Extended oil changes...
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2009
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From: Greenwood, SC
Ain't life great? We're all different.
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Tuned
Joined: Feb 2011
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From: Indian Trail, NC
Thanks for the replies. I will probably stick with 5k. I wasn't necessarily looking to save any money by going every 10k, I was just curious if anyone using a really good synthetic oil did go every 10k. I am going to stick with the Rotella T6 5w-40 though.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: central MN
I sent in an oil sample of some 10w-30 dino that I had in the truck for almost 10,000 miles and it came back looking really good. Fuel dilution and viscosity all came in good. These trucks are pretty easy on the oil.
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Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Green Lane, Pa.
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From: Texas Hill Country
More Turbo
Joined: May 2008
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From: Ontario, Canada
My last oil change interval was 20,000km (12,500 miles). I used oil analysis to get there and I changed the filter at 10,000km. I am quite comfortable with the results of the analysis up to that point and since it took one year to get there, I decided to change the oil based on time rather than mileage.
I generally don't do short trips around town and I do tow a 5er in the summer months.
I generally don't do short trips around town and I do tow a 5er in the summer months.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: The Great State of Texas
My last oil change interval was 20,000km (12,500 miles). I used oil analysis to get there and I changed the filter at 10,000km. I am quite comfortable with the results of the analysis up to that point and since it took one year to get there, I decided to change the oil based on time rather than mileage.
I generally don't do short trips around town and I do tow a 5er in the summer months.
I generally don't do short trips around town and I do tow a 5er in the summer months.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 340
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From: Colorado foot hills
That's not entirely true. A lot depends on what you do with your truck, such as idle time, city driving, etc. The OLM can be trusted to some degree but common sense has to come into play at some point as well.
If you idle your truck for long periods, drive in town and never get the engine fully up to temp and things like that your oil should be changed more often. Maybe the truck will tell you sooner, maybe not. Far as I know the only things taken into account for the OLM is miles, engine hours, idle hours.
It doesn't have a 'sensor' that actually checks the oil for build up of wear metals or fuel dilution. It only makes a calculation based on the above mentioned parameters. The truck has no idea how much fuel dilution is present (there will always be some, more if you idle alot and/or don't get it hot often).
I'm not attempting to tell anyone what to do with their truck but for me, oil changes are one of the CHEAPEST things you can do to prolong the life of an engine. No way would I go 8-10k on the same oil, modern oil or not. Too much unnecessary engine/bearing wear to save less than $100 for me.
The other issue I have with the OLM is the truck has no idea what oil is in the engine. It doesn't know if it's a 'top of the line' synthetic or cheapo 10w30 from wal-mart. There has to be a fairly significant difference between those 2 oils but the truck doesn't that into account.
Just my .02
If you idle your truck for long periods, drive in town and never get the engine fully up to temp and things like that your oil should be changed more often. Maybe the truck will tell you sooner, maybe not. Far as I know the only things taken into account for the OLM is miles, engine hours, idle hours.
It doesn't have a 'sensor' that actually checks the oil for build up of wear metals or fuel dilution. It only makes a calculation based on the above mentioned parameters. The truck has no idea how much fuel dilution is present (there will always be some, more if you idle alot and/or don't get it hot often).
I'm not attempting to tell anyone what to do with their truck but for me, oil changes are one of the CHEAPEST things you can do to prolong the life of an engine. No way would I go 8-10k on the same oil, modern oil or not. Too much unnecessary engine/bearing wear to save less than $100 for me.
The other issue I have with the OLM is the truck has no idea what oil is in the engine. It doesn't know if it's a 'top of the line' synthetic or cheapo 10w30 from wal-mart. There has to be a fairly significant difference between those 2 oils but the truck doesn't that into account.
Just my .02
Originally, the OLM was engineered for 12K changes, of course that depended upon usage of the truck. FLM knew that would make everyone nervous so the benchmark was set at 7.5K. True, the OLM does not 'sense' the oil condition, but calculates oil life. The algorithm takes in account many factors such as idle time, throttle position, boost, temps, etc.
My last change oil soon message came at slightly over 8K miles since reset. Not a lot of money saved for a single user, but fleet users could see substantial savings over time and miles!
JMHO
jammer
