3 Powerstroke. I absolutly love the power of this truck. Those of you who do have or have had the 7.3, what was your oil of choice, did you notice a difference with the use of Bio-Diesel and what are of were you getting for mileage?

I also had a diesel man tell me this weekend that with the lower sulfer fuel adding an additive in the winter is all you need to do to increase the lubricity of the fuel but during the parts of the years when a person is not worried about gelling up, you should add a 1/2 a cup of drip oil to a tank of fuel for added lubricity. Has anybody else heard this? Thanks for the discussion!!!!

I would just use a addattive, i think its called power service? there to different blends one diesel 911 thats for when it gets gelled works good, and the other blend and for higher the centene rating and anti-gelprevenitive.

15w 40 Rotella. Bio-diesel, don’t know if I’ve ran that. If I did I didn’t know. Milage on the 7.3 is about 12-20 depending on what I do with it. My 7.3 now has a trailer hooked to it every single day, with that it gets 14mpg.
I’ve never heard or been told to add oil to the gas.

I got an 02 new which now has 75K on it. Used Shell Rotella since day one with no regrets thus far. My mileage averages 18-19 highway at 65-70 mph, 16 at 70+, and 15-16 pulling a boat at speed limit. One thing I’ve noticed, the fuel economy isn’t as good during cold weather. Haven’t tried the bio diesel yet so no opinion. One other thing, I put a chip in mine when it was new and now think I probably wasted the time and money. It doesn’t need a crutch to pull what I do. I once hooked two 20 ft. glass fishing boats in tandem and it didn’t even breath hard.

I go to Cenex and buy Maxtron 5W-40 semi synthetic. It is $2.70 a quart. I have no reserves about not running the truck during the night when up on LOW when it is -30 during the night. Starts just fine in the morning, wouldn’t try that without synthetic. Ford recomends 6,000 between oil changes on the 6.0 and I run about 8-10,000 depending on the driving I do and the time of the year. Oil looks like the day I put in when I take it out and now with the low sulfer it should get better since that is what breaks down your oil faster.

I belive all Diesel in the state of MN has 10% bio blended in there. I know last winter they pulled the restriction off because they were having issues but I am pretty sure it is back in there again. I know it was this summer.

I park in the garage so I run straight #2 in my truck. If I know I am going to be parked outside overnight I do add some of the white Power Service to the tank to prevent from Gelling. You shouldn’t have any issues down in Nebraska unless it gets below 20+ consistantly.

I have a 6.0 and had seen about a 2-3 MPG drop when they went to the Bio blend. It used to be that in the summer I would get about 18-20 and in the winter 15-17. Now I get about 17 in the summer and 15 in the winter. I did have the 7.3 before this one and used the same oil. That was after I was left hanging because it wouldn’t start when it got below -10 regurdless of the fuel. Just wouldn’t crank through the thick oil. You will love the truck.

I am running Rotella as I have in other diesels I have ran and I am getting anywhere from 14.4 – 16.8 mpg but I really let the oil warm up in the morning and that hurts the average.
The truck is not currently chipped and I don’t need the chip for added power but if the chip would increase my MPG I would be interested in adding one.

I build the Super Duty at the Kentucky Truck Plant. I currently have a 6.0 Diesel. But once had the 7.3. I’ve always ran Rotella with no problems, changing the oil every 5000-7500 miles. Currently getting about 22mpg, but I think this is more due to good fuel, rather than the oil.

I almost forgot. Thanks to you and everyone for buying these trucks. All of us at KTP appreciate what you think about our vehicles. P.S. the 2008 that we are currently building has a 6.4 diesel. Due out soon!!!!

The 6.0 sure didn’t last very log?? What do you mean by “good fuel” when you say you are getting 22mpg with your truck??

when i was running a diesel i would notice a diffence in fuels,running mobile would get at leat one to two mpg

Zach, I run all mobil oil in my garbage trucks, and have had really good luck two of my trucks are in the 18000 hour range which is equivilant to about 1,000,000 miles and havn’t done a major to either. Also in minnesota the are already blending #1 diesel in with the #2 so I wouldn’t worry too much until the temps get consistantly below say 5-10 degrees, then add the diesel service. just my .02

Zach- I have a 00 7.3 with 180,000 and a 02 with a 160,000 all ran with rotella, and normal diesel. No problems at all…NOTHING…

now the 04 with the 6.0 and only 50,000, that truck has been a headache…All I can say is, I am glad they are getting a different engine…

Chipping- the 02 is , and the 00 isn’t- wow, what a difference. You think your truck has power now, wait til you chip it. I notice about 3 mpg average better. Some friends tell me they get five…who knows, but I think it is definitely worth it.

THANKS GUYS I really appreciate all the help and info. What kind of chip are guys having luck with? Is there one in particular that is out performing others?

I have a Superchip in my 01′. Its a plug in chip with a set hp rating that can only be changed if you take it out and plug it into a pc.
I have an 06′ and have the Edge Juice Platinum chip with the display screen set up. 40-115 hp gain on the fly. Up to 240# of torque. 5 step adjustments. Besides that it will display up to 17 different engine functions. It is cool. Like someone said, if you think you have power stock, you don’t even know what power is yet.

Is there any proof that chips effect the life of equipment??

I’m sure that if you run them hard on the chip all or alot of the time it would decrease life no doubt. Especially in the drivetrain. I haven’t heard any proof on it really being a negative effect on things though.

Sorry to take so long gettin’ back. By “good fuel” I mean using Marathon brand fuel, I get right at 22mpg, using some other local fuels, while sometimes cheaper, will usually only get me 15-17mpg. This has been very consistent. As far as not building the 6.0 for very long, it was a problem prone engine for awhile. The 6.0 came out while the 6.4 was being developed. We are currently still testing the engine,but already have some that are still running continuously with nearly 5 MILLION miles of testing.WE also will have a F450 with a bed that has a towing capacity of 24,000 lbs. An engine upgrade was certainly needed for this.

So I should stick with my 7.3 until I can afford a 6.4

Personally, I would. I haven’t had any trouble with mine, but the 6.4 looks impressive. Another point on mileage that some people may have forgotten, is what rear-end gear you have. All duallies have a 410 gear, while other single rear wheel can have 410, 373, or 355. This will certainly change your fuel mileage. If you decide to buy a new Ford, contact me and I’ll save you a few thousand $$$. Seriously. [email protected]

The 6.0 is a different breed from the 7.3. It took me awhile to get warmed up to it. Very different power curve. I still have both and am extremely partial to the 6.0 now that I have had it awhile. The 04′ 6.0 was junk. Anyone I know that has one or has had one had some problems. Do you suspect they will de-bug the new 6.4 before being released to the public? I am not bashing, I am 100% Ford for now. Chevys did the same thing when they were released I know.

As I stated in an earlier post, we have tested this engine more than any other, and continue to test. We have some engines that have been running continuously with different loads place on it. So far this testing equals nearly 5 MILLION miles!

Is there a certain temp that you should plug the truck in or is it just up to the person? Should a person plug it in before bed of should they wait until they get up in the morning. I know what I do but I would like to know if there is a recommended practice to follow? THANKS!!

Both of mine will star easy down to 15 degress. They’ll both start whens its down to 0 or so, just a little harder. I plug them in below 20 just for convienence. The water temp stays at 100 degrees and they warm right up quick. Easier on the engine. I plug mine in right before bed. It takes a couple hours for the heater to warm it up.

I am doing mine at night also just so it is ready to go in the morning. I was just wanting to make sure that I was not overdoing it and running that block heater more than it needed to be ran.

It might save a little on your utility bill, use a timer on the block heater. Only takes at most two hours to warm up the engine.

In winter I run 5w-30 helps with cold starts. Mine has started at -20 sitting out side without being plugged in. Not that I would make a habit of it but I know it will do it. Deisel + Good battieries = good cold weather starting expecially on the 7.3`s.