Oil Change Intervals

[AmericanRebelution]

I only drive my truck about 5000 miles per year. I use Royal Purple in vehicles and will change annually. My changes will be somewhere between 3500 - 6000 miles.

 

[JxMOx]

Every 5,000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first, Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-20 and OEM filter

what do you find your psi running at with pennzoil?

 

[Scram1500]

what do you find your psi running at with pennzoil?

58 on cold start idle. Once warmed up 48 cruising and 26-28 at idle

 

[rraulston]

I don't know, if you really, really, really love your truck wouldn't every 2,500 miles or 3 months be even better for it?

No it wouldnt......You are causing more wear due to the additional dry start ups. You can reduce this by priming the oil filter, but you cant prime the entire system without expensive aftermarket equipment. I used to change oil on V-16 CAT engines and due to their cost, we used high quality oil and spread the changes to max term which was rated in hours. The old guy who uses a good oil and follows the change-o-meter will be still driving his truck decades from now.... you can vet this by driving your truck to term then taking an engine oil sample. I use Empire Caterpillar in Tucson. If the oil specs good, an earlier change robbed you of money...

 

[AmericanRebelution]

If the oil specs good, an earlier change robbed you of money...

But if specs on used oil are bad, the damage is done. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. Erring on the side of a little more frequent oil changes (within reason) is cheap insurance.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

No it wouldnt......You are causing more wear due to the additional dry start ups. You can reduce this by priming the oil filter, but you cant prime the entire system without expensive aftermarket equipment. I used to change oil on V-16 CAT engines and due to their cost, we used high quality oil and spread the changes to max term which was rated in hours. The old guy who uses a good oil and follows the change-o-meter will be still driving his truck decades from now.... you can vet this by driving your truck to term then taking an engine oil sample. I use Empire Caterpillar in Tucson. If the oil specs good, an earlier change robbed you of money...

The winking smilie at the end of my post meant I wasn't being serious, it was a bit of humor directed at securityguy.

 

[rraulston]

The winking smilie at the end of my post meant I wasn't being serious, it was a bit of humor directed at securityguy.

I just got owned!! Sorry, I missed that!!

 

[PowerJrod]

Just curious at what interval everyone changes the oil in their 5.7 HEMI. I know that there may be exceptions based on trips coming up and weather etc. so please try to answer to what you would do for a regular change.

If you change yours based on the indicator and track your miles, please include if possible:

• Miles you went on the oil
• % remaining when you changed your oil
• Your choice of oil

I did my first change at 4k with Amsoil OE, now I'm at ~11,600 and will be changing within the next 200 miles as I am supposed to take a long trip at the end of the month.
Currently, my oil life is at 12% with ~7500 miles, <300 miles towing 8k. Quick estimation says that I could get up to 1,000 miles until 0%, that would yield ~8,500 miles using the indicator.

Personally I don't really go by the % indicator but it's somewhere around 20% when I change oil.
Full synthetic (either Mobile 1 or Pennzoil Platinum) every 6 months. Usually ends up being around 6k miles. I'd like to try and extend it where I change the oil maybe once every 8 months but that might be a stretch.

 

[securityguy]

I never go by the oil life indicator. In all of my last 20 years of driving, now that high quality full synthetic oils can be bought at Walmart for under $25 for a 5qt jug, I always change the oil every 5-6K miles or 6 months. Oil changes are so cheap that, to me, it just makes good sense and is an easy way to track when all of your oil changes are due.

 

[ChadT]

I change my oil once the electronic display reads about 50%. Switching from PUP/MOPAR filter too AMS oil SS & AMS oil SS filter. I have done research into the oil interval electronic calculator built into our trucks.. the technology and parameters surrounding the % it reads is much more calculated and accurate than many people understand. However a guideline I have come across, 15% is known to be time to book a change, 5% change immediately and 0% is overdue. Due to these guidelines.. I believe that changing around 45-50% too be on the safe side and ensures fresh additives are always working through the engine and such. Let us not forget the benefit of fresh additives moving around inside of quality base oil that is being cycled regularly has for getting rid of many of the issues we find even at Top Tier gas stations. *cough PCV VALVE cough* The 5.7l HEMI is a very stout engine that will outlast most peoples ownership cycles.. However for those of us that appreciate the true mechanics of the HEMI, we know that not only is cycling the oil cheap insurance.. but more importantly it will keep the engine purring as it should and ensure that 12 years from now that the HEMI gets the recognition we all know it deserves by having the least amount of issues and most motors still rolling down the road.

ps. change your spark plugs on time!!!

This is part of why I'm so happy to have a Ram truck. The Engine and transmission.
This 5.7 Hemi has seen life and use in 3/4ton trucks for many many years!

Good tips on the oil life there. This thread has a lot of neat info in it

 

[ChadT]

I never go by the oil life indicator. In all of my last 20 years of driving, now that high quality full synthetic oils can be bought at Walmart for under $25 for a 5qt jug, I always change the oil every 5-6K miles or 6 months. Oil changes are so cheap that, to me, it just makes good sense and is an easy way to track when all of your oil changes are due.

100% agreement there for sure man


I do the same! Same intervals and mileage, and rationale.
I guess the engines probably could go longer on the same oil, probably could - but I would really rather just change it out than wonder.

 

[mhornac88]

I must admit, I'm that guy that uses Amsoil Signature Series and changes my oil at 5,000 miles. My truck idles a lot and very rarely hits the highway so I try to change my oil more frequently.

 

[eyeguy]

pup or rotela truck oil and 8 k intervals for me. Or once monitor gets less than 20 perc i do it next available time i have. 8k usually takes me about 8 months also so since lot of short trips...

 

[Raydar]

I took my truck to my local Sunoco Express Lube (owned by a fellow gearhead friend of mine), for it's first oil change. Was around 4000 miles. They told me to go away, and not to come back before 7000. (Oil life monitor still showed a very high percentage.)
When I finally went back, at around 7500(?) I used full synthetic, as they recommended. I now have almost 20K on the truck, and my oil life is still at ~33%. So that's like 12K since the first change. Many of those miles were on hilly backroads between our old and new house, towing a 12' box trailer at 60-70 MPH. I used "tow/haul" when appropriate, and attempted to never lug the engine (as if that would be possible with the 8 speed auto.)
And... the engine still sounds like a new engine. No taps, clicks or other strange noises. (Not like I am expecting any.)
Since I consider towing to be "heavier duty" than most, I'll probably get it changed at ~25%. I'm making a lot of short trips now (due to COVID, I'm working at home) so I'm not sure how long it will take. I'm not driving a lot, but oil (and I have to assume, the monitor as well) don't like short trips. So there's that...

 

[Grape_Ape]

I took my truck to my local Sunoco Express Lube (owned by a fellow gearhead friend of mine), for it's first oil change. Was around 4000 miles. They told me to go away, and not to come back before 7000. (Oil life monitor still showed a very high percentage.)
When I finally went back, at around 7500(?) I used full synthetic, as they recommended. I now have almost 20K on the truck, and my oil life is still at ~33%. So that's like 12K since the first change. Many of those miles were on hilly backroads between our old and new house, towing a 12' box trailer at 60-70 MPH. I used "tow/haul" when appropriate, and attempted to never lug the engine (as if that would be possible with the 8 speed auto.)
And... the engine still sounds like a new engine. No taps, clicks or other strange noises. (Not like I am expecting any.)
Since I consider towing to be "heavier duty" than most, I'll probably get it changed at ~25%. I'm making a lot of short trips now (due to COVID, I'm working at home) so I'm not sure how long it will take. I'm not driving a lot, but oil (and I have to assume, the monitor as well) don't like short trips. So there's that...

I'd recommend getting your oil changed asap. You're not running some crazy amsoil product and just regular full synthetic.

Per the owners manual.

 

[PowerJrod]

I'd recommend getting your oil changed asap. You're not running some crazy amsoil product and just regular full synthetic.

Per the owners manual.

View attachment 67484

+1 on that. Being a brand new vehicle...the oil change indicator has to "be broken in" so to speak. 10k-12k miles is Waaaay too many between oil changes, can't always go off of what the oil % is.

 

[Jako]

I took my truck to my local Sunoco Express Lube (owned by a fellow gearhead friend of mine), for it's first oil change. Was around 4000 miles. They told me to go away, and not to come back before 7000. (Oil life monitor still showed a very high percentage.)
When I finally went back, at around 7500(?) I used full synthetic, as they recommended. I now have almost 20K on the truck, and my oil life is still at ~33%. So that's like 12K since the first change. Many of those miles were on hilly backroads between our old and new house, towing a 12' box trailer at 60-70 MPH. I used "tow/haul" when appropriate, and attempted to never lug the engine (as if that would be possible with the 8 speed auto.)
And... the engine still sounds like a new engine. No taps, clicks or other strange noises. (Not like I am expecting any.)
Since I consider towing to be "heavier duty" than most, I'll probably get it changed at ~25%. I'm making a lot of short trips now (due to COVID, I'm working at home) so I'm not sure how long it will take. I'm not driving a lot, but oil (and I have to assume, the monitor as well) don't like short trips. So there's that...

Did the "oil life" get reset at some point by accident? "Oil life" not operating properly? Whatever the situation as per previous post no more than 10,000 miles.
My second oil change was conventional and the "oil life" seemed to adjust to less than 10,000 mile interval, while the last full synthetic approximates the recommended oil change of 10,000 miles (3,000 miles on oil change and "oil life" of 70%).

 

[psmopar]

This is part of why I'm so happy to have a Ram truck. The Engine and transmission.
This 5.7 Hemi has seen life and use in 3/4ton trucks for many many years!

Good tips on the oil life there. This thread has a lot of neat info in it

What do you mean or recommend by "many of the issues we find even at Top Tier gas stations. *cough PCV VALVE cough*" ?

 

[VegasRob55]

Just curious at what interval everyone changes the oil in their 5.7 HEMI. I know that there may be exceptions based on trips coming up and weather etc. so please try to answer to what you would do for a regular change.

If you change yours based on the indicator and track your miles, please include if possible:

• Miles you went on the oil
• % remaining when you changed your oil
• Your choice of oil

I did my first change at 4k with Amsoil OE, now I'm at ~11,600 and will be changing within the next 200 miles as I am supposed to take a long trip at the end of the month.
Currently, my oil life is at 12% with ~7500 miles, <300 miles towing 8k. Quick estimation says that I could get up to 1,000 miles until 0%, that would yield ~8,500 miles using the indicator.

I do mine when the OLM is down around 10%. This is typically about 6,000 miles of daily driving/commuting to work. I use Valvoline full synthetic 5w-20. I also use whatever oil filter Valvoline Instant Oil Change uses on their Full Syn O.C. package.

 

[41magmag41]

I have 73000 miles on my 2019 ram bighorn, 5.7, 4x4, straight 8 speed, i change my oil around 25 to 30%.