my first oil change.
 

OK so this may be in the wrong section but here goes. I'm a few miles away from doing my first oil Change on my truck and was wondering what oil y'all recommend. Its currently got chevron delo in it. also I am looking to do the thermostat and fresh coolant too, it has the green stuff in it right now but I've heard running the rotella stuff in it is a better idea. what do you guys suggest.

coolant: 50/50 mix of green stuff and distilled water, or just the premix...
Tstat: OEM cummins tstat or napa tstat. don't trust any other tstat...

OEM tstat is about $65

oil: any 15w-40 oil with the API CI-4+ or API CJ-4+ rating will do fine. :tu:

I personally run AMSOIL 15w-40 Heavy-Duty Diesel and Marine Synthetic.

your truck will take 11qts of oil. 10 in the pan, +1 in the filter.

for filters you can actually get OEM mopar/cummins oil filters from walmart now for like $1 more than the cheap brands :tu:

avoid fram filters.

Hey Pclem, I've been running Delo 400 15W40 in mine since it was born, no complaints. No experience with the rotella..................only the green stuff. I once got my engine so hot the computer shut it down for me. One of those deals where you have one mile to go to reach the top and I wouldn't give up. I've got 240k on it and still going strong..............must be good green stuff!

My preferences...

Engine oil: Rotella T 15w40 (every 3,000mi)
Manual transmission fluid: Valvoline MTF (every 24,000mi)
Differential: Lucas Oil 75w90 (every 24,000mi)

All my fuel and oil filters are WIX. It's the only way to go.:tu:

wow you are wasting money changing oil every 3k in a diesel.

diesels do not break down oil anywhere near as fast as a gasoline engine.

most regular dino oils can go 7500+ on an oil change

most synthetics can go 15-20k+ on an oil change.

just because the oil is black does not mean it is bad. the black is just soot which is perfectly normal for a diesel.

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.:choochoo:

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...:nope:

We always put the manufacturer recommendations on the labels unless the customer uses oil analysis.

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Thanks for all the info guys. I do my oil every 5k in all of my rigs, I have a 45 mile commute one way daily so my miles rack uP fast. I would never run a from, I saw the inside of one in auto tech, what a joke. I will look into Napa and OEM stats. It is good to know that I at least knew the right oil and coolant to use. what about atf ?

In my 1/2 ton, I ran Royal Purple full synthetic. If it was good enough for the drag strip, I knew it'd be good enough for my lead foot.

I'd love to run purple but that shit is expensive and I wouldn't be able to go back to non synthetic. maybe once the truck is built and I'm making more power ( and money ) I'll consider it Lol