Hello All!
I recently purchased a 2007 Dodge Durango SLT with the 4.7 engine. The first thing I notice different from my previous vehicle is that I have to use the brakes a lot more on downhills. Once it gets rolling it seems to pick up speed rapidly. On the mountainous roads around here I find I have to brake on some stretches with the Durango that I never had to with our sedan. Is it normal due to the increased weight etc.? Or, is there some kind of throttle control etc. that needs adjusting. Seems to me the 4.7 should be big enough to slow it down. Our last car was a 3.0 but lighter.
Thanks,
Jim

 

The engine size has nothing to do (much) with slowing it down. Yes, the weight of the D is the issue. If you have a throttle control issue, it wouldn't be just going downhill. You would feel it all the time. Try a few long level areas to confirm at various speeds.

IndyDurango

 

IndyDurango,
Makes sense. Guess I'm just not use to the heavier vehicle. Looks like more frequent brake jobs coming up. Thanks for the reply. I had one other question. I had read the manual and did see it called for 5-20. A couple of days later while in the auto parts store I decided to pick up some oil. I had forgotten the oil weight and asked the clerk if he had it on his computer. He looked up the year and engine and said it called for 5w30 which I got 6 qt. of the new Castrol synthetic. (expensive). Checked the manual again when I got home and see I got the wrong weight. Should I exchange for the right weight? I have never used 5-20 for anything, nearly always 5w30. Is the engine more sensitive to the heavier weights?
Jim

 

I had a 2003 Durango for four years before a 2007 model and I never had to replace the brake pads (I live in Pittsburgh which is fairly hilly) and I think the 5-20 is for the MDS system,
FF

 

+1 score.

The 5-20 is for the system that shuts down the cylinders when not needed to save fuel. YES it is needed so take back the other and get it replaced. You don't want C, LLC blaming a failure on the MDS on you using the wrong oil. I would bet money they would check on that.

As for 2003 brakes, no real comparison. The 2003 was the BEST of all the braking systems on the Gen1 D. The Gen2 D is so much different is size, etc... I have heard that just like us earlier Gen1 D guys quickly found out... our brakes are all too small. If/when you need to replace them.... get the best pads and the best rotors you can afford to gain a small percentage of improvement.

HTH!

IndyDurango

 

I may have missed the boat on this MDS system. I didn't think the 4.7L in my Durango had MDS. I was under the impression that only the bigger 5.7/Hemi had it?? Yes, one of the first things I noticed on the 2007 was how narrow the discs were.
Many thanks to all for the info.
jim

 

Now you got me. I know the HEMIs have it, dunno on your 4.7l. 5w20 is the deal for MDS for sure.

I think you are right there on your 4.7l not having it and it may not but as a Gen1 owner, not always the expert there.

My recommendation is to skip the parts store guide and take a trip to the garage. Your manual will tell you exactly which oil you should be using.

Good luck!

IndyD

 

Just for curiosity sake I called a Dodge Dealer service. Here's what someone in service told me. They went to 5-20 for the mds system (only 5.7) and now they use 5-20 for everything. He claimed there wasn't much difference in the 20 or 30 and for summer the 5-30 is fine. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Wonder why they decided to use 5-20 on all the cars?? You would think that would be decided somewhat by the climate/seasons?? Since it's warming up here a little I'm going to use the 5/30 synthetic I have. I really question the use of 5/20 in other than the mds engines especially in hot climates. This is the first manual I've ever seen in over 50 years that didn't show different oil viscosities for different temperatures. Would like to hear an explanation from Chrysler on this one.
Cheers,
jim

 

Here's an interesting write up on why 5W20 is used and also the affect on your warranty etc.. Written by an engineer from an oil company. Sorry for the long post but a good read.
Jim
The 5W-20 recommended is a move on the automakers part to get better CAFE #'s that they can report to the Federal Govt. I am very familar with the reasoning behind this by the auto manufacturers. It basically saves about 0.06 MPG, which is nothing to the consumer but multipled by millions of vehicles it alows them to meet the strict and tightening EPA CAFE regulations and by doing that they can sell more profitable SUV's and have the CAFE #'s offset by the cars and smaller vehicles that get better fuel economy. It's all a numbers game.

Recently several automotive manufacturers started using 5W-20 or 0W-20 motor oil as a factory fill. Most consumers have many questions about this "new" oil and why after all these years specifying a 5W-30 that they would make the change to 5W-20 or 0W-20. First I must explain that 5W-20 ( or 0W-20) is not a new viscosity motor. 5W-20 has been around since the early 1970's, but not used by consumers or marketed to consumers by manufacturers, until recently.

My research has uncovered the following from a SAE technical paper written by Mobil Research and Development Corp. in 1975 (o): "Research Oil 5 (RO-5) is a conventional 5W-20 viscosity mineral oil product containing an API SE quality additive treatment, but that it may be deficient in some API SE engine performance requirements. RO-6 is also a 5W-20 viscosity and API quality SE but utilizes all-ester (synthetic) base stock components. Adequate wear protection with conventional 5W-20 viscosity mineral oils has been difficult to achieve under moderate and high temperature operating conditions." Mobil's new 5W-20 synthetic formulation, XRN 1669 "has been evaluated in both laboratory and field tests to determine its antiwear performance. In all cases, wear protection equal to or better than premium API SE quality SAE 10W-40 mineral oils has been provided by this experimental formulation"

Now, keep in mind that this is from about 30+ years ago. My intent here is to show that 5W-20 is not a new viscosity of oil. It just never became widely used. The most popular motor oils back in that era for automotive use were typically 10W-40 and in later years 10W-30 and 5W-30. What this data indicated is that a 5W-20 petroleum oil provides adequate engine protection under normal operating conditions, but does not compare to a premium quality 5W-20 synthetic in moderate and high temperature operating conditions. The new 5W-20 oils of today are formulated to meet the latest API SL performance specifications and are perfectly suitable for use in your new vehicle that specifies 5W-20, however my personal opinion is that there are superior oils to use that not only meet the 5W-20 performance specifications, but also exceed them.

Here is a brief discussion of some of the most common questions consumers have regarding the 5W-20 motor oil that is specified for their new vehicle.
Question: Do I really need to use 5W-20 or 0W-20 oil?

Answer: You certainly can if you choose to, however there are also other viscosities you can use such as 5W-30 and 0W-30 that also meet manufacturers and API specifications. One of the main reasons 5W-20 or 0W-20 was specified for your engine is to increase the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) reported to the Federal Government. CAFE is the combined average fuel economy of all of a vehicle manufacturers product line. Minimum CAFE levels are specified by the Federal Government. In order for a vehicle manufacturer to continue selling profitable large trucks and SUV's, which typically have poor fuel mileage ratings, as compared to smaller cars, and still meet mandated CAFE requirements, they must also sell enough of the smaller cars which have much better fuel economy ratings to offset the poor fuel economy ratings of the larger vehicles. The change to a 5W-20 or 0W-20 oil will allow a manufacturers overall CAFE to increase by a very small amount, typically in the tenths of a mile per gallon range. 5W-20 and 0W-20 oil is a lighter viscosity than a 5W-30 oil and therefore has less internal engine frictional losses, or less drag on the crankshaft, pistons and valve train, which in turn promotes increased fuel economy. This increased fuel economy is *******ly undetectable to the average motorist without the use of specialized engine monitoring and testing equipment under strictly controlled test track driving when compared to a 5W-30, 10W-30 or a 0W-30 viscosity motor oil. Note that certain specific vehicles, such as those with cylinders that selectively cut out to save energy, typically specify a 5W-20 or 0W-20 and for those vehicles it is best to use the viscosity recommended by the manufacturer.

Question: Could using a 5W-30, 10W-30, 0W-30 or even a 10W-40, oil in my vehicle which recommends a 5W-20 oil void my new car warranty?

Answer: Vehicle manufacturers recommend using motor oils meeting certain viscosity grades and American Petroleum Institute service requirements. Whether a motor oil is a 0W-20, 5W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30, 10W-30 or 10W-40 or even a synthetic vs. a petroleum based oil will not affect warranty coverage. The manufacturer is required by Federal Law to cover all equipment failures it would normally cover as long as the oil meets API service requirements and specifications and was not the cause of failure. In addition, the Federally mandated Magnuson - Moss Act states that a manufacturer may not require a specific brand or type of aftermarket product unless it is provided free of charge. If your dealership continues to tell you that you must use 5W-20 or 0W-20 motor oil and or/ a specific brand of 5W-20 or 0W-20 motor oil (and will not provide it free of charge), then ask them to put it in writing and then contact an attorney. Their position is inaccurate, and, in fact violates existing law.
Additionally, if there is ever a question of whether or not a particular motor oil was the cause of an engine failure make sure to get a sample of the used oil in a clean bottle, typically 6 oz. minimum. The oil can then be sent to an independent ASTM certified testing lab for analysis. This is standard procedure for most commercial vehicles, trucking, construction/excavation and fleet companies and there are many certified test labs all over the country. Remember, a knowledgeable and informed consumer is your best defense against being taken advantage of by a car dealership service center.

Question: My car dealership service center states that I must use 5W-20 or 0W-20 because the oil passages inside my engine are smaller and a higher viscosity oil will not properly flow through them. Is this a true statement?

Answer: That is ridiculous to assume that a manufacturer would purposely make the oil galleys and passages smaller. There is no technical or cost/performance benefit to doing this in reference to recommending a 20W motor oil over a 30W motor oil. My inspection of oil galleys, pistons, bearings, crankshafts, oil pumps and passages from pre-5W-20 and 0W-20 recommended oil engines to the same size and brand of engines that now specify 5W-20 or 0W-20 indicate there are no measurable differences in the oil passages in these components.

For those consumers that desire to use a 5W-20 oil, AMSOIL INC., does manufacture an excellent extended drain interval 5W-20 synthetic motor oil, called XL Synthetic Oil in 5W-20 viscosity. It is a 7,500 mile/6-month motor oil (or longer if you have an electronic oil life monitoring system). AMSOIL's 5W-20 synthetic motor oil provides outstanding wear protection and increased power, performance and fuel economy in high and low temperatures and also meets and exceeds the manufacturer's specifications. AMSOIL also offers a a 25,000 mile/1-year change interval 0W-20 that is an excellent choice.

My recommendation is for even better performance and protection to use AMSOIL's Signature Series 0W-30 synthetic motor oil. This is the top performing AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oil for gasoline powered light trucks and passenger cars. It uses race-proven technology and provides unsurpassed fuel efficiency and superior wear protection than other conventional and synthetic motor oils. It is a 35,000 mile/1-year change interval motor oil. Use it in conjunction with AMSOIL's Absolute Efficiency Oil Filter's that specifies a change interval of 25,000 miles/1-year, whichever comes first under normal service conditions. AMSOIL also offers 5W-30. 10W-30 and 10W-40 Synthetic Motor Oils with a change interval specification of 25,000 miles/1-year.


Best Regards,

 

Yes it tends to roll quite a ways with no gas pedal on the level. After a little checking around it seems it may have something to do with the transmission being in overdrive. I was also told by a mechanic that several new car owners have noticed the same thing compared to their older models. You take your foot off the gas and it just rolls along. His take was that it is done to get better gas mileage. It may get better gas mileage but it must be playing hell on the brakes. I have to respectfully disagree with the fact that the engine has nothing to do with slowing a vehicle down. If the engine has any power at all (v8) when you take your foot off the gas you should feel the engine back compression slowing you down pretty good. My opinion so far is that this new electronic throttle control stinks unless it can be adjusted where the engine/transmission play a bigger part in slowing you down. It's beginning to smell a little like the "use 5W20" oil deal. Get better gas mileage at any cost to your vehicle. Looks like the greenies are costing us money again for no good reason.