Thinking of Schedule “A” for Fluid Changes

[RMurano]

I do not use my truck for towing or carrying heavy loads. 90% of my driving is highway. I was thinking about following schedule “A” for maintenance. This would include never changing the transmission fluid or the front and rear differential fluid. The transfer case fluid would be changed every 120,000 miles. However, I would still change the engine oil and filter every 7,500 miles. I would like to hear from you all about following schedule “A” except for engine oil and filter changes. Would this be acceptable or a bad idea? Thanks.

 

[roperteacher]

Don't forget that DUST can increase your need for Schedule B. I just can't leave my fluids in that long! LOLOL Fuel filter is also very important. You can need one of those in a few miles if you get bad diesel etc. I think every 15,000 is excessive for the differentials BUTTTTT while my truck is under factory warranty ( to 85,000 for me) I am GOING to change every 15,000 so they can never deny warranty coverage. I would suggest you follow schedule B to 36,000 then see how your fluids are holding up. Moisture can also get into the differentials as well.

 

[JHardwick]

IMO, that would leave you changing gear box fluids too infrequently and motor oil too frequently.



I to run 90% highway, but with 10-15,000 pounds.



I change gear boxes every 50,000 and motor oil every 15,000.

 

[mberry]

Mr Mruano. I know exactly where you run your truck and you are putting it under a fair load running up and down the hills at that altitude. You will be doing yourself and your truck a great disservice by running schedule "A" in these hills. Considering we use our trucks in virtually the same conditions every day, my solution is/was to modify the schedules to my comfort level.



I have 43K miles on my truck now. I am getting ready to change all of the fluids again. Front and rear diffs and transmission will not be changed again (under my normal conditions) until I reach 100K miles. The diffs were changed originally at around 2300 miles. First oil change was at that time also. Transfer case has Amsoil in it now and was changed at 15K miles the first time (as was the transmission). I need to see what the fluid looks like when it comes out as to whether I will go to 75K miles before the next change. I will run the Amsoil motor oil a minimum of 10K miles before changing, and at my current driving schedule that is a little under 1 year.



Of course, this is only my opinion. It's your truck and your money and you are free to decide.

 

[Diesel Nut]

If you want to run intervals like that, you need to look at a few things.



Motor oil

I would use high quality Synthetic and filters. Change every 15K.



Transmission

You need to service this more often. The hills in your area (I was just in Soda Springs last weekend) and the summer heat are going to take their toll. I would at the maximum do 50K. A quality Synthetic will makes things much easier on the transmission.



Tcase -

Do when you do the trans



Axles-

You need to do a fluid change in the first 5k miles to get the break in metals out of the gear lube. After that, again, with a quality synthetic, I would say do them at 50K



Fuel Filter -

Every 15K, and keep an extra one in the truck at all times.

 

[WStephens]

I have a 2005 2500 with the G56 6 speed and I dont tow much but have had the truck in the NE were I live in PA down to the SE and out west to Wyoming and Colorado and have pulled some good passes in the Rocky Mountains. I change my engine oil, both fuel filters every 15K, the 2qt bypass oil filter I will change every 30K. I have changed the oil in the transmission, transfer case and axels this fall. I use Synthitic oil through out. I just sent in a sample of the motor oil just before I changed the oil and everything looked good and they recomended that I extend the drain frequencey.

 

[RMurano]

Thanks for your responses. Don’t think I will be using Schedule “A”. Mberry and Diesel Nut, where can I purchase Amsoil products either in the Reno area or Roseville area?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[mberry]

Become a "preferred customer" and pay the $20. 00 per year. Once that is done, it's shipped to your door. There are several dealers here in Reno and I'm sure someone can point one out to you. I do not know any of them.

 

[DPKetchum]

www.amsoil.com

 

[CMusgrove]

I think you made a good decision to use sch B. When I first bought mine the sch A looked like it could save a few bucks. The dealership said they highly recommended sch B for this area. I did not want to use sch A, something happen to the truck and take a chance on a review of my useage determining that I should have been using sch B and having trouble with any warranty issues. Besides, when I bought off on several hundred dollars a month truck payments, why should a $65 oil change every 6 months or so be a big issue?

 

[JJW_ND]

Jmho.....

Everyone needs to settle on something that allows them to sleep well at night. If you really feel your use requires sooner oil changes. Do it. But don't think it is based on necessity unless you are also doing oil analysis and the analysis says your oil needs changing. From my experience (200K oil analysis) in a truck with an old technology 96 12V, Cummins engines run very clean and are supper easy on the oil. Keep in mind…. Dodge went from 6K max oil change in the middle 1990s to 15K change interval now. All the oil data I gathered was when I was pulling commercially, making 800 mile straight through runs pulling 24K in weight or 60’ of trailers (doubles). Many trips required WOT for hundreds of miles at a time getting 4 -10 mpg (stock HP). There were also a few REAL winters back then were engine temps would barely reach normal for weeks on end and oil temps never got above 175. In 200K miles of extreme use (Schedule B I would think) I never had an oil sample come back stating I needed to change the oil running the oil out to 24K…not one! I sample every 6K (that was the warranty length back in 96) changed the factory filter microglass and later stratapore(no bypass used) and continued with the oil until 24K and then dumped. Over those years I ran Amsoil and Mobil Delvac 1. Even under very hard pulling; arctic winter (cold starts and idling) or summer heat running 220 degree oil temps for 500 miles at a stretch, the oil was fine. The hardest thing the analysis found on oil was not heat and hard towing but extreme cold when operating in temps below zero for weeks at a time.



From my experiences and all the I have read on other users posted oil samples... . I see no reason NOT to go 15K on regular oil unless you only put on less then 10K miles per year. Change the filter once at 7. 5K. No need for bypass or synthetic oil to make this work. I sampled all gear boxes and temp gauges in some in the same 200K period. Running empty they are fine for 100K plus. Extreme pulling they are fine to 50K or more. Occasional pulling is the same as running empty. At work we have a fleet of diesel pickups that are run hard (hard towing, lots of gravel driving). They NEVER have the gear boxes changed for the period we have them 100K. We have never had a gearbox failure (which even I have surprised by). This is with dozens of pickups (Fords Dodges Chevys) over the last 10 years.



Some interpret the manufacture PM recommendations as the outer limits were one is on the edge of failure, meaning most fit Schedule B. My take is the manufactures PM recommendations are extremely conservative and only a rare few fit Schedule B (commercial towing, ambulances - lots of idling). Today’s oils are awesome and electronics makes for very clean running engines…certainly better then a mechanical 12V.



If you really want to know what is going on with your truck... grab an oil sample ($12 - $15) and see for yourself.



Again... do what works for you and your piece of mind. Sorry for rambling... .



jjw

ND

 

[CDonaldson]

My dealership recommended the schedule B, in fact they told me that they thought the schedule A should not even exist as it is insufficient for the maintenance to be done right. They told me this knowing that I would be doing my own servicing, so they really had no profitable interest.



If you are doing a lot of altitude driving, up and down altitudes, driving in dusty places and on dirt roads, some things you might want to do more frequently that schedule B.



I am getting ready to do my axles per schedule B and I am going with the Amsoil 75w-140 fluid. I drive at altitude, on dusty roads, on hot desert roads - I want the best protection to my investment I can get.



You can go to http://www.carsondodge.com/Forums/index.php and find great info regarding your questions. TDR's own John Holmes is the person you will be communicating with there at Carson. There are lots of good posts for you to read.



CD



CD

 

[J&LRam]

my dealer wholeheartedly recommended schedule A unless we tow. Both of my 15000 mile oil change analysis , have done ony two, came back excellent. Why waste good oil on premature change schedules.

JIM