questions about my first oil change

[BigChick]

i'm brand new so bear with me. i've got a few questions but i'll take them one at a time.

i have a 2015 ram 3500 with the cummins 6.7L and dual rear wheels. it is 5/12 years old and has 81,000 miles on it. so that is around 14K to 15K miles per year. i use it as my daily vehicle but we also tow a large, heavy 5th wheel several times per year which is probably 3K miles towing.

i have the oil and filter changed every 7,500 miles. i have been using a local auto shop do perform this service but their price just keeps climbing. last time i had it done i watched and they put in a non-name brand oil and filter.

so i am tired of paying them ever increasing amounts and not getting top of the line oil and filters. so after watching several you tube videos i'm going to do the next oil change myself.

i plan on using regular dino oil, not synthetic. it does get down below freezing into the twenties around here during the winter nights but not any colder. it will warm up during the days. i'll use rotella or delvac, what ever the local auto parts store has on sale. from all i have read this should be ok.

i will use a standard fleetguard oil filter. i know they make an enhanced filter called the stratopore but i have read that the stratopore is only recommended for synthetic oil. my understanding is that the fleetguard and the mopar filters are identical.

so those are my plans. do you see anything wrong with them or would you change anything?

thanks!

 

[Travelin Ram]

You are good.

 

[MADDOG]

Good plan in my opinion.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Your plan sounds good. No need to waste $$ on synthetic oil. Any dino oil that meets spec for the CTD will do the job.
Also Mopar oil filters can be had at most any wallyworld for less than $14.
Once you do your first oil change you'll kick yourself for paying so much for someone else to do it for you.

 

[stevenP]

Obviously make sure your drain pan can hold roughly three gallons of oil. When you open that drain, it comes out very fast, so be prepared for some splashing. The filter thru the fender well approach is challenging as well. Also that little aftermarket plug that lisle makes is great to keep the oil in the used filter from spilling as you remove the filter as well.

 

[jejb]

Obviously make sure your drain pan can hold roughly three gallons of oil. When you open that drain, it comes out very fast, so be prepared for some splashing.

Or look into getting a fumoto valve. I put those on all of our diesels.

 

[Fuel35 67]

The thing with synthetic is it can tolerate heat way better than Dino, think about that when towing the 5’er and the turbo is working hard. Not a necessity, just something to think about. Oil drain into a 5gallon bucket, easy, but then ya need a lid to take it for recycling, no biggie. I use Fleetguard oil filters, Mopar fuel filters, but have recently changed out to dual filter kit that uses a Cat/Baldwin setup, and have bought the Cat filter setup to replace the factory one on the engine, mine is an 11’, so only 1 filter from the factory.

 

[OLEJOE]

Turn your wheels to the left and it gives you a little extra room to get to the filter. I do all mine through the fender. Just put an old towel or a bunch of paper towels down in the plastic trough under the filter. It’ll help catch any drips. Be sure to use the filter plug going in and out with the filters.

 

[dls56]

About synthetic oil.
Around 25 years ago +/- I had a 3500 Chevy (ol'blue) 350 engine. Was flying up 95 lickity split when I noticed there wasn't any oil pressure, the temperature was fine. Took the next turn off and found an empty oil pan. The neoprene washer had a chunk out of it draining the oil from the engine. It had been Mobil1 oil and the best I could figure was the moving parts were still coated a little. The engine hadn't made any unusual noises and there were no residual effects afterwards.
All I'll ever use now is synthetic oil as it doesn't burn nearly as easy as dino. Thought it was worth sharing. Hard to put a price on piece of mind.

 

[BigChick]

thanks for all the info! i can do this!

but one more question. the oil filter is large. should i prefill it with new oil before installing it?

 

[Gr8bawana]

NO! Pre-filling the filter is as unnecessary as synthetic oil. The owner's manual only recommends synthetic oil when truck is to be operated at temps below 0° F.