Community Forums

Rob_M · 03-12-2022, 07:05 AM

I wish threads like these would be started in and/or moved to the engine forums.

Rob_M · 03-12-2022, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clemson

Owners need to understand why Cummins say annual or 15000 miles between oil changes. Diesel engines’ combustion process creates large amounts of acids and other contaminated from the combustion process which all end up in the oil. These can cause permanent damage to bearings and seals in the engine and turbocharger.

The folks wanting to sell you oil changes are pushing that point. But the way to find out for sure at what interval is best for you. Get your oil analyzed. It’s cheap and more important than changing oil twice as often as necessary. Because it can warn you of other impending problems like over fueling or coolant intrusion.

Same with coolant analysis.

GW4607 · 03-12-2022, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob_M

I wish threads like these would be started in and/or moved to the engine forums.

Sorry to post this on the wrong forum. I trust the option of must of the members of this forum. Again sorry.

wolfe10 · 03-12-2022, 07:39 AM

As already mentioned, overfilling the crankcase will make it appear that the engine is "consuming" oil when it very well may just going out the crankcase breather tube (yes on diesels with external crankcase breather tubes).

And excellent idea to CALIBRATE THE ENGINE OIL DIPSTICK at the next oil change. The engine manufacturer did not supply the oil dipstick-- that was done by the chassis maker and may or may not be accurate for your engine. Costs zero. If you need the step by step instructions, let us know.

UMXHAULER · 03-12-2022, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob_M

I wish threads like these would be started in and/or moved to the engine forums.

Sorry you are offended. I am not offended at all-just Newmar owners helping other Newmar owners. I change mine every year or 15,000 miles whichever comes first. Oil is cheap insurance in my view.

Tizbad · 03-12-2022, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hpozzuoli

Same boat. I don’t do 10k miles a year. I think yearly changes are over kill for the 2-3k miles I do per year. I might go to every other year for fluid changes.

The main reason for changing oil every year is to get the moisture out of the crankcase. It takes many miles of driving to get the oil up to 225 F, which if I remember correctly is when the moisture finally begins to burn off. Ours usually sits for 5 months over the winter with fresh oil in it ready for spring in April. I never start it in that time frame, since I would only be adding moisture to my fresh oil. Our average yearly mileage is around 6k miles. Fresh oil is your cheapest mechanic.

Dutch Star Don · 03-12-2022, 03:40 PM

First off, some things just need to be posted in this forum as once they're posted in the engine forum, they get lost and never seen again.

With my first DP, I was kind of fanatical and changed everything every year, from the air cleaner to the fuel filters. We were doing about 10K a year.

After a while I realized I wasting time and money. Because we live in California, the coach is used all year, never goes into storage or gets winterized. I don't worry about time on the oil and change it every 10K -12K miles when its convenient. With that said, if I had to store it every year, for winter, I would most likely change the oil before any long term storage for reasons described above regarding acid in the oil.

Personally, I don't see the benefit of testing oil, unless you're buying a used coach. I change my oil on MY intervals, no need to test.

I keep a 2" ring binder with my service intervals and paperwork I might need in an emergency, like resetting the MCD shades. I used to service the coach all in one day. Now I may change the oil and lube the chassis one day. The date and mileage gets logged in my binder. I do fuel filters every two to three years or 20K miles. The same with the air filter. Because I do them at different times now, it's no longer a huge job.

The generator I do by hours.

Just to clarify, follow your own schedule, but this is what works for me and my coach is always properly maintained.

mahdi · 03-12-2022, 06:21 PM

I do my oil change annually just before winter sets in. It is important to have fresh oil in the engine when you store the coach for more than a couple of months. The acidic nature of used diesel engine oil is harmful especially during long storage months. It so happens that I do 15k miles in a year but the deciding factor is the approaching winter. When I was younger and ran my boat ( 2 CAT 3208s and 13 KW Onan generator) for over 2 decades. I also did the oil change annually (around 100-150 engine hours). I always noticed how caustic the used oil was. It will burn through 3 heavy duty plastic bags which I used to remove the old filters by the time I could put the bags in the oil bucket. It is that stuff that will scar the inside of you cylinders.

mahdi · 03-12-2022, 06:22 PM

By the way my ISL 450 does not use any oil in 15k miles between changes and I like it at the FULL mark.

Rob_M · 03-12-2022, 07:56 PM

I guess I was being narrow minded and hadn’t considered oil changes before each season’s long-term storage. We use ours year round and the coach rarely sits for more than a month.

Dr. Mike · 03-17-2022, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clemson

Owners need to understand why Cummins say annual or 15000 miles between oil changes. Diesel engines’ combustion process creates large amounts of acids and other contaminated from the combustion process which all end up in the oil. These can cause permanent damage to bearings and seals in the engine and turbocharger.

I love the thought process, but…. If I have the oil (engine and generator) analyzed and it comes back fine, what are your (the members in the audience) thoughts about holding off for a year? I usually put on about 3000-5000 miles per year.
I am not opposed to changing the oil/filters. I am opposed to paying Cummins $1700 to do it.

Thanks

Dr. Mike

UMXHAULER · 03-17-2022, 04:35 PM

Dr. Mike, $1700 seems ridiculous to change the oil and filters on the engine and generator. If you can't do it yourself, look for an independent truck service center to take it to. I know Cummins makes a big deal about using their brand of filters but I have used Baldwin and Fleetgaurd for years and never had a problem. Any, 15W40 oil that meets Cummins specs is fine. I use Chevron Delo 400 or equivalent. I still change every year no matter what but we all have different opinions on that.

Dr. Mike · 03-17-2022, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UMXHAULER

Dr. Mike, $1700 seems ridiculous to change the oil and filters on the engine and generator. If you can't do it yourself, look for an independent truck service center to take it to. I know Cummins makes a big deal about using their brand of filters but I have used Baldwin and Fleetgaurd for years and never had a problem. Any, 15W40 oil that meets Cummins specs is fine. I use Chevron Delo 400 or equivalent. I still change every year no matter what but we all have different opinions on that.

Hi
I have a Speedco 1 mile from the house and four major truck service centers all within walking distance. The truck service centers will not touch an RV and I am still trying to work with Speedco to do the oil change. They will not touch the generator. The $1700…….that is their “special” price.

UMXHAULER · 03-17-2022, 10:04 PM

Dr. Mike. Ouch! It really is easy to change the oil and filters on these rigs-generator too. I buy a 5 gallon bucket and lid at Walmart for the used oil which I can dump at Autozone or other parts stores. If you have the L9, it's about 29 quarts of oil between generator(3) and engine(26). I buy both filters at a local truck supply store and oil at Walmart. You need a big adjustable filter wrench for the engine and a small one for the generator. Takes me about an hour for both and easy to crawl under these rigs too when aired up. it would take me longer to go somewhere and wait for them to do it.