Oil consumption

[skorski]

74K2020 3500 just returned from a 14K trip and checked the dipstick before an oil change and found it was dry I added a quart of oil. That brought it up 3 eights of an inch is this normal for towing 14K 7000 miles the rest solo? Now using shell rotella 10 W30. Full synthetic

 

[AH64ID]

I wouldn’t call that normal.

Did you check it at all on the trip? I do check it more frequently when towing, but haven’t ever noticed it using any oil.

5w-40 is a better oil for towing, IMO.

 

[skorski]

I wouldn’t call that normal.

Did you check it at all on the trip? I do check it more frequently when towing, but haven’t ever noticed it using any oil.

5w-40 is a better oil for towing, IMO.

Di not check on the trip

 

[Topzide]

You need to check it more frequently when towing. I check mine after stopping at each leg of the journey. Not worth taking a chance of blowing an engine! If your "working" your truck, take the time to check thing more often than when not. I hope that you have a "boonies box" with you, and it includes some oil, trans fluid, drive belt, and along with basic tools.

 

[Grumpy8811]

74K2020 3500 just returned from a 14K trip and checked the dipstick before an oil change and found it was dry I added a quart of oil. That brought it up 3 eights of an inch is this normal for towing 14K 7000 miles the rest solo? Now using shell rotella 10 W30. Full synthetic

14000 miles of towing and you used a couple quarts of oil? nothing to be concerned about at all but its worth saying it is a good idea to check under the hood at least once a week when on the road..
last long haul I went thru 3 quarts of oil on a 17000 mile RV trip..
you think about it, its literally a teaspoon of oil an hour.
the following chart is from Cummins and defines what Cummins calls excessive oil usage.

 

[Ozymandias]

With these numbers you run actually a two stroke, 675km/L is way beyond acceptable today.
They really want to keep the warranty claims down that way.

 

[skorski]

Thanks for the reply i didn’t think it was a problem but had to ask anyway i am on my 3rd Cummings truck and never had to add oil to any of them. Over two hundred fifty K weared

 

[Grumpy8811]

Thanks for the reply i didn’t think it was a problem but had to ask anyway i am on my 3rd Cummings truck and never had to add oil to any of them. Over two hundred fifty K weared

I've owned 33 cars and trucks in my lifetime and I've had vehicles that never used a drop of oil between oil changes and several that consumed about a quart of oil every 1500 miles or so and everything else in between.. if it was to the point add oil everytime you fuel up, you can consider that excessive.

 

[Ozymandias]

I don't know how happy the after treatment system is with these amounts of oil being burned. We speak about a 2020 truck where oil consumption is crucial.

 

[Grumpy8811]

I don't know how happy the after treatment system is with these amounts of oil being burned. We speak about a 2020 truck where oil consumption is crucial.

the point of the CK4 and modern emission oils is they are low in Sulfated Ash, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
Trying to remember what our larger engines used for oil consumption and it was alot higher than the pickup truck in question
and the DPF's were going a long time before we had to replace them.

 

[Cummins12V98]

At a 15k oil change I have never added a full quart. I may have added the 2/3 qt I didn’t add at the change.

My 15 and 11 basically didn’t use oil. The 11 did not add oil as many of that era did. My 98 12V used one qt every 5k.

Must be the AMZ/OIL.

 

[Signal73]

Mine has used some on the longer duration oil change intervals. Mostly towing in the hilly northeast. The way some 22’s regenerate and MAKE oil, I’d rather the inconvenience of having to add some instead.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Also I tow 50% of my miles at 35k combined.