I just purchased a 1996 Dodge Dakota Club Cab 3.9L V6 with 109K miles on it. I paid 4k for the truck, I think that was a good buy. What makes it even better is that it was a one-owner truck and the previous owner kept all of the service receipts from the day he bought it. It took forever to sort it all by date! I have always been a ford guy, but I have decided to try an older dodge since I have had some bad luck with ford. Now, on to my questions. The previous owner ran nothing but 5w-30 in the truck, but I read in the owners manual that Dodge recommends 10w-30 in warmer weather. How bad would it be to run 10w-30 in the truck when it has seen nothing but 5w-30? How about running 10-w-30 during the summer months, than switch back to 5w-30 during the long Minnesota winters? And my last question, the truck seems to be running a bit colder, the needle is about a third of the way up on the gauage. Is that normal? Having always driven fords, I am very inexperienced when it comes to Dodge trucks.

 

If your worried about the temp, you could install the factory one (around 190) and confirm. The guage is not known for its accuracy, but does the job. As far as the oil viscosity, you can run either. Since your in the northern part of the states, I would recommend the 5W-30, especially during the winters. The "10W" or "5W" weight (really means Winter) will only affect your pressure while it is warming up. Once it is warm then it stabalizes at the "30" viscosity. The reference book is called the J300, and you can look through it to determine your areas coolest and highest ambient temperatures and pick a grade based on that.

 

My 2001 4.7L was also running cold. May not be related, but when I disconnected battery to clean posts, the temp read correctly again, and has been for about a month now.

 

Yep, either weight on the oil is fine.
My temp gauge never even hits a third of the way up on the gauge. It rests just above the bottom line, but I also have a 180 thermostat. My truck runs great. I think it's normal for our trucks. Welcome, and good luck with your purchase! ....