What helped you decide diesel or gas?

[jevanb]

Originally Posted by mike.t

So you are changing oil 2x in 2000 miles?

Yes, I always change the oil after I work the engine towing, it is cheap insurance. Cost me 17.oo gal rotella t6 full syn from Meyers and the filter is 6 bucks . 50 dollars is not a big deal ,For something can't replace overnight like the engine

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by doc73

No seeing that there is two fuel filters, I am guessing they can be easily changed by us shady tree mechanics in the driveway?

??

[jevanb]

Originally Posted by mike.t

??

He must have a lift pump...

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by jevanb

Yes, I always change the oil after I work the engine towing, it is cheap insurance. Cost me 17.oo gal rotella t6 full syn from Meyers and the filter is 6 bucks . 50 dollars is not a big deal ,For something can't replace overnight like the engine

The COO's of the 3 largest freight companies in America just fainted.

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by LANShark42

So, The Big 3 auto companies have bitten so hard into the "green effort" that they will allow their customers to potentially damage their engines. And all in the name of "being green"? Is that what you're saying??

Damage is a harsh word. Driving habits are hard on all engines. As I stated fuel management has saved the modern engine. No doubt.

I say. The less oil used the greener. Less use and less on the ground/recycler. Common sense.


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[doc73]

Originally Posted by schrederman

My owner's manual says 15K miles... OR... 6 months... whichever comes first. It takes 12 quarts of oil instead of 5. This makes perfect sense to me, especially with the oils available these days. It also says that this schedule must be followed regardless of the oil used, (ie synthetic). So... the guy trying to sell you Amsoil and telling you to go 25K or a year between oil changes is out to lunch if your truck is still in warranty. Mine's going about 10K miles every 6 months so it looks like I'll be doing oil changes at 10K intervals.


What blows me away is the aft fuel filter. The guy at NAPA said the same filter fits large trucks and has a replacement schedule of 50K miles, but for my truck it's 15K... and it's an $80+ filter. Even worse, I went to Quick Kar and they charged me $88- for the front filter. It's just a paper cartridge that I can buy on Amazon for $16-. Needless to say my truck won't be going back there. I'll be doing my own from now on. It's just not that hard.


And... yes, my truck has an hours counter...

Sorry should have quoted.. In reference to the last part of the filters.

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by jevanb

He must have a lift pump...

Meaning it has a spin on?

[jevanb]

Originally Posted by mike.t

Meaning it has a spin on?

Every duramax in light duty trucks 2500/3500 have only 1 FF mounted on the engine unless that person installed a external mounted lift pump (airdog, fass) which have a spin on filter and water separator

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by jevanb

Every duramax in light duty trucks 2500/3500 have only 1 FF mounted on the engine unless that person installed a external mounted lift pump (airdog, fass) which have a spin on filter and water separator

This thread has gone on so long i missed the part where saw bones has a Duramax

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by jevanb

dont take this the wrong way but I always chuckle when I hear this. As a certified diesel mech since 1983, can you explain this reasoning to me? cylinder pressures, gear train, bearing,rings, valve train and just about everything in the engine including the oil is getting it`s life shortened with heavy use. driving 2 miles is not good for any engine and the diesel takes longer to heat up and burn off the condensation from sitting idle, as a diesel owner for a long time, if I was looking for another it would be a non towing vehicle, one that was just driven around town to get grocerys

I am a retired engineer from Caterpillar that designed heavy equipment for 40+ years. So I am speaking from some knowledge. If you have read my other post you would see that I do oil sampling to see when to change the oil I like this over just a number. This is the only true way to know when you should change the oil's in any vehicle.

I have also installed auxiliary filters and deep dish pans for added capacity of the oil compartments and for cleanliness. I try to maintain ISO 15/13/10 standards for the engine.

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

I am a retired engineer from Caterpillar that designed heavy equipment for 40+ years. So I am speaking from some knowledge. If you have read my other post you would see that I do oil sampling to see when to change the oil I like this over just a number. This is the only true way to know when you should change the oil's in any vehicle.

I have also installed auxiliary filters and deep dish pans for added capacity of the oil compartments and for cleanliness. I try to maintain ISO 15/13/10 standards for the engine.

And how does this pertain/work for us non sampling novices?

[schrederman]

Originally Posted by mike.t

Is that an option that shows hours?
thanks
Mike

Mike, I believe it's part of the standard package. Mine is a "Lone Star" edition, which is a dolled up name for an SLT. There are buttons on the steering wheel that allow you to browse through all the important stuff like tire pressure, trans and coolant temp, battery voltage, etc... including the hours counter.

Yes, the fuel filters are changeable by the average Joe in his driveway. There are several YouTube videos about it. I would not have had this done when I did if I'd had time to do it myself... I did the rear fuel filter myself, a couple of weeks later. It was easy.

Yes, these engines use a lift pump, hence the 2 filters. I think I read that they have 30K psi at the injector. The aft filter has a water detector and drain attached. You have to disconnect the wire for the detector, spin the whole thing off (after draining it). Then remove the detector and install it on the new filter. Spin it on, tighten, and connect the wire. Follow the procedure for "start-up after running out of fuel" in the manual... and you're done.

[muddyrode]

Jevanb
you change your oil everytime you tow? how often do you tow?
that is pretty much all i use my truck for there fore i change it every 5000 miles

[jevanb]

Originally Posted by muddyrode

Jevanb
you change your oil everytime you tow? how often do you tow?
that is pretty much all i use my truck for there fore i change it every 5000 miles

Not everytime I have something hooked to the pin, was towing today my 3 axle equip trailer with a load of wood and I did not change the oil. My post said I replaced after I tow heavy which means, if I tow 2-3k miles during a camping trip i change before and after. if people want to replace at 15k that is their call, but my truck is a little diff them most. it is far from stock and is driven far from normal. this is what is under my hood

[RickV]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

I am a retired engineer from Caterpillar that designed heavy equipment for 40+ years. So I am speaking from some knowledge. If you have read my other post you would see that I do oil sampling to see when to change the oil I like this over just a number. This is the only true way to know when you should change the oil's in any vehicle.

I have also installed auxiliary filters and deep dish pans for added capacity of the oil compartments and for cleanliness. I try to maintain ISO 15/13/10 standards for the engine.

I have thought about doing this. I use this AMSOIL SAE 15W-40 Heavy-Duty Diesel and Marine Motor Oil and while it states Three times (3X) OEM* recommendation, not to exceed 50,000 miles/600 hours or one year, whichever comes first. Drain intervals may be extended further with oil analysis. I have never gone more then about 10K between changes.What is the turnaround time from the time you submit a sample until you get results.

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by jevanb

Tq comes from the extra push on the down stroke from the slow burning fuel in the combustion chamber. As it is burning all the way down and not a explosion like in a gas engine

I'm in no way an expert, but my understanding is that the amount of torque an engine has for a given size can be manipulated in several ways: Longer stroke will yield lower torque curve than bigger bore. Cam timing- which is now variable, valve size, intake type, lobe separation and probably more in terms of cam selection influence where an engine produces power. Static and dynamic compression ratio play a role. Induction type. And, while diesel is obviously less explosive, I think that the new method of placing fuel into the cylinder- direct injection- allows you to add fuel DURING combustion allowing for that extra "push" without exceeding a certain PSI. Maybe someone that is more educated can chime in on the subject. They may find it a daunting task to inform the likes of myself and pass!

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by mike.t

New at all this. Does the torque come from the turbo?

I'm thinking I've seen you chime in on issues such as this- so you may by just baiting me here. I'm not opposed to walking into a trap, though. With that being said, the EB clearly makes substantially more torque at a lower RPM than any naturally aspirated gas engine it's size, so clearly the turbo is playing a huge role here. Operating at boost allows a smaller engine to have the same effective capacity of a much larger one- depending upon boost level. So, you could probably take an engine the same effective size and produce as much torque easily, but it would still be at much higher RPM's. The ability to force the air in at a lower RPM allows that torque curve to be much lower.

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by mike.t

And how does this pertain/work for us non sampling novices?

Join Turbo Diesel Register . Com and find out about the Cummins engine, Oil Analysis, filter media, and other pertain facts. The fee is $35.00 a year but this gets you a quartly publication and the ability to read the digital magazine on the LH side column for members only. In back issue the oil and filter quality is explained and what you should look for.

If you are not a Ram Cummins owner you can still join but we only cover the Cummins engines. I have been a member since Nov. 2007 and renew every year.

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by RickV

I have thought about doing this. I use this AMSOIL SAE 15W-40 Heavy-Duty Diesel and Marine Motor Oil and while it states Three times (3X) OEM* recommendation, not to exceed 50,000 miles/600 hours or one year, whichever comes first. Drain intervals may be extended further with oil analysis. I have never gone more then about 10K between changes.What is the turnaround time from the time you submit a sample until you get results.

I usually get results in three days depends on the shipper an how fast the sample will get to the lab. I will have an e-mail copy on the same day the lab receives the sample.

[hbillsmith]

Originally Posted by doc73

Question: What made you choose between gas or diesel? Namely I am interested if the amount you tow helped that choice and what that number was. Thanks!

Bought a 2015 GMC 2500 Diesel to tow a 2016 Wildcat 295rsx. After 4x4, airbags, goosebed hitch, bed cover and Andersen fifth hitch, my remaining payload is 2416#. The Wildcat brochure pin weight is 1600# but after slide covers, auto level, battery, propane and 'my stuff' the tongue weight came in at 1880#. The Wildcat's dry weight to tow is about 10,500# (way under the truck rating).

I picked that truck because it was the beefiest one that can fit in my garage (I do have to back it in though). I picked that trailer because it was the nicest, biggest one we liked that matched the truck (and it had Maxiss tires and 16 inch wheels as standard).

Everything is new and only a couple of trips under our belt so far but I'm pleased to report I think I got it right.