Oil life when not driving much

[Troy719]

I have a 16 Ram 1500 with the 5.7. It currently is sitting at 76k miles. I don’t drive the truck much (about 7k - 10k miles a year). My question is with the truck being driven so little do I need to change the oil every 3-4 months vs waiting until my mileage is due? I do my own oil changes and use high quality filters, oil, additives, ext. but don’t want to be running my motor on bad oil if waiting for the mileage would be worse for engine life.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

I would change it annually, regardless.
I would also look under the oil fill cap and see if there is any milky sludge buildup (moisture in the oil), and the dipstick too. This is more common to see in the wetter / colder months as opposed to the heat of summer.

I would also ensure the fuel is always topped up and perhaps put a couple cans of Seafoam in there as a fuel stabilizer so it keeps the fuel in good condition.

Also, have you ever changed the coolant? Old coolant staying static in an engine for extended periods may not necessarily be the best for the cooling system.

 

[mikeru]

I change the oil in our 2020 Limited once per year with quality full synthetic oil and OEM filter. We put about 8k miles per year on our truck.

 

[GTyankee]

I did not want to change oil the latest time

I only had 2100 miles between changes, but my Oil Life Indicator read Zero.
It had been 10 months since the last change

I have the 3.0 L ecodiesel & short trips hurt the baby diesel, just like the bigger diesels

 

[turkeybird56]

I did not want to change oil the latest time

I only had 2100 miles between changes, but my Oil Life Indicator read Zero.
It had been 10 months since the last change

I have the 3.0 L ecodiesel & short trips hurt the baby diesel, just like the bigger diesels

YUP, another reason why I got rid of my ED and got a Hemi. Not working the Diesel like a Diesel but as a GG is a killer, IMHO.

 

[Ratman6161]

I have a 16 Ram 1500 with the 5.7. It currently is sitting at 76k miles. I don’t drive the truck much (about 7k - 10k miles a year). My question is with the truck being driven so little do I need to change the oil every 3-4 months vs waiting until my mileage is due? I do my own oil changes and use high quality filters, oil, additives, ext. but don’t want to be running my motor on bad oil if waiting for the mileage would be worse for engine life.

Check your owners manual. For my 22 2500 6.4, it says when the oil life % gets low, 8000 miles or 12 months, 2hichever happens first

 

[Burla]

Let a lab like blacklstone set your interval. But anyhow, a top synthetic oil you look like an easy candidate for a yearly oil change. If you want insurance, run a tbn booster like bgmoa 1/2 through your interval, so at 6 mos drop a can in. In hemi's not a high taching engine, the two concerns are wear metals and tbn, viscosity is not so much an issue. Get a report, go from there, I'd get the report with 7500 miles on the oil. pay for tbn, ten extra bucks.

 

[DILLIGAF]

I change mine out once a year on all 3 of my vehicles

All running RL5w30

 

[Scottly]

Low mileage diesel here...I change mine once annual. My lawnmower, however, has never had an oil change. I top it off when needed. It's 8 yrs old...

 

[ppine]

Use synthetic oil for long term changes. Changing once a year is standard for low mileage vehicles unless you analyze the oil.