amsoil

[DannyGriffin]

Thinking of using Amsoil-Is it worth it. I have a 2005 with 320,000 miles on it. Change oil at 7500 miles now. What would the benifits be?

 

[MMeier]

Whats wrong with whatever you been using the last 320 k ?

 

[DannyGriffin]

Always looking for something better. Want to get as much milage as possible from the motor before rebuild/replace

 

[Wingate]

I would stay with what you are running. . It has served you well as indicated by the current mileage. If you have concerns, pull an oil sample and see how the engine is doing.

You don't need synthetics to get maximum engine life. The only benefit I can see would be for the Amsoil dealers checking account.

 

[goodguys75]

Ya i agree, keep the money in your pocket..... not the oil co... . I think it is a waste of $$$$

 

[rscurtis]

I use it in my '03, but I can take advantage of its extended change capability because I have NO fuel or soot dilution. Leaving the oil in for 20K miles more than offsets its additional cost. Past sampling has shown that the oil still has plenty of time left even at this change interval. Also, I don't use this truck for local driving- once it's started, it will run for 2, 3, 4 or 5 hours at a time. There may also be some FE advantage.



The later engines with their soot (and fuel) dilution probably negate any cost advantage to using it, unless its cold starting performance is absolutely necessary.

 

[CKelley1]

rscurtis is correct. your truck has the in-cylinder egr, the limiting factor is the soot loading of the oil. both have to be changed before 5% both load up at the same rate therefore you can not get even one more mile out of the synthetic. on the 04. 5 up you need to run a bypass filter and stay with a lf16035 main filter. we have older dodges with near or over 1,000,000 miles on them using delo 15w 40 and have never been into and do not have excessive blowby. if you get rid of the in-cylinder egr the oil will stay cleaner and you get a 40% increase in mpg. the wear comes from carbon particles in the 10 micron range, the filter only filters out above 40 micron, the 04. 5 up produces so much carbon that if you extend the drain interval you just keep adding more grinding compound to the oil

 

[amsoilman]

If I can go a FULL year on the Amsoil product, compared to a petrolium product such as Delo or Rotella, where that oil needs to be changed 3-4 times/year... ... ... ... ... ..... who is putting the money in their pocket?

 

[Harlacher]

Do a search on Amsoil and you will find "thousands of opinions of why you should use it and "thousands" or reasons why you shouldn't. When you get done you will be as confused as when you started. It really depends on whether you think the extra cost is worth it.

 

[RDHamill]

tell me more about the "in cylinder" EGR and how to remove it. please

 

[rscurtis]

That term does not apply to your vehicle, it refers to the "600" and "610" 5. 9 engines, specifically, the valve timing allows some of the exhaust gas to remain in the cylinder at the end of the exhaust stroke. Reducing it requires an aftermarket camshaft, which is quite an undertaking to replace.



Your vehicle has external EGR, which is more easily allowed for. There are several aftermarket manufacturers who offer EGR delete kits.

 

[meanmatt]

I would just stick with what you have been doing the entire time . The best way to squeeze more mileage out is to slow down . Best fuel economy is with egt's aound 500 and boost at 3-4 psi .

 

[Wingate]

If I can go a FULL year on the Amsoil product, compared to a petrolium product such as Delo or Rotella, where that oil needs to be changed 3-4 times/year... ... ... ... ... ..... who is putting the money in their pocket?

What I am referring to is for the OP to "amsoil up" his engine, he would have to install a single bypass kit, oil, and filter(s)... . I think it is generally agreed that to run an 05 model for a year without oil changes, it needs the benefit of a bypass system.

So, thats $100 for 12 quarts of oil, $200 for a single filter bypass kit, and $25 for an oil filter, not to mention any oil samples that might need to be performed for peace of mind running a 300K+ engine on a new and different oil.

So thats $325. 00 to get Amsoil in. additional filters for the bypass/main filter during the year and any added oil needed would be extra costs...

I guess I just don't understand where the savings/benefits come into play?? Don't misunderstand, I am a firm believer in synthetics is some applications. . and I have looked at using synthetics in my own truck, I just have not been able to justify the expense.

I can get 3 gallons of Valvoline Premium Blue and a Napa branded Wix filter for $50.

So thats $200 for 20K miles, Amsoil is $325 for the initial, and $150 every year after that. Seems like a LENGHTY payback period to me. . Not to mention anything unforseen like an injector hanging up and diluting the oil. . Granted, petroleum and synthetic would both have to be changed, but $50 vs. $150 ontop of an injector change is still a $100 difference. . The OP's truck currently has 300K+ on it, it would seem more cost efficient to continue with the current oil that seems to have served the engine well, and save the extra $$$ for future repairs/rebuild?

Are there still issues with oil seal failures/leakage after changing high mileage engines from petroleum based oils to synthetics. . ???

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

IMHO, seal failures/leakage are an old wives tale. That said, with my truck's recent (60K ago) bottom end rebuild and original turbo and top end, I burn ~ a gallon between changes. I fill the crankcase with whatever brand-name dinosaur oil is on sale at Autozone that week.



With the demands your truck puts on your oil, and the costs to truely upgrade, I recommend you stick with what you're doing. It obviously works.

 

[RDHamill]

rscurtic: I was asking in regard to my '06, not the '08. The '08 will be
egr free soon. The '06 might need a cam.
thanks for the reply

 

[rscurtis]

I didn't see the '06 in your signature, I assumed the '08 was the only truck you have.



I also use Amsoil in the old Mercedes, which benefits from improved startability and the cleanliness the oil provides. I change it once a year (2-3K miles), and to be honest, it doesn't look any worse than what I've seen in some of the later 5. 9 engines.



It has no issues with oil leaks either, and I think it's fair to say that if synthetics did cause engines to leak, a 27 year old engine would have been the perfect candidate.

 

[CKelley1]

rdhamill i will paste this response i gave someone else.

Your truck uses in- cylinder egr for smog reduction. They also extend fueling duration and retard the timing to keep peak heat and pressure down. Since the third injection pulse is so late in the cycle the egt is very hot compared to a 03 but the peak temp where the no is formed is actually lower. i will try to keep it simple, the cam overlaps the valves to leave burnt exhaust gas in for the next cycle. change the cam to a pdr or colt. the hamilton is ground more for kids who are after power, we just want low end torque and mpg. change or hone the nozzles to ddp 35 to 50 hp. ddp does not list the 35 but they do supply them. the 50 are stock. the reason the 35 is a little better is because as the nozzle wears it wears to more hp, that is why the truck gets better mileage as the truck nears 75,000 miles. after 50 hp the truck drops to stock mpg at about 80hp. get a smarty jr leave the torque set on default set timing to 4 and on tow or sw2 as it is called. this gets the most for the money, opening up the exhaust helps some more but payback takes a lot longer. we run a fleet of dodges and drive a lot of loaded miles, so for us it is worth it. the cost will be $450 you decide on that one. get a fbd turbo back straight pipe kit 5". get a m090072 resonator and a m090535 muffler and 4 clamps from ryder truck parts. for the first one i did it took me 5 hours. after about the 10th one i can do it in about 3 hours. it takes longer to remove the old one than you think. i install them by my self and you do not need any special tools. i have my own shop and change the cams and nozzles here. you will probably have to pay labor. do the nozzle change at the same time as cam to save labor. send me your email and i will send pix. use the left over pipe to extend the exhaust out further to keep the fenders cleaner

 

[Wingate]

IMHO, seal failures/leakage are an old wives tale. QUOTE]

I think some are, but I have personally witnessed some of our customers being sold on R. P. synthetics for use on large stationary diesel engines. Shortly after converting to this new oil, we suddenly found ourselves changing tons of front and rear crankshaft seals. About the same time, we started having turbocharger bearing failures. We switched two of the 50+ engines back to 15W40 Dino oil and the turbo failures stopped. We eventually switched all engines back to dino oil...

Saw another low hour Cat 4. 4 CR engine completely fail due to RP. When the customer replaced the engine, dino oil went back in and the RP got burned in a brush pile.

The only experience I have with synthetics in diesels is with RP oil, it (oil leaks) seems that it was a brand specific thing. .

 

[RDHamill]

rscurtis: sorry, the '06 is not in my signature, I don't think of it as "my" truck as I drive the '08. I too have used Amsoil for 15 years, and fell that the results are worthy of the price, in fact for most engine, I consider other oil more costly as I'd need so much more. thanks for the reply, merry christmas!

 

[Blu-meanie]

I'm probably going to switch to Amsoil because of the CI4 rating. I used up my supply of Delo CI4 six months ago.

Can you just take a sample, change the engine filter, and add a quart if the sample is good?