Ford F-250 Super Duty Oil Change: Power Stroke and Gas V8

The F-250 is the working truck of Northern Nevada: horse trailers in Washoe Valley, gooseneck flatbeds in Dayton, ranch trucks in the Carson Valley. Most run the 6.7-liter Power Stroke, and the rest have Ford's big gas V8s. Diesel oil is its own world, with its own API category and a Ford specification that not every bottle on the shelf meets. This page lays out what Ford's 2024 Super Duty manual says, and where the Nevada smog rules draw the line for diesel trucks.

At a glance

• 6.7 Power Stroke: 15.0 qt with the filter, oil to Ford WSS-M2C171-F1
• Main grade 10W-30; 15W-40 and 5W-40 listed for other conditions; 0W-40 for extreme cold
• 6.8 and 7.3 gas V8s: SAE 5W-30, 8.0 qt with the filter
• Oil-life monitor ceiling: one year or 15,000 miles diesel, 10,000 miles gas
• Nevada tests diesels up to 14,000 lb GVWR in the Washoe and Clark areas

Diesel oil for the 6.7 Power Stroke

Ford's 2024 Super Duty manual specifies oil that meets Ford WSS-M2C171-F1 for the 6.7-liter diesel and lists a capacity of 15.0 quarts with the filter. The primary product named is Motorcraft SAE 10W-30 Super Duty Diesel Motor Oil, which Motorcraft lists as meeting both WSS-M2C171-F1 and API CK-4, the current heavy-duty diesel oil category. The manual also lists SAE 15W-40 and 5W-40 to the same Ford spec, with 5W-40 named for severe duty and for biodiesel blends up to B20, and SAE 0W-40 for extremely cold climates.

Ford's own position statement on CK-4 oils adds a detail worth knowing: not every 10W-30 labeled CK-4 meets WSS-M2C171-F1. We match the Ford specification, not just the API letters, and we write it on the sticker.

The gas Super Duty

The 6.8-liter and 7.3-liter gas V8s both take SAE 5W-30 meeting WSS-M2C961-A1, at 8.0 quarts with the filter, per the same manual, with 0W-30 listed for extremely cold climates. Coolant on both is Ford's yellow WSS-M97B57-A2, about 22.5 quarts.

Intervals, towing and the monitor

Ford's manual leaves the interval to the Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor and sets hard ceilings: never exceed one year or 15,000 miles on diesel vehicles, or one year or 10,000 miles on gas vehicles. When the change message appears, Ford asks for the service within two weeks or 500 miles. Heavy towing, idling at a job site and short cold trips all pull the message forward.

A Super Duty pulling a loaded stock trailer up Highway 50 toward Spooner Summit, or idling for an hour at a ranch gate in January, is working at the hard end of that range. The service centers sit between about 4,400 and 4,900 feet per USGS elevation data, and Carson City sees about 146 freezing nights a year on the NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals, so the cold-start and heavy-load conditions are both normal here.

Smog rules for a diesel F-250

The Nevada DMV tests diesel vehicles up to 14,000 pounds GVWR at annual registration renewal in the Washoe and Clark testing areas, and exempts diesels over 14,000 pounds. Check the GVWR on the label in the driver's door jamb; an F-250's sits under the line, so a diesel F-250 registered in the Washoe area is tested every year after its first three registrations. Trucks registered in Carson City, Douglas County or Lyon County are not tested.

Our Reno service centers on Mae Anne Avenue and Longley Lane handle smog checks. A passing test is good for 90 days.