Hey guys I'm new and just bought my first ram in feb and from the min i got in it and test drove it i was in love and will never buy anything but ever again, its an 03 1500 laramie 4x4 5.7 hemi, anyway i'm getting ready to do my first oil change on it myself (it came with the first one free where i bought it). My manual says it holds 7 quarts but i wanted to check that before i changed it. It has 97,000 and i read somewhere that its bout time to start it on synthetic and also high mileage oil, so i could really use some advise on brands of oil and filters from some more seasoned owners. Thanks!!

...Pics to come soon!!

 

7 qts. Many stay away from cheap filters, seems most like k&n, good mopar, wix, etc. Brand of syn oil is mixed. Mobil 1, pennzoil, amsoil, royal purple, castrol. Just make sure it is full synthetic. Several threads on here about it as well as stickys.

 

Not quite seven quarts. That's the capacity, not the fill amount. What I do is fill the filter and put it back on. Dump in five quarts and back it off the ramps, let it warm up a bit and shut it off for a few minutes, then check the level. It usually wants just about another quart to fill it to the "MAX" line.

 

Everybody has their own techique. Do whatever works best for you. 7 quarts is what you need to buy. Drain the old oil, remove the old filter and replace it. Pour in 6 qts and maybe half of the 7th. Start the truck and let the oil circ through a bit and turn it off and let it settle. Check the stick and add as needed. Mine always takes 7 quarts exactly with a filter.

If it hasnt had synthetic up until now, make sure you check it often after changing over. I switched to syn about 30k ago and, though it doesnt seem to be burning or leaking any, i noticed oil going away at first and needed to add more between changes. It has gotten better but still seems to be some loss between changes.

 

Thanks eevryone i sure appreciate the help!!

 

After looking at some oil and oil filter studies, weighing price and performance, i settled on mobil 1 full synthetic and I use either the mopar or napa gold filters. I believe those choices get you 95-98% of the benefit of using good filters and synthetic oil, so I don't bother springing for royal purple or something else expensive, though some guys swear by it.

Also, to continue on with what hemigreg was saying, for a used truck, if you are switching over the oil to synthetic, running some seafoam or marvel mystery oil to clean up the engine, running star tron to clean up the fuel system, etc.., just be sure that you keep an eye on things such as oil level/color, spark plugs, etc. Cleaning all that gunk out of your engine/fuel system is good for your truck but you may need to add oil between changes or change more frequently, and if you clean out the fuel system you will likely need to do the plugs once you are satisfied that you are "clean". Some food for thought.

 

Mobile also makes high mileage full synthetis as well. I starting using that at 100k. Mine did the samething on switch over, used alittle between changes. With the high mileage oil uses none. Walmart seems to be the cheapest place to buy $26 for 5 qt jug. I also use napa gold filters. Enjoy the truck.

 

mobile 1 and wix filter. have been using performance full synth for a long time now. might switch to high mileage full since i just went over 100k

 

P38251- should I run the seafoam before I change or throw it in with

 

Also napa gold is the same filter as wix, just fyi. There are several sights which show they are made on the same line, here's one.
http://www.fleetfilter.com/comparison-wix-filter.html