Ram Ecodiesel Oil change question

[aaluck]

This might be a silly question but... I umpire a lot of baseball in the spring/summer. With that comes a LOT of rain delays. There are times I will sit in my running truck for hours waiting for the weather to clear.

Here is my question. During these spring/summer months my truck is demanding oil changes at about 3-4000 as opposed to the "normal" roughly 10k. Do you think I can just stay on the normal schedule and change it around 10k since about 1/2 (or more) of the engine run hours are me just sitting still?

 

[McMXi]

This might be a silly question but... I umpire a lot of baseball in the spring/summer. With that comes a LOT of rain delays. There are times I will sit in my running truck for hours waiting for the weather to clear.

Here is my question. During these spring/summer months my truck is demanding oil changes at about 3-4000 as opposed to the "normal" roughly 10k. Do you think I can just stay on the normal schedule and change it around 10k since about 1/2 (or more) of the engine run hours are me just sitting still?

I'm definitely no expert, but it has been standard practice for decades to change the engine oil more often (in terms of mileage) if the vehicle runs at idle for extended periods e.g. taxis, police, ambulance, tow trucks, delivery trucks, etc. The widely accepted reasoning is that lower operating temperatures equates to more blow by which equates to more oil contamination. Of course, vehicles from decades ago didn't have the fancy computers in them that can possibly do a much better job of monitoring operating conditions, so changing oil more often was a simple solution to a complex problem.

Oil and filters are cheap (relatively) so pick your poison. If you plan on keeping the vehicle for many years it would be wise to change the oil more often. If you change vehicles fairly regularly then perhaps not.

 

[lynnmor]

This might be a silly question but... I umpire a lot of baseball in the spring/summer. With that comes a LOT of rain delays. There are times I will sit in my running truck for hours waiting for the weather to clear.

Here is my question. During these spring/summer months my truck is demanding oil changes at about 3-4000 as opposed to the "normal" roughly 10k. Do you think I can just stay on the normal schedule and change it around 10k since about 1/2 (or more) of the engine run hours are me just sitting still?

If that is a newer diesel truck that is abuse. Yes, follow the OLM or better yet, switch it off.

 

[RCW]

I'm far from an expert either. Don't know that much about the DEF systems if so equipped.

I'd also probably stick to what the monitor suggests. Admittedly an uninformed suggestion.

I just recently have gotten so I use the Oil Life Monitor on my gasoline-powered truck.

 

[GeoHorn]

This might be a silly question but... I umpire a lot of baseball in the spring/summer. With that comes a LOT of rain delays. There are times I will sit in my running truck for hours waiting for the weather to clear.

Here is my question. During these spring/summer months my truck is demanding oil changes at about 3-4000 as opposed to the "normal" roughly 10k. Do you think I can just stay on the normal schedule and change it around 10k since about 1/2 (or more) of the engine run hours are me just sitting still?

You don’t mention the year model or your warranty-status….but long periods of idling will cause your truck to give you an oil-change/service message based upon useage.

If under warranty… I’d change the oil for certain.

If no warranty is involved….it’s your call…but if you are meticulous regarding maintenance, I’d also suggest you change it. Diesels do NOT like to idle for long periods (Forget what you thought because you saw 18-wheelers at truck stops idling for long periods. NOT Applicable to a passenger vehicle.)

Long idling in a modern diesel will kill your very expensive emissions systems, not DEF particularly….but your DPF, your catalytic-converter, your turbo and CCV.