Synthetic or Conventional?

[Killer223]

run what ever is on sale, and diesel rated, and of the correct grade for the climate you live... simple as that.
i have over 800K combined miles, these engines are not hard on oil like the fords are. what ever your pocket book will allow.
tractorsupply, supertech, delvac MX-F2, VPB. zero difference in used oil reports, all changed around the 10K mark.

 

[Newsa]

OK, which one is it - Fahrenheit or Celsius?

They are the same temperature. It is where the 2 temp scales meet

 

[David Hoffman]

Thanks for the feedback..

Again, being NEW to diesel and learning some stuff along the way.. just making sure, there are no MAJOR issues..

also, and this I may need to start a new thread/search...

What's the scoop on engine longevity with all of the pollution controls? I always heard..

"You'll get a million miles on a diesel engine"

Fast forward to today, with all the pollution controls and feeding exhaust gasses back into the engine (i think that is right).. that soot can get into the cyliners and create premature wear.

Any, feel free to comment on THAT, else I'll try to find subseguent threads..

Have a nice weekend Y'all.

 

[Newsa]

Totally missed what I was doing there.

You meant engine failure? Or oil failure?

 

[Dan_69GTX]

They are the same temperature. It is where the 2 temp scales meet

Exactly- hence my smiley faces!

Oh yes. That would also be 233.15 degrees Kelvin

 

[kthaxton]

You meant engine failure? Or oil failure?

Neither, I am mocking the people that think their oil is the best because they haven't had any problems with it.

 

[gsbrockman]

Thanks for the feedback..

Again, being NEW to diesel and learning some stuff along the way.. just making sure, there are no MAJOR issues..

also, and this I may need to start a new thread/search...

What's the scoop on engine longevity with all of the pollution controls? I always heard..

"You'll get a million miles on a diesel engine"

Fast forward to today, with all the pollution controls and feeding exhaust gasses back into the engine (i think that is right).. that soot can get into the cyliners and create premature wear.

Any, feel free to comment on THAT, else I'll try to find subseguent threads..

Have a nice weekend Y'all.

Consult some previous threads with owners posting up their oil analysis results from companies such as Blackstone......just be sure to compare results from 2013 and newer trucks.

 

[Newsa]

Neither, I am mocking the people that think their oil is the best because they haven't had any problems with it.

My oil choice (and a few other's on here) is guided by my UOA's (and by their UOA's). A new cummins/ram owner on here asked a question about which oil people prefer. He also mentioned that he is willing to spend a bit more than the cheapest available. We were giving him the respect of answering his question. Some answered with their preferred brand or synthetic. Others answered that the brand of oil and whether synthetic or dino doesn't matter. It is true that the 6.7 cummins doesn't shear the oil like some of the powestrokes reportedly used to. So the oil can be any approved CK oil .

One of my UOA's told me i had 8% fuel dilution of oil (considered critical by oil analyzers because it was reducing it from 15w 40 nearly to 5w 30) (they tested it at least twice). Another UOA told me i had oil (fuel) dilution, but it was not enough to drop it out of 15w 40 weight. I don't suspect it is a fuel injector problem because a UOA after 1000 miles showed no fuel dilution (less than 0.5%) ..... But after 2000 miles (another 1000 miles on the same oil) i was seeing 5% fuel in oil dilution. This told me the active regens were likely (periodically) causing the fuel dilution of sump oil. (Rather than a continuous injector or other fuel leak) It made me think that maybe the DPF is entering active regen often due to my city driving?

As a result, it was worth it to me to spend $35 per gallon on dominator 20w 50. This oil has extra TBN as well as extra other additives so that if my oil experiences dilution, the additives are not significantly reduced. Also being a 20w 50, the oil will not drop out of weight as quickly if seeing 8+% dilution...... Meaning i can run it the full 6 month interval that ram recommends.

I'm not concerned that i am not using the recommended 15w 40 weight because the synthetics naturally flow better than dino. So i don't expect any problems with oil flow, film strength, or dilution of additives in a 6 month interval. If i were using a dino 15w 40, i wouldn't feel comfortable running it 6 months because i would be wondering (and worrying) if it were dropping out if weight to a 5w 30 or even 5w 25 or lower?

If i hadn't joined and followed this forum, i wouldn't have known about UOA's and that there are labs who will determine oil quality as and after use. The new diesel owner expected to get opinions supported by facts (UOA's) even if scientific method wasn't followed and oil quality of a manufacturer or the synthetic/dyno (preference)question can not indisputably be proven.

 

[Newsa]

Thanks for the feedback..

Again, being NEW to diesel and learning some stuff along the way.. just making sure, there are no MAJOR issues..

also, and this I may need to start a new thread/search...

What's the scoop on engine longevity with all of the pollution controls? I always heard..

"You'll get a million miles on a diesel engine"

Fast forward to today, with all the pollution controls and feeding exhaust gasses back into the engine (i think that is right).. that soot can get into the cyliners and create premature wear.

Any, feel free to comment on THAT, else I'll try to find subseguent threads..

Have a nice weekend Y'all.

The EGR in the 2013+ trucks have been reduced to the point where Ram/Cummins says the EGR valve will operate for 2-3 hundred thousand miles and not need cleaned. Earlier models (2007-2012) had a requirement of EGR valve cleaning every time (or every other time) the crankcase vent filter was changed.

A reasonable amount of sub micron soot is expected & will not hurt a diesel. It actually helps thicken the oil a bit if the oil experiences shear or fuel dilution. The detergents & dispersant additives in oil help prevent it from accumulating in excess anywhere and causing problems.

I recommend a bypass filter. They are a pretty easy install on a cummins 6.7 because there is a plug that can be removed from the oil filter arm/mount where you tap the oil from. A bypass filter doesn't replace the stock full flow filter, but works parallel to it and removes the larger soot particles that have the potential to cause wear. If you live in a cold region or have a lot of cold starts and city driving, your engine will be more likely to be running at less than the optimal temps much of the time and creating a bit more soot than someone who drives long distances at operating temps.