Hello, I'm new to this board. We have a Dodge Ram, and have been trying to find help on a problem that we are having. Since we tried to find information on Dodge's website and couldn't find anything, we were hoping that someone on this board can relate to the situation we are going through or know what we mean and could possibly help.

We've got a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500, 46,000 miles. It's been in the shop for five weeks. Why so long? It started out with the oil pump having no oil pressure. We found that out through our mechanic. Because that was a serious problem, we had to tow the truck to our Dodge dealership. The rest is a very long story and would take me til tomorrow to finish (LOL), but basically the outcome was that we would have to replace a new engine (4.7 liter, V8 motor) in the truck.[:'(] It was discovered that our old engine had oil "sludge" all over it due to the oil pump getting clogged up. Keep in mind that we had regular oil changes.

We were told at first that the new engine was under warranty, and now it isn't[:@]....because of the sludge that was found on the engine (I'm not an expert in cars, but I'm guessing that sludge on motors is a sign of carelessness on the owner's part..thus it won't be replaced for free--that's just my guess)

We're told by our mechanic that the motor for our truck is common to have oil pump/sludge problems. So my question is-have any of you ever experienced these problems with you own 4.7 V8 motor?

We would appreciate any advice, stories, etc related to my post. We're just seeing if anybody else has had the same problems too with their motor getting clogged with oil like we have. Thanks!!

 

I've got a few questions.

1. Did you buy the truck new?
2. At what intervals did you get the oil changed?
3. Who did your oil changes?
4. What type of oil was used. (brand & weight)

If you bought the truck new and had the dealer change the oil at the recommended intervals they have to warranty it. Well, as long as you didn't modify or abuse it in some way.

 

I HAVE THE SAME problem MY car has 46500 miles and the pressure of the oil dropped and said check gauges i took it to my mechanik and he said to take it to dodge because my engine was covered in sludge and was no good unless major repairs where done, DODGE DOESN"T WANT TO COVER IT AND I HAVE ALL RECEIPTS of the oil changes, I am fighting it right now
anyway we can help each other
my number is 786 4573679, easiest way to contact me is through a text message

 

Hi alcast082,


I did get your email about your motor problems that you're having..it is so weird that you have the same exact problem as we do. I will try to get my father to contact you..he's the one in charge of the truck (but he's computer illiterate which is why I am typing this for him LOL). However, I drive it too and did see the "check gauges". We found out it was the oil pump and it started all from there. It's actually funny because my father said the same exact words you did---"fighting it right now".

We did get a new motor installed but still the truck wouldn't start. We found out the the new motor was actually a 03 (yep, that's the year our truck is) but our old motor (the one originally in the truck that was sludged with oil and had to be taken out) is actually a 04 motor. The computerization in the truck wasn't clicking with the new 03 motor. So, because a new motor (04) cant be received, they're having to rebuild the 04 motor. This coming Sat, the truck will be in the shop for 6 weeks. Has anyone else ever gotten sludge on their 04 motor of a 2003 ram truck (I'm still trying to figure out why we have a 2004 motor in a 2003 truck LOL). I'm not an expert with trucks, so maybe that's a common thing!

 

thats weird, did your dodge dealer cover the cost of the repair?

 

With todays oils you should not have a problem with sludge build-up unless you are running some low grade crap and you never change the oil and filter. This is insane.

 

hey guys....i had the same problem in my 1994 5.2 and had to fight chrysler tooth and nail for 3 weeks to get them to cover it. all oil pans/screens/pumps are going to have some sludge....no two ways about it. my truck had been driven on the highway 90% and by the manual it says to change the oil and filter every 7500 miles. when i had pointed that out to the service manager he told me that we SHOULD NOT have followed the book and changed it every 3k....well i had receipts showing every 2500 mi so i got a new engine. i'll do some research into getting a number for the chrysler service representatives. if you need anything else let me know but as long as you have proof they should take care of you.

 

Alcast082, I guess you received a phone call about our truck issues. My father said he called you. With the repairs, we are going to have to pay for the new engine nonethless. But we do not have to pay for the mechanic to put the right engine in...because it was their mistake (it was actually the fault of the engine co for sending the wrong year of engine). And since the engine has to be rebuilt because they couldnt find the right engine, thats no charge for us either. Basically, we dont have to pay for the mistakes they had with the wrong engine. All we're paying for is the new engine that has to be put in the truck, which isnt cheap[>:]