I have never owned a vehicle that I could not work on or change the oil on. I now own a 2001 Ram 2500. I don't have the first clue where the oil filter is or if there is any real difference between changing the oil in this truck and the Mazda we have. Please help guys. My husband keeps saying I'll do it, but it never gets done. I have been working on cars since I was old enough to see over the hood but for some reason he won't tell or show me how to do this. Is it really as hard as he makes it out to be?

 

Afternon, the oil change is a breeze. The oil filter is on the passenger side of the engine. You might want to remove the intake hose to the turbo for easier access. On the bottom of the oil pan is the drain plug, use a 3/8" drive ratchet, just slide in and break the pan plug loose. Pre fill your filter as normal, hand tighten. Then add whatever brand oil you prefer. Many use Rotella 15w40. Test run, and your all set.

Stephen

 

Thanks, I think I've changed the oil in about 15 different vehicle types from cars to trucks. He had me convinced this was so much more difficult. I think he just wants on thing I won't work on myself. Sounds like a normal oil change then. Thanks agian for you help. Wanted to make sure before I started.

 

Make sure you have a big enough pan to hold it all, these things use nearly 3 gallons of oil. Another tip is to slip a ZipLock freezer bag over the filter just before you take it off to help keep things cleaner. If it slips while you're pulling it out it'll make a pretty big mess.

 

And you may need to get a strap-type oil filter wrench to get the old filter off, unless you're bigger than I am!

 

Another tip:
Don't pull the drain plug all the way off.
Just loosen it a turn or so and let the oil drain.
Pulling the plug all the way out will result in an oil bath as most Container-style drain pans can't keep up with the 3 gallons of oil coming out in a hurry.
On the plus side, the diesel oil bath leaves my skin so soft and supple.......

 

rdc, this should help a little:

http://www.dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/filter/oil_filter.htm

Use a Fleetguard Stratopore filter (do not screw a Fram on there) and a good diesel rated oil API CI rating.