Hello, I just bought a 00 dakota qc with the 3.9 and asssuming that the oil hadn't been changed decided to do so myself. I may have spent my money differently had I looked up information on oil changes and oil pressure on the forums BEFORE I did the change. I opened the valve and drained the oil, from looking under the truck earlier I noticed it would be an easy filter to remove rather than the ones on the backside of the engine and that they were using a FRAM s16....... I guess FRAM is the devil after reading previous posts. I thought I was buying 10W-30 Valvoline as the Autozone display boasted it's 5 quarts with FRAM filter for 13 dollars display but after having my brother pour it in as I was tightening up the filter noticed I was refilling 20W-50 containers with my old oil......also, I was only able to fill 2 and a half quarts and I do not see any leaks or noticed that I was burning oil. The truck has 143k miles on it and I have read over time using a heavier weight will keep oil pressure in check. I didn't notice any issues before the change and do not know if I have an issue afterwards but the pressure rides at about 70...... even at idle...... I drove it around the block a few times taking it to 40 or so and didn't notice a pressure change. I checked the dipstick and noticed that even after the oil change that the oil is kinda dark and there was some sludge buildup which I have read several things about engine replacement with the durangos basicaly running the same engine......

So, after the opening paragraph I have a few questions.

Should I concern myself with the small amount of sludge and use an additive?
Should I emply my oil and go to the 10w30 (summers are in the 80s-90s)
Should I change my filter now or on next oil change?
Not knowing the time frame between oil changes to determine the loss of oil to mileage, should I use a stop leak or sealer?
I know I am in the safe range on the pressure but should I be concerned with having a fluxuation between idle and 3k rpms?
Why would my oil still appear to be "dirty" after an oil change and zero driving?

Thanks for all your help, I only work a mile from home and am anticipating driving the truck as it appears to be fine but still have some concerns with my oil changing experience.

Brian Van Way

 

Well, I would definately change it again very soon to get that 20w50 out of there. All that's doing is making your gas mileage worse than it already should be. I recommend Valvoline MaxLife 10w30, and a good oil filter, not Fram. When I bought my dakota last August, with 191k on its 3.9L, the oil came out on the stick looking like you say, dark. Well I've been changing my oil AND filter every 1500 to 2000 miles since then (I'm at about 198,600 miles now), and now it stays lighter in color for longer. What itlooks like is our trucks were victims of neglected oil changing, and my truck runs better now than it did when I bought it too. Also, my oil pressure runs about 40 at idle and while cruising, it does rise to about 60 or so during acceleration. If you change your oil more frequently for a while it will help with any sludge problem too. Oh, almost forgot, I did use a can of Engine Restore with each of my first two and my last (fourth) oil change. When I change it again, probably next week, I'm gonna get a bottle of Lucas oil treatment because of what I heard about it from a guy the other day. And, If it doesn't look like you have any leaks don't use a stop leak or sealer, just check your oil at least once a week (like, whenever you get gas) and keep it topped off. It's normal for an engine, ecspecially one with high miles like ours to use a little oil.

 

I appreciate your response, I will be swapping the 20w50 out of there and getting a nicer filter..... my pressure goes to about 40 for about 2 seconds and then raises to about 70 as I said before, stays there and doesn't go anywhere no matter at idle or under acceleration. My mazda I usually drive just rolled 2500 miles on it under my ownership which began in june of 05, I put 25 in gas in it 6 or 7 times last year and I have only put gas in it twice this year, the dakota eats a lot more gas than what I am accustomed to....... I only put about 1000 a year amongst my autos (2 mx6's and now the dak) so an oil change won't run every 3k for me, usually about every 5-6 months.... but the dak will happen within a week or so and after my vacation in june to tennessee which will add what I drive in a year in the span of a week! I will grab some oil wednesday when the check goes in. Thanks again, I was a little concerned.

Brian Van Way

 

e in wichita ks

the most important thing about oil is to have lots of zinc in the oil. i have done some searching on the internet on oil, filters, additives. i like to have oil as thick as i can and it still start in cold. so here is what i use, 2001 dak v6. Valvoline premium blue 15w-40 oil it has lots of zinc in it. Purolator PL 14670 PURE ONE filter, short ver same length as a fram ph43, use only a PURE ONE filter that is shown by the P in the part no, the long version is PL 30001 the long ver is the same length as a fram ph8a, may not fit all frames. under NO conditions use a fram filter. then you need to go to zddplus.com site and get some zinc from them. my truck starts ok in the winter, but we normally dont get below 0 f.
i did have trouble with 20-50 not wanting to turn over in the winter.

 

20W-50 is a very thick oil, and I would go ahead and drain it out soon. You probably haven't done any damage to the engine -- just drain that oil out at your earliest convenience. I don't use Fram filters anymore, but I've also never had a problem with one either, when I used to use them. I also use Valvoline MaxLife 10W-30. The MaxLife oil is a very stout oil. No oil additives are needed. You'll note that your owner's manual recommends against using any additives.

Answers to your questions:

1. I would not worry about a small amount of sludge buildup on the dipstick.
2. Yes, I would drain the oil and go back to 10W-30.
3.I wouldn't even change the filter this time, unless you really wanted to.
4. Don't put any additives into your oil. They're not necessary. The MaxLife product is marketed to help condition seals and prolong their life. If you don't have any oil leaks or oil burning now, don't worry about it.
5. Oil pressure should rise with RPM. In general, it should be 10 PSI for every 1000 RPM (ie. 10 PSI at 1000 RPM, 20 PSI at 2000 RPM, etc). Our oil pressure gauges are not real oil pressure gauges. They're heavily buffered so people don't see huge swings in oil pressure that naturally occur at different RPM levels. People don't like to see gauges that swing back and forth like that, so auto makers "dummy" them down.

My question...why were you only able to fill it 2 quarts?