I took delivery of my '04 last week (4/30/04). I now have 860 or so miles on it. I have heard many different opionions on changing the fluids. I was going to change the diffs, engine oil, and probably transfer case at 1000 miles, but I have heard anywhere from 500 to 3000.I'm sure it won't hurt to change the fluids a bit early, but I don't want to be TOO premature... Should I change everything this weekend, wait until next weekend (probably 1500 or so at that point), or wait for 3000?

I had all mine done when I had the oil changed the first time @ 5K miles. I think that is ok.

Reasons to change early:


1) You don't want to have production crud floating around in the engine/diff/trans.


2) New wear metal shavings accelerate wear on seals/parts.


3) You just spent $40k on a new truck and this is cheap insurance.


4) You want to keep your truck for a long time.


That was my reasoning to change at 750 miles. I'm also doing another change as soon as I get my grape juice shipped from Dmaxallitech. I currently have a little over 3k on her.


First change was engine oil and filter, allison spin on, and rear diff. This time will be the same, plus the front diff.


I know this is probably "overkill", but I plan on keeping the truck for years to come. It helps me sleep better at night, knowing I'm taking care of my $40 investment.


After this next change, I'll be going to regular intervals.

Just what mbeckwith said above. Why after spending 40K+ would you not want to change fluids ealy. I have worked in and engine plant and can say even the cleanest of plants get crud in things during assembly.


Greg

What these guys say makes sense to me...flushing and refilling lubricants is certainly cheap insurance. The only thing I might add is that for the rear end, I would wait until I towed a few heavy loads before changing it to allow for a little burning in under load (heat, pressure, etc.). After that, change the lube out with the right synthetic spec (lots of arguments about GM lube vs. everybody else - you can avoid doing your own engineering research by just buying the GM lube from Eric, although I doubt it makes too much difference as long as the spec is correct) and enjoy your truck...

What brand dino oil should I use at my first oil change?


I too have a new Dmax and have about 700 miles on it.

I use Shell Rotella. After I run out I'm going to try something different, cuz it may be the cause of some odors. Chevron Delo comes highly recommended by others on this board. Either dino oil can be purchased at Walmart.


One other recommendation while on the topic of longevity of your truck... Contact Greg (fourth post on this thread) and get a Racor secondary fuel filter. If you don't get it from him, get it from somewhere, as it is recommended. I recommend Greg because I bought from him and it was a good transaction. Greg also carries the Fumoto valve. If you have a skid plate on your truck, you NEED one of these to prevent a mess all over the place.


If you want to use Grape Juice (GM recommended) in your rear diff, contact Dmaxallitech on this board. He's also a good source for other GM products and the Allison spin on filter.


Enjoy,





Marco

If you have a skid plate on your truck, you NEED one of these to prevent a mess all over the place.





Yep... I found that out. What a mess it makes. I took the skidplate off to clean it...


I changed the oil/filter, rear diff, and allison filter. there where all kinds of metal filings in the transmission fluid...

For most of us, the most important thing is to change the oil regularly - I shoot for 3-5K. And as noted above, Shell Rotella and Chevron Delo are excellent oils that are available at many discount chains. There will be lots of folks arguing about synthetic oils and their value - and they may well have some benefit in commercial service. For most of us, using our trucks far less than those in true commercial service, I personally believe "dino" oil is fine. I happen to use Shell Rotella, but others are just as good (make sure the spec is correct, tho.').


I also order the GM stuff from Dmaxallitech (Eric) - he's one of the tech guys on the forum and has good prices and service to your door.


And the post about the skid plate is correct - if you don't want a mess, pack the space between the oil pan and the skid plate tight with shop rags on the first change. The Fumoto valve with the nipple on it does alleviate the problem, but it will slow down the draining process a bit...

I use Kendall. This is what we ran in the 25 cranes I ran for over 30 years as crane operator running Cummins, Detroit,and Mercedes power plants..from 350 HP UP TO 500 HP.WE had a oil test setup thru Kendall.. I have now retired and have the same thing with my truck.I buy 5 Gals oil 15w45 and get two oil test kits for free..This is a nice way to find out what is going on with your engine and have a good record of oil changes. I do not know if Kendall does this for everyone. I see that some oil test kits cost 16.00 each ..It would be handy to check it out in your area.Just a idea.


Marsguy

Here is a copy of my maintenance record I have performed to date.


I do tend to change early, as others said it is important to rid your different driveline component's of early break in metals. On a side note I would have done my second oil change at a 2000 mile interval, but I was on a 1 week trip for about 2500 miles.









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Date</TD>
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Miles</TD>
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Hours</TD>
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Service performed By Fran Racicot</TD>
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Parts / Materials used</TD>
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Notes</TD></TR>
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3-7-04</TD>
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703</TD>
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23.5</TD>
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Change Oil &amp; Filter</TD>
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Baldwin 1441 O.F. 10qts.15/40 Delvac 1300 super CI-Rated</TD>
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3-7-04</TD>
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703</TD>
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23.5</TD>
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Change Rear Differential Fluid</TD>
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4 Quarts GM 75/90 W Synthetic</TD>
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3-19-04</TD>
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1085</TD>
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33.8</TD>
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Changed Allison Filter</TD>
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Baldwin 8460 T.F. / 3/4 Quart of Kendall Dexron 3 </TD>
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T.F.Indicates Transmission filter</TD></TR>
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