Ok, I just purchased a '99 Intrepid w/2.7L from a private owner and I did not check the web before purchasing it. The owner had a carfax report on the car so I figured it was OK. Not a good choice - I will not do that again. The car has 107K but it started its life out as a rental car for approx. 3 years according to CarFax. I have spent the past 2 days reading about the 2.7L sludge issue. I will have the car checked out thoroughly tomorrow until then its not being driven.

I like the car it rides great. I had a '95 3.5L that I bought used and it was a good car - I took it everywhere without a problem. I thought the '99 would be an improvement but all I have read about the 2.7L has me seriously concerned.

Assuming it has a sludge problem, what can be done about it? Would flushing the engine be enough? Probably not, so what are the options beside yanking and rebuilding or replacing the engine? Any information/advice you can share would be greatly appreciated. [&o]

 

i got a 2002 which was a hertz rental car. it has teh 2.7L and it was not exactly right from the beginning. what i have done was run a few oil flushes. the brand i used was "gunk" anyways after that i have put Mobil 1 synthetic in. i still run gunk ever other oil change with the synthetic and teh engine seems to get better and better ever time i change teh oil. the synthetic i understand wont sludge because it is much better engineered oil. so i suggest running the engine flushes a few times. now my car is still down at 55k miles and i know some of those flushes can be harsh for older engines, so just look around a little. hey if it does have teh problem new oil and flushing it is a much cheaper option to start with then rebuilding or replacing.

 

that is a good solution to problem nick but depending on the milage may not be a full cure. Another solution that may help also is a treatment called auto rx which uses clearners run with organic oil for a period of time which give the cleaners more time to do thier job. From what i have read it is the way to go as most engine flushes are nothing more then kerosene. After the flush nock is 100% right use a quality synthetic and a quality filter.

http://auto-rx.com/

 

This product has definitely peaked my interest. At $25 per bottle and 2-3 treatments needed to clean the engine it is less than a rebuild but as you can imagine I am skeptical. Have you used this product before or know anyone that has used this product on the 2.7L?

I have started to talk to the technician and mechanics that I know about the sludge. Unfortunately I do not know any Dodge techs personally so I have to wait to hear back from the mechanics who have contacts at Dodge dealerships. I was told that running engine flush a few times could deteriorate the seals and cause leaks on a high mileage engine.

Is there a way I can confirm I have a sludge issue without pulling the timing chain cover off?

 

you can see some of the effects by pulling the cam cover off of it. you should be able to see evidence of sludge there. I have talked to a few people who have used it and on an oil site that i belong to and it has had great results and they swear by it. Like i said in the last post most engine flushes are nothing but a kerosene base. I also believe there is a tsb out about dealing with the sludge issue.

 

I've been working at Victory Lane Quick Lube for 3 years now. Golden Eagle makes a great product, you drain out the old oil, dump the whole gallon in it and put a new filter on. Start it, let it run for 5 minutes, and then drain it followed by a quart of oil to flush it. I have a 98 Dodge Intrepid with 43,000 miles (second motor at 39,000). The crank bearings cracked thus a new engine. That is professional grade, so you might have to swallow it and take it somewhere. Another trick is to run kerosene for 5 minutes, but the only problem with that is it dries the gaskets. A safter alternative is transfluid. If you don't think it works, get your hands greasy and try cleaning them with trans fluid. Just get the cheap stuff. You should be fine. When you buy a flush, get the more expensive higher quailty stuff because it doesn't contain any alchol, menthol, or kerosene... aka gasket safe.

- Norm

 

My dad gave me the same advice for a motor flush...4 quarts of trans fluid & 1 quart of oil and a fresh filter. Run the motor for 5 minutes at idle & change as normal. I guess they did that back in the 50s....

I've had my '01 Intrepid/2.7L for 4 years now that started life out as an Enterprise R-A-C. I got it with 34,000 miles on it and until last year, the galley plugs were leaking oil like a sieve. The car now has 78,000 miles on it, and nothing is amiss with it. I just had the oil changed today and just for ****s & giggles, I asked two of the mechanics if they are familiar with the sludge issue, and they are not. From all the problems I have read on here & mycarstats.com, there is definitely problems with these motors. Maybe I got a "lucky one."

 

Transfluid is an excellent choice. That's how Valvoline does their motor flush. It still has lubrication characteristics and it is also highly detergent. It was designed to break down the varnsish and sludge in a transmission due to the wearing fricition materials. Don't worry, your transmission has a transmission filter. That should be changed at 35,000 - 40,000 miles. But yes back to transmission fluid in the crankcase. It is perfectly safe as long as you don't do anything more than idle it. It doesn't dry out the gaskets and it also breaks down the sludge in the motor really well. Next time you are working on your car and your hands are dirty, try cleaning them with transfluid and you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

The sludge issue is pretty much limited to the treps and concorde. I firmly believe this is due to the longitudinal transmission and engine mounting. I belive that the oil doesn't flow as well through the oil galleys as well and tends to pool aup and form sludge. I have the 2.7 in my strat and have 61,000 on it and have run synthetic since day one with 5000 oci and have no signs of sludge.

 

Doesn't flow well through the oil galleys, eh? Maybe I should've just let mine leak. I know Chrysler had a TSB out in '02 (I think) about the oil galley plugs. At least when I had mine replaced, the fine folks at EasyCare Warranties picked up the tab minus $100 deductible.

I'll have to give the trans fluid flush a try next oil change.