Maintenance

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Eduardo Valdes

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Hey everyone!

Im very picky with my truck, (2017 Powerwagon). I purchased it in September/October 2017 and currently have 2600miles.

I called the dealer and they tell me service intervals is 7500miles or 6 months.

What are your preferences/suggestions on service/oil changes for these trucks. I am an average driver, mostly calm and fuel efficient as possible, but also have some moments of hard accelerations.
 

MADDOG

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The service interval stated by the dealer is conservative considering you have synthetic in your engine.

If you want to change it sooner that's fine but you're just spending money you don't have to at that point. Stick with the service intervals as recommended. Your engine will be fine.
 

17CrewCab1500

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All that info is in the manual - at the back.
Do some research and learn how to grease your front drive shaft. It's not easy to find or do at first, so look that up. But once you do it once, you're a pro!
 
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I change mine every 3-5k. If you really wanna know "when" you should, get a blackstone labs test thing.

x2 on the front drive shaft grease-a lot of dealers don't even know where they should, or that you are supposed to.

 

Grand Mesa

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I change mine at 5,000 miles. Synthetic oils last much longer than conventional oils. I have been performing oil changes since 1973.

My logic on the 5,000 miles is the cold climate that we drive in with towing doesn't seem to change the oil monitor system. Also, without a garage I change the oil when I can when the weather is good. Cheap insurance due to I have had engines which went too long (wore out) between oil changes even when they met the recommended interval and those that I maintained with shorter changes are still going strong today (1978 305 Chevrolet and a 1998 305). Not saying that changing oil on the PW every 8,000 miles will make any difference than 5,000 miles. Just my peace of mind.

For example regarding the oil monitor right now the PW is towing a TT at 80 mph at approximately 3,500 rpm, temperature is 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and has 4,000 miles of towing on the oil. Gas mileage is around 5 mpg. The oil monitor is still at 50% life though, so good for 8,000 miles again. I will change it at 5,000 miles due to the engine was pushed hard for all of those miles.
 
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scoutpappa

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Changed the oil at 4500. About to hit 10K and still have 40 ish % life left. Going to bring it in at 10K. On my last ram the oil light would come on at different times(2500 one time, 6K the next, etc.) based on time of year, type of driving, etc so I expect the same algorithm is working in the newer trucks. I live in a hot climate and due to work tend to idle for longer than would be considered normal to most so 5K seems like a decent interval based on my driving. I am monitoring the computer to see if it starts to line up with my gut.

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/understanding-ram-service-indicator-lights-by-brent-minderler

Something like this and years previous of searching this leads me to believe that I am close when I make an effort to do 5k intervals but shouldn't be doing harm if I can't for some reason and hit the light.
 

56PW17

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Mine is due in about 3200 miles. It will be a 25k mile truck at this point and I will start keeping log of my maintenance. I bough the truck with 21k on it. i will be sticking to scheduled maintenance
 

MJockey

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For example regarding the oil monitor right now the PW is towing a TT at 80 mph at approximately 3,500 rpm, temperature is 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and has 4,000 miles of towing on the oil. Gas mileage is around 5 mpg.

5 MPG :mfr_omg: your trailer not even that big.

Back on topic: I did my first oil change at 2K miles. The manual say a max of 8k miles for the 6.4L. I'll probably change mine every 6K -7K miles.
 

Grand Mesa

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6,000 mile oil changes are fine too with synthetic. Never been into beyond that, except for my daughter's cars of which I get to change their oil at around 7,500 miles. Unfortunately, one of their cars engines it went too far on conventional oil at 7,500 miles due to it ran both too low and too dirty. That car started burning the oil and she sold it.

Back off topic...Due to stopping for gas way too often, I slowed down today to a minimum of 73 mph to save the gas due to the very long stretches without gas stations available. Only went the 80 mph speed limit downhill and on flat stretches if I couldn't keep the RPM down to around 2,800. Average 9.2 mpg over a 800 mile range once I did this. Found out that the transmission won't kick over to the next higher gear on the flat stretches from hill ascents until I let up on the pedal (cruise control). Then I slowly baby the cruise control back up to the same speed which doesn't allow for the transmission to shift down and suck down the limited fuel tank gas with the higher RPM of the lower gear.
 

BevisIII

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I think in Haul/Trailer mode it won't go into 6th gear. I turn the Haul mode off on the flats to get it into 6th. Wish they would just offer a manual. Can't text and bang gears.
 

Grand Mesa

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Yes, the haul/trailer mode won't go into 6th gear. I have a 5 speed manual in my K1500 and have the option to shift to overdrive while towing, but never use 5th unless downhill. Usually I have to hold it back in the lower gear though due to the steep grades.

Besides having the haul/trailer mode on with the Power Wagon, the oil monitor system more than likely didn't sense that we were driving against a very hard wind and crosswinds with near blizzard winter conditions most of the way Northwest through a few states (Utah, Idaho, and Oregon). Besides the wind cutting our gas mileage extremely, the power wagon was being pushed hard. Not sure if that pushing it against a wind should have lowered the 8,000 mile oil change interval, but it appears that it didn't.
 

Docpaulo

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Euro cars have 10k+ oil intervals.... synthetics only... and they have higher tolerances and requirements... why would your ram be more sensitive?

Changing it more often than needed is wasting money... anybody know an actual case of oil related engine failure after following manufacturer service interval recommendations?

Even those recommendations are conservative...
 

Grand Mesa

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Without a garage I change it when the weather is convenient to do so. The right timing for an oil change is more important than the mileage. If I wait until the 8,000 mile mark, then I probably won't have the conditions to do it in. Right now I am kicking myself for not having our home propane delivered when the road conditions were right to do so even when we had 40% left due to we have missed out on two delivery tries since. Now it is at 10%. Even had our road plowed due to too much snow and ice on the first delivery attempt and no delivery on the second attempt due to mud. Not everything is planned or convenient including oil changes when one lives quite rural. Rather do oil changes sooner when I can, then not at all when the 8,000 miles comes.
 

MJockey

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Euro cars have 10k+ oil intervals.... synthetics only... and they have higher tolerances and requirements... why would your ram be more sensitive?

Changing it more often than needed is wasting money... anybody know an actual case of oil related engine failure after following manufacturer service interval recommendations?

Even those recommendations are conservative...

Personally I'm suspicious of the long oil change intervals for euro cars. BMW bump theirs up to 15K miles when they started paying for the oil changes for the first 4 years. Before that I think it was 7500miles.
 

Docpaulo

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Personally I'm suspicious of the long oil change intervals for euro cars. BMW bump theirs up to 15K miles when they started paying for the oil changes for the first 4 years. Before that I think it was 7500miles.
Thats just speculation... porsche, mercedes and others charge 300$ for an oil change and have 10k plus intervals... unless you're keeping the car 500k miles you probably won't see the difference... most dont keep beyond 200k

Frequent oil changes is 1960s technology... our oils and metals have improved since then

Lots of info on bob the oil guy
 

Grand Mesa

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From what I recall from the Subarus in my family is that they lowered its non turbo synthetic oil change interval from 7,500 miles on their 2014 vehicles to 6,000 miles on the 2015 vehicles on basically the same engines.

Subaru vehicles are quite common here and we have two of them in my family of which I maintain. Since synthetic oils are improving I would have had expected for Subaru to raise their oil change intervals.
 
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Eduardo Valdes

Eduardo Valdes

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Wow alot of different opinions. lol. Thanks guys, i dont drive like a mad-man, and usually do anywhere from 10.5-12mpg AVG, depending on how many times i sit in idle here and there. Im very careful with her, and i travel alot for work so it sits mostly at home under a cover.

I think im going to stick to the regular service intervals, unless i feel it needs it otherwise. Anyway i do check it after 3-4k miles just to make sure i havent burned the oil more than normal.

Thanks for the input!!!
 
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