What oil for extended OCI under severe service?

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opposite_locker

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My work truck is a 2008 Dodge Ram 4.7 6spd with 85k miles. Truck sees 3-4k miles per month with alot of offroad driving in dusty conditions, lots of idling, high speed driving, heavy loads, and frequent trips to redline. Ambient temps get up to & above 100 deg in the summer, which is when the truck gets worked hardest. Manufacturer calls for a 5w20, even though 5w30 was specced before CAFE became such a priority.

Previously run oils:

M1 0w20 - run from 1st OC up to about 35k miles. Seemed to work fairly well at 7500 mile OCI's, but valvetrain was always a bit loud with this oil and I never felt comfortable running it past 7500 miles due to low TBN

PP 5w20 - only run for one oil change as if caused a noisy valvetrain that got VERY loud after the first 5k miles...changed out at 6k

German Castrol 0w30 - run from 45k-80k (with a couple changes of M1 0w40 in between) at 7500 OCI. The GC made the engine run a bit smoother and considerably quieter, but fuel economy dropped off a couple tenths. Tried to run the GC up to 10k, but engine started complaining at about 9k. Similar results with the Mobil 1 0w40.

Recently switched back to the M1 0w20 because WM had it on clearance for $4/qt, and I've definitely regained a bit of power & mpg.

Are there any 20wt synthetic oils out there that can comfortably handle 10k OCI's under such severe conditions? Or would I be better off going back to a higher-HT/HS oil with more TBN reserves?
 
Try M1 5-30EP or 5-20EP. They are an outstanding long drain oil. However in your driving conditions, outside contamination will be your greatest problem. Even though M1 EP oils are excellant, in your case a UOA would be helpful after 6K or so to evaluate silicon(dust) and metal PPM. Also keeping your air filter clean is a must for longer engine life.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: hounddog
Anyone even posted any oil analysis on Ultra yet?

Yes check that section..
 
Ultra/EP would be good. So would more frequent oil changes.
grin2.gif
 
You're under warranty. Stick to the 20-weight specified by the manufacturer. It's a work truck, and if the warranty gets denied for the oil you chose, you'll be on the hook for the bill, and you might lose your job - taking 'proper' care of your equipment is probably part of the coditions, unless it's personally owned.

With so much at stake (warranty, job...) I will NEVER understand why folks use non-specified oil in brand-new vehicles!!!
 
You need to do a UOA @ 10k to know anything. most everything except the dusty conditions can be handled pretty easily. At a grand a week I think an extended drain oil could go longer than 10k. Without knowing the contamination level, it would be a shot in the dark.
 
Originally Posted By: GROUCHO MARX
Severe service + 10K OCI = need for UOA


+1. Id like to see the data that gives the OP insight into the TBN issue with the 0w-20.
 
Man, you really are racking up the miles fast!
No wonder you want a long drain interval oil!
Amsoil has offerings that are right up your alley.
 
In dusty conditions, I would use good filters, and as much as I am loathe to promote Amsoil, the EaA air filter seems to be pretty good and can be cleaned to save costs. Widely respected oil filters like a PureOne, Mobil 1, or Amsoil EaO would be good also. Oils? Since the warranty is probably up already, maybe a HDEO 5W-40 (T6?), Amsoil ASL or ASM, Redline 5W-30, Pennzoil Ultra, etc. I do agree that whatever you choose, a UOA is probably a good idea.
 
"Try M1 5-30EP or 5-20EP. They are an outstanding long drain oil."

Didn't realize there was a 5w20 EP...seems like a viable & easy to source oil for my application


"Several Amsoil products.My first choice.
Amsoil ASM 0w-20
Amsoil SSO 0w30"

Have thought about Amsoil's 0w20, but doesn't cost approach $10/qt with shipping? Hard to justify that cost unless I can get at least 15k out of the oil, which I wouldn't be comfortable with given the abuse.


"What was TBN at your 7500? try 5w20 EP or 5w30HM
Id like to see the data that gives the OP insight into the TBN issue with the 0w-20"

Not saying I necessarily had a TBN issue at 7500 miles (honestly dont know), but the starting TBN is 8.5 which is on the lower side...isn't it?


"Wow no mention of Pennzoil Ultra?"

Just started looking into that stuff...starting TBN of 13! Looks like it might be the perfect oil for my truck, especially considering the price (< $6/qt)


"Severe service + 10K OCI = need for UOA"

Don't want to get into the whole UOA thing. I know myself, and if I start taking UOA's, I may never stop and end up spending more $$$ on UOA's than oil itself.


"You're under warranty. Stick to the 20-weight specified by the manufacturer. It's a work truck, and if the warranty gets denied for the oil you chose, you'll be on the hook for the bill, and you might lose your job - taking 'proper' care of your equipment is probably part of the coditions, unless it's personally owned.

With so much at stake (warranty, job...) I will NEVER understand why folks use non-specified oil in brand-new vehicles!!!"

True, truck is still under lifetime powertrain warranty, but is far from a brand new vehicle with 87k miles. I am not too concerned about lubrication-related failure with a quality synthetic oil, nor am I concerned about the dealership "finding out" that I'm using a quality synthetic oil that may be a different weight than specced in the manual. As it is I am far exceeding the recommended service interval under severe conditions (3k miles). As long as the engine isn't full of sludge (as many of the older 4.7's are), I shouldn't have a problem.

And job security isn't an issue as I work with my family, and help maintain many of their vehicles. Just trying to find the common consensus as to what oil would work best for my application.


"Man, you really are racking up the miles fast!
No wonder you want a long drain interval oil!
Amsoil has offerings that are right up your alley."

Yeah, tell me about it. Have put over $17,000 worth of gas in my truck in the 2 years I've owned it.


"Ultra/EP would be good. So would more frequent oil changes. "

As it is, my oil gets changed about every two months. I could always switch to our bulk "General Petroleum 10w30 syn blend" and change every month/3-4k miles, but it's hard enough to find time to change the oil at it's current ~2 month interval.
 
"In dusty conditions, I would use good filters, and as much as I am loathe to promote Amsoil, the EaA air filter seems to be pretty good and can be cleaned to save costs. Widely respected oil filters like a PureOne, Mobil 1, or Amsoil EaO would be good also. Oils? Since the warranty is probably up already, maybe a HDEO 5W-40 (T6?), Amsoil ASL or ASM, Redline 5W-30, Pennzoil Ultra, etc. I do agree that whatever you choose, a UOA is probably a good idea."

Usually use a NAPA air filter and NAPA or Bosch oil filter. Stock up on the NAPA's for all farm vehicles during their yearly filter sale, and have the Bosch filters from buying lots of "oil change special" German Castrol from Autozone. I used to run Mobil 1 and K&N oil filters, but they would both cause excessive ticking from the top end every time. Never had such an issue with the Bosch or NAPA Gold filter.

Found enough Mobil 1 0w40 in the garage for one more oil change. After that, I'm leaning towards Pennzoil Ultra 5w20 or Mobil 1 5w20 EP. Only the BMW is worthy of Redline...
 
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