First Oil Change

[DonnyP]

I'm coming up on needing my first oil change since I bought the truck used. I have no idea what the previous owner used for oil.

I've read many threads on this and it seems like most guys run Red Line 5w-20 or 30 and use a Royal Purple Filter 20-820.

Looks to be about $100 for an oil change, roughly. I also seen people use Pennzoil ultra synthetic oil.

I was told by a few service techs to just run regular conventional oil and change it every 3,000k.

I only drive about 7 miles one way to work, all in town, a day. I read synthetic has better protection for the short trips where engine doesn't get hot for very long.

I also have the 5 year, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty remaining on this truck and don't want to give them any reasons to void my warranty.

Do I need to bring it somewhere so it gets logged and track into the service computers in case of warranty work? Can I change it myself? Can I bring the dealer the oil I would like them to use and hope they actually use it and not their in house stuff.

Any recommendations or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[unxpctd]

I personally would NOT change the oil every 3000 miles. 20 years ago...maybe...but not in todays world. Its a marketing gimmick nowadays.

I go about 5-7K per oil change...did it with my 2014 Durango R/T and will be doing it with my 2017 Hemi Rebel. Only issue is how many miles are on my truck just before I take my long trips (2x per year, 4500 miles each).

My first oil change will be in late January and it will have about 4000 on it. My February trip is 4500 miles and I don't want to wait until I get back when it will have 8500 miles on it.

As far as what oil to run...thats personal preference and I'll let others chime in.

 

[HammerHead]

I'm coming up on needing my first oil change since I bought the truck used. I have no idea what the previous owner used for oil.

I've read many threads on this and it seems like most guys run Red Line 5w-20 or 30 and use a Royal Purple Filter 20-820.

Looks to be about $100 for an oil change, roughly. I also seen people use Pennzoil ultra synthetic oil.

I was told by a few service techs to just run regular conventional oil and change it every 3,000k.

I only drive about 7 miles one way to work, all in town, a day. I read synthetic has better protection for the short trips where engine doesn't get hot for very long.

I also have the 5 year, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty remaining on this truck and don't want to give them any reasons to void my warranty.

Do I need to bring it somewhere so it gets logged and track into the service computers in case of warranty work? Can I change it myself? Can I bring the dealer the oil I would like them to use and hope they actually use it and not their in house stuff.

Any recommendations or advice is greatly appreciated.

Forms are the worst place to get oil advise, you will get tons of opinions. But I can point you in the right direction. Check out the oil testing web site in the link below, 209 oils tested to date and the list keeps growing. You can freely scroll through all 209 oils and see how they compare. Enjoy.

https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/motor-oil-wear-test-ranking/

 

[69GWC]

The RP filter or the Amsoil filters are the best out, If nothing else use one of those 2 filters to help keep that motor clean.

Myself I will never put 20w oil in my truck 5w30 atleast for me.
Dont think you could go wrong with any of the top oils these days, I am running Redline 5w30 and a Royal Purple filter.

 

[Burla]

Almost all group 3 oils are the same now, if not now very soon. The new LSPI friendly spec guarantees uniform additives and all of the usual suspects are group 3 mineral oil with the exception of PUP and PP. The only difference is the oils that don't have moly, which I would not use. If you are thinking about a group 3 oil and you are not sure if it has moly, PM me. If you are so worried then use m1 coscto deal, it is the best group 3 oil and happens to be the cheapest. PUP would be a step up and was made specifically for the hemi, either are fine choices. Just get your oil close to your change date and keep the reciept. I would however buy a case of RP filters from Amazon and keep that receipt as well, so you can prove you changed the oil. See the oil filter thread in my sig to see why you should use nothing but RP filters. Something this forum has been say'n for 4 years plus. If you develop hemi tick, do a search, there are better oils for that condition. If not, run m1 with confidence, it is good drink for that hemi.

 

[Burla]

Oh yeah keep an oil change journal, note mileage store receipts.

I would use 5w30, unless you have the 6.4 then PUP 0w40 is the top choice or top 2 for sure.

Conventional oil has waxes and other impurities, you are asking for trouble running that in these finicky hemi's.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Forms are the worst place to get oil advise, you will get tons of opinions.

Well said...

Now, given you only put on a few miles and your engine never gets warmed up for long, make sure to take it on some longer highway drives and errand runs. Might look into the 'catch can' thread. You're engine may not get warm enough, long enough to evaporate moisture and fuels out of the oil on those short drives... I'm not making a recommendation, but would be worth looking into and getting even more 'opinions' there

 

[Burla]

Forums are the worst place to get oil advise, you will get tons of opinions. But I can point you in the right direction.

LOL? Is that not a post in a forum? Where do you think we got our collective knowledge a cracker jacks box? This guy is a hack, that test has nothing to do with oil in an engine. He doesn't even own a ram, he comes here to **** e test that has been discredited at BITOG weekly, while coming here and putting everyone down. You don't need to take advice here, try the trade journals or collectives like Machinelube.com or lubes and greases magazine, or even BITOG a great resource of knowledge.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

You don't need to take advice here,

Yea, why would you want to go to a place with thousands of owners of the same vehicle you have, for knowledge about said vehicle.

I actually joined this Forum BEFORE I bought my 4th Gen. Ram so I COULD get some insight from the people who actually own and run these awesome trucks.

There is more collective Ram knowledge here than anywhere I can think of....

 

[R/T_Fire]

Oh yeah keep an oil change journal, note mileage store receipts.

Keeping notes is the number 1 thing for maintaining a vehicle in my opinion...

To the OP. what oils and intervals are all up to you as the owner, what works for one person may not work for the other... I run a specific oil that not many have heard of or seem to use, but I will swear by it and it is what works for me and makes me all warm and fuzzy.... there is lots of good info on what is in oil and why one is better or should be used over another with the HEMI.... while one oil is good for a HEMI it may not be the best for another engine.... just food for thought

 

[DonnyP]

The RP filter or the Amsoil filters are the best out, If nothing else use one of those 2 filters to help keep that motor clean.

Myself I will never put 20w oil in my truck 5w30 atleast for me.
Dont think you could go wrong with any of the top oils these days, I am running Redline 5w30 and a Royal Purple filter.

I have heard nothing but great results using that combination. Now dodge recommends 5w-20 for the ram's. If I were to use 5w-30 could they use that to void my powertrain warranty?

Almost all group 3 oils are the same now, if not now very soon. The new LSPI friendly spec guarantees uniform additives and all of the usual suspects are group 3 mineral oil with the exception of PUP and PP. The only difference is the oils that don't have moly, which I would not use. If you are thinking about a group 3 oil and you are not sure if it has moly, PM me. If you are so worried then use m1 coscto deal, it is the best group 3 oil and happens to be the cheapest. PUP would be a step up and was made specifically for the hemi, either are fine choices. Just get your oil close to your change date and keep the reciept. I would however buy a case of RP filters from Amazon and keep that receipt as well, so you can prove you changed the oil. See the oil filter thread in my sig to see why you should use nothing but RP filters. Something this forum has been say'n for 4 years plus. If you develop hemi tick, do a search, there are better oils for that condition. If not, run m1 with confidence, it is good drink for that hemi.

Thanks for the great info! I will make sure to keep an oil change chart, along with all receipts to coincide with them. Probably a good idea to do this for all maintenance you do yourself.

Oh yeah keep an oil change journal, note mileage store receipts.

I would use 5w30, unless you have the 6.4 then PUP 0w40 is the top choice or top 2 for sure.

Conventional oil has waxes and other impurities, you are asking for trouble running that in these finicky hemi's.

Thank you.

Well said...

Now, given you only put on a few miles and your engine never gets warmed up for long, make sure to take it on some longer highway drives and errand runs. Might look into the 'catch can' thread. You're engine may not get warm enough, long enough to evaporate moisture and fuels out of the oil on those short drives... I'm not making a recommendation, but would be worth looking into and getting even more 'opinions' there

I have done plenty of reading about catch cans. Seems like a lot of users here run one. I should add that I do use my truck for running my errands and longer highway travels as well. So it might all balance out.

Keeping notes is the number 1 thing for maintaining a vehicle in my opinion...

To the OP. what oils and intervals are all up to you as the owner, what works for one person may not work for the other... I run a specific oil that not many have heard of or seem to use, but I will swear by it and it is what works for me and makes me all warm and fuzzy.... there is lots of good info on what is in oil and why one is better or should be used over another with the HEMI.... while one oil is good for a HEMI it may not be the best for another engine.... just food for thought

Thanks for the information. I will have to do some more reading and go with what I think will be best.

 

[Burla]

I have heard nothing but great results using that combination. Now dodge recommends 5w-20 for the ram's. If I were to use 5w-30 could they use that to void my powertrain warranty

So under magnussum moss a dealer can't deny warranty unless they prove what you used caused the failure, not likely to be able to prove an oil that protects better caused an engine failure, but if you are really worried about it run 20 weight. Page 736, they recommend 5w30 for the 5.7 in the 2500, so again there is no way to prove 30 weight caused an issue. Another thing could possibly be if you are that worried, if you ever did have an engine failure change the oil before you take it to the dealer, there would be no way they could tell. The problem with 5w20 is it is very thing oil, manu's are having problems with engine failures and this thin oil, but they can't recommend 5w30 because the gov't is mandating 5w20 because it got more fuel economy in the lab. The politics of oil formulations really suck ass, and the sparce oil formulations that are good for other engines aren't necessarily the best choice for the hemi.

 

[69GWC]

So under magnussum moss a dealer can't deny warranty unless they prove what you used caused the failure, not likely to be able to prove an oil that protects better caused an engine failure, but if you are really worried about it run 20 weight. Page 736, they recommend 5w30 for the 5.7 in the 2500, so again there is no way to prove 30 weight caused an issue. Another thing could possibly be if you are that worried, if you ever did have an engine failure change the oil before you take it to the dealer, there would be no way they could tell. The problem with 5w20 is it is very thing oil, manu's are having problems with engine failures and this thin oil, but they can't recommend 5w30 because the gov't is mandating 5w20 because it got more fuel economy in the lab. The politics of oil formulations really suck ass, and the sparce oil formulations that are good for other engines aren't necessarily the best choice for the hemi.

^^^This,

 

[DonnyP]

So under magnussum moss a dealer can't deny warranty unless they prove what you used caused the failure, not likely to be able to prove an oil that protects better caused an engine failure, but if you are really worried about it run 20 weight. Page 736, they recommend 5w30 for the 5.7 in the 2500, so again there is no way to prove 30 weight caused an issue. Another thing could possibly be if you are that worried, if you ever did have an engine failure change the oil before you take it to the dealer, there would be no way they could tell. The problem with 5w20 is it is very thing oil, manu's are having problems with engine failures and this thin oil, but they can't recommend 5w30 because the gov't is mandating 5w20 because it got more fuel economy in the lab. The politics of oil formulations really suck ass, and the sparce oil formulations that are good for other engines aren't necessarily the best choice for the hemi.

appreciate the help @Redline. Good advice. Makes sense, I doubt I would get dinged for running better oil in my truck haha.

Well I guess that makes my decision much easier.

How often are you chaning your oil then? Every 7,000 miles? What about tire rotations? Every oil change?

 

[69GWC]

I am going to run mine out 7 or 8k and then change it, I am also going to send a sample off to blackstone labs and have it tested.

Getting your tires rotated every oil change would be good.

 

[Burla]

I personally inspect my tires regularly and I'm pretty **** about driving straight, so I'm always testing that. I rotate at 15k miles, I know crazy but maybe my driving habits my tires still look new. Oil change interval is determined mostly by when acid builds up, learn about tbn. it is different for every truck, and every oil. Some oils that are high in calcium or magnesium might give you a longer oci. If you are using m1 costco deal, which I think it a real good choice, then I would be changing oil twice a year. At 4 bucks a qrt, cheap insurance. If you have a different oil in mind, let me know and I could steer you in a good direction. I forgot, did I get you to see the oil filter thread in my sig?

If you want to run a used oil analysis (uoa) you could extend that maybe depending on what oil you choose. Another good thing about doing a uoa with all of the correct info, it makes a nice legal document if FCA ever denys you. I use blackstone labs for mine, pretty happy with them. They send you a kit, and return postage, you only pay when you send it back, get tbn for extra 10 bucks, shows you how your engine is doing You would want to do that at the end of an oil run, so first time like at 7500 miles at least. prolly like 38 bucls total, I dunno I haven't done it in a while

 

[DonnyP]

I personally inspect my tires regularly and I'm pretty **** about driving straight, so I'm always testing that. I rotate at 15k miles, I know crazy but maybe my driving habits my tires still look new. Oil change interval is determined mostly by when acid builds up, learn about tbn. it is different for every truck, and every oil. Some oils that are high in calcium or magnesium might give you a longer oci. If you are using m1 costco deal, which I think it a real good choice, then I would be changing oil twice a year. At 4 bucks a qrt, cheap insurance. If you have a different oil in mind, let me know and I could steer you in a good direction. I forgot, did I get you to see the oil filter thread in my sig?

If you want to run a used oil analysis (uoa) you could extend that maybe depending on what oil you choose. Another good thing about doing a uoa with all of the correct info, it makes a nice legal document if FCA ever denys you. I use blackstone labs for mine, pretty happy with them. They send you a kit, and return postage, you only pay when you send it back, get tbn for extra 10 bucks, shows you how your engine is doing You would want to do that at the end of an oil run, so first time like at 7500 miles at least. prolly like 38 bucls total, I dunno I haven't done it in a while

Alright, I will have to look into the oil testing.

yes I have already read your oil filter thread. That's where I learned that the Royal Purple is the better filter to use for our truck. It also shows that the Amsoil and Fram Xtendedguard are nice options as well.

I was leaning towards going with the Redline 5w30 oil. Would would be a good change interval for that, minus the testing. 7500 miles?

I will have to look into that costco oil deal, you have me curious about that now.

 

[Burla]

I have done two uoa's on redline, third one coming soon. I only put 5k miles per year on this ranch truck, usually a lot of towing or hauling. My first uoa had 6 tbn left when I changed the oil at one year, that was changing it way too soon, tossed away good money. The second uoa was 2 years and over 3tbn left, meaning I could have went longer but also it isn't bad time to change it. So if you put average mileage on your truck, one year and 12 miles would be a fairly safe oil change interval, but you may want to do a uoa to verify anyhow. I have seen tbn blown at 9k miles, so you never know for sure w/o a uoa. Redline 5w30 is a great choice of hemi oil, as well as Costco deal m1. If you end up with hemi tick, Redline seams to be the best answer, pretty well documented on the board.

 

[Alphabull]

Afternoon guys...

I just had my first oil change in my 2017 Ram 1500. I had it done at the dealership since the first couple are free. I told them I wanted the full synth not the conventional. On my paperwork it says they used: MMPro full Synthetic (Mopar). Does anyone know anything about this kind of oil?

 

[Burla]

I know the way to find out about any oil, do a uoa of a voa with tbn at Blackstone labs. I know MMPro is cheap oil, so if you are lucky it is group 3 with decent additives. I don't see any uoa/voa's out there on this oil.