This is getting really frustrating. Purchased my 98 last year mainly for pulling my boat and an occasional camping trip. I seem to be losing oil or burning oil. No leaks that I can find and exhaust seems clean. I have noticed this problem since purchase. The truck is rarely driven due to riding my motorcycle in the summer mos.

Recently changed the oil before a 250mi trip. 5 qt. Quaker 5-30. After trip, stick read just below safe. ( I hate this dipstick) Took almost 1.5 qt to full.

Any help is appreciated!

1998 Ram 2500 5.9L
4x2 w/4sp Auto
28,000 original mi. (yes original mi.)

 

Better have your intake manifold plenum pan gasket checked.....On both my previous rams with the 5.9L and my van with the 5.2L i've had them replaced on all of them for that very problem.

 

Try a heavier oil. Might help a little since IMO 5-30 is VERY thin for towing in the summer. Go with a 10-40 and see if it's better.

Truck was probably never broken in. Oil consumption is a tell-tale sign.

 

Thanks for the replies guys! I have used 10-40 besides trying different oils. Valv, Hav, Penn, Cast, and may try Amsoil. Amsoil is great in my bike.
I bought the truck in 02 with only 19,000 mi so ......its very possible it was never broken in as suggested especially since the mileage seems equeally bad. Only 13 mpg on all flat highway 60mph for 250mi.
Ill check into the plenum pan gasket but I would think there would be a considerable amount of oil underneath the motor and tranny. It seems pretty clean.

Thanks again!

 

Do a compression test too. If the rings aren't sealing well.... that's where you oil is finding it's way out of the engine. Also HP loss and less MPG.

 

If your truck pings than its probably the intake plenum gasket. To check to make sure thats what it is, get a flash light and look into the throttle body w/ the flaps completely open and look for oil.

 

check with http://www.apsprecision.com/ for the billit plenum. This is suppose to get rid of the failing gasket problem.

 

hELLO,

wONDERING IF YOU FIGURED IT OUT, SAME THING GOING ON ON MINE.

 

Well, I took it to a local Dodge Stealer and they confirmed that it was the Plenum gasket. Glad I had the ex-warranty. They had it fixed up in less than half a day. Of course they wanted to sell me a tune up at close to $400. I couldnt stop laughing on the phone.

Any way, the spark knock is gone and I will keep an eye on the oil and hope my mileage will improve a bit. I do notice a sucking sound when I accelerate that I didnt hear before. Maybe the intake is making more noise due to the gasket change. Power didnt improve. Still a dog off the line. It use to smoke em at will . Maybe it is time for that tune-up!

 

Sounds like an intake plenum pan gasket problem. Dodge has a service buletin out about this. This condition will cause you to burn oil, but you may not get smoke in your exhaust. Go to Geno's Garage (in might be www.genosgarage.com, but its been a while, so i cant remember) to view the full service buletin. I has a test you can do with a vaccume guage to see weather or not your gasket is bad.