Hi all .... as you know the new trucks come with a Hour Meter ... I was curious say 95% @ 70mph highway travel what do you think the hours would be for oil change. Also when checking for the hours all the gauges cycled from low to high and everything lit up in the panel does anyone know if this is also a check mode for the gauges. Even the speedo cycled and everything else lit up too?

 

Doing straight math 12000 divided by 66.5 (95% of 70) is 180 hours.

 

Aaaah, brings me back to my days in physics class.....distance = rate x time (d=rt). Whatta drag that was.

In this case, we're trying to solve for time so we'd divide the distance by rate.

So we gotta know at while mile interval you want to change your oil. At 5000 miles, it would be close to 70 hours. At 7000 miles it would be close to 100 hours. Close enough?

The trip odometer will show engine hour information if the key is "on" and the engine is not running. Key on, trip odometer button pressed.

If the trip odometer button is depressed WHILE turning the ignition switch from "off" to "on" and then released, the cluster lights will flash and gauge needles will move like you're describing. At the end of this test, the fault codes and key cycles will be displayed in the odometer.

 

Ok probably should put it another way ..... I know this type of a engine is also used in a industrial applications what do you think the prescribed hrs logged for oil changes would be?

 

Just to throw another variable at you: if it is in a stationary engine (genset for example) running a steady RPM 24/7 then it would require less frequent oil changes (per hour run) than an industrial application (loader standby genset etc) which would have cold starts. DC specifies that the oil be changed on a time/distance interval and not hourly in our handbook.

 

Paul ... you must be a "Engineer"

 

Not even close. But thanks. My head is swelling up..

(gotta show this post to my wife!!!!!)

 

O.K. simple I change mine at 150 hrs. I however do not run 70 95% of the time. I do a lot of ideling. I assume 50 mph as average which would equate to 7500 miles. Last time I figred my average speed it was low around 29 MPH or so. Hope this helps. Tom

 

propinc wrote:
Ok probably should put it another way ..... I know this type of a engine is also used in a industrial applications what do you think the prescribed hrs logged for oil changes would be?

The Cummins Engine manual states "rec vehiles 15,000/500 all others 9,000/500. Trucks that are used commerally at low speeds <25 mph average have lower mile/hour intervals but the above two sound like the two catagories your truck fits in.
Will you go that long? No, but I won't change it at 150 hrs either. Not unless I find a way to increase my average mph.

 

Well, yeah, traditionally manufacturers have quoted oil change intervals in terms of mileage/time but I'm not sure that is necessarily the best method. 7,500 miles may be a short interval for a vehicle that travels primarily for long trips on the freeway (very easy on oil) but a long interval for a vehicle that sees most of it's time in stop-and-go traffic. It's engine run time (and how many cold starts, etc.) that matter, not just how many miles have passed under the wheels. Chnaging based on hours takes this into account and seems to me that this method should be every bit as valid for a moving vehicle as in a stationary application... but just isn't commonly done because most vehicles to not have hourmeters. JMHO

 

I remember in Mexico they had a Cummins 12 valve running part of the town seems as that thing ran forever they would shut it down to change oil and filter and off again ..... seems as I recall the only thing was a head gasket that needed replacing for the longest time ... it ran and ran probably was one of the reasons I bought the 89 when they first came out .... and it too still runs as good as when I bought it 178K miles ago (the old stand-by)

 

I doubt that anyone can average 65mph for a oil change period. I remember reading in some old Caterpillar literature that said North American rate was 38 Miles is equal to one engine hour. and European rate was 35 engine hours equal one engine hour. This may be to low for those who live next to the on ramp in a moderate climate (no warm up) but for Joe Average who does some city driving and waiting at the drive in bank machine I think these numbers are more realistic than sixty five mph.
Jim O

 

I figure oil changes based on mileage are fine. Fuel filter changes, on the other hand, I have decided to use 250-260 hour intervals.

 

Agreed. There is a thread about this and the mileages/hour seems to be 40ish I think. I believe the 95%@70 was just a number he threw out for an example.

 

Yep that was just a # I threw in there we really don't use the truck in town Thanks for your input