Amsoil??

[nwcatman]

i will hit the 10,000 mile mark here in a few months and am considering going synthetic with amsoil in the engine and trans.

any reason not to ????



THANKS

 

[TBOB]

Amsoil

I did it, runs great. I hope youv'e done some hard pulling to break it in. I run thw HDD 5W30 with remote filter and bypass. Tbob

 

[KKlepfer]

No reason at all. There are some out there that feel that 15,000 to 20,000 mi is when your engine is fully broken in. I haven't seen any documentation on this from cummins and it would seem reasonable to me that 10,000 is sufficient. I have 11,000 and just changed w/ Delo at 10k but will switch to amsoil 15-40 when I hit 15k.



My reasoning is I'm going have my oil tested after this batch of oil has 5k and use that as a baseline to my future synthetic analysis. Amsoil charges around $17 to test oil and fleetguard charges around $13. I'm interested in how non-syn compares to syn analysis after 5k. And I'm going to use oil analysis to determine when I need to change my oil. I'll be changing my filter (stratapore) every 2500mi.



You should be fine. I recommend oil testing its a great way to quantify proper maintenance when/if warranty comes into question. Especially if you change your own oil.

 

[nwcatman]

Originally posted by TBOB

I did it, runs great. I hope youv'e done some hard pulling to break it in. I run thw HDD 5W30 with remote filter and bypass. Tbob

 

[nwcatman]

Originally posted by TBOB

I did it, runs great. I hope youv'e done some hard pulling to break it in. I run thw HDD 5W30 with remote filter and bypass. Tbob

actually, the hardest load i have been able to put it through is to load up 5 adults and hit 85-90 mph for a few minutes, plus shifting at around 2800 on the tach. no hills around here to climb. was that good enough to break it in?

 

[nwcatman]

Originally posted by KKlepfer

No reason at all. There are some out there that feel that 15,000 to 20,000 mi is when your engine is fully broken in. I haven't seen any documentation on this from cummins and it would seem reasonable to me that 10,000 is sufficient. I have 11,000 and just changed w/ Delo at 10k but will switch to amsoil 15-40 when I hit 15k.



My reasoning is I'm going have my oil tested after this batch of oil has 5k and use that as a baseline to my future synthetic analysis. Amsoil charges around $17 to test oil and fleetguard charges around $13. I'm interested in how non-syn compares to syn analysis after 5k. And I'm going to use oil analysis to determine when I need to change my oil. I'll be changing my filter (stratapore) every 2500mi.



You should be fine. I recommend oil testing its a great way to quantify proper maintenance when/if warranty comes into question. Especially if you change your own oil.

why change the filter so often? do you do a lot of hard towing ?

 

[EMD-Run8]

Your good and broke in. Don't worry about it. When I talked to Amsoil the other day about fixin' mine up the tech said that even 5,000 miles would be sufficient provided you weren't putt-puttin' around. You can switch the transmission and rearend at any time. You'll be very pleased with Amsoil if that's what you decide to use.

 

[nwcatman]

Originally posted by EMD-Run8

Your good and broke in. Don't worry about it. When I talked to Amsoil the other day about fixin' mine up the tech said that even 5,000 miles would be sufficient provided you weren't putt-puttin' around. You can switch the transmission and rearend at any time. You'll be very pleased with Amsoil if that's what you decide to use.

cool. thanks!!!

 

[ACerf]

oil

In speaking with a tech at Cummins, 20k or more would be better for using Synthetic oil. However, he also mentioned that they did not recommend using it in the first place. The other reason that I did not start using it was due to the warranty issue with DC. Living in CA the max time between Oil changes is 7,500 miles. I did not want to spend that much money for oil every 7,500 miles... . I know you are going to say DC can not make a warranty issue out of it. But in fact they can because they say not to use it. I think using a good Diesel grade oil (I use Delo) and changing it often wil give you the same result. I would call cummins and talk to them before switching.

 

[KKlepfer]

Quote from Cummins Website

In general, 5000 miles. This depends on the type of driving the truck is subject to; hauling or towing a load will shorten the break-in period. Light duty hauling or "babying" the engine can delay full engine break-in for up-to 20,000 miles.

Cummins recommends that you not use synthetic motor oil during the break-in period of 5000-20,000 miles, based on the type of driving, to allow proper seating of the piston rings. Beyond that mileage it is OK to use synthetic oil.

Cummins does not discourage use of synthetic oil regardless of what any rep may say.

 

[curatchko]

Put Amsoil Series 3000 in mine at 5k miles. GOOD TO GO.





All these theories are bunk.

 

[ACerf]

The use of synthetic oil would require that it be changed using the guide lines for oil changes set down by DC. Which means that you would either be changing it at 7,500 or 15,000 max. depending on where you live. To me synthetic oil is to expensive to be changing that often. Also, believe me Cummins or DC does not "really" want you to use an Synthetic oil. I have had many discussion about this over the past year between cummins and DC. It is not the preferred way!

 

[EMD-Run8]

Do what? Acerf, You mean to tell me that you have to change your oil in CA at not more than 7500 miles? I new CA was the left coast but I'll have to see that one to believe it. As green conscious as that state is I can't believe they would make such a recomendation when some manufacturers are are recommending higher intervals than that. I'll have to see that in writing to believe it! Man, that beats all I ever heard. I've heard some lu-lu's for not wanting use synthetic but whew!!!

 

[Steve M]

If Shell Rotella is good for 1,114,000+ miles on a B5. 9, and it keeps the people who hold the warranty card happy, and it's fairly priced and easily obtained, and API "certified", it's good enough for me. That's the "why not" for me personally.

 

[damar]

Been using AMSOIL since 1976 without any problems. Some engines over 230,000 miles. Read a story in Popular Science in the mid 1970's. Head of the Lubrication Dept for a major auto manufacturer retired and was given a new Lincoln. The has received boxes of synthetic oil but had never had time to test any. He put synthetic in at about 5,000 miles and since he didn't know how often to change, he just changed the filter as recommended and topped off the oil. At 100,000 he returned the car to the factory where the engine was replaced with a new one. The original engine was torn down and was within factory specs for a new engine. You decide for your self.

 

[radar doctor]

Trade Trucks Every Other Year....

If you trade trucks Like Some do. You don't change a thing... Think of the Money you will save in 3 years. No more Dealer Oil changes ? Air Cleaners, oil filters? Transmissions Services, Antifreeze Draining and the labor for all that. . Just the trips to the dealers or the maintenance places, Money saved there right? and what ever for 3 whole years???Think of you crawling under that truck , getting beat up knuckles skinned arms, Dirty with all that Grease and oil around, Why you could apply all that money saved to the price of that new truck... ... . Are you ready to TRADE????????? :

 

[KKlepfer]

Quote by ACerf

The use of synthetic oil would require that it be changed using the guide lines for oil changes set down by DC. Which means that you would either be changing it at 7,500 or 15,000 max

Thats exactly what they are "Guide Lines". How do you think they base their intervals? Theory must me grounded in fact or measurment inorder to hold validity.



In order to deny warranty they have to justify the reasons. If oil is the reason or oil contamination is the reason, you will have scientific, quantitative proof to the contrary. This is better insurance than 7500mi intervals, and it saves you money.



Analyses include determination of viscosity, fuel dilution (if applicable), water, dirt content, fuel soot contamination (if applicable), plus spectrochemical analysis for 20 elements to determine component wear, airborne dirt, anti-freeze contamination (if applicable), and oil additive concentrations.



The analyses also includes a neutralization value determination - Total Base Number, TBN (primarily for gasoline and diesel motor oils) or Total Acid Number, TAN (non-crankcase lubricants). Oxidation values and nitration value (if applicable) are also determined

 

[nwcatman]

thanks guys. didn't mean to start anything, but damn you hear so many conflicting things. sometimes i feel like the old X FILES show "the truth is out there you just have to find it". let me ask this, has anyone been denied a warranty claim due to the fact they were using amsoil? or any good synthetic.

 

[BillGotthelf]

I put the series 3000 synthetic in at 15,000 miles and put the same in trans at 20,000. I have a 96 L-8000 dump with a Cummins 8. 3 275hp motor. It now has 618,000 miles and I have never changed the oil since 15,000. Oil tests indicate the Amsoil is within specs to keep using. It might be the bypass filter works good too.

 

[yogibear]

Somethings working for ya Bill! I really think its your "oil change guide lines".