Just curious what oil weight folks are using in their Dakotas.
I've got a 1991 318 Dakota with 200,000 miles. Had it for about 8 months and it's time to change the oil . I've been topping it off (leaks some) with 10w-40.
Should I change the oil with 10w-40 or 10w-30 (which I always used with my 85 ram 318 240.000 miles) ?
Also, does anyone have any experience with the high mileage oil ?
Is it worth trying?
Thanks

 

I run 10-30 myself. Either is fine I'm sure. As far as the high mileage oil goes, it's ok, but I prefer a bottle of lucas oil additive. It's only 10 or 11 bucks, but it replaces a quart of oil so it's maybe 6 dollars. More protection for your money.

 

take this how you want but i got 3.0 chrysler lebaron that i still drive today with 311K miles. original motor and trans. nothing special just regular oil

 

I'm running 5w30(In Canada) Mopar Oil. No leaks, nothing to make me think the oil is hindering it at all. I know that higher mileage vehicles tend to get thicker oil so they don't leak/burn as much but I've never experienced the need for that luckily.

 

I use 5w-30 full synthetic year round. Based on the posts on here, i thought i might be using the wrong type, since other people are saying things like 10w-40... So i did some research to know exactly what the numbers meant, and basically, the lower the number, the thinner it is, bad for poor seals, doesnt protect as well in the summer, but better for gas. I dont plan to change much, maybe go with 10w-30 in the summer though. The engine, though an 87, has good seals, not been replaced to the best of my knowledge, but i have no leaks, and shouldnt have much/any sludge hiding them. I also read that during the summer, i could switch to conventional to save money, since the heat allows the molecules to flow smooth, even though they are not naturally very good.
From my research i would say that 10w-40 would be a good bet, unless you live in a really cold climate, in which case i would say 5w-30. If your engine is in good shape, you could probably pull off 5w-30 in warmer climates.

 

Thanks for the input
I've always used 10w-30, but the previous truck i had (an 88 v6 Dakota), a mechanic friend of mine suggested using 10w-40 . The motor hadn't been taken care of by the previous owner . My 91 Dakota's motor runs strong, just leaks a little, and with winter coming i figured 10w-30 would be easier on the truck when I start it up .

g-man . thanks for the advice on the lucas product . I will try it out .
Saw they make a fuel injector/ gas additive as well, any experience with
this?

 

Oh yeah. I use both. When I first started using the fuel additive on a '02 Jeep I had, I saw a 2-3 mpg increase. It seemed to level back out after time though, so I just use it on every other tank. I still buy it by the gallon (It's $30 @ bi-mart, so it's like buying 3 & getting one free). The oil additive will help a little with the leak I think too. I believe it to be one of the best products out there. Protects your engine from cold, dry starts, and many other things. My dad got rid of a little noise in the motor of his stingray with the oil additive. It's good stuff.

 

g man
thanks for the info man

 

No problem. Good luck.

 

i use 10w30 most of the year but when it gets colder(winter early spring) i use 5w30, flows better when cold because it is not as heavy and easier for it to move around the engine