330 cat

[bachler]

Well here it is. 72000. miles on the 330 cat in an Ultimate Advantage . The good news. towing a Chev. Mel. Averaged 10 MPG. NOw I have been changing my oil at 2500 miles The cat man said 10000. miles between changes.. At 9000 I was 3 quorts low. What si the average Oil change schadule ??

[RCtime]

I change mine once a year, I have the shallow pan, 19 qts. I believe it is over the 10,000 miles, recommended or once a year.
Since I dont go over the miles I do it once a year.
However I am never low on oil between changes. Nice mileage you are getting, just got home from a 2000 plus mile trip and I figured VERY roughly in my head type 8.9 mpg towing my CRV.

[DeanLinAZ]

CAT manual states oil & filter change at 11,000 miles or annually, which ever comes first. My CAT 330 has 62,000 miles, is filled with 19 quarts and has never used any oil between annual changes so far. Our mileage averages about 8.5 mpg on a 2004 39W Journey. We're happy.

[erniet]

How do you folks get this kind of mileage? I'm only get 7+, 39 ft 2004 Itasca Meridian, 330 Hp not towing a thing. Thanks Ernie

[1ciderdog]

Erniet, I'm with you - my mileage tends to be between 7.5 and if lucky 8.0.

[Pusherman]

CAT C7 350H on a 34' Journey. I average about 8.4mpg towing a 3200 lb toad. Keep it around 62-63 mph.

The 39' Journey is 5' longer, and I'm sure carries more weight. But I think the biggest influencer is your right foot.

[cbeierl]

Originally Posted by bachler

Well here it is. 72000. miles on the 330 cat in an Ultimate Advantage . The good news. towing a Chev. Mel. Averaged 10 MPG. NOw I have been changing my oil at 2500 miles The cat man said 10000. miles between changes.. At 9000 I was 3 quorts low. What si the average Oil change schadule ??

Has your dipstick been recalibrated for 19 quarts? Here's a relevant posting from the Freightliner forum: Engine Oil Dipstick Calibrated Incorrectly

[doorguy]

I, also change my oil frequently, every 5K. I do it myself, so the costs is only about $80 or so. I am a stickler for frequent oil changes in all my vehicles; truck and car are still every 3K, old fashioned thinking, but, again, my own labor, so it is cheap insurance as far as I'm concerned. My 02 Dakota, 4.7L has 135K on it and it still runs smoothly. I have the identical rig as 1ciderdog but I tow about 5500 lbs., much more than the average and I get between 7-8 mpg depending on terrain.

[Navy Flier]

There are three important factors in fuel mileage; wind, weight and speed (your right foot). If you would like to see what Cat has to say about that look at this link:

http://www.catrvclub.org/PDF_Docs/Un...nding_Perf.pdf.

As for oil change schedules there is a reason the engine manufacturers provide the mileage requirements that they do; it is what their engineer and chemists have determined is best for any particular engine. That is why there is no "one size fits all" mileage requirement. For anyone still changing oil at 3k miles, be my guest. Personally, I do not care to toss money out of the window. I service my own vehicles and have not used the vintage 3k number for more than 30 years. Look at your owner's manual. I do not believe any vehicle manufacturer recommends less than 5k or annually. Many recommend more than that and both Cummins and Cat are at 10k or more depending on the engine though they both recommend annually if you drive less than the recommended mileage. Even service managers will tell you that you do not need to visit them every 3k and they are in the business to make money.

[bachler]

We all need to do/change oil where we are comfortable.. My neighbor worked for a thuck line. Maintanence dept. There trucks. In town or long haul. Changed oil at 100000. miles. Now I don't agreewith that. But;; as for the mileage. our motorhome Had 235 x 22.5 XRV tires on it. I put them in the garbege. And installed Z michilin 275 x 22.5 truck green line, Run them at 100 LBS. My spedo reads 57 MPH. The GPS shows 65 MPH . the Tack sets at 1550. My mileage with all corrections in place sets right on 10 MPG. Some may dissagree about tire pressure or engine torque range, That's fine I pull. My tow up the hills with everyone alse;; To be perfectly clear the truck tire will be a bit more stable and cost quite a bit more... BUT it is my house's foundation. and I will not scimp on that. Less schaub installs a pair for $1600.00. so that near $5000.00. I will put the best on our motorhome. as WE blew 2 of that XRV crap out while going 60 MPH down the road. Not a good feeling... Life is to short to skimp on tires...

[amanda_h]

Originally Posted by bachler

We all need to do/change oil where we are comfortable.. My neighbor worked for a thuck line. Maintanence dept. There trucks. In town or long haul. Changed oil at 100000. miles. Now I don't agreewith that. But;; as for the mileage. our motorhome Had 235 x 22.5 XRV tires on it. I put them in the garbege. And installed Z michilin 275 x 22.5 truck green line, Run them at 100 LBS. My spedo reads 57 MPH. The GPS shows 65 MPH . the Tack sets at 1550. My mileage with all corrections in place sets right on 10 MPG. Some may dissagree about tire pressure or engine torque range, That's fine I pull. My tow up the hills with everyone alse;; To be perfectly clear the truck tire will be a bit more stable and cost quite a bit more... BUT it is my house's foundation. and I will not scimp on that. Less schaub installs a pair for $1600.00. so that near $5000.00. I will put the best on our motorhome. as WE blew 2 of that XRV crap out while going 60 MPH down the road. Not a good feeling... Life is to short to skimp on tires...

[wagonmaster2]

Originally Posted by 1ciderdog

Erniet, I'm with you - my mileage tends to be between 7.5 and if lucky 8.0.

Same here. With my 2004 36' Meridian towing a Jeep Wrangler Sahara showing 57,000 miles on the odometer the Trip Tec average over all the time is 7.49. Depending on whether we're going west/east across Kansas/Colorado on I-70 with a 20-30 MPH cross wind (which is the rule rather than the exception) or traveling in the Colorado mountains my mileage will run from 6.5 to 8.8. Coming home eastward on I-70 on the seldom occasion with very little wind gets the best mileage (dropping from 8,000 feet down to 1,200 feet is all downhill). And this is between 60-65 MPH. I can't imagine seeing 10 MPG even downhill but I'd sure love to.

Wagonmaster2

[Ramzfan]

I have a relatively new to me 2006 Itasca Meridian 36G with 20,000 miles on it. It has a CAT 350 engine and I am getting milage in the 7 to 8 range. The TripTec says it has averaged 7.0 mpg since it was new. I wish I knew how to improve the mileage...? I usually drive at about 58 mph.

[bachler]

A couple points I forgot to point out .. I change my own oil and filter. When i change it I put 5 gallons on oil total in it.. that works for me... Also we hit some 117 degree weather, Man that is hot. the heat gage moved over toward the High side. we turned the air off turned the heater on in a matter of 2 miles it was back down where I was comfortable with the engine Temp;; It is much better For me and the wife to get a bit warm then to over heat the engine..also in the KOA that afternoon our absement air took us down to a comfortable 78 degrees in the coach, it was over 100 deg outside... We must be sure we have all the windows and vents/doors closed. It works as it should.. around the campfire disscussions, there are those that belive that you must have a vent/window open.. and complain that there air don't work... PLEASE help me...

[docj]

A number of years ago Cat published an excellent paper that relates engine size, coach weight, speed and fuel economy. Here it is if anyone is interested:Cat fuel economy paper