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View Poll Results: what oil do you use
15-40 35 51.47%
synthetic 29 42.65%
other 4 5.88%
Voters: 68. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 10-12-2011, 03:10 PM   #21
hankpage
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charli View Post
So splain to me Lucy ~ I think its a money grab by the dealer.
Ooooh Ricky, I have to agree with you there.
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Old 10-12-2011, 04:21 PM   #22
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Got a oil change done today at local dealer. I held the course with synthetic. $155 and change.

If I knew for sure i'd be gone during the real cold months here in Manitoba, I'd change with 15-40.

FYI, Duramax's come factory filled with 15-40. I contacted GMAC to confirm.

I hope to go back to 15-40 in the near future.
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Old 10-12-2011, 05:40 PM   #23
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Quote:
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So splain to me Lucy - if the manufacturer knows your engine best and, as many of the previous posts suggest, they always follow the mfg recommendations in the service manual why are people changing oil after 3-5,000 miles (5-8,000km) when the manual says 7500 miles (12,000km). My dealer wants me to change my oil every 6000km. I think its a money grab by the dealer.
For those engines that are running EGR, I would recommend every 3-5K miles for oil change intervals. Reason being that the oil gets contaminated very quickly from EGR soot. This is the main reason I have not switched to synthetic oil in my Dodge. Changing the engine oil at 3K miles is cheap insurance.

Jason
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Old 10-13-2011, 05:38 AM   #24
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I tried to check the oil in my travel trailer but never could locate the dipstick!
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Old 10-13-2011, 05:52 AM   #25
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I tried to check the oil in my travel trailer but never could locate the dipstick!
You really set yourself up for replies with that one. I have occasionally found them behind the steering wheel of the TV.
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Old 10-13-2011, 06:15 AM   #26
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I use Mobil 1 0W20 as per the manufactures suggestion. For the first 500 miles I used Castrol 5W20 for the same reason. I buy the oil a few quarts at a time between oil changes so the cost is spread over time. Our dealer will change the oil for $14 if I supply the oil and filter. As far as locating the dipstick in the trailer the DW says it's not located in the trailer, it's in the TV! I wonder what she meant by that!
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Old 10-13-2011, 06:33 AM   #27
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Maybe it's the dipstick driving the tow vehicle ???
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Old 10-13-2011, 06:36 AM   #28
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Yea, sounds like what my wife would think. I love her anyway.
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Old 10-14-2011, 07:01 AM   #29
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I have heard onece you have synthetic you should stay with it, for what reason i dont know just what I was told...in the end it is your truck
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Old 10-15-2011, 12:08 PM   #30
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Charli
you have a 6.7 with mucho emission crap. Your oil will get dirtier in your grocery getting cycle than it will pulling your trailer.DO NOT play with extending drain intervals with this engine. Better yet unplug the wire on your EGR valve and only plug it back in when you go back for service.(it will cause the check engine light to come on though, but will cut exhaust regen by 75%)

My son has 4 cummins 3500 in his Class 8 ERS company and we are struggling to find really nice replacement trucks that are not emission loaded. It is a real headache in the industry.......it is almost to the point where you need an old spare for every two new emission engines you have in HD service.

I would only advise 5-40 in a cummins if in extreme cold starting, and do not run it it hot ambient temp.

You can get an excellent glue on oil pan heater(electric) at Napa for about 75 bucks. We use them on all the trucks for winter starts.......a quite noticeable difference in cranking speeds if its real cold.
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Old 10-30-2011, 05:11 PM   #31
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Google "Motor Oil Bible", this is a very interesting book that compares oils and gives you the specifications and test results. The ebook cost $14.95, the end results show AMSOIL and Mobil 1 are the best oils on the market. I have been using AMSOIL in all of vehicles for the past 30 years and have never had oil related problem. I change the oil in all my gas engines once a year or 25,000 which ever comes first. My 1996 Dodge 2500 Cummins and my 2001 Dodge 3500 Cummins I never changed the oil after I drained the factory oil. I installed AMSOIL's Dual By-pass filter system on both engines and did oil analysis every 25,000 miles. When I traded my 1996 for my 2001, I had 212,000 miles on the oil change. When I sold my 2001 to another AMSOIL dealer the truck had 352,000 on the oil change. Each oil analysis stated the oil was good for continued use and the metal wears indicated there was very little wear occurring in the engine. In fact, the iron content in the oil was far below Cummins normal wear estimates for normal oil drains. Today the truck has 368,000 miles on the same oil change and the last oil analysis showed the oil was still good for continued use. My 2007 Dodge 3500 has the 6.7 engine, soot and fuel dilution is big problem in 2007 and newer engines that have the DPF filter and EGR systems. On my 2007, I do oil analysis every 12,500 miles and change the oil and filter at 25,000.
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Old 10-31-2011, 04:51 AM   #32
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Al,
What is the fuel dilution number for your 07, when you do the oil analysis at 12,500 miles?
My fuel dilution numbers were always around 5%, when I changed my oil and did an oil analysis on my 08. Could never get past 4,000 miles between oil changes. Now I am changing my oil and filter at 7,500 miles and my fuel dilution is less than .1%.
Jim W.
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Old 10-31-2011, 07:25 PM   #33
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Delete or unplug the EGR and you won't have to worry about fuel dilution. It will keep the dirty exhaust out of the intake, and will gain you a couple MPG.

Jason
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Old 11-01-2011, 05:51 AM   #34
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CARLI I'LL SPLAIN YOU IN ENGLIESH! THE MANUFACURE OF YOUR ENGINE KNOWS THE BEST OIL. READ CLOSLEY. THOSE LONG EXTENDED OIL CHANGES ARE IN SMALL PRINT NOW, ARE UNDER IDEAL CONDITIONS. TOWING AIN'T IDEAL. ANDIN SMALLER PRINT NO STREET, HIGHWAY ,HOT,, COLD, LONG IDLING, STOP AND GO AND FULL MOON DRIVING WILL REQUIRE YOU TO CHANGE IT MORE OFTEN. MOST DO NOT READ THAT PART THE DEALER SAYS YOU CAN GO A MILLION MILES W/O A CHANGE. NO. USE A GOOD QUALITY OIL LIKE ROTTELS T OR CHEVRON DELLO ( I SPELLED IT WRONG BEFORE) AND CHANGE IT OFTEN. THE OLDER DODGE DIESELS DO NOT HAVE WATER COOLED TURBOS AND THAT SUCKER IS HOT HAULING A HEAVY LOAD.I NEVER GO PAST 5K. MY SONE WORKS FOR GULFSTREAM SO HE HAS SENT OIL SAMPLES OUT FOR ANALISESS (SPELT THAT WRONG) AND THE RESULUTS ARE VERY GOOD WITH THE ROTTELA T. THE GOOD NEWS IS YOU CAN SERVICE YOUR TRUCK AND DW WILL NOT MAKE YOU RAKE LEAVES NICE TRADE. HAVE FUN LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO GET STRESSED OVER OIL!
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Old 11-01-2011, 04:17 PM   #35
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Saab doc,I know my engine very well. I understand better than most. I do however, also respect others opinion. And I did ask a question to add interest and traffic to site.

I live in a very cold winter environment. SYN oil is my only choice until I get my garage addition built. So for everybody to say how they run or how often they change is useless unless weather is facterd in. I wish I lived in the south or a warmer climate. It is easy for people to say how to run. But , look outside your world. Then have opinion. I am also running within OEM specs for my place and space.

Let the oil debate roll on.......... and let's have fun with it
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Old 11-07-2011, 05:04 PM   #36
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Jim

My fuel dilution at 12,500 is usually between one - two percent. At 25,000 miles my fuel dilution is slightly over three percent. I have never seen more than 3.5 percent fuel in my oil as long as I have been doing oil analysis. I have to change my oil at 25,000 because the oil will changes viscosity to a 50 weight somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 miles. Max fuel allowed fuel dilution is six percent, so I'm far below the max allowed. Soot levels are below the max level at 25,000 miles, but does cause the viscosity to change when I push the oil pass 25,000 miles.

If you are getting four percent fuel dilution in your oil before 7,500 miles, you might want to take your truck to the dealer and have the ECM reflashed. This has eliminated a lot of fuel dilution problems in.Dodge 6.7's. Sometimes the first flash doesn't code the ECM correctly and they need to reflashed.

Al
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Old 11-12-2011, 10:51 AM   #37
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Synthetic oils

Folks, I have been doing a little research, from what I can find is that "synthetic oil" is still petroleum based but has more uniform sized molecules than regular 15-40 for example.
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Old 11-12-2011, 03:50 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CarKath View Post
What oil are most people using?

In my Duramax I am currently running synthetic.

I have only done one oil change on this truck.

It was noticeable from an engine noise stand point. Way loader now.

What comes from factory?

I am booked in next Friday(7th) for a service. Requested 15-40 oil for service and got bitched out how wrong I am.

So, I'd like to know what others are doing.

Geography will play a roll here. I am in Manitoba and our winters are cold to brutal cold.
I have a 04.5 duramax, just turned 100K miles. the factory fill and "normal" recomended oil is 15W-40 CJ+. My owners manual recomends 5W-40 for cold climates, and I'm sure yours qualifies as cold!

As to type, I've run normal dino oil (15W-40 Delo400LE) and synthetic (Delo400LE synthetic 5W-40 and Delvac 5W-40 synthetic).

I used to be of the old school "change it every 3K or 5K miles regardless of mfg recomendations" until I had an oil analysis done by blackstone at 5K. They indicated I was changing oil WAY to often, TBN and everything was indicating a way longer oil change interval was possible. Since then I had an analysis don on each oil type after a 10,000 mile service interval. In all cases, TBN was still high, no fuel dilution, very low wear, no high trace metals etc. There comment on all of them was 10,000 miles was a conservative change interval, recomended going to 15K, but I've stayed with 10K. Virtually all of the miles was combination of about 25% in town stop and go and 75% towing with a CGVW of 18,000 lbs over the west coast mountains. The GM oil service monitor typically tells me to change oil at between 7500 and 10,000 miles. I've typically burn about 1/2 quart of oil in a 10,000 mile interval.

I did notice that the synthetic does give me about a 1mpg increase in non towing highway mileage.

Of interesting note, I sent blackstone samples on my car (Mercedes E420) with 130K miles on it and a 10K change interval. Same thing, I could go way longer between changes.

My conclusion, Engines and oils have improved a HUGE amount in the last 30 years or so, and the mfg recomended change intervals are VERY conservative even under the "severe service" category, at least for my type of driving.
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Old 07-28-2012, 08:01 PM   #39
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My type oil

Moble 1 turbo diesel 5-40 synthec we live in southern califorina never that cold. Best place to buy 5 gallons Walmart. Comes out to 7.00 a gal. I do the work myself. My next project trans change.
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Old 07-28-2012, 08:40 PM   #40
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I use Schaefer 9000 full synthetic, in everything we own from the pressure washer up to the big stuff, semis, equipment etc. Has increased my oil pressure on some rigs, and definitely cleans up the engines on all. I know I can run it a few thousand miles, but I still change it at 3000 miles. My wife and dealer say I'm throwing money out the window, but just peace of mind and haven't had any problems since we have been running it for about 9 years now. Also run Schaefer full synthetic transmission fluid and gear oil where applicable............love it. Happy Campin.........Ron
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