oil type ?

[Bill5811]

I have a 92 6.5 td with 56k on it, this thing is noisy! I purchased it back in late fall and changed the oil 1st thing, all winter it was so noisy I didnt want to drive it, now that it's getting warmer it seems quieter. Currently running Rotella 15w 40, is it possible this oil is to heavy? what is everyone else running?

[mongoh53e]

I run Rotella 15w-40W in all my diesel trucks including the work ones and my tractors.

[njdevi11]

Do you have a db2 (mechanical) or db4 (electronic) pump? As far as I know the mechanicals were in the pre-94 6.5's.

You're timing might be a little bit retarded, The warmer air could help correct this or reduce the effects. At around 75-100k its a good idea to advance the timing about a matchstick past 0*. Advanced is towards the drivers side.

Check out this thread about my timing problem. http://www.sixfiveturbodiesel.com/showthread.php?t=337&highlight=Hard+start

[19926.5]

I run rotellas Synthetic 5W-40 in my 92 6.5. I also use lucas upper cylinder lube in my fuel. My noise level is pretty low, for a 6.5.

[hraney]

Bill5811:
I think you just need to sit in an early 90's Dodge Cummins then go back to your 6.5TD. You'll have a different perspective on "noisy".
Seriously, I did notice less noise on the 5w-40 syn than on the 15-40 dino oil. I even had a couple of non-diesel buddies comment on how quiet my 6.5 was right after I switched to 5w40 syn Rotella. My 97 6.5 seems a bit louder than my 95 but I think that has a lot to do w/ the cowl induction hood and no insulation pad on my 97.

[sixnickel]

Bill5811 When you say winter , winter where? What kind of temps ? Here on Cape Cod MA we will get low 20s to single numbers every now and then and when they start they will make some noise for a few seconds. I use Lubrication Engineers 8888 EGR Plus 15/40 year round. My second choice of oil is the Shell Rotella 15/40. If I were to live in real cold country there is a 10/30 Rotella I might run 3 months a year.

[grancito]

Bill5811, I probably have the same pump on my 82 6.2 I took it to 10,000 ft in Colorado when the freeze was just starting and when it was not up to a reasonable running temp, it rattled something horrible, it then had less than 60,000 miles on it.

[davrac1]

I run amsoil in all my trucks and performance vehicles I think it gives the best protection money can buy.you can see there test's against other oils on amsoil.com.I've had 4 of these motors 6.2 and 6.5 and sold them all with 300,000 + miles and still ran great.

[Craig]

For years I have been using synthetic in my cars. Instead of every 3000 to 5000 miles, I change the oil every 6000 to 7500 miles. We drive a lot, so the synthetic extended mileage between changes saves me time. The extended mileage between changes offsets the additional cost of the oil as well. A win win deal.

In my truck I run the new Rotella T 15w-40W and change every 3000. This web site recommends oil change every 3000 miles, even with synthetic. What do you and others think about going longer, with these diesel engines, between changes using synthetic?

[Stacey fireman]

I use the Rotella Synthetic 5w40.

[Husker 6.5]

For years I have been using synthetic in my cars. Instead of every 3000 to 5000 miles, I change the oil every 6000 to 7500 miles. We drive a lot, so the synthetic extended mileage between changes saves me time. The extended mileage between changes offsets the additional cost of the oil as well. A win win deal.

In my truck I run the new Rotella T 15w-40W and change every 3000. This web site recommends oil change every 3000 miles, even with synthetic. What do you and others think about going longer, with these diesel engines, between changes using synthetic?

Unless you are using a secondary by-pass oil filter, such as the FS2500 that filters down to 2 microns, don't go over 3000 mi on changes.

The reason is the soot content in the oil is abrasive, and past the 3000 mi limit, even with a synthetic, the additive package begins to break down limiting the oil's ability to keep your engine protected.

With the FS2500, you can extend the change interval to 30,000 to 40,000 miles by changing the main filter regularly and using oil analysis to check the condition of the oil. Go to FS2500's web site for more details. It is the real deal, I'm putting one on my motor when I get it put back together.

Husker 6.5

[hayhauler95]

Hi,
New to this forum.
Been on others and enjoy the folks all around the web talking 6.5's.
Was reading this thread and also notice that Walt suggest 3000 miles even with synthetics.
Went to Amsoil website http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/ame.aspx
and looked at the recommended oil change time at 25000 miles for normal driving. I don't intend to go that far. But, remember if you run Amsoil or perhaps any other brand of synthetic and use a standard oil filter,(Wix, Napa, etc) you need to change it often.
I'm pretty old school and just recently changed to Amsoil. Crawling under all my vehicles to change oil is getting old. Plus after all the reading I've done it does seem to be a good product.
I've also bought this http://www.ca40g.com/home.php
Haven't run through a full tank with it so I can't say if it increased my fuel mileage yet. Check out some of the test results. Some seem OK, some seem sort of flaky, but what the heck, it's worth a try. Was also running the Amsoil fuel treatment.
Anyways there's my two cents worth. Take it for what it's worth.

[monolec]

Lubrication Engineers makes a 10-w-30, #8130 that will give you all of the great L. E. performance I have enjoyed over the years, the pour point is -33*F compared to #8888 that has a pour point of -17*F.

[monolec]

don't know what i did wrong here but my reply about which oil to go to in colder weather got put up here talking about oil change intervals????

[Husker 6.5]

Hi,
New to this forum.
Been on others and enjoy the folks all around the web talking 6.5's.
Was reading this thread and also notice that Walt suggest 3000 miles even with synthetics.
Went to Amsoil website http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/ame.aspx
and looked at the recommended oil change time at 25000 miles for normal driving. I don't intend to go that far. But, remember if you run Amsoil or perhaps any other brand of synthetic and use a standard oil filter,(Wix, Napa, etc) you need to change it often.
I'm pretty old school and just recently changed to Amsoil. Crawling under all my vehicles to change oil is getting old. Plus after all the reading I've done it does seem to be a good product.
I've also bought this http://www.ca40g.com/home.php
Haven't run through a full tank with it so I can't say if it increased my fuel mileage yet. Check out some of the test results. Some seem OK, some seem sort of flaky, but what the heck, it's worth a try. Was also running the Amsoil fuel treatment.
Anyways there's my two cents worth. Take it for what it's worth.

Synthetic manufacturers' change intervals are for GAS BURNERS! Diesels soot, and this soot, in the 5 - 15 micron range, is why diesel oil turns black as soon as you start it after a change. This soot is abrasive, and the additive packages to help keep it in suspension break down in 3000 mi or less. Worse yet, even the best full-flow filters (such as Walt carries) only filter down to 10 microns (some as high as 25), so the worst of it is still in your oil.

The only way to get the full advantage of synthetic's stability and longer change interval for a diesel is to install a by-pass partial flow oil filter that filters to 2 microns like the FS2500. Go to fs2500.com for more information on the subject. How would you like to have 40,000 miles on the oil in your crankcase and it still looks like you just poured it out of the jug?

Synthetic is great, but it is no better in a diesel than regular oil if you can not remove the soot.

Husker 6.5

[Garth J]

Mt buddy used Amsoil in his 93 6.5 and changed the oil when they advised and he just did a $10.000 overhaul.
The mains and rod bearings were worn down to the copper and that engine was supossedly rebuilt 30.000 miles ago.
Change your oil according to how you drive if city driving change it more often if highway do the 3000 mile change Oil is the cheapest thing you will put in your engine

[Husker 6.5]

Mt buddy used Amsoil in his 93 6.5 and changed the oil when they advised and he just did a $10.000 overhaul.
The mains and rod bearings were worn down to the copper and that engine was supossedly rebuilt 30.000 miles ago.
Change your oil according to how you drive if city driving change it more often if highway do the 3000 mile change Oil is the cheapest thing you will put in your engine

My point, exactly, Garth.

Husker 6.5

[monolec]

Howdy,
I'm a certified Machine Reliability Consultant and while I have a whole lot more to learn I have learned a few things so far. If a man with a gas engine stock truck asks me about oil changes I tell him to follow the book unless he is paying for a high quality engineered product. By rights an oil like that should go a lot further than the book in your glove compartment says to. But when should he change it ? Without a lab analysis I have to keep it conservative and I'll say to Change the oil at 10K after changing just the filter at 5K. This private owner of a gas rig isn't likely to pursue the work and expense of using a lab. But you guys with these costlier tricked out diesels are not getting off the hook so easy. For what you have invested in time and money and what you pay for parts I strongly recommend using a lab unless you are dumping your oil at 3K. You may have been changing it way to soon all these years or way too late. Since diesel oil is expected to look bad even after short use it's hard to tell when it is still good by look or feel or smell. Invest in a sample kit and sit back and enjoy a whole lot more than when to change your oil. How about a heads-up early warning of a fuel or A-freeze leak way before you will find it when it's too late. How about any excessive increases in a particular wear metal warning you of what can be a small cheaper fix done at your convenience rather than after you called AAA. Like the man said " it's a win-win ". Now about labs, all are by no means the same, not even close. I read a report from a client that was done for free by the HUGE oil co. distributor and was amazed to not see TBN tested. A DEO test without TBN test is like having the pizza without the beer. If you are still in proper viscosity range with no new wear metals or fuel/a-freeze leaks then all that's left is TBN. For those of you that have not studied this yet, Total Base Number measures the level still left in the oil of your RESERVE ALKALINITY. This is pretty important here because just like Rolaids this additive neutralizes and absorbs the acids formed by the blow-by soot and un-spent fuel sneaking past your rings. The sulphur in the fuel and the exhaust forms sulphuric acid to eat the oil and the engine. You have to know the TBN of your oil when new and if the lab says it's still at least half there and the other parameters cleared.....keep the oil. I have seen people over-joyed to read a lab report that lets you know in parts per million you have a fuel leak into the engine, at the lowest level there is no immediate danger but without the early warning you won't know until major damage is done. You need a lab that invests in the most up-to-date equip. and isn't afraid to hire good help and pay them well. Labs are rated for thier quality and they don't all measure up. You can e-mail me directly and I'll tell you which one I found that got the highest rating. Any of you that work in fleets know you can find a distributor that offers free analysis, if you take them up on it I have a nice bridge and some magic beans for sale. P.S. excuse me for rambling, I don't get out much.

[Husker 6.5]

Howdy,
I'm a certified Machine Reliability Consultant and while I have a whole lot more to learn I have learned a few things so far. If a man with a gas engine stock truck asks me about oil changes I tell him to follow the book unless he is paying for a high quality engineered product. By rights an oil like that should go a lot further than the book in your glove compartment says to. But when should he change it ? Without a lab analysis I have to keep it conservative and I'll say to Change the oil at 10K after changing just the filter at 5K. This private owner of a gas rig isn't likely to pursue the work and expense of using a lab. But you guys with these costlier tricked out diesels are not getting off the hook so easy. For what you have invested in time and money and what you pay for parts I strongly recommend using a lab unless you are dumping your oil at 3K. You may have been changing it way to soon all these years or way too late. Since diesel oil is expected to look bad even after short use it's hard to tell when it is still good by look or feel or smell. Invest in a sample kit and sit back and enjoy a whole lot more than when to change your oil. How about a heads-up early warning of a fuel or A-freeze leak way before you will find it when it's too late. How about any excessive increases in a particular wear metal warning you of what can be a small cheaper fix done at your convenience rather than after you called AAA. Like the man said " it's a win-win ". Now about labs, all are by no means the same, not even close. I read a report from a client that was done for free by the HUGE oil co. distributor and was amazed to not see TBN tested. A DEO test without TBN test is like having the pizza without the beer. If you are still in proper viscosity range with no new wear metals or fuel/a-freeze leaks then all that's left is TBN. For those of you that have not studied this yet, Total Base Number measures the level still left in the oil of your RESERVE ALKALINITY. This is pretty important here because just like Rolaids this additive neutralizes and absorbs the acids formed by the blow-by soot and un-spent fuel sneaking past your rings. The sulphur in the fuel and the exhaust forms sulphuric acid to eat the oil and the engine. You have to know the TBN of your oil when new and if the lab says it's still at least half there and the other parameters cleared.....keep the oil. I have seen people over-joyed to read a lab report that lets you know in parts per million you have a fuel leak into the engine, at the lowest level there is no immediate danger but without the early warning you won't know until major damage is done. You need a lab that invests in the most up-to-date equip. and isn't afraid to hire good help and pay them well. Labs are rated for thier quality and they don't all measure up. You can e-mail me directly and I'll tell you which one I found that got the highest rating. Any of you that work in fleets know you can find a distributor that offers free analysis, if you take them up on it I have a nice bridge and some magic beans for sale. P.S. excuse me for rambling, I don't get out much.

If you go back several months on christja's biodiesel thread, you'll see that I do talk about using lab analysis of your oil if using the FS2500, and I am a firm believer in analysis as we used it in the Army and it saved millions of dollars a year by going to need basis lube changes, not interval based. For me, you're preaching to the choir. Even on an unmodified diesel, if you're using a secondary bypass filter system, lab analysis is crucial.

Husker 6.5

[deerefanatic]

I use Blackstone Labs every time I change oil in my Benz... gotta get one done on my Grandma's truck........

I have a Frantz Toilet paper unit on my benz......... So far I've got about 5-6hrs of running on a fully drained (cooler and all, dropped oil pan, etc....) and refilled engine full of Mobil 1 5w40...... Most of that 5-6 hrs is IDLING!! :eek: and the oil is still dark brownish with a tinge of black, not that asphalt paint I'm used to seeing......

[grancito]

I'm using one of those toilet paper filters on my old truck, but it's for the diesel, as there are times that a load of crap gets pumped in here and it means that the other filters last for years. Would like to find one for the burb, real cheap to change, every month or so.

[rww930]

i looked but didn't see the answer to someone elses question...I have a 94 6.5 dually...i use synthetic...how often should i change the oil/filter under normal driving conditions in indiana???

[grancito]

From what I gathered from the posts, unless you have a 2 mircon additional filter, then because of the carbon particle build up in the oil, it needs to be changed every 3,000 miles.

[Garth J]

i looked but didn't see the answer to someone elses question...I have a 94 6.5 dually...i use synthetic...how often should i change the oil/filter under normal driving conditions in indiana???

scroll back and read post #16
and stick to it

[Chevylover]

Don't know where the problem is. I know if you drive more or only city, you should change more often. The GM Manual for those trucks which belong in every truck that came from the dealer, it says normal conditions every 5000 miles. If more city or in dusty areas at 3000 miles. I use the Fram HP4 oilfilter that is also sold be Walt and after about 1500 miles my oil is only a litte darker than the oil i filled in at the change. The critical fact in my opinion is not the milage, but how often u have a cold start. THIS is what causes the wear of an engine, because it takes a little time to get the oil everywhere in the engine, when you start a COLD engine. So if you are driving in NORMAL conditions (no dusty area, less city driving, not much or heavy towing) it should be okay to change every 5000 miles - with a good quality oil !

Just my 2 cents.

Cu,
Sven

[Garth J]

I agree with what Sven says oil is cheap and change it according to how you drive...Garth

[gavin8or]

I'll throw my hat in and say that cen-pe-co oil is great, I'm running their 15-40 stuff right now in my new diesel (I changed it in the first week of owning it) and it sounds way better than before (it had Rotella 15-40 in there before). I've been a huge fan of cen-pe-co's stuff, but this is a deal-sealer for me!

It's got something to do with they type of oil that they use... paraffin or something, lots of guys swear but this stuff and you can read all about it on different oil tech sites. I can say I'm really happy!

[monolec]

Glad to see Parrafinic base oil brought up. The other two types are Asphaltic and Napthenic. Asphaltic is great for asphalt but not much else and napthenic is toxic and not good for lube products. parrafinic is the best and it's own quality level can vary depending on which part of the earth you get it from. The best is from Mid-Continent America.Parrafinic base oil refined to the maximum level known is as good as it gets and with the right additive package put together by competent blenders out-performs synthetics in many applications.Parrafinic, compared to napthenic is superior in natural viscosity index. This is the scale that measures an oil's ability to maintain viscosity better through greater temp. changes. The average score on the measuring chart is 95 for almost any OEM for performance specs. Mid-continent 100% has a natural vis. index of 95 which may need to be chemically enhanced for some lubes, especially ATF but at least it doesn't have an index of as low as 10 like some napthenics that needs that much more chemical back-u to bring it to the minimum of 95. The more chemicals you need to bring the oil to spec is the less lubricant you have . Thanks to the nice people in the fed. govt. oil can be labeled 100% parrafinic if it only has a fraction of it actually blended with the cheaper napthenic. Parrafinic also has greater lubricity and a natural affinity for metal and an aversion to water. An all around good deal. There are dozens of reasons why some oils are better than others and this is one of the most important ones along with quality control and the quality of the additive package. It helps if the lube producer isn't in a price war but dedicated to tweaking the formula as far as can be done for perfomance and longer life.