Which oil should I use?

[ISX]

Now that I have money for once I am going to change out everything. I want to use the best there is. I am putting valvoline premium blue in the engine but for the trans I am debating redline/dodge dealer gold. For the axle I have no clue what is good. I am going to have to do an engine flush and change out the antifreeze and maybe drill a hole in that thermostat like I keep seeing. I will make a writeup on that since there is a question on flushing a 12V. So what do you guys think I should use? I do have one preference, it can't be amsoil

[white01]

what are you guuna do to flush the engine...and what will you use?i have heared that for years about people drilling two small holes in there t-stat..heck..stay with all valvoline...:thumbup2:

--- Update to the previous post...

oh...and a donaldson oil filter..ELF7349...

[Wild and Free]

Now that I have money for once I am going to change out everything. I want to use the best there is. I am putting valvoline premium blue in the engine but for the trans I am debating redline/dodge dealer gold. For the axle I have no clue what is good. I am going to have to do an engine flush and change out the antifreeze and maybe drill a hole in that thermostat like I keep seeing. I will make a writeup on that since there is a question on flushing a 12V. So what do you guys think I should use? I do have one preference, it can't be amsoil

You just contradicted yourself and now can not be helped.............................

[ISX]

I run amsoil now, I see no point to it. I hate the crap I have to do to get it and the preferred customer stuff I have to go through to get it at a sane price. So I am stepping down to dino. Valvoline all the way around does sound like a good plan. If they got good oil then they should have good oil for axles and everything too I would think.

[Terry C]

Why no to Amsoil? With the extended drain intervals you will actually SAVE money. One thing to note is Mopar ATF+4 is almost $2 a quart LESS at WalMart than Amsoil ATF.

[Wild and Free]

What do you do with your rig and how often do you change all the fluids? Some people like to live with what the oil companies and dealers like to preach to keep the money rolling into their pockets. Spend it if ya got it I guess.

[ISX]

What do you do with your rig and how often do you change all the fluids? Some people like to live with what the oil companies and dealers like to preach to keep the money rolling into their pockets. Spend it if ya got it I guess.

I don't pull anything but maybe 10 times a year up to 10k lb sometimes for a couple hundred miles. Other than that I drive slow and easy. This amsoil I have been changing every 25k with the ELF filter. I plan on going 10-15 with the premium blue.

[Wild and Free]

How often do you change all other fluids? Is the premium blue a synthectic or syn blend or a full carbon based oil? I do not like the term dino as I believe that the earth produces oil and it is not "Dino" based I can't remember the term thats used to describe the earths productionof oil right off.

[ISX]

How often do you change all other fluids? Is the premium blue a synthectic or syn blend or a full dino?

Axle needs to be changed for sure. NV4500 somehow gets changed every 20k. Full dino. The premium blue "extreme" is the synthetic version.

--- Update to the previous post...

You must go nuts when you see cummings

[Wild and Free]

Axle needs to be changed for sure. NV4500 somehow gets changed every 20k. Full dino. The premium blue "extreme" is the synthetic version.

--- Update to the previous post...

You must go nuts when you see cummings

Seeing it is not as bad as hearing it in a face to face conversation, As you may suspect......I DO CORRECT people when needed!

[LiveOak]

Now that I have money for once I am going to change out everything. I want to use the best there is. I am putting valvoline premium blue in the engine but for the trans I am debating redline/dodge dealer gold. For the axle I have no clue what is good. I am going to have to do an engine flush and change out the antifreeze and maybe drill a hole in that thermostat like I keep seeing. I will make a writeup on that since there is a question on flushing a 12V. So what do you guys think I should use? I do have one preference, it can't be amsoil

I think the best solution to what you are after is employing measures and equipment to keep your engine's oil as clean and contaminant free as is possible. A good engine oil lube by-pass filter is the best step in my opinion as this will keep the oil at it peak effectivness during its service life as well as extend that service life by changing the factors that determine it, namely oil contamination and the oil additive package. By eliminating the contamination issue, the oil additive package becomes the determining factor for the most part on when to change the oil. From what I have learned so far, the 2 most effective options are the Frantz toilet paper by-pass filter and the centrifugal by-pass filters. I personally prefer the centrifugal type by-pass filter. It is just a worry wart thing with me but I cannot get past the thought of toilet paper in my engines lube oil system. That does NOT mean that the Frantz by-pass filters are HIGHLY effective and do a great job.......they do and do it ecomonically albeit somewhat "messily". I am leaning towards the centrifugal type by-pass filter because it is much easier to keep clean and serviced and in most cases does not require any filter element to constantly be replaced. You just have to establish a service interval that reliably ensures the centerfuge filter catch bowl is cleaned BEFORE it becomes overly full or clogged up. In anycase, whichever by-pass filter system you use PROVIDED it can filter down to .1 micron level will significantly increase the service life and lubrication properties of the oil you use by removing nearly all contaminants, especially SOOT which plays a HUGE factor in the service life and lubrication properties of the oil in your engine. For instance, in the General Electrice T-700 and T-701C turboshaft engines I used to workon and maintain in another life, there was no oil change service interval per se. As long as the oil level was up to the proper level, no chips, metalic, or other debry was captured by the chip detectors or screens OR no other malfuction or issues required maintenance which caused the oil to be drained.......the oil stayed in the engine the full time between overhauls. In turboshaft and other jet type engines, there are no combustion byproducts that come in contact with the oil so unless there is an internal mechanical or other failure to cause metal chips or other contamination the oil stays clean. Even engines that did throw a chip light in the cockpit would be inspected and oil samples taken BEFORE the oil would be changed or the engine removed for maintenance in the engine shop. Once the engine was repaired it was placed on the METTS engine stand witch is the equivalent of a dynomometer and they were run to max power engine rpm spectrum horsepower and max horsepower were recorded for the historical records. Then the engine was placed back in service but I digress and am wonder off topic now. I am like you with respect to Amsoil. I LIKE their products and use them where it makes sense. The Amsoil Heavy Duty Marine Diesel Oil is one of my favorites BUT it is HUGELY costly and with shipping it is just FAR to expensive to justify in my opinion. If the oil change interval could be doubled or trippled with the use of a good by-pass filter, then is might be a good choice. Anyhow, just my worth.

[ISX]

I have heard about centrifuge filters but don't know much about them. Can you explain how they work and how you clean them and which one you have?

[LiveOak]

I have heard about centrifuge filters but don't know much about them. Can you explain how they work and how you clean them and which one you have?

I posted some info. on this: http://forum.mopar1973man.com/showthread.php/2946-Anybody-using-the-Spinner-II-PT-Model-25-oil-centerfuge-on-their-truck http://forum.mopar1973man.com/showthread.php/2999-Installation-Instructions-Cummins-Fleetguard-CH41102-Centrifual-Bypass-Oil-Filter http://forum.mopar1973man.com/showthread.php/2998-Cummins-Fleetguard-Centriguard-Centrifugal-Bypass-Oil-Filter-amp-Lube-System-Tutorial http://forum.mopar1973man.com/showthread.php/3000-Cummins-Fleetguard-Link-to-Filtration-Technical-Library In a nutshell, the centerfuge rotor spines at around 6,000 rpm. The contaminants such as soot, dirt, and other material are theoretically heavier than the oil and are slug up against the centerfuge filter bowl. The clean oil runs down to the drain and back into the oil pan. These systems are "so they claim" able to remove particles as small as .1 micron which is the size neighborhood of soot particles. In my opinion, soot accumulation plays the large part in engine lube oil deterioration and next would be the TBN and other additives that eventually break down or are consumed. The oil in a diesel reaches unacceptable levels of soot LONG before the additive package is exhausted. Depending upon what type and brand of oil you use in your engine, these centerfuge by-pass filters I think would readily pay for themselves in a reasonable amount of time. Especially with wildly expensive engine lube oils like Amsoil, Royal Purple, and some others. Cheaper oils would of course require a much longer cost recovery period.

[Wild and Free]

The centrifical oil slingers work well but what most people do not realize is that they do not extend the useful life of the oil, they merely keep it cleaner. The additives in the oil are designed to bind to contaminants and when the slingers seperate the "Sludge" from the oil the oil additives are seperated with it. Another bit of info you probably won't find anywhere else, Info I have picked up by having the opportunity to have taken several Oil and filter courses over the years.

[ISX]

If your titles on all of those weren't so long I wouldn't have skipped over them What did you find out about the 2GPM loss thing?

[Mopar1973Man]

Personally... After been around a trucking company locally for many years and talked to them all found out that they used good ol' Chevron Delo 15W-40 year round no issues and most trucks where crossing the 500K mile mark without much issues. Even my buddy Taz crossed the 600K mile mark with is Dodge Cummins with just fleetguard filters and Chevron Delo 15W-40... I know the last oil change it up to Valvoline Premium Blue 15w-40.

[ISX]

This was kind of a "today" thing as I am back on the road at 4AM. So I threw premium blue in it to see how that works out. I do have a bypass filter on it. I am going to change this out at 5k so it can get rid of the rest of the amsoil, then go for 10-15k.

Amsoil makes my trans grind in 4th so I got redline on order since I have read countless reviews about it making it shift smooth, and I read a lot of reviews about amsoil making it shift rough so they were right there, I hope they are right about the redline. I didn't have to do any preferred customer stuff and it will be at my door for $78 for FIVE quarts with $15 shipping included. I got high hopes for that stuff

I gotta make a program to show me when I last changed all these fluids since the only one I remember is the oil and thats only because I write the mileage and date on the side of the oil filter. I know the brake fluid and power steering fluid haven't been changed since I have owned it, so they got 100k minimum on them.

Ha, made me a program.

[LiveOak]

The centrifical oil slingers work well but what most people do not realize is that they do not extend the useful life of the oil, they merely keep it cleaner. The additives in the oil are designed to bind to contaminants and when the slingers seperate the "Sludge" from the oil the oil additives are seperated with it. Another bit of info you probably won't find anywhere else, Info I have picked up by having the opportunity to have taken several Oil and filter courses over the years.

Pretty much anytime you can reduce the soot level in the engine lube oil, you will extend the service life of that batch of oil. The TBN, soot suspension, and other additives are consumed with increased use but any filter that removes contaminants this efficienctly will do that. These additives are consumed in most cases whether there is a by-pass filter or not. The cleaner you can keep the oil the longer is will last between drain intervals. Here are some interesting articles on this topic: http://www.heavydutytrucking.com/2005/09/074a0509.asp http://www.spinsoil.com/Profit_Builders/DieselEngineProgress1103.pdf I'll be the first to mention there may be a bit of advertising involved here but I have personally seen hour these filters work in my course of duties while on active duty in Army Aviation. The principle is sound and they do work. Exactly how good is subject to interpretation and conditions in which they are employed.

[Wild and Free]

If you have ever seen a Belarus tractor you will see that they do not have oil filters on their engines, nothing but a slinger.

[LiveOak]

My Honda 250 Recon has no cartridge or spin on filter either. It has an internal centrifugal oil filter built into the engine. What REALLY sucks about this design is that the engine must be removed and the case split open the access and clean the oil filter.