I also heard about the sludge problem in the 4.7. it made my decision to buy the 5.9 magnum that much easier. I heard you should check the oil cap to see if you have the brown mayo build up on the bottom, but never heard what you should do about it.
Chrysler 4.7L V8
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The best solution to the sludge issue is to have your oil changed often according to the manual under the right catagory. Dispite my usage of synthetic oil ( Mobil 1) I always change my oil every 3000K. I won't even consider going to 5000K until it's well documented that the engine will go that distance and so far it's not in my opinion. My personal method has given my good results without any problem what so ever.
What would you do??? It's up to you as it's your 4.7 engine. Some people had problem and so didn't. Some got lucky and some didn't. The factory has also claimed that people doesn't change the oil often enough causing their own problems.
The only other solution is to have your engine flushed well every year or maybe twice. That should take care of the problem also.
In addition the Toyota forum had informed me that the newer V6's and V8's are prone to sludging too! It not isolated to just Chrysler engines. Again flushing the engines as part of the routine service needs to be performed as a standard.
Durango
What would you do??? It's up to you as it's your 4.7 engine. Some people had problem and so didn't. Some got lucky and some didn't. The factory has also claimed that people doesn't change the oil often enough causing their own problems.
The only other solution is to have your engine flushed well every year or maybe twice. That should take care of the problem also.
In addition the Toyota forum had informed me that the newer V6's and V8's are prone to sludging too! It not isolated to just Chrysler engines. Again flushing the engines as part of the routine service needs to be performed as a standard.
Durango
I just checked my oil cap last night, no sludge after 3000 miles on Amsoil. The Quaker state that was in it when i bought it, and the Mobil 1 that I used as a flush for 1000 or so miles did have the milky goop under the cap. I suppose I just wont go as long on my oil changes.
Thanks for all the help!!
Thanks for all the help!!
First the 4.7 does not have a sludge problem do some home work instead of listening to idiot on the WWW! It is a white foam like mix and it is simply a matter of oil mist and moisture geting emulsified and settleing at the higher point. To add insult to injurt the fill tube is made out of a composite material that heats and cools drastily differently then the surronding area. Then it is also a long and well above the rest of the hot engine parts. I have had 4.7's open for perfomance modifications and have never seen anything remotly like sludge and have never even seen the foam any place other then the fill tube. Then on top of that they have a blocking device that will hide that foam from view tha has been included on all of the 4.7's since 2001. You see this same thing occur on Topyota's 4.7 and manyof the Daimler Benz engines.
Thankfuly for use the 5.9 has been left to history and the new Hemi has replaced it. The 4.7V8 is an excellent engine. It has low wear numbers and has very few failures or problems. The gaskets are good and the seals are good and the design and materials are great!
The 4.7 likes just about anything from 5W30 to 15W50 with no problems. Obviously some common sense is needed to select the right grade based on ambient temp.'s! I have no experince with anyone running 5W20 wich I am sure is probably now the recomended oil. My Dakota like just about anything I put in it. The time for oil pressure to come up to full pressure was the same in the summer with M1 15W50 as it was inthe winter with M1 5W30. I found that if I ran synethic oil and did mostly highway driveing I never had a problem with the foam. When the wife was useing it for mostly around town driveing lots of short trips the foam would appear. It was worse with dino then it was with synthetic.
Thankfuly for use the 5.9 has been left to history and the new Hemi has replaced it. The 4.7V8 is an excellent engine. It has low wear numbers and has very few failures or problems. The gaskets are good and the seals are good and the design and materials are great!
The 4.7 likes just about anything from 5W30 to 15W50 with no problems. Obviously some common sense is needed to select the right grade based on ambient temp.'s! I have no experince with anyone running 5W20 wich I am sure is probably now the recomended oil. My Dakota like just about anything I put in it. The time for oil pressure to come up to full pressure was the same in the summer with M1 15W50 as it was inthe winter with M1 5W30. I found that if I ran synethic oil and did mostly highway driveing I never had a problem with the foam. When the wife was useing it for mostly around town driveing lots of short trips the foam would appear. It was worse with dino then it was with synthetic.
Thank you John. People see sludge problems on-line with Dakotas and Durangos and assume it`s the 4.7. 9 out of 10 times it`s the 5.9 with a defective belly pan gasket sucking oil. Causing pinging,high oil usage that leads to sludge from a depleted sump that people don`t realize until the oil light comes on which is too late.
Not to mention people freaking out when they see the emulsion under the cap. Mechanic at work was convinced I had a blown head gasket when he saw it 5 years ago,but was and is still fine! Co-worker has an 00 Dakota that he marginally maintains and it is pushing 250,000 miles and doesn`t smoke or anything,runs great.
Do 4.7`s ever sludge up? I`ve seen it reported on-line but no more than any other good motor. I chalk it up to bad maintenance or over heating etc.. not the motors design. Over all people who have these motors love em.
Not to mention people freaking out when they see the emulsion under the cap. Mechanic at work was convinced I had a blown head gasket when he saw it 5 years ago,but was and is still fine! Co-worker has an 00 Dakota that he marginally maintains and it is pushing 250,000 miles and doesn`t smoke or anything,runs great.
Do 4.7`s ever sludge up? I`ve seen it reported on-line but no more than any other good motor. I chalk it up to bad maintenance or over heating etc.. not the motors design. Over all people who have these motors love em.
Wow, well thats good to know then. One less thing to worry about, thats for sure!
Originally Posted By: JohnBrowning
First the 4.7 does not have a sludge problem do some home work instead of listening to idiot on the WWW! It is a white foam like mix and it is simply a matter of oil mist and moisture geting emulsified and settleing at the higher point. To add insult to injurt the fill tube is made out of a composite material that heats and cools drastily differently then the surronding area. Then it is also a long and well above the rest of the hot engine parts. I have had 4.7's open for perfomance modifications and have never seen anything remotly like sludge and have never even seen the foam any place other then the fill tube. Then on top of that they have a blocking device that will hide that foam from view tha has been included on all of the 4.7's since 2001. You see this same thing occur on Topyota's 4.7 and manyof the Daimler Benz engines.
Thankfuly for use the 5.9 has been left to history and the new Hemi has replaced it. The 4.7V8 is an excellent engine. It has low wear numbers and has very few failures or problems. The gaskets are good and the seals are good and the design and materials are great!
The 4.7 likes just about anything from 5W30 to 15W50 with no problems. Obviously some common sense is needed to select the right grade based on ambient temp.'s! I have no experince with anyone running 5W20 wich I am sure is probably now the recomended oil. My Dakota like just about anything I put in it. The time for oil pressure to come up to full pressure was the same in the summer with M1 15W50 as it was inthe winter with M1 5W30. I found that if I ran synethic oil and did mostly highway driveing I never had a problem with the foam. When the wife was useing it for mostly around town driveing lots of short trips the foam would appear. It was worse with dino then it was with synthetic.
I am sorry to continue this but you are WRONG! I even posted links to SLUDGE problems with the 4.7L. Yes, the white mayo like stuff is not sludge as we usually describe it. As I said it is just a part of the sludge problems with the 4.7L and is caused by condensation. I have seen pic's on Dodge forums where the VC's are removed on 4.7L's and the entire top end is covered in the condensation mayo like substance. I brought it up so he could look for that not too imply that was the actual sludge issue.
However, the 4.7L's have had problems with internal/lower end sludge if describing it like that makes you happier. Lots of 4.7L's have eben blown because the lower end got so sludged up the pickup screen got clogged. Man it is everywhere on the net from owners with blown 4.7L motors due to sludge. Read some of the links I gave rather than tellling others they are wrong.
No one said the 4.7L was a bad motor, mine was actually a very good one, but for you to tell people it never had a sludge issue is absolutely wrong. It did and especially in the early to mid 2000's. Also, 1st you tell people to look on the Dodge forums to prove they don't have sludge problems then when I post links from said forums( and elsewhere )showing they do, you say not to believe what you hear on the web. So which is it?
The 4.7L is prone to sludge issues even in engines that are cared for properly. Fact not fiction and the proof is out there even if you have never personally seen it. Again, check the links I provide or do a search for "dodge 4.7L sludge problems" and sit back and read for days.
First the 4.7 does not have a sludge problem do some home work instead of listening to idiot on the WWW! It is a white foam like mix and it is simply a matter of oil mist and moisture geting emulsified and settleing at the higher point. To add insult to injurt the fill tube is made out of a composite material that heats and cools drastily differently then the surronding area. Then it is also a long and well above the rest of the hot engine parts. I have had 4.7's open for perfomance modifications and have never seen anything remotly like sludge and have never even seen the foam any place other then the fill tube. Then on top of that they have a blocking device that will hide that foam from view tha has been included on all of the 4.7's since 2001. You see this same thing occur on Topyota's 4.7 and manyof the Daimler Benz engines.
Thankfuly for use the 5.9 has been left to history and the new Hemi has replaced it. The 4.7V8 is an excellent engine. It has low wear numbers and has very few failures or problems. The gaskets are good and the seals are good and the design and materials are great!
The 4.7 likes just about anything from 5W30 to 15W50 with no problems. Obviously some common sense is needed to select the right grade based on ambient temp.'s! I have no experince with anyone running 5W20 wich I am sure is probably now the recomended oil. My Dakota like just about anything I put in it. The time for oil pressure to come up to full pressure was the same in the summer with M1 15W50 as it was inthe winter with M1 5W30. I found that if I ran synethic oil and did mostly highway driveing I never had a problem with the foam. When the wife was useing it for mostly around town driveing lots of short trips the foam would appear. It was worse with dino then it was with synthetic.
I am sorry to continue this but you are WRONG! I even posted links to SLUDGE problems with the 4.7L. Yes, the white mayo like stuff is not sludge as we usually describe it. As I said it is just a part of the sludge problems with the 4.7L and is caused by condensation. I have seen pic's on Dodge forums where the VC's are removed on 4.7L's and the entire top end is covered in the condensation mayo like substance. I brought it up so he could look for that not too imply that was the actual sludge issue.
However, the 4.7L's have had problems with internal/lower end sludge if describing it like that makes you happier. Lots of 4.7L's have eben blown because the lower end got so sludged up the pickup screen got clogged. Man it is everywhere on the net from owners with blown 4.7L motors due to sludge. Read some of the links I gave rather than tellling others they are wrong.
No one said the 4.7L was a bad motor, mine was actually a very good one, but for you to tell people it never had a sludge issue is absolutely wrong. It did and especially in the early to mid 2000's. Also, 1st you tell people to look on the Dodge forums to prove they don't have sludge problems then when I post links from said forums( and elsewhere )showing they do, you say not to believe what you hear on the web. So which is it?
The 4.7L is prone to sludge issues even in engines that are cared for properly. Fact not fiction and the proof is out there even if you have never personally seen it. Again, check the links I provide or do a search for "dodge 4.7L sludge problems" and sit back and read for days.
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I find it hard to believe since I know a lot of people with this engine with well over 120,000 miles on them with ho problem. I was one of the first people to experiment with KRC cam's,HO cams, differt intake manifolds, turbo's,super charger's you name it. None of us ever had sludge issue's. The head gasket failure is very uncommon on the 4.7 because it use LMT type head gasket wich is a laminated steel and copper composite. These are about as good as you will ever see on a production vechile! If someone has that much sludge I say shame on them for not changeing the oil or useing the cheapest [censored] SA oil they could find. That 4.7 is so much better then the magnum line or the LA line it replaced!
The New Hemi is also a great design compared to what it replaced.Their is though no perfect engine in the end they all have a comprimise some place!
If you look at UOA on this site of this engine you will see that they are excellent wearing engines. The numbers are almost on par with a Toyota V8! The only number that is slightly high by Toyota standards is the Iron and even then it is usualy nice and low. I think we have only seen one bad one on this site and it had a blown head gasket!
The New Hemi is also a great design compared to what it replaced.Their is though no perfect engine in the end they all have a comprimise some place!
If you look at UOA on this site of this engine you will see that they are excellent wearing engines. The numbers are almost on par with a Toyota V8! The only number that is slightly high by Toyota standards is the Iron and even then it is usualy nice and low. I think we have only seen one bad one on this site and it had a blown head gasket!
Regardless of the sludging problem in the 4.7 I believe it does exist. On the Durango forums I've seen the pics of the sludge in these engines and it looks like sludge to me!? The oil cap milky stuff under the cap is easily to fix. Just take for a good spin and get the oil nice and hot. After all it's just a little moisture.
The real issue/question here is when to change out the oil. I myself will use a synthetic oil as long as I can afford it. I also will never take a chance of changing the oil every 5K and prefer to do it every 3k instead. If some people prefer to extend the OCI's then it's up to them. After all it's their engine and they can take the chance. It's their money. Unless the factory tells me it can be done then I'll do it under documentation only. No back yard experimentation for me.
Durango
The real issue/question here is when to change out the oil. I myself will use a synthetic oil as long as I can afford it. I also will never take a chance of changing the oil every 5K and prefer to do it every 3k instead. If some people prefer to extend the OCI's then it's up to them. After all it's their engine and they can take the chance. It's their money. Unless the factory tells me it can be done then I'll do it under documentation only. No back yard experimentation for me.
Durango
I've never seen a 4.7 sludge up with proper maintenance. I have seen one sludged but the owner said he just changed the oil when he got around to it. Which was according to him about every year or so. Had 80,000 Miles on it so it was doing pretty good considering. As for the negative comments on the web, of course if you look your going to find something. The average person isn't going to post on the internet that there engine is doing just fine and is pristine. Most however will post on the internet that something went wrong, and most will not blame themselves even if it was a lack of maintenance (It's never my fault right ?). If you do a search for some other common engines; 318,302, you'll find other pages of posts about sludging for them. As well all know those engines were excellent.
For some people even with proper/evidence Chrysler has gone on deff ears regarding the issue. The blaming factor is how often to change the oil. That's why I'll never do anything different to my Durango unless it's in print that it can be done so.
Some of the issues regarding sludging occurs when the new owner of a 4.7 V-8 is in pocession of a used and abused engine that he/she has no history of what the previous owner has done. That's why my belief is that when one buys a used car/SUV they should have the engine immediatly FLUSHED WELL right away to make sure they start with a clean slate. This also includes origional owners as well during once or twice per calendar year.
This issue has been happening to the new Toyota engines of the V-6 and V-8's as well. Again it's up to you and your pocket book. I'll change mine when the schedule say so regardless of wether I'm wasting my Mobil 1 or not.
Durango
Some of the issues regarding sludging occurs when the new owner of a 4.7 V-8 is in pocession of a used and abused engine that he/she has no history of what the previous owner has done. That's why my belief is that when one buys a used car/SUV they should have the engine immediatly FLUSHED WELL right away to make sure they start with a clean slate. This also includes origional owners as well during once or twice per calendar year.
This issue has been happening to the new Toyota engines of the V-6 and V-8's as well. Again it's up to you and your pocket book. I'll change mine when the schedule say so regardless of wether I'm wasting my Mobil 1 or not.
Durango
John and Jeremiah:
Don't forget the 5.2. The gasket issue was major on that engine. I am tired of trying to tell people about the strength of this engine. It is not a sludge monster as people seem to believe. I am just resigning myself to let them believe what they will. If they don't look on the Dodge web sites and see the many owners that have no problems. Oh well.
Don't forget the 5.2. The gasket issue was major on that engine. I am tired of trying to tell people about the strength of this engine. It is not a sludge monster as people seem to believe. I am just resigning myself to let them believe what they will. If they don't look on the Dodge web sites and see the many owners that have no problems. Oh well.
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Originally Posted By: thunderchild
John and Jeremiah:
Don't forget the 5.2. The gasket issue was major on that engine. I am tired of trying to tell people about the strength of this engine. It is not a sludge monster as people seem to believe. I am just resigning myself to let them believe what they will. If they don't look on the Dodge web sites and see the many owners that have no problems. Oh well.
And apaprantly you refuse to look at the links( some from those very Dodge forums you want us to visit )from those who have had problems. You can't use the positive posts from those sites to back up your view but just dismiss/ignore those other posts that talk about sludge problems from the same place.
The 4.7L is a good motor. I had one and it was a decent motor. I didn't see anyone say it was a bad motor or anything. It does have sludge issues though and all we have done is discuss that. Why that bothers you so is beyond me?
John and Jeremiah:
Don't forget the 5.2. The gasket issue was major on that engine. I am tired of trying to tell people about the strength of this engine. It is not a sludge monster as people seem to believe. I am just resigning myself to let them believe what they will. If they don't look on the Dodge web sites and see the many owners that have no problems. Oh well.
And apaprantly you refuse to look at the links( some from those very Dodge forums you want us to visit )from those who have had problems. You can't use the positive posts from those sites to back up your view but just dismiss/ignore those other posts that talk about sludge problems from the same place.
The 4.7L is a good motor. I had one and it was a decent motor. I didn't see anyone say it was a bad motor or anything. It does have sludge issues though and all we have done is discuss that. Why that bothers you so is beyond me?
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Ok, some say it has issues, and others say it doesn't. So let me ask this question, if one WERE to have a motor that was prone to sludge. What would be the best defense against sludge, and is running amsoil going to help?
Originally Posted By: 02zx9r
Would auto-rx help with the milky [censored] and then a maintenance dose after a clean/rinse help?
The milky sh*t is not sludge, its just condensation, so I wouldn't think auto-rx would make any difference. Aside from that, since I switched over to amsoil, I don't have that milky sh*t anymore anyway...
Would auto-rx help with the milky [censored] and then a maintenance dose after a clean/rinse help?
The milky sh*t is not sludge, its just condensation, so I wouldn't think auto-rx would make any difference. Aside from that, since I switched over to amsoil, I don't have that milky sh*t anymore anyway...
I think I will just stick with my amsoil and do the amsoil engine flush every 10k. I am a preferred customer, so the flush isn't very expensive...
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