Why do you keep repeating this? It is not true. One of the design issues with the 5.2/5.9 engines is the intake manifold. The main body is aluminum and the base plate is steel. The two metals expand and contract at different rates, which causes gasket failure. The gasket failure causes high oil consumption and engine pinging. And yes, rapid sludge build up even with good maintenance practices.

The sludge buildup restricts oil flow and leads to various intermittent oil pressure losses. Examples include the gauge swinging down to 0 when the vehicle is at a standstill and then returning to (near) normal when the vehicle begins moving or even worse, where the pressure drops to 0 after driving a few miles and does not recover until the engine is turned off for a while or the oil and filter are changed.

Claiming there is no design flaw is ludicrous. These engines are mechanical devices. The flaw in A leads to B which leads to C.

 

Because the engine burning oil through the plenum does not create a sludge issue. Simply put none of these engines (4.7, 5.2, and 5.9) have a sludge issue. None the less people like you are dead set on spreading false information stating that there is. The only reason you'll get sludge is from neglecting to do maintenance. I'm not by any means saying the engines are defect free, but there is no defect that causes sludge buildup.

 

That is false. I don't know why you're spreading rumors that it is lack of maintenance. I can understand why Dodge/Chrysler would want to avoid a multi-billion dollar class action lawsuit from the millions of owners affected, but what's your game?

Here are just a few ways in which the plenum metal mismatch and subsequent gasket failure will cause oil sludge buildup even when oil is regularly changed:

1. Because of the leaking plenum gasket, contaminants are not properly removed from the crankcase. The crankcase ventilation system requires specific manifold pressure to operate and this pressure is compromised by the leak.

2. Engine oil is subjected to increased oxidation from exposure to manifold air through the leaking gasket.

3. When the intake manifold gaskets are compromised as a side-effect of the plenum gasket failure, coolant seeps into the oil and causes additional contamination.

4. There is increased cylinder blowby as the rings become clogged with deteriorated oil, which further increases oil contamination and sludge buildup.

In addition to bottom end issues, the increased oil burning caused by the plenum gasket failure contributes to carbon buildup on the pistons, valves and cylinder heads. Furthermore, the spark knock associated with the gasket leak causes stress on engine bearings which can lead to internal oil leaks and premature engine failure.

All in all, the intake manifold design flaw is not a victimless crime. Hundreds of thousands of owners have spent countless millions of dollars chasing this problem. The sludge and carbon buildup caused by or accelerated by the plenum issue cause oil pressure dropouts, expensive repairs, and eventually, blown engines. And FYI, the plenum and sludge issues affect 3.9L, 5.2L, and 5.9L engines. AFAIK, the 4.7L is not affected.

Chrysler Corporation has spent many years blaming these problems on "lack of maintenance". It's time this blame-shifting stopped.

 

You can keep going on all you want, but the plenum gasket leaks aren't causing sludge issues. These motors simply don't have sludge issues.

 

1) noone ever said the engines were flawless or defect free, all that was said is that the engine (the 4.7) has no defects that cause sludge, this is still true no matter how much you want to deny it or blame it on chrysler.

2) did you really come back to revive a year and half old thread?

 

Hi Travis did you ever figure out the oil sending issue?

 

Hi, Ram05red. I don't know if Travis solved his problem, but I solved mine on my '98 Dodge van with 5.2L engine. The first thing to note is the service bulletin on the 3.9L, 5.2L and 5.9L engines. The bulletin is from 2000, so it only mentions vehicles thru 1999, but the same issue occurred in newer engines, too. I don't know if 2005s are affected. Instead of doing just the minimum as specified in the bulletin, a more effective cure for the 5.2L/5.9L is installing one of the aftermarket plenum replacement kits. While the intake manifold and rocker covers are off the engine, remove all visible sludge and carbon build up and check the cam for wear as well as the lifter, push rods and rockers.

Now to the root of the oil pressure dropping: it was caused by sludge build up in the right oil gallery above the oil pump and baked-on carbon deposits on the oil pickup screen that choked off oil flow when the engine warmed up. The oil pan has to be removed and cleaned, the oil pickup has to be cleaned or replaced, the oil pump must be cleaned or replaced, and the oil passages need to be cleared. If the problem is not too severe, you might get by with just cleaning the oil pickup screen of deposits and using high detergent oil or mystery oil. Some people suggest a kerosene soak or other cleaning procedure, but I didn't try that and can't speak to the effectiveness.

Basically, then, the steps are: 1. fix any plenum leaks; 2. clean the oil pickup screen and oil pan; 3. clean the oil pump and engine oil passages. Once these things are done, the engine will have and hold normal oil pressure all day long. In addition, using high quality oil and changing it at about 5,000 to 7,500 mile intervals is a good idea.

Ed

 

 

 

Well just changed the oil sending switch and that didn't fix the problem. I also changed the oil and filter and that didn't fix the problem. Any Ideas now?