Oil and FIlters

[BBettencourt]

Hey guys, It's the new guy again. Couple questions about oil, filters and where to buy them. I change oil at 3000 to 3500 mi. I use chevron delo 5/40 from costco and a fleetguard filter from Cummings. I clean and change my K&N at the same time. What else should I be doing at my 300/3500 service that is critical?



1. Should I change fuel filter with every oil change?

2. Are there site to buy filters on the web.



Thanks again

BBettencourt

 

[01smokinram]

Filters

I change my fuel filter every 6000 miles. Go to www.genosgarage.com for filters

 

[gonehuntingagain]

While you are at Cummins for your oil filter, pick up a fuel filter. I change mine every other oil change to be on the safe side. I change my oil 3000 miles/ Delo 400 15w-40.



If you think you are getting bad fuel, then you might change the filter at every oil change.



Geno's Garage sells the filters individually, or all of them in a kit.



Speaking of which... I need to go buy a few gallons of oil... it's due to be changed.

 

[davemac]

Because I don`t do a lot of hauling or have a lot of mods I change my oil every 5000 miles. Every other oil change, I change the fuel filter & clean the IAT sensor. Every 4th oil change I change the air filter. Geno`s 4/2/1 package is perfect for me. Some people will tell you that 10K is too long on a fuel filter but I have a fuel pressure guage to tell me if it starts getting crudded up.

 

[BBettencourt]

Thanks Guys for the info. As for teh IAT sensor. There was an earlier post about them. Can you give more info on their location, replacement, cleaning cost etc. , for us morons? Thanks. . BB

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

"Some people will tell you that 10K is too long on a fuel filter but I have a fuel pressure guage to tell me if it starts getting crudded up. "



ABSOLUTELY!



Positively NO reason to toss a perfectly GOOD fuel filter simply because some "magic number" pops on the odometer - with a guage installed in the proper location, you can easily SEE if it's still functioning properly - and only change it when it really NEEDS to be changed! Shucks, that fuel pressure guage COULD easily PAY for itself in fuel filter costs saved!

 

[B9Mile]

The IAT sensor is component #7 here:



http://www.dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/mt_2_feb98/fuel_sys_comp.htm





If you want to remove it for inspection/cleaning be sure you are wrenching in it, instead of the Boost sensor. Its an easy mistake to make.

 

[BBettencourt]

Can you elaborate a little, thanks

 

[HC]

Opinions:

1) 5000 miles with Delo is still more conservative than the 7500 quoted in the manual. You can save money and your engine will still last forever with longer oil change intervals.



2) On the fuel filter, I won't go longer than 10k (less than the factory recommendation) until I have my FP gauge installed. Am I being inconsistent? I don't think so; in both cases I'm recommending changing the filter at about 2/3 of the factory-recommended interval.



3) On IAT sensor; I think cleaning it is of limited value. I replaced mine in effort to get better mpg. Absolutely no difference between "old" dirty sensor and new "clean" sensor. Resistance of both was within specs. Don't go fixin' what ain't broke.

 

[illflem]

You're over servicing your K&N. K&N recommends 80-100k unless the filter minder pulls down. It filters better when dirty.

 

[BV]

opinions

Bill beat me to it - Your K&N will work bettere and last longer if you leave it alone for 25-50k.



As for the oil/filter thing - I changed mine every 5k and the fuel filter (no gauge) was done every other time (10k).



Can't help with the online filter buying unless Geno's Garage has online ordering.

 

[rblomquist]

Why don't you try an oil analysis rather than just guessing whether it's time to change the oil? It cost me $8 to get the kit/lab work through my local Cummins shop. The first time I tested at 4k the oil still had a lot of miles left in it and that was with a lot of towing miles. Oh yeah, I'm using Delo.



As far as the fuel filter goes, I just watch my pressure gauge unless I get 10-15k on it then I'll change it out.



IAT: I pulled it out, checked for dirt/fouling (none), then replaced it in pursuit of these big mileage figures people post. Bottom line for me was it was a waste of time and money. The IAT wasn't dirty and the new one I installed gave me no gain in MPG over the old one. If you don't have an exhaust brake I don't see much utility in messing with it.



Again, I can't say enough about doing an oil analysis, it's cheap, and it'll give you a lot of great data on what's going on inside your baby.

 

[Joe G.]

The best prices for filters are probably at your local big rig shop. I get mine at Redwood Alliance Peterbilt here in Eureka. Less than $8 for Fleetguard Stratapore. If you buy a case you will probably get a small discount.

 

[NETim]

oil change checks

At oil change time it's not a bad idea to give the front end a shot o' grease wherever you may find a zerk up there. Also check your rear brake adjustment. Rotate tires periodically too. Say every 10K?



Tim

 

[BBettencourt]

NETim, Joe G., Rblomquist

Thanks guys for all the info. I'm doing what most of you suggest regarding oil and oil filters. Changed fuel filter yesterday during oil change. Probably hadn't been changed in over 10 to 15K miles. Looked pretty dirty. Will I see a difference in anything? I don't have a fuel gauge. Thanks.