duramax oil change

[Trailer Trash 2]

I dont have a Duramax, but all engins opperate the same, and my personal oppion is 3 to 5K. As for 10 K it seems like a lot of dirty oil going through the engin which causes wear on most movable parts.
I also was instructed by my dealer to change every 3K, now they tell me to go every 5K. I dont recall any changes in my motor to justify this change, I do believe that if you follow there rules, they will honor there warintee deaveate from it and GM can say SORRY. I have a lot of money in oil changes in the last 11 years for my truck I just went over the 100 K marker. You figure 12 qts. and a filter @ 49.95 each time it all adds up over the years. and a clean engin means less maintenance in other places. so they say.

[TLightning]

Here's the latest on the Allison:

- Change the spin on at 5k, and (if towing), every 25k after that.
- Change fluid (if towing) every 25k.
- Change internal filter only after rebuild.
- Not necessary to 'flush' and change all the fluid.

[buschet1]

The debate for when to change oil goes on. Being in the new car dealership business for some 30+ years mostly with GM and the last 9 yrs with Chevrolet this is what I know. Dealing with customers in the service department on this topic almost on a daily basis, the time to change oil is what you feel comfortable with. As long as it does not exceed the manufacturers recommend maintenance requirements. Having the ability to talk with the engineers at GM and the oil companies, I use Mobile 1 Synthetic Turbo Diesel oil in my Duramax. I change the engine oil and filter when the system says “change oil now”. I do that because from my experience the first thing the GM rep asks for is the vehicle maintenance records when there is a major component failure or when the vehicle is out of the warranty. GM is more willing to help the customer that follows the maintenance schedules. If you’re comfortable changing oil at 3000 or 5000 miles than that’s what you should do. Doesn’t hurt anything. More and more manufacturers are going to the maintenance minder systems on their fleets. They are doing this to bring down the cost of maintaining the vehicle to sell more vehicles. But with that said I don’t think they would risk an approx $10,000.00+ engine replacement expense (Duramax engine list price and labor) by pushing the oil change point out to far. I also asked the engineers about the Allison. The thing is virtually bullet proof. I was led to believe that changing the external filter at every engine oil change is a good idea when towing heavy trailers (like a Montana). That external filter has a magnet built in it to catch the very, very small metal particles (dust)as the fluid passes through it. That’s why it so heavy and expensive for a small filter. The fluid is Dexron 6. It is a blended synthetic. I was told “that Duramax/Allison combo was built to work hard” as long as the maintenance schedule was followed and you don’t over rev it you should have any problems. The Duramax’s that we see in service with problems are the ones that belong to customers that just like to say they have a Duramax. We don’t see work trucks, tow trucks and the like in with major problems. Sorry this was so long winded.

[SlickWillie]

quote:Originally posted by buschet1

The debate for when to change oil goes on. Being in the new car dealership business for some 30+ years mostly with GM and the last 9 yrs with Chevrolet this is what I know. Dealing with customers in the service department on this topic almost on a daily basis, the time to change oil is what you feel comfortable with. As long as it does not exceed the manufacturers recommend maintenance requirements. Having the ability to talk with the engineers at GM and the oil companies, I use Mobile 1 Synthetic Turbo Diesel oil in my Duramax. I change the engine oil and filter when the system says “change oil now”. I do that because from my experience the first thing the GM rep asks for is the vehicle maintenance records when there is a major component failure or when the vehicle is out of the warranty. GM is more willing to help the customer that follows the maintenance schedules. If you’re comfortable changing oil at 3000 or 5000 miles than that’s what you should do. Doesn’t hurt anything. More and more manufacturers are going to the maintenance minder systems on their fleets. They are doing this to bring down the cost of maintaining the vehicle to sell more vehicles. But with that said I don’t think they would risk an approx $10,000.00+ engine replacement expense (Duramax engine list price and labor) by pushing the oil change point out to far. I also asked the engineers about the Allison. The thing is virtually bullet proof. I was led to believe that changing the external filter at every engine oil change is a good idea when towing heavy trailers (like a Montana). That external filter has a magnet built in it to catch the very, very small metal particles (dust)as the fluid passes through it. That’s why it so heavy and expensive for a small filter. The fluid is Dexron 6. It is a blended synthetic. I was told “that Duramax/Allison combo was built to work hard” as long as the maintenance schedule was followed and you don’t over rev it you should have any problems. The Duramax’s that we see in service with problems are the ones that belong to customers that just like to say they have a Duramax. We don’t see work trucks, tow trucks and the like in with major problems. Sorry this was so long winded.

Just curious; you ever serviced your truck yourself?

[TLightning]

buschet1...you mentioned expensive for the Allison filter. That's true if you get it from a GM dealer, who wants nearly $40 for one. I get mine from an Allison dealer, $7.60 (plus Uncle's tax).

[buschet1]

SlickWillie, Yes, I do the LOF changes myself and installed most of my extra equipment add ons. I’ve been in management end a long time but I still like pulling a wrench now and then.

TLightning, if that price ($7.60) is for the same filter by part number that is a hell of a deal. My cost on that filter is triple that what you’re paying retail. I’ll have to order some of those. You say you get them from an Allison dealer?

[HughM]

Also try International Truck dealers. They are Allison distributors. Allison is on the filter box.
Filter Part Number 29539579. Filter $6.38 and extra magnet part number 29535617 @ $2.29
GM dealers can't match this price, it's the cheapest way to buy Allison original filters.

[TLightning]

quote:Originally posted by buschet1

TLightning, if that price ($7.60) is for the same filter by part number that is a hell of a deal. My cost on that filter is triple that what you’re paying retail. I’ll have to order some of those. You say you get them from an Allison dealer?

Yes from the Allison dealer...get on the web site and it will tell you where the closest dealer is located. As a point of interest regarding oil changes. I did the numbers for my last change and had I waited until the DIC said to change it, the mileage would have been 9,933.

[exav8tr]

This is my first diesel and I am changing every 3,000 miles. Maybe overkill but it's what I do. It certainly doesn't hurt anything, just my wallet a little....