LIKE2BUILD
Decatur
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Joined: 09/30/2004
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BurbMan wrote:This is what the owner's manual says:
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/9DWEdh7.png)
I went down the same path wondering which to run when I first got my Ram. The easy answer is run synthetic 5W40 since the arrows point to infinity in each direction. When I first got my truck I went to my local dealer for some Jeep parts and while there asked them which oil they use for servicing Cummins engines. The guy turned around and pointed at stacks of Rotella T6 5W40 on the shelf and told me that's what they put in every single 6.7L truck. I know, DEALER can be a 4-letter word, but if they are using this oil for trucks under warranty then I'll go with it.
Another point for me is oil change frequency. The manual says to change oil every 15,000 miles or 500 hours and I don't even come close to that mileage in a year. So, I just change my oil once a year and with the 5W40 I'm covered for any temperature range and I don't have to worry about it.
KJ
'14 Ram 2500|Crew Cab Long Bed|4X4|Cummins
Curt Q20 with Ram 5th Wheel Prep
2000 Crownline 205BR
1997 Ranger Comanche 461VS
'01 Polaris Virage TX PWC
'94 Polaris SLT750 PWC
3 Wonderful Sons (21, 15, & 13)
1 forgiving wife!!!
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otrfun
On The Road
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LIKE2BUILD wrote: . . . Another point for me is oil change frequency. The manual says to change oil every 15,000 miles or 500 hours and I don't even come close to that mileage in a year. So, I just change my oil once a year and with the 5W40 I'm covered for any temperature range and I don't have to worry about it.
KJ Our 2016 Ram Cummins OCI is 15,000 mi., 500 hours, or 6 months, whichever comes first. Your profile says you have a 2014 Ram Cummins. Is the OCI different for the 2014's?
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ShinerBock
SATX
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Now that I only drive my truck about 15k miles a year, I only change it once a year as well. I never understood why Ram chose to go 6 months. In other on highway applications that have 15k mile intervals, Cummins recommends 12 months for the 6.7L. It is only the low speed and constant stop/go applications that they recommend 6 months. I guess Ram wanted to be on the safe side.
![[image]](https://i.postimg.cc/qvS9kV8y/Oil-change-interval.png)
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blofgren
Surrey, B.C.
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I changed my oil twice per year while my truck was on warranty; I only change it once per year now that it's off warranty. I don't drive it as much as I used to since I bought an older Yukon to pull our boat.
2013 Ram 3500 Megacab DRW Laramie 4x4, 6.7L Cummins, G56, 3.73, Maximum Steel, black lthr, RAM 20k sliding hitch, Retrax, Linex, and a bunch of options incl. cargo camera
2008 Corsair Excella Platinum 34.5 CKTS fifth wheel with winter package & disc brakes
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Edd505
Elephant Butte, NM
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Rotella T6 and never worry
2015 F350 FX4 SRW 6.7 Crew, longbed - 2017 Durango Gold 353RKT
2006 F350 SRW 6.0 crew longbed sold
2000 F250 SRW 7.3 extended longbed airbags sold
2001 Western Star 4900EX sold
Jayco Eagle 30.5BHLT sold, Layton 24.5LT sold
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Grit dog
Black Diamond, WA
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otrfun wrote:LIKE2BUILD wrote: . . . Another point for me is oil change frequency. The manual says to change oil every 15,000 miles or 500 hours and I don't even come close to that mileage in a year. So, I just change my oil once a year and with the 5W40 I'm covered for any temperature range and I don't have to worry about it.
KJ Our 2016 Ram Cummins OCI is 15,000 mi., 500 hours, or 6 months, whichever comes first. Your profile says you have a 2014 Ram Cummins. Is the OCI different for the 2014's?
Well since his truck is OUT of warranty, no need to feel the obligation to stick to the ridiculous 6 month OCI.
"Yes Sir, Oct 10 1888, Those poor school children froze to death in their tracks. They did not even find them until Spring. Especially hard hit were the ones who had to trek uphill to school both ways, with no shoes." -Bert A.
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noteven
Turtle Island
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Joined: 02/13/2011
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When receiving money saving advice on a once or twice a year maintenance...
I kinda nod politely while thinking: "So, like, if I don't eat out 3X in the next year I could afford top quality oil and filters for my replacement cost $70,000 pickup then?"
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ShinerBock
SATX
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Joined: 02/22/2015
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There is not much difference in a used oil analysis between 15k oil at a year and 15k oil at 6 months. The detergents and other compounds in the oil is slightly less, but still well within spec. In fact, it would be next to impossible to tell the difference between the two.
Some like to error on the side of caution because they do not know any better, and I get that. If you have never performed a UOA to know exactly how oil holds up, then by all means change it every 6 months if it makes you feel better and is "cheap insurance" to you. I, on the other hand, would rather know and have hard data when making such decisions. I change it once a year because I know there is no significant difference between the two time frames based on UOA's from my own truck and the thousands of 6.7L Cummins engines we perform UOA's on at work.
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Learjet
Louisiana
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Edd505 wrote:Rotella T6 and never worry
yep...and you can get T6 now in 15W-40
2017 Ram Big Horn, DRW Long Box, 4x4, Cummins, Aisin, 3.73
2015 Wildcat 317RL, MoRryde rubber pin box, Titan Disc Brakes, Trojan T105
B&W Ram Companion
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Champion Model 46595- 3000/3500w
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LIKE2BUILD
Decatur
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Joined: 09/30/2004
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otrfun wrote:LIKE2BUILD wrote: . . . Another point for me is oil change frequency. The manual says to change oil every 15,000 miles or 500 hours and I don't even come close to that mileage in a year. So, I just change my oil once a year and with the 5W40 I'm covered for any temperature range and I don't have to worry about it.
KJ Our 2016 Ram Cummins OCI is 15,000 mi., 500 hours, or 6 months, whichever comes first. Your profile says you have a 2014 Ram Cummins. Is the OCI different for the 2014's?
You're right, it does say 6 months. However, I'm comfortable with the additive packages in the synthetic oil and use the 1 year time frame. When I changed oil this summer I had only put 5,200 miles on the truck since July of 2019. If I would have changed oil at 6 months it would have been less than 25% used (on a mileage basis).
KJ
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