krisbarger

I just bought a used 2003 CTD Laramie 2500 4X4 6 Speed.

There is a sticker under the hood it reads "reprogram ECM" It was done 12/05 I think??? What does this mean?

I get about 17MPG. Will a K&N help this. What about a fuel filter?(What ever napa will carry)...

I am about to do my first oil change. All the oil I can get is the Premium Blue kind. Napa has it for $68 15W40 and $100 for the extreme. Maybe the Mobile 1 5W40, and whatever walmart will carry. I have already bought an oil filter from Napa it is in a gold looking box (forgot the name). I am moving to Ohio for the winter and it will get cold up there. Any help or advice would be a great help.

I did spent 3 hours searching the forums last night to find that there are about 4 different oils that everybody likes. Rotella,Premium Blue, amsoil, and Mobile 1. Money is always something to consider I want the best bang for my buck.Thanks Kris

Luke S

People swear by different brands of oil. To me, oil is oil as long as it is a good name brand oil, not the cheap $.99 a quart from wal-mart. My 92' has over 300k and has had all kinds of different stuff run through it in it's life, never a drop of synthetic though. It's always had Mopar or fleetgaurd filters used on it, and it has been worked harder than most get worked. After 300k it uses no oil and runs perfect. I think people make too big a deal out of it. Use something you like and go.

bkrukow

The reprogram ECM thing is just a reflash. In other words there was an update out for the computer and they updated it. If you realy wana know what it was jsut post the code on here and someone will be able to assist in figureing it out. There is not much you can do for fuel milage. Air filters and such will have no efect on it. You may want to check into the oil filter thing though. There is a small list of aproved filters for the Cummins. Again someone on here can post it if you want. The cheaper filters will fall apart inside on cold starts. The Cummins generates a real high oil pressure on cold starts and has been known to blow the guts out of a cheaper oil filter into the crank case and consiquently plug critical oil passages and piston cooling jets. They can void your warenty for running off brand oil filters. If you are out of warrenty and willing to take the risk then that is your call but also your dime(lots of them) if it does blow apart and reck your engine. I run Rotella synthetic oil but any good quality oil will keep the Cummins alive for more miles than the body will last.

BEARHUNTER

I like ordering from www.genosgarage.com. they ship to my door and they sell the fleetgaurd items. You dont have to run around alot to find the stuff you need. fuel filter should be made by fleetgaurd 10 micron. Welcome to the diesel world.

FMB

First off, welcome to the wonderful world of CTD and DTR. You have a great truck there, even if I do say so myself. Sometime soon, you will want to go fill out your signiture so you don't have to write that all the time.

Several things will help your fuel milage. If you don't already have a set of guages, git um in. Try driving without raising your boost over 10# and you will be surprised how your milage goes up. As for K&N, you will hear both sides in here. There used to be a quite a writeup (ISO 5011 Air Filter Test Report) on the net on filters and how much air they let (or don't let) through and how much dirt they let (or don't let) through. K&N let more of both through, I wouldn't put one on my CTD. I hear others putting nice air boxes on theirs, I'll let them speak to it.

Keep your tires aired up properly. Coast up to the red light, it might turn before you get there. Keep your tail gate in place. It is, though, a truck; drive it like you stole it. You didn't buy it for milage otherwise you would have bought a 40MPG rice burner.

If you go with Dino oil, I would recommend Chevron Delo 400 http://tinyurl.com/tltuj (Chevron site). For syn, I am happy with Royal Purple www.royalpurple.com . YMMV

Either take that gold looking box back or toss it away. Listen to what Bearhunter said and go to Geno's. Not only will you get what you need, you will get it for a great price - to your door. I get their 4-2-1 box which has 4 oil, 2 fuel and one air filter. Great price and I always have it on hand. http://tinyurl.com/jmysn might work, if not cruise through their site and you will find it.

Don't buy your replacement parts from Kalecoauto! Although their 710 caps work, I'm not too sure about their Piston Return Springs http://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

Fuel additives; lots out there, I use Stanadyne http://www.stanadyne.com and you can see their sales spiel at http://www.stanadyne.com/new/ppt/showfile.asp?id=1295 .

Last, if you intend to do any of the work on your truck you should have a manual. Here you go.... http://www.hemitruckclub.com/ look in the left hand collumn. Be aware though, this is a 80 Meg or so download. Be patient.

scoggins

I have use rotella in irrigation motors for the past 10 years have not had to replace

want to talk about extreme conditions. 100+- days a year constant speed (2000 rpms) sitting in the same place breathing dusty hot and wet air not to mention the auotmatic shutoff switces that will kill the engine if something goes wrong with out proer cool off time.


we have been usin rotella t full syntheticin the newer (-10 year old ) motors and mystic conventional (15/50)in the older ones(10+year old)

I am about too have my first oil change in the new truck and will probably go with rotell t 5/40 syn.

just plain like it 19.00/ gal and walmart here caries it ( for now

but i won't change it fo r 10k miles
do a cost analysis

krisbarger

I have bought the 4-2 box online just now. I bought PB dino at napa today cuz i need to change, I will decide permanently on an oil later. As for the gold box filter... its from napa and it is made by wix. Since I have the good ones coming i will prob take that one back to napa.

I have an air box problem.... The previous owner must have sawed the bottom of the factory one out. Thats right the air box has no bottom you can see all the way to the ground from inside my airbox. Gone... MIA...No longer with us. So....i need a new airbox or something. Suggestions???

FMB

He did that for more air. Some say "More air, no problem" others say "now you are sucking in hot air from the engine compartment". In either case, you don't have a problem unless there also was no filter.

12PACK

Welcome, Kris! Do you belong to BJ's or Costco or a place like that? If so check there for oil. I bought 6 gallons of Rotella for $40 last year. I also bought the 4/2/1 kit from Geno's like alot of DTR members do.

You're also going to want an end cap filter wrench (Geno's sells them, as does NAPA) and a ten inch extention to help remove your oil filter. If you haven't noticed, it's tucked up there pretty good. Some pull away the splash apron and pull the filter out this way, but I like using the end cap filter wrench with an extention. Seems easier.

Congrats on your Cummins and on finding DTR. Great group of oil burners here. Just don't let anyone tell you F*rd owns Cummins.

scoggins

Also chris
The International tractor store have a filter that is a little longer than a stock one and is usually about $8 - $12 . DON'T know if it will fit our 3 gen's but if is the same as 2nd gen's it will do fine

subspd

Cutting the bottom off isn't a bad thing in fact some here will tell you it is a good thing. Use a good air filter like the factory one and you should be more than ok and the whole hot air being sucked in doesn't apply mush with a intercooled turbo plus the air up front is cool anyway especially while moving. WELCOME!!!

Equalizer 2

If the filter you have is a NAPA Gold filter they are supposed to be good. They use these on the buses for the school district I work for. Lots of Cummins engines in the fleet. If there was a problem with that filter there would be a lot of problems.

subspd

Cutting the bottom off isn't a bad thing in fact some here will tell you it is a good thing. Use a good air filter like the factory one and you should be more than ok and the whole hot air being sucked in doesn't apply mush with a intercooled turbo plus the air up front is cool anyway especially while moving. WELCOME!!!

Marine

Luke,

The best mileage I got was using the Wal-Mart 15w-40. 22 mpg from Bozeman to Idaho Falls.
It meets the classification, and is very reasonably priced.

nelrod

Schied diesel is cheaper than Geno's. Last I checked anyway. Same stuff. Your wix napa gold oil filter will be fine.Your truck is not quite as finicky as some believe. Like someone else said, main thing is diesel rated oil, CI right now, and I think CJ out next if not already. Welcome to this site, tons of great stuff to read. These guys on here know anything you or I will ever need to know about out CTD and pullin stuff and hot roddin it if you want to.