Oil life when not driving much

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Troy719

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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

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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.
 

GTyankee

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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

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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.
 
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Ratman6161

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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

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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.
 

ppine

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

RamDiver

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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... :)

You've reminded me that my snowblower, lawn tractor, and wood splitter are long overdue for an oil change.

I've changed the oil many times with synthetic but maybe not in the past year or so. :cool:
.
 

Jerrybob

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A kid walks into a car shop to get his get his first oil change.​

"Oh, you're in for an oil change, okay. Also, while you're in do you know the last time the car had a tire rotation?" the worker says.

The kid looks at the worker confused,"Sir, I dont want to tell you how to do your job or anything, but the tires rotated on the way here."
 

JW2 Innovations

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You've reminded me that my snowblower, lawn tractor, and wood splitter are long overdue for an oil change.

I've changed the oil many times with synthetic but maybe not in the past year or so. :cool:
.
Add the air compressor to that list for me as well!
 

mtofell

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I'm always trying to keep the warranty gods happy (MaxCare Lifetime) so at least once a year. I actually bought a pack of 4 oil changes at the dealer the last time I was in and think I only have three years to use them so will probably do it every 6-9 months. I only live where my truck is about 25% of the time so it's sitting a lot these days.

I bought the 4-pack of changes when I dropped the truck off with a CEL. Well, that turned into a new engine which, of course, came with new oil so I didn't even get to use one of the changes I had just bought. I was a bit miffed that they couldn't refund my purchase of the 4-pack but did get a whole new engine for a $100 deductible so I let it slide.
 

Tom Davis

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Below is word for word from my owner's manual. I have found this to be the best reference for maintenance on a vehicle. May seems like overkill at times, but I have had several with well over 150K. In fact my wife's Journey (knocking on wood) has 198K on it now.

"NOTE: Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 8,000 miles (13 000 km) or six months, whichever occurs first."
 

Tulecreeper

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Below is word for word from my owner's manual. I have found this to be the best reference for maintenance on a vehicle. May seems like overkill at times, but I have had several with well over 150K. In fact my wife's Journey (knocking on wood) has 198K on it now.

"NOTE: Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 8,000 miles (13 000 km) or six months, whichever occurs first."
My manual says, "...8000 miles, 12 months, or 350 engine hours, whichever occurs first."

I live rural and don't drive that much. Unless I have a doctor's appointment I go into "the city" twice a month, which is 30 miles away, and make a weekly run to the local grocery store, which is 3 miles away. There is a distinct possibility I will hit the 12-month mark before I put 8000 miles on it.
 

18CrewDually

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I didn't see anyone mention it but one thing to consider, if there is a season that majority of the time the truck is parked, such as winter, I'd change the oil/filter before it gets parked. That way it is not sitting all winter with potentially contaminated used oil.
 

Tom Davis

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My manual says, "...8000 miles, 12 months, or 350 engine hours, whichever occurs first."

I live rural and don't drive that much. Unless I have a doctor's appointment I go into "the city" twice a month, which is 30 miles away, and make a weekly run to the local grocery store, which is 3 miles away. There is a distinct possibility I will hit the 12-month mark before I put 8000 miles on it.
Fairly certain we are pretty much in agreement with the same thing.....that's to follow the manual. Doing so will not void any type of warranties one may have. Mine usually sits for 6 to 7 months out of the year, when I am on travel for work, unless my wife drives it every so often (which isn't much), so I always hit every 6months first.

What did you do in the Navy? Just curious...retired OS here.
 

Tulecreeper

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Fairly certain we are pretty much in agreement with the same thing.....that's to follow the manual. Doing so will not void any type of warranties one may have. Mine usually sits for 6 to 7 months out of the year, when I am on travel for work, unless my wife drives it every so often (which isn't much), so I always hit every 6months first.

What did you do in the Navy? Just curious...retired OS here.
Retired as a Chief Master-At-Arms.
 
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