I have an 04.5 and changed the oil last December when the truck had just a tish under 10K on it. At that time I replaced the fuel filter as well.

The truck today has 13,400 miles on it. It has pulled the 5th wheel a few times in the summer but nothing that I would consider hard times for the engine.

I have a blackstone bottle waiting for the next oil change and wondering should I change it now or let it go to 15K and then test and change oil.

I have Rotella 5w40syn in it. Fleetguard strato filter. Truck runs fine and is full of oil. I kind of struggle with the thought of dumping the oil just because it is over a year old. Heck tractors go sometimes for years with out problems with frequent oil changes. I am on the wagon of oil has come a long way and engines burn so much cleaner that this change so often is support others more than it does us but I guess that is for another topic at another time.

What would you do

Just for alittle back ground I am an ASE master auto tech not HD diesel but have been around them

 

I would change it, cheap insurance and it would just make me feel better about it. But as you said....we only change the oil in our tractors once a year and I guess the reality of it is that you should be fine running it like that and keeping a close eye on your level

 

Hey 3500LLY

I was in LIn. a couple months ago looking at a soapstone woodstove. Gosh that town is strange to drive around in. No street really seems to be a main street in that town. People were nice and I was driving through when I think they were playing Texas.
Police seem a little rigid though at the lights. Nice town though.

 

When do you think you'll have 15K on it? If it will be in a couple of months, I'd wait till then to change it and send in the sample. If you won't hit 15k until sometime this summer, I'd do it now since it's already been in there a year and it appears the truck spends alot of time sitting.

FWIW, I've sent in samples for both my oil changes and the last one, which only had 4,500 miles on it, had plenty of TBN left.

 

We are now driving it to get to the 15K mark. Then I will do the trans and axles then as well. I already chagned the axle fluid once as I wanted to be sure after pulling the 5ver a few times it was clean.

I think I will let it go and then see what the oil sample shows

 

Struggle,

How often do you run the truck short distances of under 10 miles when it is not at full operating temps, does it set idling very much, do you drive in a lot of stop and go traffic? If you do a lot of these things then change it out just to be safe. Even though you have Rotella dino synthetic in it, its still a good idea to not go any longer then one full year in between oil changes. My I suggest that every year you change the oil in the late fall, early winter so as to have fresh oil for the colder outside temps in the wintertime when we all idle our truck more to warm them up.