Just got my 04 dodge ram w/Hemi. What Oil is to be used? 5-30?

 

I have used mobile 1 full synthetic since day one. I get Mobile 1 at wal mart as you can usually get 5 quarts for what 4 quarts cost at advance/autozone. Then I usually pick up a mobile 1 filter from advance/autozone as they dont carry them at wally work.

Either way, im at 120K miles and the truck runs like the day it was born. Just switched to mobile 1 high miles. I am noticing my truck is starting to burn about 1.5quarts in between 4K mile oil changes. Over all, I think if you just maintain it you will enjoy the hemi for a long time!

 

Should I use 5w30 oil? I think I'll go with Mobile too.

 

what does manual say? or top of lid

 

5/30 up to '04, starting in '05 they call for 5/20. I can understand the switch for the '06+ MDS trucks, but can't for the life of me figure out why the change for from '04 to '05. The trucks are identical save PCM tuning.

I run 5/20 in my '04 but run a cooler thermostat than stock, so I opted for the slightly thinner oil. Use 5/30, but if you can't get it, IMO you'd be fine with 5/20 as a secondary option...

 

I use 5w20 in everything no matter what the manual says. I like mobile 1, Very good all around synthetic oil.

 

I switched to 5w20 for the better gas mileage. At bobistheoilguy.com they say that the difference is negligible. I have also noticed that my engine is noisier. I have the hemi tick which makes it sound like a diesel engine. From what I've heard at this site, a thicker oil helps keep things quiet. Also, pennzoil platinum and royal purple synthetic are both good at keeping that hemi tick at bay. Mobil one is said to make it noisier for some reason. Unless you have a good reason I would stick to 5w30.

 

I think they were trying to keep the same oil weight for hemis across the board, and that was the first year for the LX MDS versions. Instead of one weight oil for the trucks and another for the cars, just have one for all. They probably had an idea that MDS would be going into the trucks soon, since MDS was part of the original design according to the team that came up with the 5.7.