Ridgeman

Howdy,
I am new to this forum and this is my first post so bear with me if I screw it up. I am a DIY type and have always done general maintainance as well as minor and some major repairs on my vehicles.

But my Dodge is my first diesel so I have some catching up to do. I have 15000 miles on my truck now and it is time to change the differential oil. Can anyone tell me the capacity of the front and rear differentials? Also any recommendations on a quality oil will be appreciated. I see from my owners manual I need to get synthetic GL-5, 75-90 sae but don't require a limited slip additive, even though I have a limited slip rear end.

It also says to clean the water from the fuel sensor. Where is that located and how do I do that? Is it on the fuel filter housing? I haven't opened the housing yet to change the filter but that will be next.

I know, dumb questions, but I've got to start somewhere.

Thanks, Kurt

donhov

The axles take aprox 4 qts in the rear and 3 in the front if 4x4. Use a good synthetic 75/90 GL-5 and the limited slip isn't usually needed. If you use the Expensive dealer stuff it has the equivilant of the anti spin in it. I used Mobil 1 and had no problems so did not add it.

As far as the water seperator drain it is the yellow lever on the base of the fuel filter. Turn it down and it should drian. You might want to place a jar under it to catch the fuel drained. Usually a few seconds will remove any moisture but check your container for sure. If at 15K you might want to change the filter also, usually 10-20K frequency depending on your fuel suppliers quality of fuel. Suggestion to use Fleetguard filters from you local Cummins dealer. His ar about $15 or less while your friiendly Dodge dealer gets $45 or so for the same filter in a Dodge box.

By the way there are no dumb questions. We all had to learn and this is a very good place to get answers.

Enjoy your truck.

Ridgeman

Thanks donhov,
Mobile one. Got it. I already got the fuel filter from Geno's garage, but good advise on using the cummins dealer. Will save me shipping costs.

On "cleaning the water from the fuel sensor", Is draining the water from the separator the same thing? I have done that occasionaly. It sounded like something different. So is the sensor located on or in the searator?

BWdiver

Ridgeman,

Also you might want to try the Baldwin fuel filter part# PF7977 it has a better filtration rating than the Fleetguard... FG was at 7 microns and the Dodge was a 10 micron I used both but soon switch to the 5 Micron Baldwin for peace of mine and have had no problems.

Also as for you rear end I'm not sure on the amount of fluid because I put on a bigger capacity differencial cover and it took 6 or 7 quarts but I did go with the 75/90 in Royal Purple but brand is up to you.

I change the trans pan too for ease of fluid changes more often since it is the weak link in our trucks.

hope this helps, and welcome to the forum.

Mr Bee

Ridgeman... First purchase should be some gauges. Even if you are not going to bomb it, it will provide you with invaluable information on the motor "real time". Long steep hills, towing heavy, even a stocker can get hot.

Welcome to the forum, there are so many very knowlegable people here there is hardly a question you can ask that there will not be 3 responses to.
I have found most all to be patient and will go the extra mile to assist you.
There is no such thing as a stupid question. Get familiar with the search feature, many subjects have been covered in depth, and it will provide you with good reading material.

dwo3rd

A good resourse is the amsoil website ( amsoil.com ) check out the application guide, enter your vehicle info and it will show you all capacities for every fluid in the truk including diff, transfer case, front diff, engine. etc. Good luck .

Dieselnick

I use Valvoline SYN 75-90. It's got 52K MI on it and still looks new. I also recommend the Baldwin 7977 FF. If you go with it you might want to change it at 9-10K intervals as it may clog quicker being a 5 MIC.

Nick

TexasCTD

Ridgeman, opinions will vary on what to use and when to change fluids.

But here is my schedule. I change the oil and filter every 5k miles. I use Shell Rotella T 5w40 synthetic oil and Fleetguard Stratapore filter.


I change the stock fuel filter every 10K miles. Here is a good write up to assist with that chore. https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...n&onlynewfaq=1

I generally rotate my tires around every 10k too.


Every 20K I change a host of fluids. 1. I drain and refill my differentials with Mobil 1 75w90. 2. I drain the trans fluid, drop the pan and replace the filter, reinstall the pan and put in fresh Mopar ATF +4 fluid. Also drain and refill the transfer case at the same time. 3. I suck out most of the power steering fluid and replace it with fresh ATF +4. 4. I drain (not flush) the coolant out of the radiator and refill with 1/2 Zerex G-05 and 1/2 Distilled Water.
I also change out my GDP kit 2 micron fuel filter (this is an aftermarket item.......but highly recommended with our High Pressure Common Rail Fuel Injection System).

Some of my maintenance schedule is probably overkill...but I feel better doing it....so I do. Just start reading the threads here on DTR and you will learn alot. If you have a question about something in particular....just ask. Somebody will jump in and answer it.

..

Ridgeman

Great feedback guys. And I'm putting those links in my favorities.

Anyone know where that fuel sensor is located. I'm still not clear on that. I don't have a service manual. I tried "search" for fuel sensors and didn't get much.

ssandlin

I'm pretty sure the water in fuel sensor is located at the bottom of the fuel filter canister.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Vinceg99

Yes you are correct its at the bottom of the fuel filter canister.

As for why they say "clean" it I have no clue I drain mine when im doing a filter change then wipe it out before I put a new filter in.

Also as for a suggestion on the Baldwin fuel filters and the Fleetguard Strapore oil filters try your local Kenworth dealer.

I did a search on where I could find the Balwin filters locally and came up with the Kenworth store and I already knew they carried Fleetguard filters So I called them up and well I picked up 6 of the Baldwin Fuel Filters (part # PF7977) for $10.75 each and also a case (12) of the Fleetguard Stratapore oil filters (part # LF16035) for $11 each.

The best prices I had found online for the balwin filters were at adiesel.com for $12.20 (each when you buy 6) and the best prices for the fleetguard filter was at scheiddiesel.com for $10.54 (each when you buy 12) but scheid also charges about $30 for a handling fee.

So all added up I was better going to one place locally and getting everything together. Oh and I have a Cummins NPower store about a block away from the Kenworth dealer and the best they could do for me was $11.14 each on the filters and the guy told me that they charge some people all the way up to $18.93 each for those filters!!

Rednecktastic

Here is my routine:

10K lube, fuel filter, and oil (classic preumium blue valeline CI)
20K diffs
30K transmission
T-case i think is due at 60K???
airfilter as needed


I'm due for oil, transmission, and fuel filter in a few hundred miles.


I use the better fleetguard filters as mentioned above.

Ridgeman

Ok, I think I have all the info I need for my gear oil change and fuel filter change. Thanks again. Great forum. Maybe the owners manual says "clean it" so we will not know what they mean so we will take it to the dealer to get it serviced.

Desert Dually

why do the diffs need to be changed at 20K miles in the Dodge trucks? Most other trucks i've had required much less diff maintenance. Is it really neccessary, or just a profit generator for the dealership? I could understand if you are doing a LOT of towing that it would put a "shear stress" on the diff lube, but what about if light towing accounts for only 10% of your mileage?

CD in NM

Ridgeman.

I change my fuel filters when I change my oil. Easier to remember than all those different timeframes. Get some lint-free towels and wipe out the fuel canister when you change the filter. That gets it done right and that's what the dealer will do if you took it to them. I use the Baldwin 7 micron filter. The filter you got from Genos is more than likely the 7 micron, but you DO need better filtration that the 10 micron.

I changed out my diffs at 5K, then again at 15K, I am at 30 K and am changing out the fluids again. I went with Amsoil 75w140 because I live in a hot climate and do a lot of towing. They has a 75w110 that's perfect for someone who does a mix of running empty and towing, otherwise their 75w90 is a top quality fluid replacement. I also changed out the transfer case and transmission fluid when I did the diffs, used Amsoil's tranny fluid.

Even though I have an Amsoil oil bypass filter, I change my oil and the factory oil filter every 7500 miles, I change out the bypass filter every other oil change.

Oil and filters are cheap, engines and fuel system components are not.

I try to lube things about every two weeks when I am doing my wash and vac stuff. I rotate the tires when doing oil changes. I am truly **** about maintenance, so what I do will seem overkill to most people, but I have found that things go wrong less often when your maintenance is tightly scheduled.

CD