Oil change

[brian42]

How about that first oil change, from miles 0 onward? Seeing some of the oil filter results on here...when should a brand new truck get its first oil change, in general? Wait until the meter says change it, or change it early, at 2k-3k, fearing metal pieces from engine break in?

You'll get replies all over the place...

I defer to an earlier statement from Willwork4truck (above). You will get the whole gamut on this from change it when you get home to wait until the oil gauge reaches 0%. This is the first new vehicle I've ever had so never had to deal with any break-in periods before. I found my comfort level somewhere in the middle and changed my oil at 7500 miles (once I hit 5000 miles I took the next opportunity I had to change it). I think the factory puts in dino or synthetic blend.

I change mine after the first 1000 miles on a new vehicle. As soon as I get it home if I buy used. Definitely being paranoid, but it's my money and my peace of mind.

I agree about used. The first thing I do when I get a used (new to me) vehicle home is change all the fluids. As for new I split the difference and went with 5000 miles for the oil. I read both sides of the fence about wear products, good/bad about full synthetic during the break-in period, which oil is best, and what weight to use. Everyone has their own opinion and supporting reasoning/data for it but, in the end, it's up to you and your comfort level. If FCA thought it was an issue they wouldn't have published their recommendations IMO. I will say that everything's going fine with my truck (no ticks) at 22K miles and I switched to full synthetic PUP at 7500 miles.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Brian42 - that's a wise choice on used and on new. Nobody is reporting "oil sludging" issues like there were in what was it, Toyota's from the 1990's (Edit - 1997-2002 over 2 million affected Toys and Lexus) however any vehicle not serviced "regularly" or within factory specs is just harming the engine (AMSOIL results notwithstanding) IMHO.
I'm not wanting to "beat the dead horse" (where's that emoji anyways) and I fully respect FCA engineers who state that 7500-10K is ok. I just, well, "waste" money and oil by changing earlier. Course peeps have to understand the differences between dino, semi-synthetic and full synthetic. I don't think those differences are clearly understood, especially the potentially "semi-synthetic". What's that anyway? 1% synth? 99% synth? 50% synth?
Dino oil is pretty clear and so is full synthetic, of course there's quality differences and also (Bob is the OIl Guy) discussions ad naseum about the Society of Automotive Engineers or Petroleum Quality Institute of America's API service certification stamp/label testing, so it's quite the long read. Here's an example:

Begin quote from http://www.pqiamerica.com/Labels.htm
"Read on, and now you will know.
Truth be told, you (the consumer - the car owner) are the ones ultimately responsible for assuring that the engine oil used in your car is "right for your car." And "right for your car" means, the oil meets the specifications required by your car's manufacturer, as detailed in your owner's manual. Keep in mind, use of anything other than that can void your warranty.

With that said, what follows are guidelines to assist you in understanding and interpreting the codes/acronyms on a bottle of oil to assure you are using the "right stuff." For car owners that have their oil changed at fast lubes, new car dealers and others, what follows provides you with the knowledge you need to ask the right questions. For most, that question is, "Does the oil you are servicing my car with meet the API, ILSAC, and other specifications required for my engine, and is it the right viscosity grade for my car's make model and year?" If the ones changing your oil can't answer these questions, it's time to change the ones changing your oil.

What API Service Classification is Required for Your Engine?

The service rating of passenger car and commercial automotive motor oils is classified by the American Petroleum Institute (API). The API program certifies that an oil meets certain Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) quality and performance standards. The service rating is shown in the API "Service Symbol Donut" on the product label.

The labels include two important pieces of information to determine if an engine oil is appropriate for use in your vehicle. The first piece of information speaks to viscosity grade. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) defines a numerical system for grading motor oils according to viscosity. The suffixes (0, 5, 10, 15 and 25) followed by the letter W designate the "winter" grade of an engine oil."
End of copied quote

So anyway, not to bore the more oil-educated amongst us,..

 

[eyeguy]

Factory oil is semi synthetic. Is that correct? Do we know if its 5% or 50% synthetic?

 

[brian42]

Factory oil is semi synthetic. Is that correct? Do we know if its 5% or 50% synthetic?

I've heard both straight dino and semi-synthetic so don't know which. If it is semi-synth then the % of each could be just about anything as Willwork4truck mentioned above.

 

[JJRamTX]

Yours works out to 6,744 miles.

My mpg for my last oil change was 15.01 mpg in 1,363 miles. Like you I had a lot of cold weather starts and short trips and had my worst mpg of 10.38 mpg on my last tank (best 16.49). Calculating my oil life worked out to 7,000+ miles, very similar to your experience. This was with conventional oil.
I did an 893 mile trip bringing my son back to college. Minimal stops going and no stops coming back. The mpg (vehicle display) for the trip going was 21.2 (400 miles+, 1st tank of gas) and 20.7 coming back until I did some local driving which dropped it down to 20.3.
I had just changed the oil prior to this trip (full synthetic PUP). The oil life now reads 92%, which calculates to 11,163 miles oil life. I believe it is going to change any mile now as 91% would drop it down to 9.922 oil life, which is more in line with oil changes.
As per page 165 of the owner's manual:
The engine oil change indicator system is duty cycle based, which means the engine oil change interval may fluctuate, dependent upon your personal driving style.

What exactly is measured and calculated in "duty cycle based" is unfamiliar to me. I do know my mpg goes down dramatically with cold weather starts and short trips and can watch it drop. I have just started to calculate the "oil life" with oil changes. With my current info it appears 7,000 - 10,000 miles. I'm sure it can be reduced just by being a city driver only. And although the math works out to 11,000+ miles as per above I am sure it will drop down shortly to 91% and 10,000- miles.
Summary:
7,000 mile oil life, conventional oil, distance 1400- miles, avg mpg 15, cold weather starts, short local trips.
10,000 mile oil life, full synthetic oil, distance 900- miles, avg mpg 20, minimal starts, highway.

I am interested to see if the full synthetic has an impact on my mpg with cold weather starts.

FYI if you want to read more.

Understanding the Ram Oil Change Indicator and Service Indicator Lights | YourMechanic Advice

Car symbols, or dashboard lights, are a car service reminder. The Ram Oil Change Indicator tells you when and what service your car needs.

www.yourmechanic.com

I am betting that full synthetic has a slight impact on MPG with cold starts but the biggest impact would be switching to PUP 0-20 which would reduce friction and with the viscosity change would use less fuel while cold and slightly less when warm.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Just to muddy the waters, this is a copy of a "Bob is the Oil Guy" forum thread concerning 2019 RAM 1500 oils: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5151026/2

(Also, calling my local FCA/RAM dealer, the oil change lane tech told me they use a Penzoil Dino from the factory and they DO NOT carry or use any semi-synthetic. It's either dino or full synth at my local dealer.)

Saw this farther down on that same Bob is the OIl Guy thread:

"Word of advice, get some 1 gallon ziploc bags. Loosen the filter just enough where there isnt any oil coming out yet, place the bag over the filter and then unscrew the rest of the way, allow the filter to stay in the bag and hold until all oil is drained. Itll save you the headache of getting oil everywhere. "

I don't change my own anymore but just passing this along...

 

[eyeguy]

Ok If it is straight dino oil I might change it out a little earlier. Live in northern iowa and while out hunting it will have some really cold starts over the next 3 months. Not sure I buy into the need for dino for a proper break in but might go with semi synthetic for my first change? hmmm?

 

[Willwork4truck]

Ok If it is straight dino oil I might change it out a little earlier. Live in northern iowa and while out hunting it will have some really cold starts over the next 3 months. Not sure I buy into the need for dino for a proper break in but might go with semi synthetic for my first change? hmmm?

Verify what you are getting on the semi and cost out the difference between semi and full synthetic.
I just looked up “what is semi-synthetic oil” and the website “ itstillruns.com had this rather disturbing statement...
begin copied quotation:
Semi-synthetic
“Semi-synthetic motor oil is a mineral oil blend containing 30 percent or less synthetic oil.”
end of quotation

and from a 2019 Amsoil article (hardly seems bias free) begin quote:
The Pros and Cons of Semi-Synthetic Oils and Synthetic Blends

Andy Arendt|May 21, 2019 1:40 PM
Scott D. Galbreath asks via our Facebook page about the pros and cons of synthetic blend motor oils. Thanks for the question, Scott.

Making sense of motor oil can be confusing and frustrating. Choosing among full synthetics, synthetic blends, semi-conventional, conventional, high-mileage full synthetics and synthetic blends is just the beginning.
For many, synthetic blends and semi-synthetics are the most confusing. In part, this is because they fall between conventional and full synthetics on the motor oil spectrum. Examining the pros and cons of synthetic blends can help eliminate confusion.
Are synthetic blends and semi-synthetics the same?
When evaluating synthetic blends, it’s helpful to define the terms “synthetic blend” and “semi-synthetic”.

Generally speaking, synthetic blends and semi-synthetic refer to the same thing: an oil that uses a combination of conventional and synthetic base oils in its formulation.

It’s important to note that, while base oils are a fundamental element of a motor oil’s formulation, they’re only part of the picture. Additives make up the other part of the equation, and the quality and concentration of additives have a significant affect on the oil’s protection and performance.
For more, check out our definitive guide on synthetic vs. conventional oil.

Lastly, there are no industry specifications or regulations that define a minimum amount of synthetic base oil that must be present for an oil to be classified as a synthetic blend or semi-synthetic.”
end of quote.

Its important to read the last paragraph...

 

[nilsfisher24]

My thought would be to drive the truck for 4000 miles, get an oil analysis done, that will tell how the engine oil is and how the engine is. From there it would be easier to make a determination on what mileage to change oil at. A good full synthetic under “normal” driving conditions should last to 7000 miles, but would be better to see what an analysis says before going past that.


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