My Cummins 6.7 Oil Is Now Staying a Whole Lot Cleaner Since Gearing Down Around Town

[Goose55]

My Cummins 6.7 oil is now staying a whole lot cleaner, and for longer, ever since I've been gearing down around town. A lot of the town is only 25 mph, and the Aisin trans will go into 4th or even 5th gear, with a much too low engine rpm. So, as advised by the lead Cummins tech at my dealership, whenever I set out, I tap down on the gear limit toggle, to keep it in 3rd gear. He said that oil getting gritty very quickly is a common issue and that it can even lead to noise coming from the engine, and damage. I'm sure glad I took his advice.

 

[Gr8bawana]

How can you tell it's staying cleaner? Did you have it analyzed before and after?
I call BS to the advice.

 

[Goose55]

How can you tell it's staying cleaner? Did you have it analyzed before and after?
I call BS to the advice.

By the color and feel. No longer black & gritty. I have 3,000 miles on the oil and it's still opaque/ transparent on the dip stick. And, I do a lot of around town, 25 mph driving. I keep it in 3rd gear, about 1,500 rpm. I have 410 gears.

 

[Fuel35 67]

On the 2 CTD’s I’ve owned, 99’ and 11’, the oil in both of those trucks was blacker than night! I find it hard to believe any CTD has oil color other than black.

 

[2020PW]

On the 2 CTD’s I’ve owned, 99’ and 11’, the oil in both of those trucks was blacker than night! I find it hard to believe any CTD has oil color other than black.

I have to disagree. I have nice clean oil until I start it after an oil change.

 

[Fuel35 67]

I’ll drink to that!

 

[06 Dodge]

By the color and feel. No longer black & gritty. I have 3,000 miles on the oil and it's still opaque/ transparent on the dip stick. And, I do a lot of around town, 25 mph driving. I keep it in 3rd gear, about 1,500 rpm. I have 410 gears.

In the 15.5 years of owing a 5.9 along with 8 months with my new 22, 6.7 I have never had the oil feel gritty on the dip stick when checking the oil....

 

[18CrewDually]

In the 15.5 years of owing a 5.9 along with 8 months with my new 22, 6.7 I have never had the oil feel gritty on the dip stick when checking the oil....

You must be "gearing down around town" like the OP suggests.
Great Job!

 

[Goose55]

You must be "gearing down around town" like the OP suggests.
Great Job!

Yup. It's working for me!

 

[tjfdesmo]

Things are good in Garlic.

 

[Goose55]

Things are good in Garlic.

Yes, Ajo does mean garlic in Spanish. There is a small, wild plant that grows here that is related to garlic.

 

[tjfdesmo]

Yes, Ajo does mean garlic in Spanish. There is a small, wild plant that grows here that is related to garlic.

Yes, I have been there.

 

[Goose55]

Yes, I have been there.

It's a delightful place to live. Surrounded by 5,000 square miles of silence.

 

[06 Dodge]

You must be "gearing down around town" like the OP suggests.
Great Job!

Umm no I am not doing like the OP, I put it in D and go, but then I do not mostly drive in town at 25 MPH, here in the big city we get to drive 30-45 MPH

 

[2020PW]

The only positive thing I can see in the OP comment is you should have a clean DFP filter. Keeping those RPM’s up will burn anything off in the chamber.

 

[18CrewDually]

Umm no I am not doing like the OP, I put it in D and go, but then I do not mostly drive in town at 25 MPH, here in the big city we get to drive 30-45 MPH

Speed demon

 

[GTyankee]

I operated heavy equipment & we also had trucks as large as any semi, almost everything had a Diesel Engine.

The Shop & Field Mechanics all said to operate a diesel like you were mad at it
In other words keep the RPMs up & shift every transmission like it was a Manual Shift.

When you have a loaded trailer, manually start off in 2nd gear, unless you have a full load & starting out on an steeper uphill Grade, then start out in 1st.
Once you begin moving at the speed of a fast walk, shift up another gear, once you are traveling at 15 or 20 MPH, you can shift into Drive.

If you are just driving the pickup, then you can start off in Drive

Keep your RPMs up & use the transmission to do it
Your Engines will last a lot longer
Lug a diesel down & you can expect a damaged engine, sooner than normal

 

[Goose55]

I operated heavy equipment & we also had trucks as large as any semi, almost everything had a Diesel Engine.

The Shop & Field Mechanics all said to operate a diesel like you were mad at it
In other words keep the RPMs up & shift every transmission like it was a Manual Shift.

When you have a loaded trailer, manually start off in 2nd gear, unless you have a full load & starting out on an steeper uphill Grade, then start out in 1st.
Once you begin moving at the speed of a fast walk, shift up another gear, once you are traveling at 15 or 20 MPH, you can shift into Drive.

If you are just driving the pickup, then you can start off in Drive

Keep your RPMs up & use the transmission to do it
Your Engines will last a lot longer
Lug a diesel down & you can expect a damaged engine, sooner than normal

This concurs with what the lead Cummins Tech told me.

 

[Gr8bawana]

By the color and feel. No longer black & gritty. I have 3,000 miles on the oil and it's still opaque/ transparent on the dip stick. And, I do a lot of around town, 25 mph driving. I keep it in 3rd gear, about 1,500 rpm. I have 410 gears.

If you can feel grit in your oil you have major problems.
My oil is also nice and clear until I drive for a few minutes.