I have a 2005 ram 1500 4x4, LSD, 56k miles. I bought it new and use only mobil 1 synthetic every 3-5k with mobil 1 filters.

After 4k miles I now have to add maybe 1/3rd of a quart of oil. Is that normal?

Is burning oil ever considered "normal" in a vehicle? It don't sound right to me.



BTW, this forum is great!!!! I just found it and have learned a ton from reading including saving my tranny on my caravan (4-3 hard downshift problem)

 

A lot of guys will agree that burning or using oil is normal but not me. To me, an engine is built as a sealed unit with TIGHT tolerances (I.E. no leaks any any kind). If you are leaking internally (burning) then you know you have bad valve guides or piston rings.

 

Mines an '04 and has had the same problem since new. I just went on a trip from Texas to Alabama and back pulling the boat and went through 4.5 quarts of oil. It does not have any white smoke, but the oil is going somewhere. Mine has 78k miles on it now, but has done it since new. The dealer told me it would stop as the motor got broken in...I think it should be there by now!

 

i have a 2006 dodge ram 1500 hemi 4x4 and i have had the same problem i bought the truck with 28k on the clock and changed right over to synthetic mobil 1 as well. i noticed about a 1000 miles later i was down a quart so i kept on checking it well at the end of my oil ife i cheked again and i was down another quart. i wasnt too happy about the fact it was burning it so much. so i work for an independent repair shop in new york and we deal with mobil all the time and when one of the reps was in i asked him he said when you make a switch you should wait two oil changes before making a decision about changing back or stop using the synthetic so i took his advice and waited but still had the same problem the next oil change. i change over too mobil synthetic blend clean 5000 oil and havent had the same problem im now on my second oil change and im pretty happy with it not burning or losing oil. so hope this helps guys

i always used mobil opne in all my vehicles and even my camaro ss in 2001 came loaded with it from the factory just wont be using it in my dodge so ill keep you posted.

 

I had an '02 Cheby Z71 with the 5.3L V8 in it that I bought new (traded my beloved 2nd Gen RCSB 5.9 4x4 on it because my former sister in law was dating the sales manager at the Cheby dealership and I really was needing a QC ). The thing burned exactly one half quart every 3000 miles with never a hint of a leak.

Things like that drive me nuts and I had it in there four times trying to find out why. Finally, the dealership just blew me off by saying "all the 5.3s do that".

To date, my Hemi has always been right at the fill line EVERY time I've changed the oil and I don't change till 6000 miles because I use a "premium" full synthetic.
My 5.9L Dodge started to burn oil right at the end before I traded it in, but I'm 100% convinced that was because I was right at the beginning of the infamous "plenum leak".

Dunno why some perfectly good running engines seem to use oil and others do not, but when someone figures it out, please tell me...

 

My 04 Hemi goes between oil changes without needing any added, but after I idle it for an extended period, and then shut it down there is a puff of blue smoke from the exhaust upon re-start later. I suposes my valve guides could be starting to wear, but they likely seal right up again once it gets some cylinder head temperature again - cause therfe is no more smoke.

 

chryslers spec is up to a quart every 1k mile.

 

what do you mean by that?

 

Meaning that Chrysler does not consider it an issue unless it burns more than that...

A lot of things that I would consider a problem are "within Chrysler spec"...

 

Why does it burn? a Piston in a cylinder head is not perfect seal, Some seals are better than others, some wear over time, some wear unevenly. Even within the same build. a seal has to let some oil by to lubricate the cylinder head. Perfection it's not.