Diesel Pick-up oil change

[JackOfAllTrades]

04' 6.0 PowerStroke. 186,000 and still ticking.  15qts of Delo400 every 5,000 miles. I don't get it analyzed. One filter on the top of the engine. Fumoto Valve at the pan for easy draining into the previous 1 gallon jugs for disposal at the curb. (recycling truck)  I change my fuel filters, (one on the frame rail, one at the fuel rail), less than 20,000 miles... I keep a log book of every fill up and also log every maintenance task.  You remind me.. I'm due to order Fuel and Air filters...
 
-Steve

[Wacenturion]

Wild............thanks for the link.  Appreciate the help.

[Rick]

My '07 Cummins used 12qts and I changed it between 7500 and 10,000 miles.

My '11 Duramax uses 10 qts and I change it by the oil life monitor. Usually approaching 10,000 miles

The Cummins and Duramax are both very easy on engine oil and will run a long time with whatever 15w-40 you want to run.

[Mudman]

So, I see many with cummins are running 7k to 10k between changes.  Why? Synthetics? Isnt that a little long?  Maybe Im wasting $ at 3k to 5k intervals?  I use Delo and sometimes Rotella if cheaper.  Delo 15-40 my favorite.   Does anyone lose/use any oil at such long change interval?  I drop half quart at 4-5k.

[Fowlweather25]

Amsoil is your best friend with a diesel! 

[JJB11B]

BUY YOUR PARTS/FILTERS FROM ROCKAUTO.COM HUGE SAVINGS!

My '99 f-350 7.3L got a new filter and 17 qts of DELO 400 every 5k....

I had an aftermarket intake and turbo/exhaust. I CLEANED the air filter every oil change. also drained the upper resevoir as previously mentioned.

I flushed the tranny and changed the filter at 200k. MAKE SURE YOU REALLY TIGHTEN YOUR HOSE CLAMPS!!
I lost a hose on the freeway and really burned up the tranny. It was getting weak already but that was all she wrote after that.....

rotate your tires when you change your oil.

I also ran 1 small can of seafoam every couple tanks of fuel. Change your fuel filter at least every 50k.

AND WATCH YOUR BALL JOINTS/WHEEL BEARINGS/OIL SEALS IN THE FRONT AXLES.
new wheel bearings and seals are very expansive.
I bought my truck from a friend and knew it needed a few small things.
Wound up being ball joints and tie rod ends.
Wheel bearings and oil seals
tranny pan seal. Crank Position Sensor. Wheel speed sensors. and a new Murphy switch for the propane injection.
had to pull the turbo pedestal out and I removed that little return line bypass thingy...helped a lot with oil seepage.
Later on down the road was a brand new 10.5" sterling rear end, and a transfer case shift motor.
ALL YALL BE GLAD I WAS SMART ENOUGH NOT TO TRY TO SELL IT TO A MEMBER ON HERE. Next time I get a one ton. I will put a leveling kit on it and a locker in the front end other than that its staying stock.

[Slimdog350]

When I had my 06 cummins I ran 7500 mile oil changes and used the cummins blue oil by valvoline. Not sure if they still make it but man that was awesome oil. The engine ran noticeably smoother and the exhaust had a bit of a sweeter smell. Didn't notice any mileage gain though. I've heard amsoil is pretty good. Depending on the type of diesel ( dpf) I would change it around 5k just because the engines run hotter. Pre dpf you should have no worries doing it at 7500. Usually the manufacturer has a spec in the owners guide as well. I have been in the diesel field for close to 15 years so pm me if you have any issues or questions.

[Rick]

So, I see many with cummins are running 7k to 10k between changes.  Why? Synthetics? Isnt that a little long?  Maybe Im wasting $ at 3k to 5k intervals?  I use Delo and sometimes Rotella if cheaper.  Delo 15-40 my favorite.   Does anyone lose/use any oil at such long change interval?  I drop half quart at 4-5k.

You have the manual for your truck?

Cummins recommends a 7500 mile oil change interval for severe service. They recommend 15,000 for normal service. That's with regular conventional oil.

If you can't trust the people that design and build your engine to know how long you can go between changes,who you gonna trust?

[Mudman]

05 cummins.  Thats just it, You cant trust them.  Jeez they cant even put a quality fuel filter on it.  Sandblasting the injectors isnt good.  2-3 micron is what Cummins told Dodge.  We got 6-7.     I do have a manual yes but at 4k the oil is horrible it seems.  Maybe its the injection events causing it? Just curious on others opinions on intervals.

[Rick]

05 cummins.  Thats just it, You cant trust them.  Jeez they cant even put a quality fuel filter on it.  Sandblasting the injectors isnt good.  2-3 micron is what Cummins told Dodge.  We got 6-7.     I do have a manual yes but at 4k the oil is horrible it seems.  Maybe its the injection events causing it? Just curious on others opinions on intervals.

Why do you think its horrible? Because the oil is black?

The oil in my Cummins was black 30 seconds after an oil change. That doesn't mean the oil is bad,that means the oil is doing what its supposed to do and has the soot in suspension.

IIRC the 2 micron spec is from Bosch,not Cummins or Chrysler. Its not Bosch's or Cummins' fault that Chrysler warranties the injectors and can put whatever filter they want on the engine.

[norsepeak]

Amsoil.  20K between changes for both my 06 dodge and my 98 dodge.  People throw a lot of money away on oil changes that aren't needed.

[Mudman]

05 cummins.  Thats just it, You cant trust them.  Jeez they cant even put a quality fuel filter on it.  Sandblasting the injectors isnt good.  2-3 micron is what Cummins told Dodge.  We got 6-7.     I do have a manual yes but at 4k the oil is horrible it seems.  Maybe its the injection events causing it? Just curious on others opinions on intervals.

Why do you think its horrible? Because the oil is black?

The oil in my Cummins was black 30 seconds after an oil change. That doesn't mean the oil is bad,that means the oil is doing what its supposed to do and has the soot in suspension.

IIRC the 2 micron spec is from Bosch,not Cummins or Chrysler. Its not Bosch's or Cummins' fault that Chrysler warranties the injectors and can put whatever filter they want on the engine.

What?  Maybe its Cat not Cummins.  Doesnt Bosch make the injector and instruct proper filtration for their part?  Does Dodge listen?Of course Cummins doesnt put 7micron filters on their stuff right?.  Dodge warranties injectors just long enough to clear crap filtration damage.  150k failure common.  Much longer with filters at 2m.  Hmm.  What the heck does Chrysler know about diesel?  Nothing except how to clear warranty period as cheap as possible.  So no I dont trust them much.   Ya it gets black immediately but how much is to much?  I was just asking.  I never ran any engine 10k on oil so seems odd to me.  Some one who tested the Delo oil at say 5k and then 10k would have some real info on oils properties at time of miles/hours ran.

[cohoho]

Every 3-4K, got a free oil change for the original owner package when I bought my 2006 Duramax...  Maybe to often but not my money, it is the dealers....  230K miles and still going strong...  Best deal I ever got from a dealer!, I think the one they sell now is 4 per year or something like that... 

[FC]

So, I see many with cummins are running 7k to 10k between changes.  Why? Synthetics? Isnt that a little long?  Maybe Im wasting $ at 3k to 5k intervals?  I use Delo and sometimes Rotella if cheaper.  Delo 15-40 my favorite.   Does anyone lose/use any oil at such long change interval?  I drop half quart at 4-5k.

Go talk to a truck shop and find out how many miles are on some of the trucks coming in. You might get a surprise when you see a million miles and more commonly and guys getting the oil changed every 30-40k whether it needs it or not lol. Delo 400 is good stuff, I wouldn't use anything else. We recommended 10k minimum on all diesels, black oil is no way to judge.

For pickups I would drain the water separator almost every time I opened the hood and change the filter per manufacturer's spec, usually 30k.

[Mudman]

  Yes I know these facts.  Im curious  at the oil condition at 10k if somebody has tested it to have actual results.  My Stepfather is a 35 year ase mech and I not ignorant.  I love diesel technology.  Cummins is the best engine ever put in a pickup.  Hands down.  I understand the black but how are the oils properties at 10k?  Still good?  My 7.3 powerstroke would start to breakdown after 5k.  Idle would start to roughen slightly. I used Motorcrafts oil too.  But it is a different animal.  The cummins may be fine at 20k intervals but it doesnt mean it is good for it either, dunno?  Incredible engine and I want to keep it that way.  The truck will fall apart around it, It has started already!