Changing The Oil ?

[Ejs4029]

I own a 2015 Dodge Ram with the Cummins diesel Oil change interval is 7,500 or 6 months whatever comes first ……Ok here goes my questions……

First my truck was manufactured on 3/15 I bought it 9/15 it sat on the lot for 6 months before I drove it off did my oil need to be changed ? Or doesn’t it count if it’s not driven ? What’s the point of 6 months does it go bad just sitting around ? Sorry if it's a dumb question

I don’t use the truck as a daily driver anymore (Starting this year prior to that I have gone by the book on the oil changes) so I won’t be getting near 7,500 miles on it before 6 months expires. The Ram dealer suggests I just go by the mileage and not worry about the 6 months not sure I should believe him

I’m more concerned about voiding my warranty and extended warranty if I don’t maintain the proper schedule.

[Jane1550]

Spousal unit is a technician (fancy title for "mechanic") He says once a year if mileage is low. We have a 10 year old truck with less then 60,000 miles... go figure, now where's my wine?

[DieselDrax]

Non-driving time doesn't really count, meaning you can change the oil and put it in storage for 6 months and not have to change the oil when it comes out of storage.

The time limit is to combat fuel and condensation/byproduct of combustion contamination of the oil caused by short trips that don't allow the oil to get up to temp which causes most of those things to boil off. However, the oil life monitors do take trip length/drive time, idle time, average vehicle speed, etc into consideration so the oil life % will drop faster with short trips compared to long drives and you're unlikely to see 6 months before being prompted to change the oil.

In any case, they just don't want nasties sitting in the oil due lower than average driving. I recommend following the oil change interval prompted by the oil life monitor in the vehicle, failing that it's time or mileage (except when in storage, then the clock stops if the oil is fresh).

[koller1509]

Where did you get the 7500 mileage from??? It should be 15,000 miles, 6 months or when the computer tells you - whatever comes first.

Ram says every 6 months and Cummins says year but if you want to keep warranty I would change it at 6 months.

[Lins]

Originally Posted by koller1509

Where did you get the 7500 mileage from??? It should be 15,000 miles, 6 months or when the computer tells you - whatever comes first.

Ram says every 6 months and Cummins says year but if you want to keep warranty I would change it at 6 months.

Yup, unless you’re ready to do battle with the dealer in the event something does fail on the engine, I would change it every 6 months under warranty. I do, but will have oil analysis done to see how long I can safely extend it after warranty. This subject has been highly debated on various forums as 6 months is just ridiculous.

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by koller1509

Where did you get the 7500 mileage from??? It should be 15,000 miles, 6 months or when the computer tells you - whatever comes first.

Ram says every 6 months and Cummins says year but if you want to keep warranty I would change it at 6 months.

I think maybe they read the manual and saw both 7,500 miles and 6 months listed in the same column but didn't read what it actually said in the description or in the section on oil change interval? Dunno, that's the only way I can see getting the 7,500 interval.

[shorthorn]

My 2014 Cummins is 15,000 / 6 months. I have been changing it once a year as I only drive it 10k / yr. I run the good Cummins strata-pore filters and Rotella T6... Blackstone oil analysis every other change

[Ejs4029]

Originally Posted by koller1509

Where did you get the 7500 mileage from??? It should be 15,000 miles, 6 months or when the computer tells you - whatever comes first.

Ram says every 6 months and Cummins says year but if you want to keep warranty I would change it at 6 months.

Yeah your right I'm not sure why I thought it was 7,500 Miles I'm for sure not going to reach 15K this year

[goduc]

My 12 CTD sends a message on the EVIC when the oils needs changed. Did they do away with that on the newer ones?

[Lins]

Originally Posted by goduc

My 12 CTD sends a message on the EVIC when the oils needs changed. Did they do away with that on the newer ones?

Nope, but the manual also has the 6 month requirement.

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by Ejs4029

I own a 2015 Dodge Ram with the Cummins diesel Oil change interval is 7,500 or 6 months whatever comes first ……Ok here goes my questions……

First my truck was manufactured on 3/15 I bought it 9/15 it sat on the lot for 6 months before I drove it off did my oil need to be changed ? Or doesn’t it count if it’s not driven ? What’s the point of 6 months does it go bad just sitting around ? Sorry if it's a dumb question

I don’t use the truck as a daily driver anymore (Starting this year prior to that I have gone by the book on the oil changes) so I won’t be getting near 7,500 miles on it before 6 months expires. The Ram dealer suggests I just go by the mileage and not worry about the 6 months not sure I should believe him

I’m more concerned about voiding my warranty and extended warranty if I don’t maintain the proper schedule.

You can also take oil samples of the engine oil and use this as a bases for changing the oil. Especially if you are using synthetic engine oil with a quality oil filter such as a Fleetguard StrratePore oil filter.

I use the Cummins oil lab (Horizon Labs) for my oil sampling needs. There are others labs such as Blackstone, Amsoil, Cat and others that you may choose to use. I have done oil sampling since the truck was new in Nov 2007. I now have close to 114K miles on the OD.

[DouglasReid]

I think going to go against the grain here.

I change my oil every 5000 miles. Draining the oil not only rejuvenates the oil but also drains out any contaminates or byproducts of combustion that leaked around the rings.

I think oil is cheap, engines not so much. I dont mind the small additional expense for my own peace of mind. I do it myself so it isn't expensive adn I KNOW I am getting what I want in the engine.

By the way, when did you last flush or change your brake fluid. I bet the answer is Never. that and the Power Steering/Hydro Boost fluids are the most neglected maintenance items on most all vehicles.

Here are a couple of links regarding them both. The PS/HB is for a GM product so the process might not be exactly the same, but hopefully the thread will get you to thinking and investigating how to do it on your vehicle. Both should be done about every 1-2 years. Both are easy and relatively inexpensive if you do it yoruself.

How To: Brake Fluid System Flush - Chevy and GMC Duramax Diesel Forum

How To: Power Steering/Hydro-Boost Flush - Chevy and GMC Duramax Diesel Forum

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

I think going to go against the grain here.

I change my oil every 5000 miles. Draining the oil not only rejuvenates the oil but also drains out any contaminates or byproducts of combustion that leaked around the rings.

I think oil is cheap, engines not so much. I dont mind the small additional expense for my own peace of mind. I do it myself so it isn't expensive adn I KNOW I am getting what I want in the engine.

Here's a counterpoint. UOA has shown that there is less wear per mile if drains are extended out as much as possible or at least oil changes are not done early.

Here's why.

Engines today use detergent motor oils that have detergents as part of the additive pack. These detergents work for the first 2,000 miles or so after an oil change and one of the things they do is clean the high-pressure film off of bearings/journals that is put there by the anti-wear additives (zinc, moly, etc). So after an oil change there is actually a spike in engine wear while the detergents are active and then once consumed the anti-wear additives are able to create the protective film on bearing surfaces. Think of the wear rate like a U-shape, there is a spike initially, then there's a drop once the oil is "broken in", and then the wear metals start to increase as the oil reaches the end of life (TBN too low, oil is "loaded" with contaminants, etc).

Condensation, fuel, and other liquid contaminants in the oil burn off as you drive as long as you're not doing short trips that don't allow the oil to get up to temp and stay there for at least 20-30 minutes. The exception to this is if you are running B20 diesel or higher since biodiesel doesn't boil off like standard #2.

Changing your oil early isn't always the best thing for your engine. I recommend following the manufacturer's oil change interval and not changing your oil early.

That said, the chances of the increased wear resulting in an extremely early engine rebuild due to excessive wear is unlikely. It's not the difference between an engine making it 60,000 miles vs 250,000 miles but could be the difference between going 150,000 miles or 250,000 miles.

Something to think about...

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by DieselDrax

Here's a counterpoint. UOA has shown that there is less wear per mile if drains are extended out as much as possible or at least oil changes are not done early.

Here's why.

Engines today use detergent motor oils that have detergents as part of the additive pack. These detergents work for the first 2,000 miles or so after an oil change and one of the things they do is clean the high-pressure film off of bearings/journals that is put there by the anti-wear additives (zinc, moly, etc). So after an oil change there is actually a spike in engine wear while the detergents are active and then once consumed the anti-wear additives are able to create the protective film on bearing surfaces. Think of the wear rate like a U-shape, there is a spike initially, then there's a drop once the oil is "broken in", and then the wear metals start to increase as the oil reaches the end of life (TBN too low, oil is "loaded" with contaminants, etc).

Condensation, fuel, and other liquid contaminants in the oil burn off as you drive as long as you're not doing short trips that don't allow the oil to get up to temp and stay there for at least 20-30 minutes. The exception to this is if you are running B20 diesel or higher since biodiesel doesn't boil off like standard #2.

Changing your oil early isn't always the best thing for your engine. I recommend following the manufacturer's oil change interval and not changing your oil early.

That said, the chances of the increased wear resulting in an extremely early engine rebuild due to excessive wear is unlikely. It's not the difference between an engine making it 60,000 miles vs 250,000 miles but could be the difference between going 150,000 miles or 250,000 miles.

Something to think about...

Please cite the source and if possible provide a link.

BTW, the Diesel here is all B5 to B20, which provides a lubricity lost in the ULSD produced today as well as an excellent cleaning agent for the fuel delivery system.

[leonmary]

You mentioned warranty I bought a 2014 Georgetown 4/12/2017 new never sold motor blew 400 miles from dealer ship same day Ford refused warranty claim due to only 3 oil changes unit had 3000 miles on it per Ford should have been changed 7 times new motor was 11ooo dollars dealer paid for it

[Slow Moon]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

I think going to go against the grain here.

I change my oil every 5000 miles...***

Originally Posted by DieselDrax

Here's a counterpoint. UOA has shown that there is less wear per mile if drains are extended out as much as possible or at least oil changes are not done early.

Here's why...***

I'm strongly with DoulasReid on this, including his asking for cites from DieselDrax, who poses an interesting counterpoint, IF IT CAN BE SUPPORTED. I'm listening, DieselDrax. For openers, what is "UAO?"

BTW--DouglasReid is right about the brake fluid, though there will be a couple who disagree because they never changed fluid and "never had a problem."

[aircommuter]

UOA is used oil analysis, TBN too low does not mean loaded with contaminates,it is total base number. Base as we know counteracts acid, if the base number gets down to 5or4 then you need to add base or change the oil. After warranty is over you can add a bypass filter like Ecopure then just sample and add base or change when needed by analysis. This is what we did on the big rigs. It is too costly to change 50 or more quarts if not needed. Oil doesen’t where out or get old after all how long has it been in the ground?
Read about the Ecopure or other bypass systems.

[babock]

Originally Posted by Slow Moon

BTW--DouglasReid is right about the brake fluid, though there will be a couple who disagree because they never changed fluid and "never had a problem."

I change the brake fluid in all my vehicles every two years. That is actually the maintenance schedule for many new autos already.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

UOA is used oil analysis, TBN too low does not mean loaded with contaminates,it is total base number. Base as we know counteracts acid, if the base number gets down to 5or4 then you need to add base or change the oil. After warranty is over you can add a bypass filter like Ecopure then just sample and add base or change when needed by analysis. This is what we did on the big rigs. It is too costly to change 50 or more quarts if not needed. Oil doesen’t where out or get old after all how long has it been in the ground?
Read about the Ecopure or other bypass systems.

So you are saying that changing oil every 5000 miles, or before it is actually required by the analysis does no harm? It is just wasting money?

Im NOT arguing, Im listening!

[vmax]

Originally Posted by shorthorn

My 2014 Cummins is 15,000 / 6 months. I have been changing it once a year as I only drive it 10k / yr. I run the good Cummins strata-pore filters and Rotella T6... Blackstone oil analysis every other change

I use Blackstone too and I use Turbomaxx additive. Change my oil about every 20k on my 7.3. At 20k My TBN is 10.7 and TAN 4.1.