1st oil change

[Pooch]

Good day all,
I ak new to this forum and 1st time Ram owner: I know this has been asked a lot but I will ask again. How many miles should I do my 1st change oil? I’m currently at 500miles right now. Is it 1K?
Also, what oil and filter combo is the for this truck? Thank you all!

 

[boogielander]

I changed mine at 800. I was going to change it at 500 but due to Thanksgiving my shop wasn't open, and we were swamped the week after so I drove another 300 miles before I did it.
My boss/ head technician did 500mi first oil change on his TRX.

Some people say you don't need to do it till the dashboard tells you to, and to some degree that is true. When I drained my oil, my oil was clean. It was so clean that could pass as fresh oil!

I used the shop's Idemitsu 0-20 oil as the cap indicates and ProTune filter. But next time I do it myself I'll be going 5w-30 instead.

 

[Loudram]

The owners manual says that there isn't a break in period so you could go until the computer says time for a change. I'm currently at almost 2500 and I'm not sure when I'm going to change it. Depends on the weather.

As far as oil type, you are going to get a million answers. I personally use Pennzoil Platinum. Usually the recommended weight until this truck. I'm not sure what weight I'm going to use. There is a big debate on why they switched from 5w-20. For filters I use Wix or I may try a different one. Again I'm not sure. I need to do more research.

Good luck in your research.

 

[SD Rebel]

My first oil change was at 4,500 miles. But I honestly would do it earlier, based on my oil analysis, there was a lot of break-in material, especially copper during the early oil changes. That washes out naturally as you do your oil changes, but I wouldn't want to keep that material suspended in my oil for 5,000 miles or longer.

The oil and filter is cheap, maybe $60-$70 or so for 2x gallon jugs of Pennzoil Ultra Platinum synthetic and Mopar MO339 filter at Walmart.

If I had to do it again, I would have done my first oil change at 1,000 miles, then again at 5,000 miles or 1 year, which ever comes first from that point on. Remember to stay within your powertrain warranty (5yr/60k), you cannot go beyond 1 year between oil services regardless of what your maintenance computer states.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

I changed mine at 800. I was going to change it at 500 but due to Thanksgiving my shop wasn't open, and we were swamped the week after so I drove another 300 miles before I did it.
My boss/ head technician did 500mi first oil change on his TRX.

Some people say you don't need to do it till the dashboard tells you to, and to some degree that is true. When I drained my oil, my oil was clean. It was so clean that could pass as fresh oil!

I used the shop's Idemitsu 0-20 oil as the cap indicates and ProTune filter. But next time I do it myself I'll be going 5w-30 instead.

OMG! You said 5w-30! Blasphemy!

 

[Spokes]

Did mine at 1000 miles, its a cheap preventative maintenance.

 

[Papi4baby]

10,000 or when the oil minder tells me to is what I do. I do drive mostly highways so I am not beating on my oil/engine.

 

[jmrhodes212]

Obviously you will get answers all over the board on this since everyone is deviating from what the manual says and we're all making it up based on historical experience. As Loudram said, the manual says just follow the indicator.

I wanted to get synthetic in early, so I did 3000, 9000 and most recently at 17000. I'll probably stick with going down to 20% on the EVIC oil life from here on out, so every 8000 miles.

I use PUP, but will be switching to regular Pennzoil Platinum since 0W20 PUP is so hard to find. I use Wix filters from Amazon.

Haven't read anything scientific enough to go against the owners manual on the oil weight so I'll be sticking with 0W20. I already stress enough about the challenge of a potential warranty claim since I change my own oil, so I don't want to anything that is specifically against what the manufacturer recommends.

 

[cliffsta]

OMG! You said 5w-30! Blasphemy!

Well the mob should get the pitchforks ready because I’m requesting to go up to 5w30 with my first oil change. I live in Louisiana aka the surface of the sun. Can’t think of running 0w20 in this climate.

 

[SD Rebel]

Well the mob should get the pitchforks ready because I’m requesting to go up to 5w30 with my first oil change. I live in Louisiana aka the surface of the sun. Can’t think of running 0w20 in this climate.

I'm definitely not going to argue about the merits of any oil weight, since honestly none of us truly know based on the many threads about it.

But what I always wondered is if the engine's cooling system is designed to keep your trucks engine at around 200F - 230F, how does the outside temperature effect it in a way that would effect the oil?

If the outside temp, even at say 115F, how does that effect a motor & oil that is setup to be at least 200F? Whether I'm in below freezing up in the mountains or all the way to 115F in the desert, slowly idling down a rocky trail, I've never seen any variations in my truck's coolant or oil temp, other than taking slightly longer to warm-up in cooler temps.

 

[monza2t]

I did mine at 2k. Then at 5k. Plan to do every 5k. I don't buy the "10k" intervals, sure the modern oils don't break down within the 10k, but they do accumulate lots of contaminants that build up no matter how good your filter and oil is.

Side note I do order the 0W-20 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum. I wish i could find it right now but I had seen a test between the Platinum and the Ultra Platinum and the cold weather performance of the Ultra Platinum was better, so for me thats worth the extra few bucks and finding the stuff. I do believe on SRT Hemi(s) the Chrysler recommendation is Ultra Platinum

 

[Dewey]

First change at 3000 miles and then according the oil life monitor which averages around 10,000 miles. Hard to argue with well over 500,000 miles on various trucks over the years and zero problems.

I currently use the Mopar MO339 filter and Pennzoil 0W20 Platinum.

 

[Cbty2050]

5k here on all my vehicles, never had an issue. It's up to you, if you want to do it at 1k miles do it.

 

[jmrhodes212]

I did mine at 2k. Then at 5k. Plan to do every 5k. I don't buy the "10k" intervals, sure the modern oils don't break down within the 10k, but they do accumulate lots of contaminants that build up no matter how good your filter and oil is.

Side note I do order the 0W-20 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum. I wish i could find it right now but I had seen a test between the Platinum and the Ultra Platinum and the cold weather performance of the Ultra Platinum was better, so for me thats worth the extra few bucks and finding the stuff. I do believe on SRT Hemi(s) the Chrysler recommendation is Ultra Platinum

I've had luck with Walmart. I check every month or so and they have a 3 container 5 quart box for like $90 or something. That's how I am keeping my supply up. I drive 25K miles a year, so I change 3-4 times a year.

 

[RockYacht2020]

Wait...we have to change the oil on these trucks?

 

[river rat]

Did your truck not come with an owners manual?

 

[boogielander]

OMG! You said 5w-30! Blasphemy!

im ready to be crucified lol

 

[Jako]

The owners manual says that there isn't a break in period so you could go until the computer says time for a change. I'm currently at almost 2500 and I'm not sure when I'm going to change it. Depends on the weather.

As far as oil type, you are going to get a million answers. I personally use Pennzoil Platinum. Usually the recommended weight until this truck. I'm not sure what weight I'm going to use. There is a big debate on why they switched from 5w-20. For filters I use Wix or I may try a different one. Again I'm not sure. I need to do more research.

Good luck in your research.

page 293 2019 Owner's Manual - can't speak for later years.

ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS A long break-in period is not required for the engine and drivetrain (transmission and axle) in your vehicle. Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km). After the initial 60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or 55 mph (80 or 90 km/h) are desirable. While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the limits of local traffic laws contributes to a good break-in. Wide-open throttle acceleration in low gear can be detrimental and should be avoided. The engine oil installed in the engine at the factory is a high-quality energy conserving type lubricant. Oil changes should be consistent with anticipated climate conditions under which vehicle operations will occur. For the recommended viscosity and quality grades, refer to “Fluids And Lubricants” in “Technical Specifications”. CAUTION! Never use Non-Detergent Oil or Straight Mineral Oil in the engine or damage may result.

NOTE: A new engine may consume some oil during its first few thousand miles (kilometers) of operation. This should be considered a normal part of the break-in and not interpreted as a problem. Please check your oil level with the engine oil indicator often during the break in period. Add oil as required

 

[Scram1500]

Good day all,
I ak new to this forum and 1st time Ram owner: I know this has been asked a lot but I will ask again. How many miles should I do my 1st change oil? I’m currently at 500miles right now. Is it 1K?
Also, what oil and filter combo is the for this truck? Thank you all!

Had the dealership do the free change at 1,500 miles. No idea what oil they used so at 2,500 miles I changed it out for Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w20 with OEM filter MO-339. Since then my filter has been Wix 57060XP and recently the larger Wix 57899XP.

I tired out some Redline 5w20 and PUP 5w30 for ****s and giggles, my truck did not like either one during warm up. So back to PUP 5w20, weird how the recommended oil works the best. Might try Mobil1 or Castrol Edge on the next change.

In terms of interval its every 6 months or 5,000 miles. A short commute puts me in severe duty which there's a snippet in the manual that states change the oil at 4,000 miles or 350 hrs of engine run time.

 

[SD Rebel]

Had the dealership do the free change at 1,500 miles. No idea what oil they used so at 2,500 miles I changed it out for Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w20 with OEM filter MO-339. Since then my filter has been Wix 57060XP and recently the larger Wix 57899XP.

I tired out some Redline 5w20 and PUP 5w30 for ****s and giggles, my truck did not like either one during warm up. So back to PUP 5w20, weird how the recommended oil works the best. Might try Mobil1 or Castrol Edge on the next change.

In terms of interval its every 6 months or 5,000 miles. A short commute puts me in severe duty which there's a snippet in the manual that states change the oil at 4,000 miles or 350 hrs of engine run time.

What's weird for me, I think my truck ran better with Shell Rotella Gas Truck 5W-20. But since it's hard to find now, I switched to PUP 5W-20, it does seem I get a little more start-up chatter than I did before, but maybe it's a placebo effect?

My oil analysis of both oils is great, so probably just in my mind.