New Truck - X15 Advice

[Camstyn]

So I’ve been running it for 5 weeks now, Other than the jake being really week it’s been flawless, and I’m very happy with it. It’s a 565/2050 turned down to 485/1850. It’s got plenty of jam for the work that it does. I cruise at 57mph, try to keep the boost under 20psi, almost no idle time, and I can get a consistent 6.4-6.7mpg out of it. This is a 260WB 389, big bunk, pulling a very light tandem van. 3.73’s on 11R22.5 Michelin XDS2 winter tires.

The plan is to demandate it some time soon, want to get the jake issue figured out first at least, and run it a little longer to get a good baseline for the engine before any alterations.

So time to figure out a maintenance schedule. Cummins says to change oil/filters every 50,000 miles which seems a little outlandish. With my previous pre-emissions trucks I used to do this service every 12-15,000 miles. With my Paccar MX I’d do it every 25,000 miles. For hours the truck averages about 45mph

Are these new extended service intervals crazy talk, or is it legitimately ok to do what Cummins is suggesting? And should the first service after break-in be done significantly sooner?

[schISM]

With my Paccar I ran it 10k and dropped the factory fill 10w30 and switched to 0w40. Ran that to 20k and pulled a sample. I expected the first oil change to flush everything out but the sample came back with high wear metals and a suggestion to change the oil within 3k miles.
I think you’d be better of to run a 5, 10 and 15k interval before settling into your normal service. And as for stretching it out to 50k... probably not. My manual recommends 70k, in my opinion that’s just abuse.

[Rawze]

base your regular oil replacement interval on your fuel mileage.

at 6 to 6.5 mpg, that would be roughly 16,000 miles between oil changes.


Those extended oil change times are only to to make the mega-fleets happy /save millions on skipping oil changes without voiding waranty. Those higher intervals and thinner oils only serve in the long term to kill the engine as the warranty runs out so the next guy can inframe it at ~500k miles.

I would also be running some GL-4 gear lube in that thing from the day it was purchased + a bypass filtration system + a fass fuel system (simply to help keep air / cavitation out of the fuel pump and injectors) + 10 micron davco filtration installed onto it if I owned it.

[Camstyn]

Good info, thanks. Is 0-40 best for these engines then? Any particular specs to watch for?

[schISM]

(05-29-2019 )Camstyn Wrote:  Good info, thanks. Is 0-40 best for these engines then? Any particular specs to watch for?

I only run the 0w40 in the winter months. This last oil change I went with Chevron 15w40, it has the highest TBN #’s (detergents) of the popular diesel oils and it’s pretty cheap at Wallyworld. Any popular brand will do as long as it’s CK-4, stay away from the FA-4’s.

[03maxpower]

I went 30000 on my first oil change and Schaeffer’s said it’s good I didn’t go any longer with the delo oil. I changed at 30000 with Schaeffer’s oil and oil was good but additives were depleted. About to change at 30000 again and see what I get. Rawze is right about 50000 for the mega carriers Cummins themselves told me that. Not good to buy a fleet truck.

[Lonestar10]

I use good ole rotella 15-40 year round and as of last oil change started using the 1 gal of gl-4 one difference i noticed is i now tend to smell the hot gear lube now and then due to 2 leaky exhaust valve stem seals. i run 15k oil changes since the truck doesnt sit. when i had 7.3l Powerstrokes i ran 5,000mile oil change intervals running the same Rotella 15-40 and never had an issue with any of them every now and then i sent a sample to blackstone labs and info i got back told me i was doing ok with those intervals.

[Waterloo]

(05-30-2019 )03maxpower Wrote:  I went 30000 on my first oil change and Schaeffer’s said it’s good I didn’t go any longer with the delo oil. I changed at 30000 with Schaeffer’s oil and oil was good but additives were depleted. About to change at 30000 again and see what I get. Rawze is right about 50000 for the mega carriers Cummins themselves told me that. Not good to buy a fleet truck.

Soot in the motor is going to tear up your cam shaft(s) and bearings unless you have an oil bypass system... 30,000 miles is too long to go with these motors. I have a CM-871, a fresh in frame, 16,000 miles is my max. I like to change out every 12,000 - 14,000 miles if possible. I run a gallon of Sta-Lube Gear Oil, keeps the top end lubricated with a nice coating left on the front gear train. I have been inside my motor. ;-)

[Rawze]

(05-30-2019 )03maxpower Wrote:  I went 30000 on my first oil change and Schaeffer’s said it’s good I didn’t go any longer with the delo oil. I changed at 30000 with Schaeffer’s oil and oil was good but additives were depleted. About to change at 30000 again and see what I get. Rawze is right about 50000 for the mega carriers Cummins themselves told me that. Not good to buy a fleet truck.

My own engine does not like going 30,000+ on oil changes, I get 9+ mpg, had a bypass filtration system on, and my oil does not even turn dark .... -- Your going to be replacing overhead cams in that thing at 400k miles with that change interval.

I don't care who someone is,... There is not a person on the planet that can convince me that changing oil at longer intervals is even remotely OK, even on a de-mandated engine, nonetheless on a factory-programmed soot-sucking black-oil-all-the-time monster.

.. WHY???

-- Because there is no other explanation but separation (the leading cause of having to change the oil out). Seperation cannot be measured in a LAB,.. but you can sure hear it in the sound of the engine as the oil starts to seperate, especially if you know what your engine should sound like and have to listen to it for 11+ hours a day.

If I change my oil out at 30,000 miles,.. IMMEDIATELY, I can hear and feel that it is running smoother right after a fresh oil change. - It is not a subtle thing,.. it is significant enough that I can even hear when the engine wants an oil change from laying in the back of the bunk while someone else is driving it. -- The only thing that will satisfy that difference in sound when that engine starts sounding like everything in it is working harder and hammering a bit more internally --> IS AN OIL CHANGE after it gets to 28,000+ --- or 30,00+ miles on it.


Call me crazy but I am not tempting the fate of possible problems, and if i was someone who owned one of those newer common rail ISX's with the exploding fuel pumps,.. I would be even more paranoid,.. not less.

OIL IS CHEAP --- OVERHEAD CAMS ARE NOT!

OIL IS CHEAP -- EXPLODING ENGINE KILLING FUEL PUMPS ARE NOT.

OIL IS CHEAP -- AN INFRAME DUE TO EXCESS CARBON PACKING IS NOT.

OIL IS CHEAP --- REPLACE IT AT THE RECOMMENDED INTERVALS MENTIONED ON THIS FORUM AND YOU CANNOT GO WRONG BY DOING SO!!!

Rawze Wrote:Do the right thing,.. change your oil based on your fuel consumption instead of regular mileage intervals.

Here is what I would recommend to others based on what I have seen..

If your average fuel mileage every 10,000 miles is ...

less than 5 MG -- Change your oil every 8,000 miles or so.

5 - 6 MPG -- Change your oil every 10,000 - 12,000 miles or so.

6 - 7 MPG -- Change your oil every 12,000 - 15,000 miles or so.

7 - 8 MPG -- Change your oil every 15,000 - 18,000 miles or so.

8 - 9 MPG -- Change your oil every 18,000 - 22,000 miles or so.

above 9 MPG -- Change your oil every 22,000 - 28,000 miles or so.

These recommendations are based on more than just engine wear alone. They are based on getting the most engine life vs the cost of oil changes themselves, and the fact that soot and other deposits are going to keep building up in your engine more rapidly than you can flush them out. A bypass oil filter system can extend this, but not by the claims they are making. You would be good to get an extra 8,000 - 10,000 miles on your oil before having to change it anyways. That is my experience on it, and is what I tell others that ask about these types of systems, etc.

reference: http://rawze.com/forums/showthread.php?t...617#pid617