Lubricants are key to the long life of your 4x4. They also have an influence on performance and economy, so you can get a double dose of good by upgrading. In Parts 1 and 2 we gave you the 101 course on lubricants. In this final installment, we'll show you some practical applications.
Lubricant changes are not brain surgery, but we'd like to walk you through a few scenarios here. Hopefully, those of you who use 90 weight gear oil in your hair for the "wet look" will discover a few tricks. Those of you who have been yearning to break the quick lube habit can discover the wonderful world of recreational oil changing.
The Makeover
Our old testbed and workhorse, the '86 Ford F-250HD 4x4, was due for a major service and winter was upcoming. It's well maintained but has never had synthetic oil in any part of it, other than in the rear axle. With diesel fuel at $3.50+/gallon, maybe it's time to go full synthetic to reap the mileage benefits, small though they may be. More interesting is the possibility of extended drain intervals and better protection for aging mechanicals. This writer fully expects to be buried in this truck.
Some of you have heard the old wives' tales about the "danger" of switching from mineral oils in old rigs... leaks and so on. To the extent that they are true, i.e. the leaks actually started after the change and weren't there before, many lubrication experts will point out that they are simply either coincidental or that the new oil simply exposed an already bad part. Top quality synthetics often have very strong detergent packages that can break down internal engine sludge. Sometimes that sludge is slowing down a leak. The "leaks-after-synthetic" scenario most often shows up on previously neglected engines, if at all. 'Nuff said
Note that we show the products used with their full specs. There's your "Oil 101" quiz to test what you learned in parts 1 and 2! The thing to remember is that this is a snapshot of one truck. Each vehicle will be a little different according to it's particulars. In theory, after three parts, you are now armed with the basic knowledge to make more focused choices according to your vehicle and driving situation. Happy oil changing!
The Results
Prior to going to print, we had the opportunity to run two tanks through the old Ford to see if any upspikes in fuel economy would appear. The answer is yes, but it may fall within a normal margin for error. This truck has a regular cycle for operation and in that cycle, it delivers between 13.8 and 14.5 mpg. Both of our tanks yielded slight upticks... 14.6 and 14.8 mpg on ULSD (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel) fuel. These are encouraging numbers in one sense, because we are well into winter here and winter conditions produce slightly lower fuel economy, usually at the low end of "normal." With diesel at $3.60/gal in our neck of the woods, we'll take anything we can get!
Other subjective things to report include the fact that the oil pressure jumps off the peg much more quickly than before. That's the synthetic oil's cold flow characteristics showing. The most noticeable improvement overall was power steering's performance. The system turns the big 285s a lot better than before.
Sources
BITOG (Bob is the Oil Guy)
www.theoildrop.server101.com
K&N Engineering
K&Nfilters.com
800-858-3333
Royal Purple
www.royalpurple.com
F59C-1) (suggested lead) The doctor is in! this is all the oil used in the Royal Treatment makeover lined up and ready to go. The gloves are a good idea,as there are some nasty things in used oil. They're probably not immediately harmful, but the other advantage of using the Nitrile gloves is that if the phone rings, your nose itches or the dog starts eating your sandwich, you can slip off the gloves and have clean hands in a second. A box of gloves is only a coupla bucks.
(Please Group these together in on area under the heading below)
The Product Lineup
F59C-2A) Engine Oil: Diesels require a different and more robust formulation than gas engines and RP's 15W-40 fills the bill. It's a PAO based synthetic. This oil does not meet the new CJ-4 specs for the '07 and up diesels, but for our older engine that's probably a good thing. The older CI-4+ spec is considered by many to be a more robust specification anyway. This HDEO (Heavy Duty Engine Oil) is also a good choice for gas engines with flat tappets, especially HP engines with strong valve springs.
Viscosity @ 40C 113.2 cSt
Viscosity @ 100C 15.4 cSt
Pumping Viscosity 21,100 cP @ -25C
TBN 10.5
Pour Point -44F
Flash Point 450F
Viscosity Index 143
HTHS 3.9
F59C-2B) Automatic Transmission Fluid; This PAO based synthetic greatly exceeds the Dextron III spec necessary for our Ford's C-6 and also meets or exceeds many other trans specs. This is an important addition to a truck that tows, which our truck does regularly. Even though the C-6 is known for being a cool runner, the extra heat capacity of a PA based synthetic is welcome, not to mention the increased lubricating capacity.
Viscosity @ 40C 32.4 cSt
Viscosity @ 100C 7.4 cSt
Flash Point 450F
Viscosity Index 197.5
F59C-2C) Gear Oil: This is a robust 75W-90 rated gear oil that the really fits more in the new SAE 110 gear oil category (18.5-24 cSt @ 40C) than the SAE 90 category . It's a bit thicker than most SAE 90s in the old classification. This offers more shock load protection and high heat protection and has fewer parasitical losses due to fluid friction than an SAE 140. We used it in the front diff of the Ford and the rear of a half-ton GMC that tows.
Viscosity @ 40C 144.5 cSt
Viscosity @ 100C 21.0 cSt
Pumping Viscosity 21,100 cP @ -25C
cP @ -40C 59,911
Pour Point -40F
Flash Point 430F
4-Ball EP Weld Load 881.6 lbs (400 kgf)
F59C-2D) Transfer Case Oil: Synchromax is mostly intended as an upgrade for ATF in transmissions that call for it, but it's also great for transfer cases that use ATF. With a fully PAO base, it's a bit more robust than ATF and has a skosh higher viscosity. It's synthetic base should yield lower t-case oil temps.
Viscosity @ 40C 35.3 cSt
Viscosity @ 100C 7.7 cSt
Flash Point 450F
Viscosity Index 196
E59C-2E) Power Steering Fluid: Max EX is a PAO based fluid for the almost forgotten power steering system. Think of the extra load your big tires and wheeling puts on the PS system and you'll understand why an upgrade in fluid is step one in beefing it up. The fluid in the Ford had about 50K miles on it, having been changed once previously. The Max EZ produced an immediate and noticeable improvement in power assist. It's also rated for higher temps than normal PS fluid, so it resists oxidation longer. It's also very resistant to foaming.
Viscosity @ 40C 45.0 cSt
Viscosity @ 100C 9.0 cSt
Flash Point 400F
Viscosity Index 187
F59C-2F) Oil Filter: This is an oversized filter that is built like the proverbial brick.... outhouse. This K&N 6001 is spec'ed for the Power Stroke diesels but fits on the earlier Ford diesels as well. It's an upgrade in both filtering ability, capacity and flow rate.
Capacity 55.4 grams
Flow Rate 20 GPM
Hydrostatic Burst 558 PSI
Element Collapse 175 PSID
Multi Pass Filtering:
10 micron 53.1 percent
20 micron 95.4 percent
30 micron 99.9 percent
Beta Ratio 10/20/30=2.1/21.7/1000
(end product section)
F59C-3) Using an oversized filter can have many benefits... if the larger filter will physically fit. It must also have roughly the same bypass valve opening pressure. A bigger filter will increase the amount of filtering media, which increases the holding capacity of the filter for a longer OCI. The larger filter may also offer a higher flow rate. In the case of our K&N upgrade, we added to all these performance aspects. The K&N uses a synthetic media that has a nominal micron rating that is almost twice that of a stock Power Stroke filter. It offers (10 microns vs 19 microns) and almost two-and a half times what the original 25 micron 6.9L filter (shown alongside the K&N) offers. If you have a 6.9L or 7.3L IDI Ford diesel, the K&N 6001 is a fantastic upgrade.
(inset F59C-5 into or near this pic under this caption)
F59C-4, F59C-5) Not much is needed for an oil change. You'll recognize most of this stuff. Except the coffee can, maybe. It has a prop in the bottom and oil filters are left in it to drain for a day or so. It's best for recycling the filters and less messy too. Use an old glove to seal up the top, as shown in the second pic to avoid droolage.
(Inset F59C-7 into F59C-6 under this caption)
F59C-6, F59C-7) If at all possible, fill the oil filter before installing it. That allows the system to prime quickly and get vital oil flowing quicker. If you think of how many times you might change the oil in the life of your rig, that's a lot of dry starts you can avoid. Also, be sure to smear that oil filter seal with fresh motor oil. Isn't that Royal Purple a pretty color?
F59C-8) This transmission fluid looks remarkably good for 30K miles of fairly hard work. Attribute it to the cool running nature of the Ford C6, a temp gauge (note sensor in the pan) and a big cooler. The drain plug is an extra item that makes it easier to drain the fluid before dropping the pan to change the filter. Because the C-6 has only a screen, and not a true filter, we drop the pan every other change. If it had a filter, it would be advisable to drop it every time.
F59C-9) Converter drains aren't seen much these days, but without them, you can't change all the fluid in the trans. In fact, most of the total volume of the fluid in an automatic is in the converter. Without a drain you can't change more than about 40 percent. There are two ways around this problem. The first is you can have the tranny flushed which is a process that flushes out all the fluid via the converter lines. The second, and more at home friendly way, is to change the fluid in the pan more often. If 30K were your normal interval, you'd change at 15K, which replaces 40 percent of the fluid every time and "recharges" the additives. If you can't drain the converter, it pays to use the best fluid you can.
(Put F59C-10A and F59C-10B under this caption)
F59C-10A, F59C-10B) Part-time chain drive transfer cases are usually pretty easy on oil because, when in 2-wheel drive, very little of it is in operation. This fluid has been in the truck around 50K and looks new. Full-time t-cases can be very hard on oil because they're workin' all the time. For a full-time unit, 30K intervals are a good idea. In some cases, you can squirt the oil in right from these 1-quart bottles. Otherwise, you can find hand pumps of various types at local auto parts stores.
(Put F59C-11A and F59C-11B, F59C-11C under this caption)
F59C-11A, F59C-11B, F59C-11C) Changing the power steering is a forgotten maintenance item that seldom has any noticeable consequences on the average road barge. On a workin' 4x4, worn out fluid can cause full or partial loss of power assist right when you need it most. There are a couple of ways to do a full or partial fluid change. As a maintenance item, with fluid that's basically OK, you can suck out as much as possible from the reservoir and replace it with new, as seen in the first shot. That recharges the oil. If your fluid has been in there a long time and has turned really dark, you should do a change and flush To do that, you need to disconnect the return line from the reservoir, letting all the fluid drain out of the pump. Then cap the reservoir and, with a hose extension, run the return into a pan or jug. Fill the reservoir, start the engine and continuously pour fluid into the pump until the oil going into the jug is clean. If you can have a helper turn the steering from lock to lock as you do this you can get more fluid out of the box. Shut the engine off, reconnect the return hose, clean up the oily mess, top off the reservoir and, voila! This procedure will vary somewhat from vehicle to vehicle.
F59C-12) Do us all a favor and dispose of your used oil the right way. Most auto parts stores will take it. Some county landfills and other local government agencies may also have a recycling site. This oil gets reprocessed and used again in fleets of vehicles or for industrial use. Sometimes it's used as fuel or heating oil. The best idea is to put it back into gallon jugs for recycling. A five-gallon jug with a cap is handy and reusable, but some places limit the amount of oil you can bring in at one time. Not all places take used oil filters, but many do. Some areas have strict guidelines on how and where to dispose of used filters and your local auto parts store or a garage probably knows.
F59C-13) The job's not truly done until the paperwork is finished. This fella is pedantic enough to have records on his truck back to '86, but with about nine pieces of equipment to maintain, he can only get that done well by keeping records. They don't need to be anything fancy, just something reliable that works for your lifestyle. It can pay off too! Nothing dazzles a prospective buyer more than detailed service records.
(Group F59C-14-
F59C-14) Because our primary vehicle is using a non-stock rear axle cover and has fresh oil inside, we decided to do a more typical change on a late model GM 8.6 rear axle. Because they don't have drain plugs, the best idea is to remove the cover. This axle is worked hard and the oil was pretty well worn out. To avoid a gush of smelly oil, remove all the lower bolts but leave one on top... loosened just a skosh. When you break the seal at the bottom with a scraper, the drain will be controlled.
F59C-15) A refreshing discovery! Some covers still actually have gaskets! When scraping off the material, take precautions to keep the scrapings out of the diff.
F59C-16) Brake cleaner followed up by compressed air and/or a little time to air out will yield a clean unit you can inspect of any abnormal wear or problems. Make sure all the solvent has fully dried before installing the cover.
F59C-17) Gasket or no, lay a bead of RTV around the cover (on both sides of a gasket and with a thinner bead) and run the bead to the inside of the bolt holes. There are different torque specs for gasketed vs non-gasketed.
F59C-18) Again, the quart bottles often lend themselves to squirting the oil directly into the fill
