Too late for a Bypass System?

[HMistica]

Is it too late to put an Oil Bypass System on a Cummins with only 50,000 miles on it? I'm asking cuz I read in an article somewhere that it's not worth putting on once the miles are up. 50,000 is nothing though. I know the sooner the better but the only reason why I'm waiting till then is because I have oil change ticket stubs from the dealer that I don't want to go to waste. I'm glad they service with Chevron Delo. So far I have almost 15,000 miles on and twelve tickets left. I was going at 5,000 mile change intervals. I'm thinking about doing oil change intervals at 3,000 miles to get rid of them. I read somewhere elso that changing oil too often is a bad thing. True? That'll bring me up to 51,000 miles at the last ticket.

 

[SEmerson]

It is only too late if your engine is dead. Go for it 50k is still new anyway.

 

[Buffalo]

HMistica,

In my opinion, depending on how and where you drive your truck, you may be changing the oil way to often. Especially, if you go to the 3000 mile intervals.

I base this opinion on the fact that the last time I changed my oil, I had 8303 miles on it & it was still good per a UOA (used oil analysis). That was using Chevron Delo-400, 15/40 & Fleetguard filters.

Chevron Delo-400 is considered to be an extremely robust conventional motor oil. It has a lot of high-quality additives, including moly & boron, which, are great for dealing with "soot".



Before you make a decision on going to bypass filtration, you may want to go over to "bob is the oil guy.com". They have a forum dedicated to Bypass Filters. Also, read the Light Diesel Engine Oils forum & see what is said about the different oils. There are many good ones but, for a conventional oil, Chevron is hard to beat.

It seems to me that you will get the most benefit, using a bypass filtration system, if you change over to a high quality, synthetic motor oil & do a LOT of long-haul driving ( like the guys that deliver travel trailers, around the country). Then, you can benefit from extended drain intervals.



If you are just using your truck for normal use, I wonder if you will get enough "bang-for-your-buck" with the bypass system? Especially, since you have SO MANY "free" oil changes & they are using a great oil.



The other thing to consider is the "Feel-Good Feeling" you get by using a superior filtration system & oil in your truck. That has value, also.



If you are going to keep your truck for an extremely long time and/or put an extraordinary amount of miles on it, maybe the bypass system in not a bad idea. If you will not keep it "forever", the next owner will be getting the benefit of your extraordinary efforts to protect your engine. Remember, there are quite a few Dodge/Cummins around with a million miles +, on them, & that's using conventional oils. Todays oils are much better than those of just a few years ago.



You may also want to check what DC has to say about bypass filtration systems installed on our trucks, especially if you intend to extend the oil drain intervals beyond what DC recommends. I believe that I've heard that your warranty may be in jeopardy. So, you have the added expense of the bypass system & still have to change the oil, when recommended by DC. Also, the fact that you modified the trucks lubrication system MAY be cause for warranty denial by DC. I would, at least, check with DC to see what their feelings are about what you would like to do & what the ramifications would be.

I don't know how much you know about bypass systems but, there are many different ways to clean the oil. Find out how often you have to change these filters. Toilet paper filters seem to filter very well but, have to be replaced, sometimes, every 3000 miles. To me, that would be a pain in the neck & cause me not to want to use one. However, they seem to be quite popular.

Others need expensive filters but, nowhere near as often as the TP filters. Some are messy to change & others make vibration noises that are transfered into the trucks cab. I think they all do what they were designed to do but, do your homework before buying one. That's why I recommend that you start reading about these things at BITOG (bob is the oil guy.com).



I know it sounds like I'm "down" on bypass filters but, I'm really not. In fact, I think they are great if you can really benefit from their use. I would love to have one, for the "entertainment value" & because it might be "fun" but, I really don't NEED one.



Again, I don't mean to sound negative about bypass filtration. Just thought I'd encourage you to learn as much as you can about them, before laying down your hard earned dollars. I think if you do a LOT of hard, long miles, these systems, along with a high quality synthetic oil, are a great idea.



Hope this helps in your decision.



Joe F. (Buffalo)