I probably should also add that I've had conversations with Ram and Hemi engineers where I've specifically asked about 87 octane in the Hemi.

I could never get a definitive answer out of them, but was told that the recommendations or intentions of the engineering team and what is printed in the owner's manual are not always the same thing...

 

I got an oh4 w/ 5.7 130,000 miles and no problem with the truck running 87 octane and no "dropped pistons" whatever that means, is that a technical term? Call me a cheap *** if you want the manual says 87 octane.

 

They asked for records yesterday so I called Amsoil to get all my stuff together. Being a registered dealer, I went on my account and copied all the info they needed. Have orders that show 94 quarts of oil and over 11 filters. 55,000 miles, do the math, more than plenty oil to cover it. Because of all the horror stories, I drove 3 hours last night and pulled two oil samples out of my engine before they get the chance to tear it down. What worries me is they are asking for records and have not even found the cause of the failure yet. Will keep everyone updated.

 

i cant wait to hear the outcome of this. my hemi has sounded like its about to drop a valve since 2 days after I bought it. I keep my receipts for the oil and filters I buy but dont really keep mileage records, even though I change it about every 3,000 miles. It wouldnt surprise me if the tried to pull some crap... but I hope they dont for your sake.

 

97 is around 5-7 cent more than 87 here locally. Why wouldnt you use 89 if thats the case.

 

Yeah it's sounds like they are trying to get their ducks in a row to fight the warranty. Stand by your guns, although I've stated that I think 87 octane gas is a major contributor to engine failure with a Hemi, there is NO denying that the manual says it's ok to use it, so they have no grounds there.

As far as Amsoil goes, if changed at proper intervals I can't see them denying on that grounds either, although most dealerships don't like to see it used for some reason. Again, I don't like the fact that Amsoil gets thicker over time (which is why it protects for so long) in an MDS engine and they do SPECIFICALLY spec 5w-20 only, so they may test the oil and if it's out of spec on an MDS they may fight you - IF it's an MDS Hemi.

I had a '97 Ford I bought brand spankin' new that had a piston literally crack at 14,000 miles, leaving me stranded on the side of the road with my bass boat in tow after a tournament. Luckily for me, I was only about 80 miles from home and had the wife come out to meet me with her Grand Cherokee and had the shop that did the maintenance on my work vehicles come flat bed the truck who charged me basically only for the gas they used and the guy's pay rate who drove out.
Ford fought me on every whichaway on the warranty repair, first stating I was COMMERCIALLY using the vehicle because I was fishing bass tournaments for cash (like commercial use matters) and then because I "modified" the vehicle (body lift and cat-back exhaust). I ended up having to have my attorney write a letter after which the service manager told him that I must have "misunderstood" him and that they fully intended to repair the truck - yeah, like I can "misunderstand" the words "not covered"...

Stand by your guns and keep us updated...

 

It's in the owners manual. Might want to look thru it front to back. lots of useful info in there.

87 is recommended for the 3.7L and 4.7L
89 is recommended for the 5.7L

Why risk it for $2 a tank full??

 

This truck is a Mega Cab, its a non MDS engine. The engine is very clean on the inside and my last oil change was Mobile One because I was short on my Amsoil stock. But they do not need to know details, the oil was new and it looks new. Amsoil has a case number started and is ready to receive my complete engine , filter etc if it comes to that. If warranty is denied, Amsoil has told me to ask for a new hard card with the box checked (return all old parts) then I will be able to ask for my old engine if it comes to that. I will have to pay shipping cost to Amsoil but they will handle the claim. No bad news yet, then I told them I was in the shop at 845 pm taking oil samples they were like Ohhhhhhhhhh. They also mentioned that if they find metal in the oil that it might void warranty......REALLY DODGE.....ok guys, what happens when an engine fails mechanically? It produces fragments, shavings etc. They are retarded and being a gas turbine specialist we will be bringing up DOD and FOD which is domestic object damage (from engine) and foreign object damage (foreign material). All in all, hope for good news today, I authorized teardown yesterday ($1300, YES $1300) for them to tell me the engine is bad. If bad news, hope they are ready to go to court.

 

Dodge called me and informed me that my truck will be repaired under warranty. Upon inspection, they found the engine to be very clean and the cause of the lock up is the torque converter failure. Dodge had my tranmission out less than two weeks ago, no details on how the input shaft seized up like that (first time for me) but they are putting in a whole new tranny. The kicker is after stressing me out about my Amsoil filter and records, they call me and ask me if I want to provide new Amsoil to refill the sump after dropping the pan. Apparently it looked really clean...Good news overall.

 

Good to hear, especially that the repair is gonna basically entail a bolt-off, bolt-on part. It's the rebuilding repairs that scare me as to how they are gonna hold up over the long haul...