First Oil Change Recommendations

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ramffml

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^^ this… just did mine… wow. See my other thread. I tried a strap wrench, two different spring cup oil filter wrenches, and finally the kind that are like giant pliers finally got it off with MUCH swearing. Getting the new one on isn’t easy either. If you get the slightest amount of oil on your fingers you can’t get any purchase on it at all by hand.

Some filters like the Fram XG10060 I use, has a black textured grip on the bottom, makes things a little easier that's for sure.
 

airrecon

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Several people here prefer Red Line 5W30 to help keep the Hemi tick at bay. I chose to stick with PUP 5w 20 while still under warranty, to reduce the chances of having a warranty issue.

It helped with the Hemi tick on the 2017 Rebel I used to own, but I didn't start adding it until about 10k miles.

I use RB 20-820. It's a ***** to get that big of a filter in and out, but I like the larger filtering surface area.

It's definitely not any easier than a 4th gen. You won't void your warranty just by adding it. But if anything on the kit fails the warranty won't cover the repair if it causes engine damage. I opted not to add a remote filter and just put up with the mess and clean-up every oil change.


My fuel economy went down at first too. It eventually got better by about 2 mpg. Also, the difference between winter and summer blended fuel causes about a 1 mpg difference too.
22mpg never gonna happen
 

airrecon

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Only thing I can add is that I would never vary from the manufacturers recommendation of 5W-20. I don't believe there's any reason to and it's asking for trouble.
No one knows the engine better and how to maintain it than the engineers that designed and tested it. But people will listen to their shade tree mechanics over them. Tour a factory someday with an owners group and at the end an engineer will come out to answer questions. Many on different oils, when to change, fuel and what octane to use. EVERY answer will be politely answered with a comment to always do what is in the owners manual (unless a bulletin comes out changing it). He will say it's OK to change oil more often than recommended but will not increase the life of the engine. OK to use higher octane than recommended but you are just wasting your money, etc. But one was don't do additives. It was clear from many comments leaving most of the people were not going to change anything they were already doing. And yes, this retired engineer that has been a car guy for almost 70 years expects comments saying I don't know what I am talking about. In many years of auto ownership, SCCA racing my personal cars (before money ruined the sport) I have never, ever experienced a drive train failure
 

farout75

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Just hit 1k miles, looking to do my first oil change on this 5.7. Couple questions -

1. Should I stick with factory recommended 5w20 while in warranty period? I think I prefer 5w30, but I'm warrantied for 100k miles. Probably gonna use Redline, but wondering if PUP or QS Ultimate Durability would be good enough at half the price. Also curious about Amsoil.
2. Is Lubegard even needed for new engines? Would using this now help prevent possible lifter tick in the future?
3. Gonna replace the stock oil filter with a RP 20-500 or should I go full monty and use a RP 20-820? See #4
4. Had a '14 RAM with the 5.7, and the oil filter was not easy to get to. This '22 seems even tighter. Anybody have an opinion on whether relocating the oil filter might possibly be a reason to void the warranty if I encounter engine issues down the road?

And on a sidebar, I was getting 19-20 highway mpg on my old truck, and so far this new one is barely breaking 17 mpg. Granted, the new truck has 3.92 vs 3.21 gears and LT off-road tires vs passenger touring tires but the window sticker says 22 mpg highway. Wishful thinking?
I change the oil on a new vehicle at 3,000 miles. From then on it's 6,000 miles
 

mikeru

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22mpg never gonna happen
I'm not sure why you quoted me on that. I've never averaged that kind of mileage, nor have I ever claimed to have averaged it. Highest I've seen was just under 18 mpg on one leg of a trip we took to Montana. Which surprised me with all the mountains we were driving in, and higher speed limits.
 

ramffml

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No one knows the engine better and how to maintain it than the engineers that designed and tested it. But people will listen to their shade tree mechanics over them. Tour a factory someday with an owners group and at the end an engineer will come out to answer questions. Many on different oils, when to change, fuel and what octane to use. EVERY answer will be politely answered with a comment to always do what is in the owners manual (unless a bulletin comes out changing it). He will say it's OK to change oil more often than recommended but will not increase the life of the engine. OK to use higher octane than recommended but you are just wasting your money, etc. But one was don't do additives. It was clear from many comments leaving most of the people were not going to change anything they were already doing. And yes, this retired engineer that has been a car guy for almost 70 years expects comments saying I don't know what I am talking about. In many years of auto ownership, SCCA racing my personal cars (before money ruined the sport) I have never, ever experienced a drive train failure

In the time since the 2009 hemi update, Ram has said the following oil is recommended or allowed:
5w-30
5w-20
0w-20

Note you can find all 3 weights in various years owners manuals, the engine hasn't changed any except for a minor lifter tweak in 2016-ish.

As an engineer, you've never had your decision overruled or tweaked by some guy up the chain of command? Because I have. Your decisions and priorities are different than those in marketing, or finance. Sometimes you have to play ball with another department and you don't get the final call.
 

John Schmidt

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No one knows the engine better and how to maintain it than the engineers that designed and tested it. But people will listen to their shade tree mechanics over them. Tour a factory someday with an owners group and at the end an engineer will come out to answer questions. Many on different oils, when to change, fuel and what octane to use. EVERY answer will be politely answered with a comment to always do what is in the owners manual (unless a bulletin comes out changing it). He will say it's OK to change oil more often than recommended but will not increase the life of the engine. OK to use higher octane than recommended but you are just wasting your money, etc. But one was don't do additives. It was clear from many comments leaving most of the people were not going to change anything they were already doing. And yes, this retired engineer that has been a car guy for almost 70 years expects comments saying I don't know what I am talking about. In many years of auto ownership, SCCA racing my personal cars (before money ruined the sport) I have never, ever experienced a drive train failure
I just don't get why people think that because you're an Engineer, you get to make decisions for your company .... even about things like which oil/viscosity owners will be told to use in the engine/vehicle. I've been an Engineer with a company founded by Thomas Edison (big hint) for almost 3 decades, and Engineering constantly gets overruled by Marketing/Sales/Finance/Manufacturing and/or any other department that's not called Engineering. Yes, the Engineers design and know all about the Engine and would certainly tell you what's best, but if the BEAN COUNTERS believe that better MPG can be obtained by going to a lighter weight oil - and that somehow relates to a subsidy or tax break, even at the expense of the engine's lifetime, they'll simply over-ride the Engineers!! It's all about DOLLARS, not how long the engine will last.
(Just made me think about how Scotty would get over-ridden by Captain Kirk, even if it meant risking the integrity of the Impulse Engines to do some crazy maneuver).
:)
 

Sherman Bird

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Just hit 1k miles, looking to do my first oil change on this 5.7. Couple questions -

1. Should I stick with factory recommended 5w20 while in warranty period? I think I prefer 5w30, but I'm warrantied for 100k miles. Probably gonna use Redline, but wondering if PUP or QS Ultimate Durability would be good enough at half the price. Also curious about Amsoil.
2. Is Lubegard even needed for new engines? Would using this now help prevent possible lifter tick in the future?
3. Gonna replace the stock oil filter with a RP 20-500 or should I go full monty and use a RP 20-820? See #4
4. Had a '14 RAM with the 5.7, and the oil filter was not easy to get to. This '22 seems even tighter. Anybody have an opinion on whether relocating the oil filter might possibly be a reason to void the warranty if I encounter engine issues down the road?

And on a sidebar, I was getting 19-20 highway mpg on my old truck, and so far this new one is barely breaking 17 mpg. Granted, the new truck has 3.92 vs 3.21 gears and LT off-road tires vs passenger touring tires but the window sticker says 22 mpg highway. Wishful thinking?
Gee! Read the owner's manual and follow it. It helps ensure that you won't receive the Fickle Finger (middle) of Fate award when and if you need warranty consideration. Additives are frowned upon by all manufacturers that I'm aware of. I have always added BG MOA 115 oil additive, and NEVER had a catastrophic engine failure. FYI, if you use BG in the oil, and the engine craps out, they have a warranty to pay a substantial portion of repairs. Caveat is, you must begin using it before 3/36 warranty period expires, and must change the oil per manufacturer mandates, filter, AND add the BG 115 product to the oil AND KEEP YOUR DOCUMENTATION!

As a shop owner, I've had them pay out on BG covered repairs several times. Go to their website for details.

PS: I rarely see failures where their products are used. They historically have put their money where their mouth is.
 
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