oil change interval for diesels

[Mekanic]

Just look at how long the Over the road truck drivers let them go
oil change intervals - Truckers Report Trucking Forum | Largest CDL Truck Driver Message Board

They range from 15K-45K miles on a oil and filter change.
Off road I saw 250 hours
of course 250 hours of operation @ 60MPH is 15K miles

[Billieg]

Well, if you want to keep your diesel running right and the injectors clean and working well, the EGR system clean and working I'd suggest an oil change every 7,000 miles at the most. You get what you pay for and if you ignore your coolant and oil changes then you will be paying a lot more than if you keep it up.

Change your coolant every 50,000 miles or spend BIG $$ on radiators, water pumps and a lot of other stuff. Also use Extended life coolant because it works. It just makes good sense to take care of what you have instead of trying to save a few dollars. In the end you will spend a lot more on repairs if you let it go.

Your trans fluid should be changed every 30,000 miles and not just a drain and refill but a complete flush with all new fluid and a filter.

High temps destroy oil, trans and coolant and they are the blood of your motor... Taking care of your MH this way will insure you get 500.000 or more on it without all the repairs.

[Arch Hoagland]

The railroad diesel engines never change their oil. They have a filter that has to be changed with a crane but the oil is not changed.

They also do not use antifreeze. If the engine isn't running and the temps drop they automatically drain their cooling system.

[336muffin]

Oil pans on big trucks have a much larger capacity than motor homes. My KW held eleven gallons.

[sdennislee]

I am thinking of going to oil and trans fluid sampling to determine change intervals.

[historyljc]

Freightline Service Center in Gaffney, SC., recommends 15,000 miles or annually. So far with me it has been the annual option. Now that all warranties have expired I'm thinking of going with the oil sample testing. Might save some money.

[Ed-Sommers]

After retiring from the Navy, I went long haul trucking for four years. I hauled out of Long Beach, Ca to the East Coast and all points in between.

I changed the Oil when I reached Home Port, didn't matter if I did 10K or 50K, but time or mile intervals are extended when shutdown is sometimes few and/or far in between.

Ed

[RJay]

Next oil change will be to synthetic and oil analysis and change filters annually.

[Jim28730]

Very interesting...I too am just leaving the warranty safety zone.

[cb5300]

Cummins call for 15,000 mile changes (or annually). I just couldn't bring myself to go that long so I split it in half, every 7500 mile, oil and filters. I also change out the fuel filters at the same time and lube up everything. I'm lucky that I have a truck service center that will do it for around $200.00. 52 qts of oil, filters and labor...not a bad deal if you ask me, beats the heck out of me doing it.

[RickO]

I go with the Cummins spec of 15K or annually.

Rick

[Brigadoon]

I go with the Cummins spec of annually or 15K miles, which in the end means I end up changing it about at about 8K to 9K miles.

[sdennislee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cb5300 Cummins call for 15,000 mile changes (or annually). I just couldn't bring myself to go that long so I split it in half, every 7500 mile, oil and filters. I also change out the fuel filters at the same time and lube up everything. I'm lucky that I have a truck service center that will do it for around $200.00. 52 qts of oil, filters and labor...not a bad deal if you ask me, beats the heck out of me doing it.

For $200.00 I'd do it at 7,500 miles to just for peace of mind.

[chasfm11]

We've been out of warranty for a while. I was following the 15,000 mile (which we've never reached) or one year approach. Then I sent off a sample to Blackstone Labs. Their recommendation was that I didn't have to change it at the end of that year. I gave them the last oil change date so that they knew the oil had been in the engine for a year.

I understand that the reason to change oil is that it builds up dirt and contaminants, not that it looses its lubrication qualities. With a lab like Blackstone examining those aspects, I believe that I'd be safe in going past the one year mark. For a variety of reasons, I elected to change the oil before I got to the two year mark. I plan on sending a sample to Blackstone when I get to one year again.