First oil change

[knuk]

I have heard a few different opinions regarding when to have the first oil change. Some say right after the break in period while the dealer and the manual say at 5000Km (3000 miles). Any opinions?

 

[SRT10]

Change oil first 400 mi, than 1000 mi , again at 2500 mi and every 3000 mi after that.

 

[Herman Buehrle]

I go for between 500 and 750 for the first oil and filter change. This is to get rid of the misc. stuff flushed loose from inside the block, and to get rid of the initial wear particles. After that, it's really dependent on how you drive your particular Viper. Some owners may not put 3,000 miles on in a year. That's why there is a time period AND mileage in the owners manual. There are also 2 different factory recommended maintenance schedules, dependent on how you drive and the conditions where you drive. More changes are better than fewer and won't hurt anything but your wallet. It's the "Pay me now, or pay me later" thing. I opt for around 3,000 miles after the initial break in change. If I've been "playing hard" with the Viper, than I change sooner though. I don't worry about the time between changes much, because I drive my Viper. However, I try to follow a change before winter storage, a minimum of once a month running it to the fan operating and move it up and down the drive. Then it's first oil change of the season when it's driving time again, to ensure condensation, etc. get flushed.

You don't have to go overboard either. The filter will trap pretty much what it needs to to protect the engine, until it bypasses, which would be a lot more contamination than you would want to imagine having in your engine. That, again is why time is also a factor. Exhaust blowby, raw fuel, etc, all end up in the oil sump in some quantity. The filter does not remove these.

Use quality, name brand oil and filter at a minimum. There are preferences on this board for Mobil 1 oil and filter. I will probably be flogged for saying it, but if the factory didn't believe their filter wasn't sufficient, I'm sure they wouldn't be offering it. You do have the extended warranty? That's the final insurance, when your Viper is getting up in age, and you've been to the track with it a number of times. That will take care of all the things not in the drive train, that will eventually happen, that cost so much more because it's a Viper.

 

[LittleFish]

I am due for the first change. Do I stick with the synthetic or switch to regular? Any help would be most appreciated! Thanks....Dave

 

[Russ Oasis]

Dave, definitely stick with synthetic. Don't even think about it.

 

[SylvanSRT]

I would stay w/ factory fill, mobile 1.

 

[Y2K10 SRT#39]

Craig-
500 miles, 1500 miles, 3000 miles, then every 3000 miles after that. That is what we do here!
Sorry- I can't convert to metric for you!

 

[knuk]

Thanks for the info everyone.