Gallon of oil usage in 10k miles?

[lawdog1]

I just picked mine up from dealer after 2nd oil change. I have owned truck for 1 year and 1 day as of today (364 days when I dropped it at dealer.). First oil change was with 8.6K in late April, this one was at 17.K miles. I have 3.5K miles towing about 8K lbs travel trailer...so not a lot of towing and light for the truck. At drop off I mentioned to dealer I sometime notice what I believed to be a valve tick when outside truck if its running (...in addition to the DEF pump tick.)

At pick up Dealer reported it was 2 quarts low on oil when I left it at dealer. I was shocked. Feel like a fool for not checking it regularly, but had no idea it would burn/use oil....my '12 "made oil" due to fuel dilution and I have never seen any smoke/signs. They said valve tick/noise cleared up after oil change, we will see. When I questioned them on oil consumption they said to watch it but it is within Dodge specs which is 1qt per 1000 miles. WTF on that....shocking. So I will checking oil regularly now. If it continues to consume oil I expect to push hard for a diagnosis or at least satisfactory explanation as to "why" and assurance this is not a symptom of a larger/future problem. Runs great now.

 

[MLee]

Reading all these stories about low oil levels, and changes done by dealers, how many are done as a dry start?, not filling the oil filter before they start the engine? and not re-checking the level after they have done this service. You owe your self to check the level BEfore you leave the business.
I had my car done by the dealer after I bought it. got it home and the level was low the amount the filter took. To say they lest I was mad as heck. You pay for quantity of oil to be done and then you are short changed. Do you go back? NOT ME!!

 

[Newsa]

Anyone have thoughts on putting their 2013-2016 on a newer oil?

http://www.api.org/products-and-ser...ategories-and-documents/latest-oil-categories

 

[lawdog1]

I think Mlee nailed it, just checked at fuel station after I left dealer....its not full, its in the middle of the dipstick ok range. Also looked very dark for having 4 miles on it...shady, quick change apparently. Between that and the rape'in I took on the fuel filters, I will be self servicing and saving receipts as soon as I use up my "free" changes.

 

[Newsa]

I think Mlee nailed it, just checked at fuel station after I left dealer....its not full, its in the middle of the dipstick ok range. Also looked very dark for having 4 miles on it...shady, quick change apparently. Between that and the rape'in I took on the fuel filters, I will be self servicing and saving receipts as soon as I use up my "free" changes.

4 miles is enough time for the oil to appear sooty on the dipstick. The detergents and motion of the oil is stirring up soot in the oil pan and from other surfaces and mixing with oil remaining in the engine. I don't top off my oil when changing every 5 or so months because my Cummins seems to make about 1/2 quart every 4-5 months. Probably from not burning oil combined with producing soot and minimal fuel dilution. I used to top it off, and so did the dealer with my free changes, but then the oil on the dipstick got uncomfortably high after 6 months.

 

[spoon059]

Reading all these stories about low oil levels, and changes done by dealers, how many are done as a dry start?, not filling the oil filter before they start the engine?

Mine get done at the dealer, they are a "customer for life" dealer and offer free oil changes (reduced for diesels). They change it for cheaper than I can buy the oil and filter myself, and they are the ones warranting the engine for life... so I figure I'll let them do the oil changes. I can't imagine they go through the effort of prefilling the filter and wrangling it up through the wheel well. I'd imagine they just dry start it. I wonder how bad it is for the engine.

You figure the top end shouldn't be too dry, seeing as to how they just dumped 3 gallons of oil through the top...

 

[Newsa]

Mine get done at the dealer, they are a "customer for life" dealer and offer free oil changes (reduced for diesels). They change it for cheaper than I can buy the oil and filter myself, and they are the ones warranting the engine for life... so I figure I'll let them do the oil changes. I can't imagine they go through the effort of prefilling the filter and wrangling it up through the wheel well. I'd imagine they just dry start it. I wonder how bad it is for the engine.

You figure the top end shouldn't be too dry, seeing as to how they just dumped 3 gallons of oil through the top...

They don't recommend prefilling the fuel filters because it can introduce contamination. I don't bother prefilling the oil filter. I doubt the dealer does, either

 

[sag2]

Pre-filling any filter is a bad idea. The risk of contamination is too great for the little benefit you might get. Besides, your Cummins is dry started at the factory before it ever had any lube through it. And when was the last time you heard about an oil related failure?

 

[sag2]

I think Mlee nailed it, just checked at fuel station after I left dealer....its not full, its in the middle of the dipstick ok range. Also looked very dark for having 4 miles on it...shady, quick change apparently. Between that and the rape'in I took on the fuel filters, I will be self servicing and saving receipts as soon as I use up my "free" changes.

It isn't a full mark, it is a safe range. As long as it is anywhere in the safe range the oil level is good.

 

[SnoKing]

Pre-filling any filter is a bad idea. The risk of contamination is too great for the little benefit you might get. Besides, your Cummins is dry started at the factory before it ever had any lube through it. And when was the last time you heard about an oil related failure?

When someone installed a FRAM filter on a 5.9. SNOKING

 

[spoon059]

Pre-filling any filter is a bad idea. The risk of contamination is too great for the little benefit you might get. Besides, your Cummins is dry started at the factory before it ever had any lube through it. And when was the last time you heard about an oil related failure?

Yea, I kinda figured it would be okay. I just wonder why I hear so much about prefilling filters.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Pre filling is recommended on the newer Cummins.

I have prefilled my vehicles for many years with WELL over 1,000,000 miles recorded, NO issues.

 

[Newsa]

Pre filling is recommended on the newer Cummins.

I have prefilled my vehicles for many years with WELL over 1,000,000 miles recorded, NO issues.

Where is it recommended? Can you post where it says it is recommended?

 

[chipster]

Where is it recommended? Can you post where it says it is recommended?

it is posted in the Cummins operation and maintenance manual for B series engines, 1992. on page 4-7. "fill the filter with clean lubricating oil BEFORE installation" I also have the Dodge service manual on CD, for 2006 Dodge Ram and it says the same. prefill oil filter with CLEAN oil . all the problems of engine failure due to pre-filling were caused by the owner being sloppy when pre-filling the filter. the fram oil filter failure was corrected shortly after Fram paid for a few engines. I have run Fram filters off and on for a few years on multiple cummins engines with no failures. Fram changed their manufacturing process and the filter eliment does not seperate as it did in 1988.

 

[MLee]

Its just common sense to pre fill if its a vertical filter. What kind of damage takes place with all the rattling that takes place till the parts get there lubrication? I have pre-filled all my engines that have had a vertical filter, with my first vehicle. Mid 50's And that's been along time.
The scare was when that little seal on the bottle, had to be removed and a chard of paper was left on the top of the bottle. The newer Delo 400 bottles for the last few years have had a tab to help remove the seal, and they come of clean. No seal left on the bottle to worry about. contamination takes place if the filter is stored unwrapped or its handled carelessly.

 

[Too Tall]

How is contamination more of a risk with a filled filter vs a dry filter? dirt is dirt, wet or dry? BTW, Cummins says fill the filter. Fuel filter is installed dry.

 

[Too Tall]

Where is it recommended? Can you post where it says it is recommended?

From the RAM service manual
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[Newsa]

Once, i let one of my V6 gassers sit a month because i was on vacation. I started it up and the dry (oil had drained to the oil pan) engine and the entire vehicle shook for about 3-5 seconds as the dry engine was waiting for oil. Never had that happen on my cummins because i never let it sit that long without running it. The gasser was fine. It went another 100 miles before i traded it in. I run synthetic 15w-40 that sort of sticks to the metal. I hadn't done an oil change, but the metal surfaces were obviously void of oil. I have been installing dry full flow and dry bypass filters with no problems. Seems like every time I let my engine cool down, the oil system sucks most if the oil out of the full flow filter anyway. Every time i pull off the filter it's less than half full. It's really a non issue for me.

 

[Too Tall]

90% of engine wear occurs on start up. Lots of industrial engines have pre-lubers to prevent dry metal to metal starts. IMO, anything i can do to reduce that is beneficial to the life of the engine. To each his own.

 

[kthaxton]

How is contamination more of a risk with a filled filter vs a dry filter? dirt is dirt, wet or dry? BTW, Cummins says fill the filter. Fuel filter is installed dry.

Because the center of the filter where any contamination would likely end up (i.e. foil or plastic bits from the oil container....which is where this all started) is the "already filtered side". Therefore, anything that ends up there, gets pumped through the engine. The biggest issue reported was bits of foil from oil containers plugging the small oil "jets" that cool the pistons. A tiny plug here will burn up a piston.

I've seen documents from Cummins and or Ram stating both pre-fill, and to not pre-fill. I'm not sure of the most recent procedure.