Cummins 5 year old synthetic oil with 1000 miles - change ?

[hertfordnc]

Asking for a friend, (really) He has a 36 foot HR with a Cummins. He's broke and this is his primary residence. Other than switching campgrounds seasonally and pumping tanks he has no miles on the oil but he feels he needs to change it before taking a trip.

He's 75 and is in cancer treatment. $200 for an oil change is a lot of money.

Can he put 10,000 more miles on this oil?

thanks

[4x4ord]

I have an old 1975 diesel tractor that gets oil changes every 5 years or so. Ive had it since new and with over 10,000 hours on it, it still runs like new.

[hertfordnc]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
I would be more concerned about the tires sitting for so long than the oil. I would forget about the oil and drive a little slower than normal to get to the destination.

He did the tires in the last couple years and he drives slow enough 🙂

[rgatijnet1]

I would be more concerned about the tires sitting for so long than the oil. I would forget about the oil and drive a little slower than normal to get to the destination. Of course you want to make sure that the tires are properly inflated with maybe some extra to keep them cooler. After the engine warms up it will burn off any moisture that has gotten in to the oil.

[sundancer268]

My oil is going on 5 years and last year I only put on about 350 miles. Blackstone labs says to keep going as the oil is good and I am running Dino, not Syn. I would not worry about it especially for the short haul though I would put enough miles on it during the moves to get the engine and oil hot, maybe a 30-45 minute drive on the highway and not city streets.

[twodownzero]

I sent my oil in for analysis after ~4 years and 14,227 miles and it was still perfectly fine and I could have left it in there.

[Ivylog]

Use the oil but I’d worry about the tires.

[grldst]

I know very little about synthetic oil, just wondering does synthetic age or break down with age as much as real oil?

[11178adm]

I would at least change the filter. if there was any moisture in the oil it could have caused the paper to deteriorate in 5 years. acid in the oil is'nt the problem that it was in the past due to ultra low sulfur diesel

[Chum_lee]

Normally I'm not a fan of testing oil, (in lieu of changing it) but in this case, he could spend +-$40.00 and have the oil tested by a lab to see if it's fit for continued use.

Or there's the oil blotter test using a clean white business card for free.

https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/499/blotter-spot-method


Chum lee

[ScottG]

I can't see how anyone can say it's OK to put 10K miles on that engines oil without knowing waht exact eng and year it is. A lot of Cummins engine didn't have anything near a 10K mile oil change interval.

As far as the acidic thing and old oil, I don't buy it. I once let an old car (1964 Thunderbird) sit for roughly 6 years and then I rebuilt the eng. The bearings didn't show any signs of being eaten by acid.
I can see the reasoning behind the theory but in pratice it doesnt seem to be an issue.

[olfarmer]

I say go for it, it will be fine. As for the tires if they are less than 10 years old I wouldn't worry about them. I have had tires older than that with no problems, look at the condition, if they are cracked or weather checked then they need to be replaced! Most tire companies say 10 years if they are in good condition. On edit. I missed the 10000 miles on the oil. I wouldn't drive anything 10000 miles on an oil change whether it is synthetic or dino. I think that is just too far! I would say 5000 with syn oil. 3000 with dino oil.

[Lwiddis]

Being 75, sick, broke and driving just a few miles isn’t the issue. Maintenance is maintenance.

[oldave]

Actually I feel like it is ok but who really knows , 5 yrs is a long time .

I used to think cancer was a death sentence and 75 was to old to care
but I don't feel like that anymore now 75 is quite young and he may have a
lot of traveling yet to do .

Not telling you to do this but I would give my friend a 100 bucks and
say maybe this will help .

Like SOBOVA asked how about the tires ? Those may be the real concern .

Ray

[wanderingaimles]

Not going to disagree with the others, but do have a question,,,,
Are the tires over 5 years old too?
Them you may want to be more concerned over.