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Old 10-15-2015, 01:20 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: WA
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Year: 1997
Chassis: International 3800 AmTran (wish it was a TransAm)
Engine: DT466E
Question Oil change tips on DT466E

Am I crazy...? I searched "oil" in the search on this site, and it turned up with 0 posts. There must have been an error because I can't imagine nobody talking about oil.

I have an International 3800 with the DT466E. I bought the bus in early August. I just decided to check the oil and it was soo black. Like tar black. After digging around some of the paperwork that was in the bus, I found that the last oil change was done Jan of 2014
  • Does anyone know the oil capacity on these engines? I don't want it to overflow my oil catch when I change it.
  • Anyone have recommendations for oil brand/viscosity/synth or non-synth, etc. ?
  • What are your oil change intervals for the DT466?
  • Do you guys change the filter with every oil change?
  • Any other tips? I have done plenty of oil changes on cars & motorcycles in my life but for some reason the bus is a lot more intimidating...

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Old 10-15-2015, 02:38 PM   #2
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The DT isnt any different than any other diesel.
15w40 Rotella or Delo
Change filter every oil change

Rule of thumb for an oil change is 1000 miles per gallon of oil. So, if its a 5 gal capacity....5000 miles. Of course this varies at times.

Like I always suggest, get a $25 oil sample done from Blackstone Labs and find out whats going on inside the engine before you find out the hard way. They can tell you if your oil is in need of change as well.
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Old 10-15-2015, 02:42 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlbatrossCafe View Post
Am I crazy...? I searched "oil" in the search on this site, and it turned up with 0 posts. There must have been an error because I can't imagine nobody talking about oil.
Fora don't like short one word searches. Try a google site search instead.

Search result from Skoolie
Quote:
Originally Posted by the skoolie
The following words are either very common, too long, or too short and were not included in your search : oil
Search result from google typing in "oil site:skoolie.net"
Quote:
Originally Posted by the google
About 2,220 results (0.29 seconds)
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Old 10-15-2015, 05:34 PM   #4
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Plan on 30 quarts at least.
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Old 10-15-2015, 07:07 PM   #5
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Oil capacity of a DT466 will fully depend on what oil pan it has. It can be 15 liters more in one bus from another.

Like has been said, 15/40. Brand don't matter.

Diesel oil contains detergents to break down the carbon buildup. Carbon is what makes your oil turn black.

Quote:
Originally Posted by opus View Post
Rule of thumb for an oil change is 1000 miles per gallon of oil. So, if its a 5 gal capacity....5000 miles. Of course this varies at times.

Oil capacity has no reflection on changing interval. Time and mileage, which ever one comes first is what dictates oil change interval's.

At the shop where we keep 400 buses running, we change oil on regular rout buses every 20,000 km. On buses that fill in as spares, we change the oil every 6 month's, regardless of the mileage on the oil. This is due to condensation leading to water buildup in the oil.

So, get a big pail, crawl under your bus, drain the oil, pull the big a$$ filter, reference how much oil drained into the pail, go to the store buy the same amount of oil plus 2 liters, use the old filter to get the right new filter, go home, fill the new filter and spin it on the engine, replace the drain plug, fill the engine with oil.

Careful not to overfill the engine oil. This will lead to leaking seals.

When you think it's close to full, check the dipstick. When it reads full, start the engine for a few min to get the oil flowing, shut it down, check again.

Always warm the engine up to operating temp before draining the old oil.

Make sure to fill the new filter before installing it on the engine. Failure to do so will cause the engine to run for a few seconds with no oil pressure, damaging the engine.

Nat
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Old 10-15-2015, 07:28 PM   #6
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Smile Thanks Natty

Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
Nat

Thank you sir, this is exactly what I was looking for. My dad made a joke about having to use a 5 gallon bucket as an oil catch, and now I know this isn't much of a joke after all. I would have never known to put oil into the filter as well! Good tips!
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Old 10-15-2015, 07:36 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlbatrossCafe View Post
Thank you sir, this is exactly what I was looking for. My dad made a joke about having to use a 5 gallon bucket as an oil catch, and now I know this isn't much of a joke after all. I would have never known to put oil into the filter as well! Good tips!
Your engine may contain more than a single pail will hold.

I live, work, and breathe buses.

Glad I could help.

Nat
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Old 10-15-2015, 08:55 PM   #8
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Your engine may contain more than a single pail will hold.
This. I use 2 buckets. One under the side drain and one under the bottom drain.

I don't know if two drains in the pan is common, but both my Cat CT13 and my Cummins CTA8.3 have them.
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Old 10-16-2015, 10:12 AM   #9
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I have a good friend who is a diesel coach mechanic (and luckily who is happy to answer my questions - too bad he's in AK and my bus and I are in WI), and he advocates changing the oil every 2,000 miles, although they don't change the oil that frequently in the fleet he works on. His reasoning is that the bus will always run better on new, clean oil than on dirty oil, so change it as frequently as you can.
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Old 10-16-2015, 10:50 AM   #10
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he advocates changing the oil every 2,000 miles, although they don't change the oil that frequently in the fleet he works on. His reasoning is that the bus will always run better on new, clean oil than on dirty oil, so change it as frequently as you can.
Nope......not a good idea. Too many reasons why and I'm not interested in taking the time to go in detail. Surely Google will though.
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Old 10-16-2015, 03:20 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by VeldatheWonderbus View Post
I have a good friend who is a diesel coach mechanic (and luckily who is happy to answer my questions - too bad he's in AK and my bus and I are in WI), and he advocates changing the oil every 2,000 miles, although they don't change the oil that frequently in the fleet he works on. His reasoning is that the bus will always run better on new, clean oil than on dirty oil, so change it as frequently as you can.

He must own oil company stock.
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Old 10-16-2015, 03:48 PM   #12
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Our trucks get fresh oil every 250 to 300 hours which ends up being about 13,000mi or so in my truck. That's what the manual recommends for extreme conditions. Engine is a cat ct13.

I do believe international set the maintenance interval for a dt466 at 500 hrs or 13,000 mi.
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Old 10-16-2015, 05:55 PM   #13
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Well, heck. Thanks, opus. You're clearly right...I wonder what he's thinking? Good thing I've only had Velda for 1,000, so I'm a long way (and a conversion) from needing my oil changed.
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Old 11-22-2015, 03:09 PM   #14
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I forgot to ask... are you guys using synth or conventional oil for your bus?

Also, any tips on where to buy oil in that quantity for a decent price?
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Old 11-22-2015, 04:30 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlbatrossCafe View Post
I forgot to ask... are you guys using synth or conventional oil for your bus?

Also, any tips on where to buy oil in that quantity for a decent price?
Dino oil. I buy my Rotella at Walmart.
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Old 11-22-2015, 10:09 PM   #16
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Delo 400 from Walmart. $12.57 per gallon.
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Old 12-11-2015, 03:35 PM   #17
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Finally did it! Oil cost about $130 for 9 gallons. I bought 3 packs of 3 gallons from NAPA auto parts because we don't really have a Walmart where I live (shocking, I know).

To catch the oil, I used one of those Costco crate/boxes that I lined with 2 trash bags and then taped around the edges. I filled that up to about an inch from the top. It was definitely cuttin it close lol. But at least it didn't leak.

The hardest part was getting the oil filter off. I bought the biggest oil filter wrench I could find at NAPA and it was still too small. That thing was not budging by hand either, and I'm a strong guy. Eventually, I just used one of these woodworking clamps:



It compressed the filter in a bit but it didn't leak. After a lot of budging it finally came loose. I refilled the bus per crazycal's instructions. After adding oil to the filter & actual pan, I went through about 7.5/9 gallons that I purchased.

Thanks for the help everyone!
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Old 12-01-2016, 01:47 PM   #18
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What would you recommend if we're storing the bus through the winter and we changed the oil just before a 6,000mi trip? Should we change it when we open it up in the Spring before any short trips? We won't be taking any long trips for a while, so I'm wondering if the condensation build up would be a good reason to change it now or later?
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Old 12-01-2016, 03:03 PM   #19
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do you have the capability to warm upo your bus during the winter? start it, place it into high idle and run it up till your temp gauge is at 180+ for a bit?

do it every 2-3 weeks, also keeops the batteries up as well...

-Christopher
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Old 12-01-2016, 03:55 PM   #20
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Best oil wrench I ever bought. I can pull the filter from the top of the engine!!http://www.gearwrench.com/gearwrench...drive.html!And very easiy.
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