Matthewc66

Just bought a 07 6.7 DRW MC and have a few dumb questions:

1. Should I wait for the 15K recommended by my dealer for the 1st oil change? I was always told during break in you should change the oil in the first few thousand miles to get rid of metal particles, etc. Also the oil in the truck may have sat there for 9 months while it was sitting on the dealers lot.

2. Water Collector: There is a water collector that collects water out of the diesel fuel which needs to be emptied from time to time. I cannot find this even though in the manual it says it is easiest to reach from the drivers side wheelwell.

3. The transmission I have is a 6 speed auto. The dealer said it is an Aisin but I read somewhere that the Aisin doesn't come in the 6.7 Mega Cab.

4. Glow plug lights: They are probably not called this anymore but there is a light you need to wait to go out before you start the truck. It looks like a lightning bolt. When the truck is warm I still have to wait 15 seconds before it goes out. Is this normal. I had an old diesel Rabbit in the 80's and once the car was warm the light went out right away.

Sorry for being so ignorant but this is my first diesel truck....

GMScott

Welcome to the site & congrats on going sparkplug free!!
1. The overhead will tell ya when you need to change the oil. Mine came on just before the first 3k miles but I was going to do the initial oil change @ that mileage anyway. Good idea. Now I follow a 10k mile OCI as most of my miles are highway.
2. Don't know about a water collector bottle, but you've got me curious now so I guess I better check my manual.
3. I don't believe your tranny is an Aisen - they come in the Cab & Chassis trucks. 68re is what you have and so far, I really like mine almost worth all the aggravation of the EGR.
4. NO Glow plugs, but good idea to wait for all the lights & dings are done before starting. There are a number of system tests being done when you first key on. Good practice to wait, especially when in the cold weather.
Good luck with your new ride. Enjoy.

DBLR

I would not wait for 15K to change the factory oil as you don't know how long it has sat in the engine. I think the factory oil should be changed before it hits 2K just to play it safe. As for the water drain if you can't find it have your local dealer show you how to get to it.

The trans in your truck is the Dodge made 68RE and not the Aisin as it is only used in the C&C trucks. Your Cummins has a grid heater and not glow plugs. My grid heater light only comes on when the outside temp is below 62 degrees, but I'm not sure how it is set up with the 6.7L engines or why it stays on for a full 15 seconds being your in warm sunny CA.

GMScott

Water collector bottle. Sorry about that - read too fast. Probably talking about draining water out of the fuel filter. If you look up under the beast on the driver's side, about midway along the engine, you will see a little clear plastic hose about 8" long connected to the bottom of the fuel filter. At the top of that hose, on the bottom of the fuel filter is a nobbed valve that you turn counterclockwise to release any water & fuel from the filter. Good luck with this as I have changed my fuel filter twice and cannot get anything to come out of the hose until the crank is almost completely off. This then lets fuel run all over coming out from "around" the valve instead of down the hose. I did notice the last time I changed it, that if I opened the valve and then broke loose the fuel filter itself about a half turn, that the fuel would then come down the hose.
You shouldn't have to worry about changing the fuel filter for awhile yet, 15k interval according to the manual, unless you're a little **** like me. I changed the first one with my first oil change and then I change both the fuel & air filters with each subsequent oil change.

FishOn

Glow plugs are indeed a thing of the past. The new trucks have what is called manifold heater that is required if the intake manifold temperature is below 66F. If the manifold heat cycle is required a symbol that looks like a wire coil will iluminate on the dash when the key is turned part way. Then you must wait until it turns off before starting the engine. All this is described in the manual. I would read the entire manual, if you haven't done so already, and pay particular attention to proper engine starting and operating section.

The lightning bolt symbol you observe is the ETC (Electronic Throttle Control) indicator bulb. It always will illuminate for 15 secs when the ignition is first turned on as a bulb check. This is also discussed in the manual.

This is my first diesel too and all this was new to me as well.