What kind of oil do you guys use? How much does it take? From what I have heard you have to fill the filter before you put it on. Is this correct? Anything else I should know?

Thanks

Edit: Sorry, just realized I put it in the wrong spot.

 

Geee's I change my own oil and I can't remember how much it takes!! I believe it's ten quarts and I do fill the oil filter with oil before I install it. Less time for the engine to run without oil flowing through it, I guess.

Gary

 

0w40 esso xd-3 syn in the sump. 12 quarts of it, filter prefilled before install..

 

delo 10w-40

 

I'm going to try the Vavoline Premuim Blue Cummins OIl

 

1 quart for the oil filter and 11 quarts for the sump = 12 quarts total.
Any oil with a CH-4 or CH-4+ or CH-4 plus will work.

 

I use Valvoline Premium Blue.

 

It's the synthetic type in the Valvoline series...
ValvolinePremiumBlueExtremeLink

 

Royal Purple 10w-30, prefill filter...12 quarts..at least for a first gen

 

where do you get this it's exactly what i am looking for and about how much does it cost thanks

 

I'm running Mobil 1 Delvac 5w40 synthetic- after running hard/driving 'cross country with a big camper for breakin. The lower pour point gets the oil to where it needs to go at start up. If you don't need the lower pour point where you live, then basic Dino 15w40 oil is good enough - Shell Rotella, Valvoline, whatever - they all meet the spec. Check other postings - lots of opinions...eventually you'll even hear from the AmsOil guys. 12 quarts with oil filter change - Geno's has a good price or check the local Cummins dealer for the Startapore filter. Yes, pre-oiling the filter is the right way to do it.

 

If you change your oil at the specified interval, 7,500 miles in your case, you have two things to worry about. 1, use a quality filter. Just about any filter made by Wix, Purolator, Fleetguard or Champion Labs will fill the bill. 2, Use a diesel rated oil that meets the CI4, CI-4+ rating. In general, stay away from Fram and stay away from store branded items like Super Tech, Valu Craft, etc.

Unless you deal with some severe operating conditions, anything else such as synthetics or stratopore filters is going to be like changing your underwear every day. It might make you feel a lot better, but you won't live a day longer than someone who changes it once a week. Under the best of conditions, your truck is not going to last anywhere near as long as the engine. Makes no sense to maintain it to a level that will net you 1,000,000 miles when you most likely will never see 400,000.

Valvoline Blue carries a Cummins approval. Does anyone here know if that is because the oil will perform in a Cummins better than any others, or it performs to specifications in a Cummins and Valvoline made a marketing arrangement with Cummins, IE: pays Cummins for the endorsement? I would suspect the latter. Why not, as you see by the above posts, it works!

XD-3 mentioned by Nick is excellent oil, just not available in the states. Delo 400 gives about the best UOA's, but Rotella which gives average ones will still get you more miles than you most likely will ever see.

Bottom line, it's foolish to try and get out of it on the cheap, but it's also not necessary to go overboard. Save the money for something worthwile like a BHAF!

 

Chevron Delo 400 15W-40 is my choice year round... and since I can't get Baldwin filters anywhere close to me anymore, my new choice is WIX.


Tony

EDIT: I did notice my local Sams Club finally has it by the case. 6 gallons is $48.xx It used to only be like $6.17 a gallon at Walmart... Guess it's up 'cause oil prices are up...

 

Supposedly, when Valvoline was doing the testing on the Premium Blue, it was tested in Cummins engines at Southwest Research. Then, because it performed as good as it did, (extended interval testing was mind-blowing i.e. 65,000 mile intervals and still performing) Cummins supplied the endorsement. It's also the oil that's sold at most Cummins shops. I'm sure they've probably worked out a mutual agreement to market it jointly because it allows Cummins to point to the testing in THEIR engines and it allows Valvoline to show how well it did in one of the best-built diesel engines. Pretty much a win-win if you ask me. And, it DOES perform great in a Cummins. I started with Rotella and then tried the Premium Blue and haven't looked back since. Oh, and Advanced Auto Parts carries it for a great price, so I don't have to put any more money into Chinese-Run* Wal-Mart anymore!

* FYI: Wal-Mart defended 5 Chinese manufacturers in an international lawsuit brought by a U.S. electronics company. Their action in the case caused the American company to go bankrupt and now there's a Wal-Mart Supercenter less than a mile from the now defunct U.S. manufacturer. You can call yourself American until you side with the enemy!!!
Sorry to get so bent out of shape but we need to buy American if we want to remain American and parts for our trucks are the first place to start.