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What oil do you recommend?

And what's your oil change interval and the condition of the oil at each change, just out of curiosity? The issues with Fram and Allied Group filters is how cheaply they're made and what size they filter down to at what % of filtration per pass. They use less filter media, edge glue the media, press fit internal support instead of spot weld, no internal cap on the media to keep it in place. Even the "long life" made for extended interval changes with synthetic oils still are no better built than their standard filters. That's why many of us go with the much better built, better filtering and better particle retention of the Wix long life synthetic, Baldwin and NAPA Gold filters when running extended oil change intervals with synthetic oil. I'd rather run with a premium filter that will go 12K miles per filter change than a cheaper cost and built Allied, regardless of level (standard, hi-mileage engine or synthetic oil) of filter, that is only good to basically 3K miles and it's done.

10K mile intervals on a variety of 0w20 Synthetic. Have never tested the oil, but it’s clear on the stick at 10K as if it were day1. Clear enough that it takes a very close inspection to tell the level.
 
Oil and water have optimum separation at 195 degrees- thats where all the refineries run it at in prep stage of crude oil just for that reason. 10 degrees hotter or colder and separation takes 50% longer. (In case anyone wants to plan out a system.)
Interestingly enough, that is just about the ideal temperature (195-200°F) for separating ethanol from the water in the mash if you are makin' yer own corn squeezin's! 😉
 
I use a local lab: Lab One Inc. The key to good oil samples is to be using the same oil in the engine. Switching brands to what's on sale can mess up your results. Switching to synthetic can flash copper high from the oil cooler on some engines.

Other than finding the limits of the engine oil... Oil filters are really cheap and not all have caught up with the extended drain intervals. Further defective oil filters run for a long time are just that: useless.

Most oil brands are close enough with exceptions like TriboDyn. Synthetic vs. conventional has clear advantages esp. for high heat tolerance. The real consideration for most should be the oil filter.

@MrMarty51 The Mobil1 oil filter is made by The FRAM Group. That company in total has changed hands again recentaly, but, there was a TDR post of a OCOD FRAM that took out a 6.7 Cummins. It was a long Royal Cluster F to get the administrator company to pay for the engine. Most wouldn't use FRAM Toilet Paper, but, may be surprised at who owns and makes what. I was and their "I don't Care Attitude" over a defective filter I wanted to report means you are wasting money on the Mobil1 filter.

I wouldn't use a Wix plastic body fuel filter on a Duramax, but, locally it's the best oil filter available before I go mail order. The XP has wire backed media as new strength. Unlike the E-Core ACDelco cheap cheap cheap design I won't put on my engines anymore.

https://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/threads/mobile-1-oil-filter-failure-or-defect.44531/

Tear-O-Later : Purolator in a Bosch can. They are toast (failed) at 3000 miles.

Here's a look inside some leading brands of oil filters. Note that the NAPA Gold is made for NAPA by Wix (says so right on the NAPA Gold box). Purolator makes Bosch.
 
Here's a look inside some leading brands of oil filters. Note that the NAPA Gold is made for NAPA by Wix (says so right on the NAPA Gold box). Purolator makes Bosch.

I just bought a case of 10 Toyota OEM filters for $4.50 apiece off Amazon for my wife’s 4Runner. These are cartridge filters with no can around them. Hard to really see any difference, but they are OEM and the 4Runner will end up being mine when I get my wife another on fairly soon.
 
Gonna cut one open out of curiosity just to see what makes it tick?

There's a guy (different one) on YouTube who does this same thing of cutting the end off to see what's inside with 7.3 Ford IH diesel filters: Fram Xtended Guard, Fram Synthetic, Genuine Ford, Wix XP, Purolator, etc. He found that the Genuine Ford part was equivalent to mid-grade Purolator/Bosch in filtration media/overall construction and uses the cheaper bent-metal bypass spring. His video is over twice as long and three times more painful to watch than that one was, because of his very amateur production, but he gets the point across that often people are over paying for the comfort and the hype of a brand name that is built like cheap crap in reality.

You can never go wrong using the actual manufacturer's replacement filter and follow their change intervals, but it is nice to know that there are better quality options out there for filtration and lubrication than what the hype of TV commercials and NASCAR sponsorships try to sell us on.
 
Back on the oils-
There is a Youtube guy, project farm that has done several oil comparison test that showed ones like royal purple vs ams oil (ams oil won) others like mobil 1, Valvoline, kirkland, etc. His tests weigh heavy on cold start up which is good for most but would be completely negated by pre-oilers or oil accumulator. And other than boiling off the lights in the oil, he doesn’t show how they hold up to high heat. It is interesting to watch because often after heating the oils that look better perform worse. And in those test there isn’t the two biggest impact factors to our diesel engine oil- soot and fuel dilation of the oil.

That last point of the oils having heads up tests but not having contamination added is the real problem with most oil comparison testing. Oil ‘A’ might flow better, protect wear better, handle heat better than oil ‘b’. But when soot and a little silicon (dirt) gets into the oil how well it keeps them trapped in the oil and not affecting wear is key, along with how well any aeration gets settled out. Working at the fuel companies I did and when I got my play time in the lab, that was something I learned most tests completely miss.
Doing the normal ‘Timken bearing test’ of oil in the cup on the spinning wheel putting wear on a bearing - you need oil pumping to keep the aeration up and the contaminants flowing onto the bearing surface like in the real world.

oil lab sampling is great but things that you can do to help can look bad on paper. Like if you have 75,000 miles or kore on the engine- absolutely use the product “engine restore” as it has shown in all testing to help. But it will skew copper and other numbers higher on your sampling, so you have to account for it.

And how much insurance money are you willing to spend- like if your better oil costs an extra $100 a year but gives you a 5% chance of the engine surviving oil starvation from hard driving event like sudden turn or huge bump in theroad that jostles oil away from the pickup tube. Or how long are you going to own it.
I’ve seen a truck loose a few cinder blocks in the road and a couple cars hit them before we could all stop. A caddy took a hit to the oil pan and ran it dry. Freak happen stance- sure. But does that added cost make it worth it to you? Thats where the person has to choose.

People that just drive to work and back and dump the rig at 125,000 miles are wasting their time doing anything that extends engine life almost regardless of what rig/ engine it is. Unless there is a major design flaw in the engine- generic oil and filter will keep anything alive for that long. It’s when you want to hit 350,000 that it comes into play. Eat right, exercise, stay off drugs and your body might make it 100 years. Or join me at the burger place for a double patty w/ bacon and bbq sauce with the good french fries and a strawberry milkshake, and spell your hang out place Jim’s not Gym and see how ling that lasts you. DNA/ genes has the most to do with it, just like how it was engineered and built from day one.

The conditions you are in, how hard you work it, and how long you own it makes all the difference. This is a GM diesel forum, so we all know- if ya build a 6.5 well, or just plain get lucky and stay on top of maintenance it will last. Or pony up the cash and get a Dmax, cry about overheating if it bites you and injectors when they do (and they will) bite you. But know that the dmax is gonna live longer than a 6.5. It just costs more.

And yes, when I drive (if I am not driving fast) I wander around in my lane hitting the dots, just like my conversations- occasionally drifting to the shoulder- meandering near pointlessly.
 
Shouldn't that be "Money I spent on the 6.5"?
Thats the way it is over here. The CC will be paid off end of this month, then, I’ll be asking for forgivness on a coated radiator from Twisted Steel Performance. 🤷‍♂️😳😹😹😹
Bit Maw, I just could a not helped Myself.
Oh, just in fun. She knows that the radiator is next. She was actually driving when the temps was hanging on 117.
 
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