A previous post caused me to call Cummins customer service and ask them when is best timing for first oil change.

First he asked me how I work the truck, which I replied light, for now.

Then he said no problem changing the oil at the 7500 mile mark.

I then asked him why not wait until the 15000 mark and he pretty much said he would never wait that long, no matter how lightly the truck was used.

So, according to this Cummins customer service guy, never go more than 7500 miles before changing the oil.

DT.

 

For a first oil change you should probably be changing at 1500, 3000, and 7500 - mainly to flush out all the cuttings and bits of metal left over from the machining process. JMO.

 

Ditto Dr E.

IMHO... you gain far more by spending 30 bucks and getting rid of all the little trash that comes out of a freshly machined engine than if you put that money in your savings account and didn't spend it...

 

Dr E, did you see the video of the manufacturing plant on Two Guys Garage? What I saw echoed what the folks I know who have worked down there. It's a really clean plant AND the blocks are all cleaned up before being assembled.

Not saying it's some super-clean room, but there isn't a ton of "junk" either. It's pretty impressive.

 

didnt see the video.....

I stand by my comment - oil is CHEAP - especially after you spent 40+ k on a truck.

 

It's not that the plant isn't clean, it's that on a microscopic level you are abrading away the jagged edges of both the cylinder and the cylinder wall. That metal along with the metal from the new bearings, new crank shaft, wrist pin/bearings, all leave behind very small particles of metal no matter how good the machining process is. Thirty bucks worth of oil and filter is good insurance, even if it is overkill. Just an opinion...

 

When I buy a new truck I change the oil, filter within 2 days of driving it off the lot.
I've always worried about junk, metal shavings, also then I know what oil is in it and can use the same brand, weight from then on, unless I switch to synthetic
after well broken in.

 

Listen Guys This is the premier medium industrial/marine engine that we are so lucky to have in our pick-ups. Break it in gently (500-5000 miles...what ever?) then work that motor to fully seat the rings. What does that mean? Run the motor to the mid (2500-3200 rpm) range with a load (weight) on it. Heat that monster cast iron block up. This stress causes the rings to "SEAT" to the cyclinder diameter. We are talking of only thousands of a inch here! The diesel engine is a compression engine that relies on the ratio for blah....blah....blah. The cummins motor in a light duty pick-up truck will out live the body that carries it. So yes, change the oil at a rediculously early odometer reading. Big deal 30 bucks is cheap, just make sure to load the engine ( out on a limb ) no later than 15,000 miles. Now lets get ready for the big squeeze on oil prices. Can anyboby say bio-diesel...I knew you could!

 

I thought the oil was good for 350k miles.....or is that the engine

 

the only thing I wished I'd did was changed my oil at 300 - 500 miles... I did it it 1150 miles...

I did not get the truck until it had 350 miles on it... It came from down by Mexico... It was one of the only ones ain 400 miles from where I live that was what I wanted...

I just may change it again at 1500 miles...

 

I thought the oil was good for 350k miles.....

Yup. They spec that to fleets was my understanding. Maintain it the way they say, and you should get a good solid 300k out of it. Take better care of it and...???

 

This may be a topic for a new thread, but it would seem to "flow" well from this one. For all the excellent reasons that you want to change the oil a few times early on, I wonder when is the logical time to install a bypass filter? I assume you don't want to do it on a brand new engine because you don't want the bypass system to get gummed up... or is it the opposite? Perhas the bypass would do a better job of cleaning out the "small bits"?

Any thoughts from anyone with a bypass?

BTW: We just had our first Biodiesel station open in the Boston area recently. Here's hoping for more of them.

 

I was going to change mine at 2000. but at 1950 it went back to the dealer for some issues. THe local dealer that was 35 mi away couldnt get it figured out. So i took it to the one i bought from 175 mi away. after 2 trips they got it right and a trip back home now im to 3500 without a change. yeah im mad at myself. But when i asked the dealer to do one. and they could be lazy. But they told me that the recommended change is 3750 or something for the cummins. But yeah im mad at myself. SOmetimes you jsut need to step out and do the work