LOL, so synthetic oils freeze time on parts wearing out?
So I should just switch to synthetic and it should make it to 300k miles without ever having to adjust anything!

 

ok my dad picked up his truck yesterday.
so i asked if he would call the dealer and get a price check and this is what the service guy said, about 2 hours and $112.50 if the head gasket is still good. he also said the 3rd gens need to be done at 135k.

keep in mind my father has bought 6 dodge cummins trucks in the last 8 years from them, so hes probably getting a little bit of a deal.


dieselfan

 

Now that's funny Amsoil man. I replaced my head gasket, planned the head and decked the block, replaced all the valves, exhaust valve seats, all guides and seals and all the valves needed to have their lash adjusted and by hugely varying amounts....oh yeah and I used synthetic oil after break in. To do that yes you had to remove the head.....

Head gasket for adjusting valve lash......yikes! run Forest.....run!!!!
The complete technical manual for these trucks are online at the hemiowners forum. If you can't find it on a search, I'll dig it up in my inbox. Buy a memory stick, Download the manual to it and keep it in the truck then you will have it forever.....Its something like 2800 pages long. ks

 

Do what? Come on,this making up a thing and shooting from the hip is not cool.Synthetic oil got nothing to do with exhaust valve heat and seat wear. I will say/agree regualr oil changes and quailty oil hepls reduce wear but valves still need to be adjusted.You might find them not as far out as a ill maintained vehicle but none the less they still change.

 

Valve lash adjustment is not required at 150,000 miles. (when synthetic oil is used, due to the fact that less carbon deposits and and wear on the valves) and I never said that you don't have to do a valve adjustment, just not at 150,000 miles. (Currently own 3 Dodge trucks with cummins with high milage on them and have never adjusted the valves in any of them due to the fact that I have used CI-4 synthetic oil.) By the way the cummins rep I have dealt with for the past 8 years told me the same thing. Plus this ex-navy dude knows a thing about diesel theory, being that I worked on all types during my stint in the service, and currently do this for a living. (Well I am my own boss.) LOL Sorry, fellas don't don't shoot me here my first post was not worded correctly. I do agree with hound dog as it the firing/compression pressure that put the most wear on your valves by far. The problem the original poster in my opinion sounds possibly like a problem with his timing. My trucks have done that from time to time.


P.S. I don't shoot from the hip, I do my homework and study the problem or circumstance thoroughly before I assess my opinion/conclusion.

 

Some ones full of do do.Not to be a butt about it but the rep is also.HEAT causes strech mainly in exhaust valves and wear on valve surface and seat.I THINK the manual calls for a adjustment under LIGHT USE at 150k and under servere use at 135k on 03 and up.06 might be differant to mileage and the adjustment specs are differant.The CARBON buildup for combustion would be on the face and seat of the valve where engine oil does not have very much of a effect.How hard its reved,heat,fuel by products(carbon) all have a affect on valve wear etc.As I stated YES using good oil and regular maintance will lessen how much a valve would be out but to say not needed if using a syn.oil is streaching it a bite much.If one of these engines has a miss even slight the first place to start is check and set valve lash and then move on.Been through this scene on many a 2nd generation truck with the 24 valve engine.

 

Ol' Casper got a valve adjustment in early August (truck had only 42k on it) courtesy of my great friend Ken and, after the fact.....it really needed it. Both the intake and exhaust specs were ALL over the place. I'd read some various threads over on TDR and here on DTR regarding the subject, and everyone was right. Ken was nice enough to allow me to run my truck down one Friday night and drive his 2006 RAM 2500 MegaCab in Inferno Red home.........schweeeeeeet. I'm almost hooked. That 48RE in Tow/Haul Mode does great.

Cummins / Dodge says the valve adjustment is not needed until 125k or 150k, but everyone should get'em checked.

After the adjustment, I could tell a tad different exhaust note.....but, the big difference is the ability of the truck to pull the same hill I see frequently in 6th gear....at 1100 or 1200 rpm the truck pulled better under the load of the hill.

Another friend of mine says he sees alot of burnt / dropped valves in some Freightliner FL70's that use the ol' 5.9L ISB's. Most all that had problems never had valve adjustments as part of any scheduled routine.

The '98.5 and up 24V's are .010 intake and .020 exhaust; for whatever reason, the 2006's are .010 intake and .026 exhaust.

Mine were as follows :

Cylinder #1 Intake : .007 Exhaust : .016
Cylinder #2 Intake : .014 Exhaust : .014
Cylinder #3 Intake : .013 Exhaust : .021
Cylinder #4 Intake : .015 Exhaust : .016
Cylinder #5 Intake : .011 Exhaust : .013
Cylinder #6 Intake : .012 Exhaust : .013

I'll most likely re-check mine again in another 40k miles or so.

Greg

 

Well dog you can do what you do with your truck and I'll do what I do with mine. again I ain't the expert but I have a pretty good idea I know what I'm talking about. (It's funny to me how people try to post their opinions on these forums just so people can lambasted for doing just that) Again; I stand by my opinion. Besides I find it when valve lash is out of tolerance you know it by detonation in the cylinder or cylinder running to rich. (Due to exhaust and intake valves not opening and or closing properly) Also synthethic oils do a much better job in suspending the carbon and or soot in the oil, which in turn will lead to less carbon and or soot buildup on intake and exhaust valve components; for example: springs, valve stems, bushings, rocker arms, and other components related tro the valve train. Again not saying never to check the valves but use it as a guidline not as the mecca some tend to think. (There's a reason cummins has the rep of being a million mile engine.) As far as those clearnces stated in the previous post I can definitely understand the performance loss of the engine with those clearances, but did the enginge blow up? The valves were opening and closing, you just did not have the scavaging effect. The key to checking valve lash is to make sure the valves open and close within those tolerances to make sure that effective scavaging is taking place within the combustion cycle. In the event of scavaging the intake valves are open longer than the exhaust valves.(this is why the valve lash of the exhaust valve higher than than the valve lash of the intake valve so that the clean intake air can push out all burn and non-burnalble gases into the atmosphere.


P.S Oil does play a major factor. What do you think keeps the the valve stems, rocker arms, etc lubricated and cool? And besides if I was worried about some carbon build-up every time I took my truck to and from a destination I have to do a valve lash adjustment, Gimme a Break!!!! I just don't think these engines need to as babied as some would tend to think ( At least not the reason why I bought the Dodge Trucks I have!!!)

 

Hi,
I believe that waiting until 135K for a valve adjust is hoping for the best when running synthetic oil and will not do it on my vehicle.
I have used synthetic oil in every vehicle that I have owned since 1976. I also tend to push 200K+ miles on my rigs before I get rid of them.

In manual valve adjustment engines I always see the valve clearance reduce with time/miles when running synthetic. I believe that this is due to lower wear rates in the cam, lifters, pushrods and rockers but normal valve / seat wear. As the valve seats wear the valves get tighter. This is not the best situation in a high performance turbo diesel as if the valves get tight they have less time to cool and could burn. I notice that the Cummins runs a very generous exhaust valve clearance, maybe there is some margin there for light duty users.

I do not have much dino oil expierence so my comments are not focused in that area. I suspect that the clearance may stay more nominal due to a balanced wear rates.

Regards,
Jim b

 

I agree with you 100% well stated.

 

My opinion is based on 25 plus years in the auto repair industary with several differant manufactures,is yours? I use to have REPS with good knowledge BUT in the last 10 years or so I was in the auto industary that changed to collage grads that NEVER worked at dealer or shop level.They were well versed in internal workings of the corporate end(paper work)but hands on real life were a total waste.The REAL hands on guys retired or got pushed aside because of a lack of collage degrees for the newer type.I asked one once if he HAD dealer/shop experience.He said YES I do! He made service appointments ONE summer in a dealer service dept.

 

Well if you're implying that I have no expierence is diesel repairs then that is your opinion, Yes I do have a degree but also extensive hands-on training and job experience in diesel repair from automotive all the way to marine industrial. From cummins to power stroke to ALCOA all the way to Colt Pielstick. Some of the knowledge I have attained, you cannot learn at any college in the country; have to have some good old fashioned OJT. (Another one of these guys that have it in for us youngins' huh? I heard it all from that we don't want to work, and we're lazy ,and the world is going to hell in a handbasket.The college degree theory is a good one; never heard of that one. ) No one was questioning your experience, just stating a well informed opinion, and the reason why I stand behind my opinion.

 

Your opinion implied no experience in such matters.

 

Neither did yours

 

Don't you just love oil wars?