05' 4x4 4.7L with 6speed 135k miles. Brandy new full clutch rebuild on it.

What are good aftermarket fluids to add to fuel / oil / engine. I.e sea foam, Hy-Per lube etc. Similarly which items should i stay away from that dodges don't like. Just trying to do all I can to keep things running smooth.

What are the best summer oil and weight vs cold temp. (I still use conventional) <---maybe time to go to a mix or full synth? I get the feeling from reading around though these engines like the good old stuff.

Been reading on it but my engine has a knock at cold start that goes away in 5-10 seconds (current temps are about 80° where I live and am getting scared for 20° mornings), read anything from oil just returning to the engine at startup, lifters making noise, tensioner guides, lash adjuster seems no one has a definitive answer.

Thanks everyone!

 

You won't find A definitive answer because there's several possible causes.

However, my first shot would be the ... brand of oil filter. That seems to be a weak spot for a LOT of overhead cam motors (or even cam-in-block motors like my 1988's 3.9, or my 1991 Cougar's 5.0HO). I run Wix or Motorcraft on both, and don't have any cold-start noise. When I bought the 1988 Dakota, it used to rattle like crazy for the first few seconds - but when I bought it, it had the cheapest oil filter the PO's boyfriend could buy.

Oil - I'd check BobIsTheOilGuy.COM for brands, but I'd also check the owner's manual or the factory service manual for weight recommendations. THAT said - for an overhead cam motor, I'd look hard at going 5W20 or so full synthetic (OHC motors tend to like thinner oil, and a full synthetic will tolerate the heat better.)

Use a Top Tier gasoline only, and most gas additives become snake oil. I run almost entirely Shell in my truck, and the spark plugs seem to come out clean and pretty when I do a tune up (note: I put about 40,000/year - I do an annual tuneup even with plats!)

Past that, an occasional SeaFoam or using Techron or Seafoam in the gas tank can be beneficial. I'm also Olde Skool to where I'll run Berryman B12 in my cars ... but again, I'm not going to do that now due to using a Top Tier gasoline.

Oil- use a good oil, change it at the proper intervals, and you won't need to use any additives in it.

Do be aware that a lot of this is my opinion, and you'l find all kind of counters. BITOG is a great resource, though, so be sure to check out his references. He also has a list of "For this weight, this kind (conventional, synthblend, pure synthetic) these brands are usually both of a high quality AND are readily available" oils.

RwP

 

There are no good "additives" to add to an engine. Those are all snake oil..the exception being a fuel injector cleaner (or seafoam in the gas tank) once or twice a year. Never mix conventional and synthetic. Waste of money. (also never buy synthetic blend, same thing, marketing gimmick) Use either type and stick with it and also refer to the owners manual for viscosities. Knock at start up (lifter tick) is common on these motors. Does not indicate anything is wrong.

With 135K on the clock, I would stick with conventional 5W-30. That is what the manufacturer recommends. If you do not know if the engine has been fed synthetic all its life, stick with conventional. Synthetics have been known to unleash oil leaks on higher mileage engines that have had conventional oil fed to it all its life.

Best thing you can do is use a good oil, premium oil filter and change at the recommended intervals.

My truck had relatively low mileage so I used mobile 1, changed the oil 6000 miles or 6 months. Around 70K or so, the lifter tick at start up started getting a bit louder so I switched to Castrol Syntec and it quieted it down considerably.

 

There's a lot of myths surrounding synthetic oil, most of which I don't think have any basis in reality.

One of my favorites is "Once you use synthetic, you must always use synthetic."

Think about it, if you were in marketing, and a brand new, seriously hyped up type of oil was about to hit the shelves, what would you tell everybody to ensure future sales?

Wanna know the biggest difference between synthetic and conventional oil? Synthetic is man made. That's where the term synthetic comes from. What you generally get from synthetic oil is better temperature handling, (like 0w weight oils), better detergents to help keep your engine clean, and more a more stable product that is less likely to break down.

Those properties are what allows you to go beyond the recommended 3000 mile interval without hurting your engine.

My advice would be to always use a good brand of 87 octane gasoline, (such as Mobil), and use a full synthetic oil with a quality filter. I prefer NAPA Gold filters.

Remember that gasoline also has detergents in it to keep your engine running clean. I am not aware of higher octane fuel also having a higher concentration of detergents, so using a higher than 87 octane fuel is going to do more harm than good.

 

I do use a fuel additive in gas, an ethanol treatment, unless I can get non-ethonal gas then I don't use anything on a regular basis, although I will pour a bottle of injector cleaner in every 3000 miles or so.

Funny about Mobil 1, my old Hemi had the loudest tic when using Mobil 1, quietest was with Valvoline Syntec. Best oil analysis from Blackstone was a tie between Valvoline and Royal Purple.

Also of note, the single worst oil analysis I ever got back was from Amsoil, in my old '98 1500 5.9 gasser...