2015 Ram with Cummins oil change interval

[estesbubba]

With my 2006 Ram with Cummins I just changed the oil every 7500 miles. With the 2015 I have on order there is an oil life gauge. So does this actually analyze the oil or just go by miles? Does is vary based on the amount of towing? On average how many miles until it alerts to change?

[jus2shy]

Here is a good link on turbo diesel register (clicky) that should help give you a pictorial on what to expect when you pop the intake off. Also, be sure to doubly check that all 3 connections (or more if you take the intake apart further) are all bolted together. The last thing you want to do is dust your engine :).

[The_Mad_Norsky]

Jus2shy, thanks for the info.

I've had the local dealership change oil on mine the one time it has been done.

But, as I was not very wild about the wheel well route to begin with, I am surely going to give your Take off the intake route. I do like changing oil myself.

Appreciate the detail given in your posting.

[blofgren]

jus2shy wrote:
In all honesty, I've changed my oil about 4 times already on my truck. I decided to adopt the "Take of the intake" method. You're supposed to inspect the air filter element anyways. First time was a bear, took roughly 1.5 hours. I only remove the mid-section of the intake and leave the air filter clamped in the air box. 2 8mm bolts and a hose clamp and it's free. I typically perform the following:
1 - start draining oil
2 - remove intake
3 - remove old oil filter (never spill a drop going through the top, no need for a garbage bag or ziploc). Oil filter never seems too hot, I can handle it fine with no gloves, but it does get uncomfortable so I wear some thing mechanics gloves
4 - install fresh oil filter pre-filled with a quart of oil
5 - inspect backside of air filter to ensure no bunching or dust getting through. Also wipe the little bit of oil residue from the CCV filter on the turbo. It isn't much but I like things as clean as possible
6 - re-install intake assembly
7 - re-install oil pan bolt
8 - re-fill engine oil and fire it up

not that big of a deal. The extra time spent un-doing the intake is long enough to get a great drain out of the oil. If I rushed, I can do it in less than 20 minutes. However, taking my time, it takes 40 minutes to an hour to change the oil and perform other inspections (I tend to check my magnetic diff plug as well, the shavings have decreased significantly so I figure it's broken in pretty well now).

Note - I don't like the wheel-well method because of a few things I take issue with. First Off, the clearances or ridiculously tight to work a filter through with an automatic equipped truck. Second, there's a good bit of dirt buildup in the wheel-well and you already have tight clearances to work with. Not an issue when removing the old filter, but possibly an issue should the glad seal tear, or even if you're putting an empty filter through that tiny hole, it can get some bits of dirt in there. Lastly, you don't have a good way to reach in and clean off the oil filter head to ensure the old oil filter o-ring is not there and that it's wiped clean of debris. From the top, you get a good vantage point to wipe that area down and ensure that things are clean before installing your new filter. You also get more leverage to line things up and spin the new filter on. Some RAM guys don't see these as issues, but for me personally I see them as possible issues.

Thank you very much for the great detailed post. I am going to try this method on my next change which is coming up in the next month or so.

[jus2shy]

In all honesty, I've changed my oil about 4 times already on my truck. I decided to adopt the "Take of the intake" method. You're supposed to inspect the air filter element anyways. First time was a bear, took roughly 1.5 hours. I only remove the mid-section of the intake and leave the air filter clamped in the air box. 2 8mm bolts and a hose clamp and it's free. I typically perform the following:
1 - start draining oil
2 - remove intake
3 - remove old oil filter (never spill a drop going through the top, no need for a garbage bag or ziploc). Oil filter never seems too hot, I can handle it fine with no gloves, but it does get uncomfortable so I wear some thing mechanics gloves
4 - install fresh oil filter pre-filled with a quart of oil
5 - inspect backside of air filter to ensure no bunching or dust getting through. Also wipe the little bit of oil residue from the CCV filter on the turbo. It isn't much but I like things as clean as possible
6 - re-install intake assembly
7 - re-install oil pan bolt
8 - re-fill engine oil and fire it up

not that big of a deal. The extra time spent un-doing the intake is long enough to get a great drain out of the oil. If I rushed, I can do it in less than 20 minutes. However, taking my time, it takes 40 minutes to an hour to change the oil and perform other inspections (I tend to check my magnetic diff plug as well, the shavings have decreased significantly so I figure it's broken in pretty well now).

Note - I don't like the wheel-well method because of a few things I take issue with. First Off, the clearances or ridiculously tight to work a filter through with an automatic equipped truck. Second, there's a good bit of dirt buildup in the wheel-well and you already have tight clearances to work with. Not an issue when removing the old filter, but possibly an issue should the glad seal tear, or even if you're putting an empty filter through that tiny hole, it can get some bits of dirt in there. Lastly, you don't have a good way to reach in and clean off the oil filter head to ensure the old oil filter o-ring is not there and that it's wiped clean of debris. From the top, you get a good vantage point to wipe that area down and ensure that things are clean before installing your new filter. You also get more leverage to line things up and spin the new filter on. Some RAM guys don't see these as issues, but for me personally I see them as possible issues.

[blofgren]

FishOnOne wrote:

blofgren wrote:

HouseApe wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"The oil change indicator is useless if you like your warranty.
From the book"

Please explain what point you are trying to make?

If you go by the indicator only and don't drive much you will surpass the 6 month time limit. The indicator doesn't account for time other than engine hours.
Don't gave Ram any excuse to denie warranty because you changed it based on the in dash indicator.

I noticed that clause in the manual too. I did my first change just under 5k miles (8k kms) and I forget exactly what the monitor said but I believe it was still almost 70%. This mileage was what I was at right around the 6 month mark of ownership so I figured it was time given that it was still the original factory fill.

As a side note, make sure you are prepared either to disassemble the air ducting above the oil filter or have a large ziplock bag ready to drop the old oil filter into before performing an oil change. These trucks are really beefy and access to the oil filter is very limited! I am also going to have the Glad press and seal ready to go on the new oil filter seal so that it can be prefilled with oil before having to turn it on it's side to get it between the frame rail and wheel liner.

That Glad press on with a pre filled oil filter sounds like a mess waiting to happen.

Yes changing the oil on my 6.0L was much easier than on this truck. I see a filter relocation kit in my future....

[FishOnOne]

Here's the press and seal demonstration.

Link

[HouseApe]

I'm at the 6 month mark with 5600 km's will find out how bad it is to change this next weekend.

[FishOnOne]

blofgren wrote:

HouseApe wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"The oil change indicator is useless if you like your warranty.
From the book"

Please explain what point you are trying to make?

If you go by the indicator only and don't drive much you will surpass the 6 month time limit. The indicator doesn't account for time other than engine hours.
Don't gave Ram any excuse to denie warranty because you changed it based on the in dash indicator.

I noticed that clause in the manual too. I did my first change just under 5k miles (8k kms) and I forget exactly what the monitor said but I believe it was still almost 70%. This mileage was what I was at right around the 6 month mark of ownership so I figured it was time given that it was still the original factory fill.

As a side note, make sure you are prepared either to disassemble the air ducting above the oil filter or have a large ziplock bag ready to drop the old oil filter into before performing an oil change. These trucks are really beefy and access to the oil filter is very limited! I am also going to have the Glad press and seal ready to go on the new oil filter seal so that it can be prefilled with oil before having to turn it on it's side to get it between the frame rail and wheel liner.

That Glad press on with a pre filled oil filter sounds like a mess waiting to happen.

[blofgren]

HouseApe wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"The oil change indicator is useless if you like your warranty.
From the book"

Please explain what point you are trying to make?

If you go by the indicator only and don't drive much you will surpass the 6 month time limit. The indicator doesn't account for time other than engine hours.
Don't gave Ram any excuse to denie warranty because you changed it based on the in dash indicator.

I noticed that clause in the manual too. I did my first change just under 5k miles (8k kms) and I forget exactly what the monitor said but I believe it was still almost 70%. This mileage was what I was at right around the 6 month mark of ownership so I figured it was time given that it was still the original factory fill.

As a side note, make sure you are prepared either to disassemble the air ducting above the oil filter or have a large ziplock bag ready to drop the old oil filter into before performing an oil change. These trucks are really beefy and access to the oil filter is very limited! I am also going to have the Glad press and seal ready to go on the new oil filter seal so that it can be prefilled with oil before having to turn it on it's side to get it between the frame rail and wheel liner.

[HouseApe]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"The oil change indicator is useless if you like your warranty.
From the book"

Please explain what point you are trying to make?

If you go by the indicator only and don't drive much you will surpass the 6 month time limit. The indicator doesn't account for time other than engine hours.
Don't gave Ram any excuse to denie warranty because you changed it based on the in dash indicator.

[FishOnOne]

I don't think you guy's put enough miles on your trucks to go the 15k mile oil change interval. There's also a time constrant of 6 months that will time out and require the oil to be dumped way before you reach 15k miles.

I'm like some of you it's still a mystery what oil comes from the factory. I read conflicting and compelling stories about the Rotella vs. the Vavoline. Not sure why it has to be such a mystery.

[Cummins12V98]

"The oil change indicator is useless if you like your warranty.
From the book"

Please explain what point you are trying to make?

[Cummins12V98]

eHoefler wrote:
Factory fill is with 15W40 Synthetic.

It's 5-40 since they don't know where the truck will end up. They only recommend the 5-40 after the initial fill if you live in a very cold environment.

[Cummins12V98]

The Mad Norsky wrote:
I changed oil at about 3,200 miles on my new Ram.

First, I am NOT gonna run factory oil for 15,000 miles in a brand new engine.

Second, I, and I don't think anyone else around, really knew what kind of oil was in the motor anyway. Some said 15W/40 Rotella, others told me 5W/40 Rotella and still elsewhere I was told 5W40 or 15W/40 Valvoline Premium Blue.

One could not even add a quart, if needed, with any degree of confidence that I was actually adding what was in the engine.

So now I DO know what is in the engine. And, if needed, could actually add a quart if low. Although this appears very low odds to happen, as the vehicle has used very little oil to date.

Mind you, next change will be higher mileage for sure. Still not wild about going 15,000 miles but we will see how things go. 7,500 miles or so was about the normal change on my last vehicle, and that may be where I go with this one.

Factory fill is 5-40 synthetic. I will only run my oil for a few thousand as you did.

I will be running AMZ/OIL 100% synthetic 15-40 and FleetGuard Stratapore filter. At the end of my second oil change I will do an oil analysis to see how the oil and engine are doing. Then decide if I want to go the full 15K if the truck says to go that long.