F250 Servicing and Tips

For those that are interested ...... Some musings .... this is not meant to bring on F250 paranoia ....service the mighty effie as per factory specs and all will be well. The 7.3 Navistar like all diesels takes some time to run in ...some reports go as high as 50,000k. If possible I would put 3000k on an F250 before towing a heavy load. Long periods of idling should be avoided for various reasons. Bore glazing being one and exhaust valve stacking in cold climates another. Ex valve stacking is in simple terms is deposits forming on the valve stem causing eventual seizing in the valve guide. Not usually a problem in Aust climate. I believe that 7500k for the first service is too long especially as the engine is mainly a huge cast iron V8 and as such deposits lots of micron sized particles of iron in the oil during run in. I changed my oil and filter at 1500k's ..then 3750 k's ..started towing BT from here and changed again at 7500k dealer service. As I use the Baldwin filters and Castrol RX Super it is not too expensive to do these changes. Castrol RX Super 15w-40 is formulated specially for American Heavy Duty Diesel Engines. This is available at SuperCheap Stores etc for around $75-90 for 20 litres. It happens to be the same oil that the Ford dealer (mine) recommends. This makes a 14 litre (sump capacity F250) oil and filter change around $90 if you do it yourself. Not bad considering the amount of oil. There are reports around of the 7.3 running rough if you go over the 7500k oil change interval. This is because the engine oil is used to run the injector system with a separate high pressure oil pump for the opening of the injectors. Stick to 7500k as a max and all will be fine. I dont think the prob would start until closer to 10k . 14 litres is a lot of oil so a container to hold it and still fit under the front swaybar is needed. I use an old 20 plastic water container with the top cut off at the right height. It also happens to have a tap in the front which is needed to pour the oil into a container for disposal. Put 14 litres of water in it to see where to cut it off ..... leave some freeboard for when you drag it out. The oil filter when full and hot is a pain in the ass. I use another container to drain the filter into. The best way to do this is to puncture the filter at the bottom and drain it before trying to remove it. I ground the end of a 4 " bolt to a fine point to pierce the filter ... whack in with a hammer. The best thing to undo the filter with is a thing called a "Boa Constrictor" basically a handle with a long rubber strap that can change diameter by tightening the strap. As the filter is the size of a 2 litre milk bottle you need a big filter spanner. Graham now has one in his kit and it available from the plumbing section at Bunnings. Pic in album soon !! Changing oil is very straight forward just like any other car. Engine at operating temp ...let cool for 20 min so oil is still hot to remove contaminants but not scalding. place container under sump plug.... remove plug and let drain ..... Spike filter on underneath surface with bolt drive in to make a 6mm hole .... grab container place underneath and remove spike to drain filter. When empty place on Boa and undo filter .... Clean filter contact area on oil pump with lint free cloth .... wet new filter gasket with a smear of new engine oil ... spin on just until filter stops .... the proper tightening amount from here is 3/4 of a turn. Mark the filter with a nikko pen at a suitable spot ...imagine this as 12 o clock ... and tighten around to 9 pm. Be careful not to crush the filter with the boa/oil filter spanner. Buy a few copper gaskets for the sump plug as these are a crush item and as such are single use ... place a new washer on and tighten sump plug. Dont over tighten ..if this thread gets stripped the engine has to come out to remove sump if a helicoil cant be fitted. The torque setting is ...16nM but this is not from a factory manual ...still looking to confirm from Ford. There is some debate whether to prefill the filter or not .... in my opinion if the filter is full of oil and the sump pick-up is still full of air from being drained the air has to push against a full filter to purge the air before the pump gears pick up oil. If the filter is only full of air it offers no resistance to the pump and the pump primes quicker. Probably a moot point ... most dealers dont prime anyway ...time constraint. I use an old 5 litre oil container that has 1 litre markings for a guide. Place 13 litres of oil in through the oil filler tube. I have a funnel that fits this tube perfectly and makes the job of pouring oil in much easier. Once the oil is in .... go to drivers seat ... place key in and turn ignition to on .... before starting locate oil pressure gauge on LH Side dash. As you start engine count to 15 seconds or look at watch when starting ..... the oil pressure gauge needle needs to move up no later than 15-16 seconds.... if it doesnt turn off wait 30 seconds and repeat. It usually pops up by about ten meaning the oil pump is primed. Run for a couple of minutes to circulate oil around ...switch off .... check oil level 1/2 to 1 hour later. Then again cold ... after next time at operating temp. Anthony Explore this Great Land ...Do it Easy ...Tow a Bushtracker