Oil Change on a 04 Dodge 5.9L Diesel

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Ernesto

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, AZ
Was reading dodge and diesel forums today about what oil to use, synthetic or not, what filter etc. It's worse than getting a decent answer about flooring on a flooring forum. heh heh

Was gonna go with Rotella T-6 but thats synthetic and my version Cummins does not require it, but I hear other guys use it. So I got Rotelly T triple protection.

And the filters, good Lord, what a PITA trying to find one those diesel heads like the most. Gotta run back out and get the correct filter. I got a Wixx 51607 but it said on their website it is for up to 2003, looks just like the one I got earlier which is a Wixx 57620, that one is for my year and up. Then not sure it can handle synthetic if I chose to return the T Triple Protection .

Now I realize why I started just going to the mechanic. :rolleyes:
 
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You lie like a Demoncrat! 59L kee kee kee! Is that thing even legal on the city streets? :p

What's the factory oil change interval according to the way you drive? I think

I use Mobil one in my gas rigs, but I never fully change the oil before 7500 miles......... and I have a carb, not FI.
If the "correct" oil change interval with dino oil is 4500 miles, then when using fully synthetic oil, let it go to 4500 miles, but only change the filter and add a quart (or whatever)
........ then go another 4500 miles......and then do a full oil and filter change.
Big truckers use synthetics for both mileage gains and engine longevity.

Trick is.......... NEVER change synthetic oil at the same interval as dino oil.
Synthetics handle higher heat without breaking down, and overall last longer without breaking down.
Oil may look dirty......... but that means absolutely nothing as far as it's ability to protect your engine.

If ya really want to know how long between changes, there is a well known lab called Blackwell, or Blackstone (memory is fading fast) that will test your oil for wear and metallic particles.
Their lab results will give you the real facts on when you need to change your oil.
I never done it, but should.
Their testing can tell you id there is excessive cam bearing wear, cylinder wear, and other stuff so you know what's in your oil.
Hey, why change your oil at 3,000 miles if it will still be in like new condition at 7,500?
Only your hairdresser will know fer sure.
OK, here they are.
............. be my guinea pig Ernesto.
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/
 
Sorry, that was supposed to be 5.9 L I got it confused with the 59 L engine in my yacht. LOL

My manual says to change synthetic the same intervals as dino oil. But I hear guys going 10,000 miles on an oil change. Not me, schedule A says 3,750 miles, schedule B is 7,500 miles. Or is that the other way around....no matter I stick to around the middle.

It's all about the oil change for diesels. Amazing the giddy-up you get after an oil change on a diesel.

They didn't make it easy to access the oil filter on my rig. I was sweating it getting the filter off an on.

Now I'm gonna change out the plugs on my 94 dodge cus it's runnin kinda rough. Youngest kid drives it and does not check nuthing. Bought some fancy platinum plugs for it. Hope I don't need new wires too.

Some of those guys on the diesel forum send their oil in to get checked. I don't think I'll go there, I worry enough about the spare being inflated. I don't want to know if I have metal shavings in my oil.
 
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Highup, my 94 dodge is still running rough. What should I do next, the plug wires? Could be original wires. Thats what I am thinking. This motor though has always acted like it was octane starved, runs better with Premium. The 5.7 L only has 137,000 miles on it so it should be good for another hundred thousand eh?
 
Do you have dedicated ignition coils, or a distributor cap? If a cap, I'd replace cap, rotor and wires. Wires need to be decent, but no reason for exotic stuff. Check the wire and it will say something like 7mm or 8mm suppression. Get the same type of wires
I use silicone dielectric grease on the boots........ ya really need to do that. They make one time use packets of silicone grease. I just bought wires that already had in applied to em. Bought em at Oriely's.
 
Do you have dedicated ignition coils, or a distributor cap? .

Well, I know I have wires but not a distributor cap like the old days, OK maybe it is but the dang thing is on center in the back of the motor like under the window deck. PITA place for it to be.

I have replaced wires before in the old days when you had to make your own. I better chek my manual. :confused:
 
Well, I know I have wires but not a distributor cap like the old days, OK maybe it is but the dang thing is on center in the back of the motor like under the window deck. PITA place for it to be.

I have replaced wires before in the old days when you had to make your own. I better chek my manual. :confused:
videos take too long for me to load, so as they say .......buyer beware.:D


I don't know if this video shows the guy doing it right, or if he's simply doin it his way.
I think that your distributor is about the same as mine............ and like Chevy, the Dodge boys put the dizzy in back. (looks better back there anyway)
If the distributor has as many miles as those old wires you were braggin about, the cap and rotor definitely need replacing. Get a good cap and rotor with brass, NOT aluminum contacts.
If you can find the Blue Streak brand, those are good. OEM makes good ones too. NAPA I think would be a good place to buy one........... just tell em you do NOT want aluminum contacts.

My way of replacing cap and plug wires would be this.

One at a time, pull each wire off a spark plug and put a piece of tape around the wire with the cylinder number on it. Use a fine marker so it don't smear.
After ya do that to all 8 of em, remove the distributor cap, leaving all of the wires attached to it.
Remove the rotor.......... some, like mine have screws, some lift off.

Now, take the new cap and wires, and make the new setup match the old one.

The wire kits have long and short wires, and tho they might not be identical in length to the originals.......... they will be close.

Install the long and short wires onto the new cap by comparing their lengths to those that are on the old cap.
Just make the new cap and old cap wire lengths look the same. (close as possible)
Use some blue tape and number the new plug wires to match what you wrote on the old ones that you took off.

Now, get back up on your step ladder :D and put the new rotor on, then put the Medusa thingy back on, snap the plug wires onto your new plugs and you are good to go.
(after doing this, it might be good to have the ignition timing checked, but it will probably be close)

When installing the wires, I use a 1/4 inch wooden dowel coated with dielectric grease to swab the inside of the spark plug boots with. Kinda like using a Q-tip to swab the inside of your ear canal, but this time you are coating the inside of the boot canal with a thin layer of grease.
The grease seals out dust and moisture, and also makes the wires easier to remove. Ya need the grease at the distributor cap end also.
 
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Thanks for that Highup, good idea with the tape.

I threw some Sea Foam in it yesterday for giggles. Been sitting awhile too. But passed emissions with bells and whistles only back in May. Before the kid got banned from driving for gaming all night right before school started he had power washed the engine. I'm thinking he got water up in the distributor.
 
Thanks for that Highup, good idea with the tape.

I threw some Sea Foam in it yesterday for giggles. Been sitting awhile too. But passed emissions with bells and whistles only back in May. Before the kid got banned from driving for gaming all night right before school started he had power washed the engine. I'm thinking he got water up in the distributor.

That could do it. Engines today, have sensitive electrical doodaddys on the engine like the tps (throttle position sensor) ECM. Best to cover some of those things before cleaning an engine, then use an automotive parts bush to loosen the grime and use a garden hose, not a high pressure sprayer to rinse with.

Yes, if the engine was warm when he washed it, a little steam getting up inside the cap can cause issues.
Still, those caps and the rotor need replacing. Mine get replaced probably every three or four years, which is less that 36,000 miles. There is a spark jumping a gap
inside those caps 600,000 times an hour at 2500rpm (if my math is right) which adds up over 100,000 miles.
60,000,000,000 sparks? :eek:
...........oh, I forgot. divide that by 8 cylinders and it drops to 7,500,000,000 per terminal. Not as much wear as I was thinkin. :D
 

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