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Chat with a old-timer about oil changed my tune
I was talking to this mechanic named Frank at a shop outside of Denver last weekend. He's been working on diesels since the 70s and he told me I was overthinking my oil intervals. He said he's never changed oil more than every 10,000 miles on his 12-valve and it's still running strong at 400k. That hit different because I've been stressing about 5,000 mile changes like clockwork. He also mentioned that modern oil is way better than what they had back then, so the old rules don't always apply. Now I'm wondering if I'm babying my engine too much or if he's just lucky. Anyone else ever get advice from a veteran that made you question everything?
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john_cooper17d ago
That 10,000 mile interval on a 12-valve makes sense but only because those old Cummins engines are built like tanks. Frank's not wrong about modern oil being better, but there's a catch. Most modern engines with variable valve timing and turbochargers actually sludge up faster if you go too long between changes. I'd stick with 5,000 on anything made after 2005 unless you're running a full synthetic and doing highway miles. His 12-valve is a different animal than a modern diesel, so don't feel bad about babying your engine.
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Modern engines sludge up faster" feels like one of those things everyone just says now. I get the theory but how many guys are actually tearing down their engines at 100k to check? Oil analysis would tell you more than guessing based on the year of the truck. Frank running 400k on 10k intervals is a pretty solid data point.
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riveradams9d ago
@jordanc32 makes a good point about oil analysis, I saw a guy on a Cummins forum who ran 15k intervals on his 6.7L and the lab results came back fine every time. Frank sounds like he knows his stuff but I'd still run a used oil test before I change my whole schedule.
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