Hello,
I bought the truck used with just 30k miles in 05. And now, 6 years later, the odometer reads 62k. I have, on occasion, pulled boats, cars, horses, construction trailers (full to max with old roof shingles, concrete, etc), and driven it on long trips as well.
After 6 years of completely trouble-free driving and just 3 oil changes, I feel I should be doing more maintenance, but nothing ever breaks or requires attention. Not even a flat tire, EVER! I only wish my wife was merely half as trouble-free as this truck has been over the past 6 years, but I guess we can't have it all. This is, by far, the best vehicle I have ever owned!!! I had my doubts prior to the purchase because I had some bad luck with other Dodge products, my dodge intrepid's 2.7L developed a rod knock at only 28k miles from new, just to name one example; but I heard nothing but great things about Cummins, and nothing but bad about Powerstroke and Duramax engines, so when it was necessary to replace my old trusty 1985 Toyota 22REC truck, I went with the Ram.
I also have a 2007 Sprinter diesel that I bought brand new (with a $60k price tag), and it takes the title of the worst vehicle I've ever owned (at least in terms of the number of trips back to the dealer for different repair issues).

Anyway, now I will get to my question: I have stretched the oil change interval to the longest mileage that I felt comfortable with (longest was about 10k) and the oil came out as clean as when it went in. I'm now nearing 10k again since the last oil change and I just checked the dipstick to get an idea of the color of the oil and it's as clear as when I first checked it right after the oil change 10k miles ago, and the level has not dropped AT ALL. I know I have to change this oil soon, but I don't know if I should wait until, say, another 5k miles. I never expected the oil to be this clean after 10k miles of normal use. I don't baby the truck either, I just drive normally and will sometimes pull heavy equipment with it; I certainly don't abuse it either. Oh, almost forgot; I've been using Rotella T oil; is this the correct oil for a 2003 Cummins and should I wait to change the oil again?

Thanks for all your input in advance.

John

 

In your case I would change it every year or 5,000 miles. Oil cheaper than engines and it breaks down with time. Gets acidic, water gets in it. I have a 05 that I got new, now have 28k on it, change it on the heavy use service interval, 3750 or once a year. I drive like a car most of the time. Low miles on them IMO is harder on it that using the crap out of it.
Valvoline Is Cummins recommended Oil, so I use it. But I use Shell Rotella in many other Diesels.

 

Only way I would go 10k is with good oil like Amsoil HD or synthetic along with a oil bypass. Color dont mean squat. If you want to know how your oil is doing, when you change it, take a sample and send it to Blackstone Lab I think is the name of it and they will tell you how everything is doing. I use Rotella and will go 5k if it test out ok until I get my Amsoil bypass kit and switch to synthetic Amsoil and then I will go 10k with test done before then to make sure everything is ok. I am basing 10k off what most have done with testing and everything. Alot still come back good at 10k but oil is cheap. I mean really I just spent $56 on 3 gallons of Rotella and a Bosch oil filter. So thats not bad every 5k...I wouldnt be going 10k with that set up though..thats just me and I wouldnt buy your truck know thats all the maintenance you have done to it.

 

Manual says 7500 to 15k for normal use, 3.5k to 5k for heavy use. So I figured I was safe in the middle of normal, 10k. That's all the maintenance it has required, I don't tinker with things that are not broken. And truck is not for sale (it will be passed down to my kid) so I would not sell it to you, or anyone else, anyhow.

 

I bet the Manual also say something about months too. I have a 96 Service Manual in front of me that says 7500 or at 6 Months, 15,000 or at 12 Months. That 2 times every year even if you drove it only 1000 miles total. So by me only doing it once every year I am not going by the manual. But going 10,000 and every 2 or so years is getting out there. IMO

 

So is this implying that the oil somehow breaks down if it just sits in the pan or in the bottle? I think the months is just a guide for people that change their oil based on a time frame, rather than distance traveled. I'm not an oil expert, so I will not pretend to be one, but I will now start to do some thorough research on this subject. If in fact, oil does break down when not in use, then there should be a shelf life or expiration date or "use by" date on the labels of these marketed products and I don't recall seeing one on any type of oil I've purchased over my 40+ years of driving.

 

In the pan yes, bottle no. In the pan it is open, in a way to the outside. Also thermal cycles of the day and night (read condensation). Bottle is sealed.

As for "just a guide" your right. we can do whatever we like.

But Here it is right out of the Dodge service manual
"Where time and mileage are listed, follow the interval that occurs first."
so "Schedule A 6,000 or at 6 Months. Change engine oil and filter. "
It is what it is.

 

Armytaco mentioned that the color of used oil does not mean squat. Is this your opinion as well. I've used that as a guide when it was time to change the oil in my trusty Toyota. I bought it new in 1985, drove it for 20 years and almost 300k miles, finally broke down (myself, not the truck) and parted with it and in great running condition on an untouched virgin engine (besides oil changes, one alternator, timing chain, and one valve cover gasket replacement, and 4 sets of plugs/wires, etc). I changed the oil/filter when the oil on the dipstick started to turn color which was sometimes at 2000 miles or at up to 5000 miles, but mostly around 3000 or so.

But going back to my original question and the reason for this post, It seems I can't use that same "guide" with this truck or with the Sprinter. Are diesels different in the way the oil lubricates and travels through the engine, I would think not; although this was my first diesel so I had nothing to compare it to before I got the Sprinter. The Sprinter's oil, by the way, turns black 100 miles into every scheduled oil change (it has 30k miles and has had 3 oil changes done by the dealer, for warranty reasons, otherwise I would do it myself). All owners on several Sprinter forums have confirmed the same experience with the color of their oil and have assured that this is normal. It must have something to do with the ultra-low emissions with these new engines. My 03, I believe does not have any emission control devices; I was told they started with the 2005.5 model year change. I was just surprised that the oil in the truck stayed so clean, for so long.

 

[QUOTE=nojodas67;3003687]Armytaco mentioned that the color of used oil does not mean squat. Is this your opinion as well."

Yes- my 05 is as black as coal just after an oil change, so is my 01. Now the 96 stays clean. Skid loader with a BT4 cummins stay clean still at 100 hours.

 

"But going back to my original question and the reason for this post, It seems I can't use that same "guide" with this truck or with the Sprinter. Are diesels different in the way the oil lubricates and travels through the engine, I would think not;"


I use the Heavy Duty service intervals 3750 miles or if I do not drive that far in a year I change it anyway. Like I said oils cheap these engines are not.
Lubrication for the most part would be the same. Some diesels have oil spray that cools the pistons, I do not know if the BT6 does that or not.

 

The difference is in the fueling system more than the lubrication system. Some diesels, the old VW 1.6, and the GM 6.2/6.5, I have found are among the worst. Do an oil change and that new oil will look like black paint after running it for 5 seconds. Your 03 stays clean for a long time, but if you increase the fueling with a programmer, you will end up with black sooty oil too. They say that soot content in the oil is not a good indicator of when to replace the oil. If it was, those sooty engines I mentioned above would need daily oil changes.

Anyway, if you want to check if your interval is adequate for your vehicle useage, as was mentioned above, send off a sample of your oil to Blackstone or another lab, after 8 or 10 thousand miles, and see what they say. That's really the only way to determine a proper interval for your individual driving style and the brand of oil you use.

And yes, the 5.9 does have cooling nozzles under the pistons.

 

That sounds like a very viable, and sure way to find out; do you have any idea how much the lab test roughly runs?

 

Blackstone Lab
$25 + shipping 1/2 the price of new oil, just change it, unless you think you have a problem. IMO
Price Breakdown

Oil collecting kits are free

$25.00 per regular analysis

Attention! While the kit is free, the oil analysis costs $25.00.
Many labs will charge you for the kit when you order it.
We let you keep your money until you send in your oil for analysis.

 

I use amsoil 15/40 and change filter at 5-6k and then 10-12k then oil and filter at 15-18k and run a sample. Been running this regime since I bought the truck in 04 with 25k on it. 308k on the clock and all is well. I also use the stratapor LF 3894 filter. HTH

Jim

 

Certainly it's a waste of money to have it sampled before every oil change, but that isn't the objective here. The OP is trying to determine a decent oil change interval here based on his use of the truck, and the brand of oil he uses. The maintenance schedule shows a huge difference between the normal and severe usage schedules, and he wants to be sure he is not going too long between services. I sure don't see a problem with using science to decide these things, instead of simply pulling a number out of your .