Hey guys my oil change is comin up just wondering what you all are runnin or recommend, I'm thinking Rotella T again, but just to throw it out there I always used full synthetics on my gassers with good luck and thats changin right at 15k, I pry couldn't stand to go nearly that long with my CTD but just wondering if I should stick to regular oil, cause once you go synthetic theres no goin back....Thanks!

 

Everybody has their own opinion. Some swear by it, others don't. I've seen the benefits of running it in gassers.Diesel engines have a long lifespan anyway, I don't think engine wear is affected that much. I've always run Rotella or Dello 400.

I asked a good friend of mine about it who ownsa shop here in Portland. He worksprimarily on diesels. He said there isn't muchdifference inengine wear between running good oil like Rotella and synthetic. There are benefits of running synthetics, I just don't think the benefits justify the cost, IMHO.

 

^^^^ What he said is right on. Where the synthetics start to shine are in cold weather applications, or high-temp racing appliations--things like that. If you go conventional, you can't go wrong with Rotella orDelo. For synthetic diesel oil, most use Amsoil. Use whatever makes you happy and works for your budget.
IMO, the filter is whereyou would do well to spend a bit more. The Fleetguard Statopore, Mopar (rebadged Fleetguard), Wix, or Napa gold (rebadged Wix) are the only way to go. Whatever you do, don't use a Fram filter on a CTD.
Personally, I order the Fleetguard Stratopore from Geno's garage a few at a time along with fuel filters.

 

I've always run rotella every 5-6k in my CTD. I could be way off, but i've always been a firm believer in picking an oil and sticking with it. Just make sure whatever you choose that it's a heavy duty oil made of diesels and such. The stuff they stick in their from the factory is no good. Just my two cents

 

I have been using rotella since I got my truck with napa gold filters.

 

I use Rotella as well. I also use a Wix filter. I am going about 7k between changes.

 

I go 5-7 k between. depends on how I drive and where I drive

 

Just remember this when it comes to synthetic oil you get what you pay for. In case you don’t know this but most synthetic oils sold by the big oil companies, Castro, Valvoline etc is nothing more then highly refined group III oil. Now if you want high quality synthetic oil for your CTD then you will want to buy either Red Line or Amsoil. Yes they cost a bit more but they also hold up well.

I just did a UOA on my oil (I used Amsoil 5w30 HDD) last month with 7,000 miles on it my TBN came back at 10.01. I could of run the oil for another 7,000 miles but I dumped it when I did the UOA. So I found out after the fact that I threw out dam good oil. But that is what happens when you take what Dodge has to say as the gospel when it comes to oil change intervals and also what counts as severe oil change interval and what counts as a normal one.

JM02

 

I did a poll a few months ago. The most common oil among respondants was the non-synthetic Rotella 15W-40. Amsoil was the most common of the synthetics. Personally I use Amsoil DEO 5W-40, but since you don't need the CJ-4 rating for your Cummins I would suggest Amsoil AME synthetic 15W-40 or the PCO synthetic blend 15W-40. Their AME oil has a TBN of 12, which gives it a long life.

 

I was using Rotella, then switched to Valvoline Premium Blue. Seems to run a tad smoother with the Valvoline.