2012 Ram 2500 6.7L Cummins-1st UOA

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All,

First ever report on this truck. I bought the truck used with 16000 miles and it is completely stock, except for a drop-in K&N air filter. Did my first oil change with Rotella T 15W-40 and all since with Valvoline Premium Blue 15W-40 and K&N HP 4003 oil filter. I sent the sample due to the EVIC notice of "Oil Change Due" not exceeding 2500-3000 miles and want to see if I can safely extend the OCI to 5000-7500 miles without excessive fuel dilution. The high iron numbers and low viscosity (while not an issue according to Blackstone) has me slightly concerned. Truck is used mainly for mixed highway/city driving back and forth to work (15 miles each way) and occasionally I pull a 7000 lb. travel trailer. Any advice or basis for my concern??
 
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Viscosity & flashpoint way down, fuel pretty high at 1.5%-I personally wouldn't be pushing it any further than you are now. Is the oil level increasing as you drive it? Do you do any longer highway runs (to help with excess DPF regeneration)? At least the K&N filter isn't allowing a lot of Si in. I definitely would be running samples regularly, for sure.
 
Maybe there are things that just don't show up in a UOA, but that oil does not seem to have a whole heck of a lot going on. Might try switching to a stouter oil.
 
I would consider Rotella T6. I have used both T and T6. I think you will be changing this oil based upon fuel dillution. I could go 18k on Rotella T6 with my 1999 Dodge Ram diesel.

Dump the K&N air filter, get a good one.
 
Doesn't this model year predate the use of urea in the 6.7 Dodge? If so that explains why the the oil is showing excessively low viscosity for such low miles, a 5w-40 would have sheared even worse here and probably wouldn't have helped with the FE either. 1.5% fuel isn't anything to worry about as it could have been attributed to how the sample was drawn.

Your FE is higher than it should be, but not crazy high, I'd be more concerned with the low viscosity as its nearing the low end of a 30wt.
 
If you want to keep your emissions system intact and know when it's trying to regen (which is most likely why our fuel dilution is 1.5%) I would install an edge CTS or equivalent to monitor the engine parameters. You can monitor soot levels in the DPF and EGT's etc to know when to expect a regen. It's important to complete the regens so they don't keep trying to clean out the DPF due to incomplete regens. I use this on my wife's Jeep diesel and works great. Just my 2 cents worth, but this is in part why I deleted my 2009 Ford 6.4 Powerstroke.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Maybe there are things that just don't show up in a UOA, but that oil does not seem to have a whole heck of a lot going on. Might try switching to a stouter oil.

M1Delvac 5w40.

Originally Posted By: Donald
...
Dump the K&N air filter, get a good one.

This!
 
Thanks for the reply, but you've brought up a couple things that I would like to expand on. First, isn't T6 the synthetic 5W-40? If so, realize that I live in southern Alabama and I would think that the 15W-40 would be more appropriate based on the OEM recommendation and the high temperatures here. The 2012 is the last year that Ram did not require DEF. With that being said the EGR and DPF on the 2012 is considerably different than the emissions equipment on the 1999 Ram 5.9L Cummins, which would drastically affect the oil contamination and life. I can't imagine making it 18k on a stock 2012 Ram, but I may be very wrong. As stated in my original post, this is the first oil analysis on this truck and it is also my first diesel, so I'm not near as familiar with diesel details as those of a gas engine.

As far as dumping the K&N, why and what do you recommend as a "good one".

Thanks again for the help.
 
Roadrunner- You are correct. No DEF, but I don't understand the viscosity readings and the relation to the lack of DEF. I'm saying that as an uneducated 1st time diesel owner, not sarcastically.
 
The aftermarket air filters generally allow too many contaminates through vs. stock and aren't needed for any power gains. For your locale I would stay with a 15w-40 as a 5w-40 will shear even more in your application.
 
Keep your K&N, clean and oil it every 50k miles and you'll be fine. The bad reputation comes from idiots over oiling them and destroying MAF sensors. You don't have to worry about that.


Your DPF should be getting cleaned plenty while towing that trailer. If I were you I'd run Maxlife Heavy Duty Diesel 15w40, get an Edge or something similar just to maintain vitals and cruise over next door to the Beau Rivage.
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Get an oil with a more stout additive pack like Delo or Mobil Delvac 1300. These engines like Zinc, Moly and Boron in the oil manufactures additive pack to reduce wear on components.

I've been running 5W40 Mobil 1 Delvac ESP in my Cummins with some extra ZDDP additive. My engine likes the 5w40 here in the Michigan winters. Started right up with remote this morning temp was (1) degree Fahrenheit, was not plugged in either.

If you are all stock with emissions intact, and with UOA stick with 6000-7000 mile change intervals. Too much fuel dilution other wise if you go longer. If you plan to delete the emissions then you can push oil changes out further 10K, 15K or more with UOA like previously stated.

Plain stock paper air filter works the best for me. It's your turbo, run what you want but I'd watch your silicone levels in your oil samples, if you notice it going up it may be due to pass through from poor filtering.
 
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Originally Posted By: Bighorn2500
Get an oil with a more stout additive pack like Delo or Mobil Delvac 1300. These engines like Zinc, Moly and Boron in the oil manufactures additive pack to reduce wear on components.

I've been running 5W40 Mobil 1 Delvac ESP in my Cummins with some extra ZDDP additive. My engine likes the 5w40 here in the Michigan winters. Started right up with remote this morning temp was (1) degree Fahrenheit, was not plugged in either.

If you are all stock with emissions intact, and with UOA stick with 6000-7000 mile change intervals. Too much fuel dilution other wise if you go longer. If you plan to delete the emissions then you can push oil changes out further 10K, 15K or more with UOA like previously stated.

Plain stock paper air filter works the best for me. It's your turbo, run what you want but I'd watch your silicone levels in your oil samples, if you notice it going up it may be due to pass through from poor filtering.


Bighorn- Thanks for the info. On a side note, I initially ran Rotella 15W-40, but changed to the Valvoline Premium Blue, as it is recommended by Cummins and guarantees 5000 mile OCI. I know that it is mainly marketing, but figured that if my EVIC was wanting me to change at 2500 miles that I could at least have an argument if I had trouble later down the road as long as I stuck with the 5K OCI and the VPB. Will definitely keep an eye on the silicon going forward. Thanks again.
 
For your locale I would stick with 15w-40, no need for a 5w-40 as you never see cold-starts. I know the few years manufacturers offered diesels without DEF the regen process was extremely hard on oil/engines.

If you have a Deere dealer nearby you could try some Plus 50 II 15w-40, its more than likely cheaper than what you're using now and is formulated as an extended drain lube. I've been using it for over 25 years with outstanding UOA's.
 
get rid of the K&N. https://youtu.be/gNQ6d3ox5Ok
try and go back to stock if you can....

as for why the oil has lower vis. is because, these years "regen" they dump fuel on the exhaust stroke to burn build up outa the DPF, in turn it thins the oil.

VPB is a fine oil.
you should look into "deleting" the emission stuff. it'll let your truck live a longer life.
 
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