Originally Posted by ol' grouch

I had an '03 I got from one of the guards at work. It lost oil pressure and it was LOUD! Trust me, if you really lost oil pressure, you'd hear it. He only put gas in it and drove it. I dropped the oil pan to find it and the oil pickup completely blocked with sludge.




I've never seen a modern engine this badly sludged. After cleaning, I got lucky and the engine ran smooth with little apparent damage. If you have a 2wd, the pan isn't too bad, at least on the 4.7, to drop. I didn't have to raise the engine.

I don't think this is your problem. I'll bet it's your sending unit. The Marvel then change may have cleaned some sludge out if you had it.

Originally Posted by Prismatic

Poor thing. This was my 4.7 before it blew a head gasket and I got a 5.7

Originally Posted by Dodgevity

Grouch, I'd live to know the process you followed to get the pan off. I have the 2WD and it looks like a bear to remove. I'd like to do my rear main seal and oil pan gasket. Kudos on saving that engine.

Originally Posted by ol' grouch

First off, this was on a 2003 Ram 1500 with the 4.7. It was tight quarters but all I did was drain the oil pan and remove all the bolts holding it on. Then I pried it loose and gently lowered it down. There was plenty of room to move it around to get it out. I'd be surprised if your Dakota has as much room. You may have to raise the engine up on a Dakota. I've never worked on a 4.7 in one. My '97 Dakota has the 3.9.