Cummins Oil Change

[SteveH]

How frequently do you change the oil in your Cummins Diesel engine, and what type oil do you use?

Thanks,
Steve

[Gruveeman]

I have a '93 Dodge D250....new to me within the last year. Book says 5000 miles. I change @ 4500 with 15W-40 Rotella. NW Fla weaher, daily driver, 5500# once a month or so. It lives an easy life.

[sandlapper]

I change mine at 5000 miles. Fuel filter every 10,000. It's not a daily driver, mostly for towing, not as much as I'd like to. I drive it every week even if not towing

Our local Dodge dealer has a cracker jack diesel tech, military trained. I do whatever he says. Don't even know the brand oil, just that it is the low sulfer type.

Thanks for putting out the question, looking forward to the replies.

John

[slowmover]

Year model & engine spec. In over 20-years of production there is a range of expected time/miles recommendations.

On mine: 7,500 - 15,000 miles or one year depending on use.

12-quarts of SHELL Rotella 05W-40 and a BALDWIN or DONALDSON filter.

I usually replace the fuel filter (BALDWIN) and air filter (MOPAR) at the same time just to be consistent.

Brings my minimum annual cost to around $120 for parts/supplies.

.

[pgr32e]

I've got the 98 24 valve, Change the oil and filter spring and fall, usually rotella 15w 40. K&N air filter cleaned as needed and a fuel filter in the spring.....Phil.

[Bill M.]

2007 Dodge pickup. Oil & filter 3500 miles. Dino oil

[RickDavis]

I have a 99 Dodge 2500. Change oil every 30,000 using Delvac 1 Synthetic diesel oil. Change oil filter at 6000 mile intervals using Fleetguard filters.
The fuel filter gets changed at the same intervals as the oil.
I have had the oil analyzed several times and no problems.
I went to the Delvac 1 at 100,000 miles after the warranty ran out.
I am now at 570K and all is well.
I originally went the synthetic route because I was delivering trailers and when I had to get an oil change on the road they would usually use a gorilla to tighten the drain plug. I can change an oil filter by the side of the road with little difficulty.
Were I not running the Delvac I would likely use rottella and change every 6K or so.
We live in a rural area and the truck rarely sees any city type driving. Always gets fully warmed up etc.

[crispyboy]

My truck goes no more than 5k oil changes due to the emissions components. Egr valve puts a lot of soot back into the engine and possible fuel dilution caused by dpf regeneration events.
I have had local dealers send me oil change coupons but there was a $30 difference in price. One dealer was $79.95 and the other was $109 for the same service. Go figure......
Three years back I bought an oil change contract from Chrysler good at any dealer nationwide, 6 prepaid oil changes to be used within 3 years cost ~$37 each.

[crisen]

Originally Posted by SteveH

How frequently do you change the oil in your Cummins Diesel engine, and what type oil do you use?

Thanks,
Steve

Steve,

Your 6.7 required different oil than the older 5.9's. The oil must meet Cummins spec 20008. This requirement is stated in the owners manual diesel supplement.

I use Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme synthetic. It is 5W-40. The standard Premium Blue in 15W-40 also meets the Cummins spec and may be more appropo in your climate which warmer than Fairbanks! For filters I use the Fleetguard Stratopore.

Max oil change interval is 7500 miles and I find that when towing the oil change reminder which is duty cycle based goes off around 7k to 7.5k miles. If you do in town a lot it will go off sooner, some guys who use their trucks for grocrey getters find it goes off in 2000 miles.

I also installed a Fumoto oil quik drain valve and it sure cleans up doing an oil change.

Hope this helps.

[handn]

5000 miles or once a year. Any 15W40 C-4 oil. I use Delo because I can get it cheap at Costco. My Cummins book on QSC engines recomends against synthetic oils.

[AL’ UM- MONEY]

I don't want to change the discussion from Commings but I have a new(4500miles) Duramax. Do most of you change by time or mileage or do most trust the computer to determine when it is time. Does the same thing go for the computer and fuel filter change. Thanks.

[SteveH]

OK, I finally got the owner's manuel for the '12 Ram Cummins, and it recommends 7500 mile, or six month oil change intervals.

[RUMSHIP]

It's new. Take it to your dealer so it gets done right. You spent a lot of money for a good truck. Don't cheap out on the oil changes and screw it up along with your warranty. That being said, I have mine changed at the dealer every 5k. It's easier to keep track with mileage that way. They can also change out the fuel filter and do flash updates if needed while its there.

[mefly2]

Same as Crispy; 5k miles.

[r carl]

Originally Posted by crispyboy

My truck goes no more than 5k oil changes due to the emissions components. Egr valve puts a lot of soot back into the engine and possible fuel dilution caused by dpf regeneration events.
.

Thats crazy. I remember in the 1990's a tire distributor here was going 50k between oil changes with their fleet of dodge 1 tons using a premium oil and doing oil samples.



Item # 8800, Monolec Ultra® Engine Oil 8800 on Lubrication Engineers, Inc.

[Bob4x4]

Originally Posted by SteveH

OK, I finally got the owner's manuel for the '12 Ram Cummins, and it recommends 7500 mile, or six month oil change intervals.

Maybe you should reread it. Something along the lines of when the EVIC message tells you it is due-Never to exceed 7500 miles

[crisen]

X2 for checking out the book again, also be sure you read the portions on oil spec. I am pretty sure some of the oil's mentioned do not meet the Cummins/Chrysler requirements for the 6.7l which as I said previously is different than the 5.9 oil requirement.

[switz]

If the engine is idled too much on the 2010-2012 models, the soot loads up inside the exhaust system and gets an opportunity to end up in the crankcase along with fuel. A really toxic brew. This could trigger the oil change light at even 2,500 miles.

I would suggest reviewing the owner's manual diesel supplement for specific oil recommendations. Use only Cummins or MoPar fuel and oil filters to head off unpleasant warranty discussions in the future. Keep all receipts for each service with exact model and brand details of the oil and filters. The service does not have to be done by a Dodge dealer, but the correct parts need to be used by whomever does the work.

Also be sure to purge the fuel filter regularly for any water. The filter purge valve knob is real inconvenient to get to for a short person.