Originally Posted by Pokechop

I do agree with you. However, per the previous owner (and the 2001 Dodge Ram BR/BE Service Manual), the oil is to be changed every 3,000 miles due to the nature of my use of my truck and the conditions under which it is operated. 300k miles don't lie.

Every 3k, she gets the oil, oil filter, and both fuel filters changed. The previous owner uninstalled the water separator and I haven't gotten around to re-installing it. An extra $16.00 every 3k? Worth every penny for my peace of mind. Plus, here in South MS, you wouldn't believe the trash in the diesel fuel...

Originally Posted by jigabop

I believe ya on the trash in the fuel.

241k miles on my 576hp rattle trap

there is an old timer out of kansas that hauls cars cross country daily in his 01 24v and has an edge box and 50hp injectors..

runs synthetic in everything and changes his oil every 15k.

has over 2 million miles on the original powertrain with no rebuilds. original NV5600, original D80 rear end, and original cummins. 2 million miles and still pullin strong!

says if he changed his oil every 3k he would be pullin over every couple days doin an oil change .


as for my fuel filter and water separator, I have an airdog 150 running fleetguard filters on there. a 2 micron and a 100 micron separator/pre-filter.

I change those based off fuel pressure rather than mileage.

once my fuel pressure drops about 1-2psi below normal I replace them...

probably going to be a while on my current interval since I cleaned out my fuel tank about 6 months ago when I did my liberty fuel module and replaced my vp44 return fuel line. completely removed the tank and emptied it bone dry then cleaned all the dirt out till it was spotless inside. refilled it with the old fuel but filtered it on the way into the tank with a filtered funnel.



valvoline is a good oil brand and is actually the official recommended brand by cummins.

also fleetguard is now owned by cummins and is now the official filter for cummins.

Originally Posted by jigabop

I believe ya on the trash in the fuel.

241k miles on my 576hp rattle trap

there is an old timer out of kansas that hauls cars cross country daily in his 01 24v and has an edge box and 50hp injectors..

runs synthetic in everything and changes his oil every 15k.

has over 2 million miles on the original powertrain with no rebuilds. original NV5600, original D80 rear end, and original cummins. 2 million miles and still pullin strong!

says if he changed his oil every 3k he would be pullin over every couple days doin an oil change .


as for my fuel filter and water separator, I have an airdog 150 running fleetguard filters on there. a 2 micron and a 100 micron separator/pre-filter.

I change those based off fuel pressure rather than mileage.

once my fuel pressure drops about 1-2psi below normal I replace them...

probably going to be a while on my current interval since I cleaned out my fuel tank about 6 months ago when I did my liberty fuel module and replaced my vp44 return fuel line. completely removed the tank and emptied it bone dry then cleaned all the dirt out till it was spotless inside. refilled it with the old fuel but filtered it on the way into the tank with a filtered funnel.



valvoline is a good oil brand and is actually the official recommended brand by cummins.

also fleetguard is now owned by cummins and is now the official filter for cummins.

Originally Posted by Farmshow

Dodge Ram Nears 1.7 Million Miles



Howard Clayton's Dodge Ram 3500 is heading for the record books. Purchased new in 2000, people tell him it looks like it might have 80,000 miles on it. When FARM SHOW caught up to him, he had just passed 1,688,676 miles. In all that time, he's never touched the inside of the 5.9 Cummins engine, and it's not because he follows the book.

"The book says change the oil every 3,000 miles, but if I did that, I would be stopping every other day," says Clayton. "I change the oil and filter every 10,000 miles. That's two trips from Indiana to California."

Clayton lives in Iowa, but he tows trailers for an Indiana company, putting on more than 160,000 miles a year. Most of his trips are west. The 70-year-old has been trucking for the past 20 years. The first 10 years were in a semi, and the last 10 in the Dodge 3500.

Forest Cunningham is Clayton's mechanic, though he lives in Missouri. Cunningham himself is sort of a legend with those who know him for his work on fuel pumps and high mileage engines. When FARM SHOW contacted him, he said another customer had just left with 400,000 miles on his engine.

"That one is just a baby compared to Howard's," says Cunningham, who gives credit to Clayton for taking good care of his rig. Once a year we clean out all the fluids and refill with fresh synthetics. He has a custom-built set of injectors, stock injection pump and an after market device that alters injection timing. He gets more than 300 hp with that engine, and I've no idea how much torque."

Clayton has had to replace the battery, alternator and lift pumps. The closest he has been to engine problems was replacing a head gasket, though he has had a couple of oil leaks over the years.

"Howard was nervous when he stopped recently," recalls Cunningham. "He was using a quart of oil every 200 miles, but it was the vacuum pump that was leaking. We resealed the oil cooler, changed oil and sent him out the door again."

Clayton says there are no secrets to what he and Cunningham do. "I try to keep an eye on maintenance, and if anything goes wrong, I take care of it immediately."

Clayton relies on synthetic Rotella 1540 for engine oil and Fleetguard oil filters. Transmission and rear end fluids are also synthetic. He gives them at least part of the credit for never having touched the 6-speed transmission or the rear end.

Clayton also uses a fuel treatment year round to keep his injectors clean, as well as using Lucas Oil Additive. He adds half a quart of the thickening agent with every oil change.

"It thickens the oil just enough for better oil pressure," says Clayton. "You don't want it too thick, especially in the winter."

Clayton says his odometer gets a lot of attention when people first notice it. "I had a small fuel leak and stopped at a Dodge dealer in Kankakee, Ill.," he recalls.

"The mechanic couldn't believe it when he saw the odometer and called the manager out to see it," says Clayton. I told them to add a million. I had to show them an article about my truck in Diesel Power magazine for them to believe me."

Originally Posted by jigabop

yeah, if you are going to run dino oil, go for valvoline, delo 400, rosmella (not a typo...that stuff stinks!), etc. anything API-CI4 or better rated that is 15w-40.

(I know he says API CJ-4 or better, but CJ-4 is only required for the 6.7L diesels with the particulate filters in the exhaust... CI-4 is the original spec these engines were held to and the factory service manual calls for...

so CI-4 and CJ-4 are both equally compatible in your engine


btw the 2 million mile dodge, here's the original article someone reposted because the original link was taken down (story was posted over 2 years ago)

and my bad he's out of Iowa, not Kansas... and it's every 10k he changes oil. Keep in mind this article is over 2 years old, he's definitely over 2 mil by now.