3.5l Chrysler Consuming Oil

[RamFan]

--If this belongs the regular PCMO forum please let me know--

I purchased an '07 Charger with 26,3XX from a Toyota dealership in late January. I ran a Carfax check before buying and the dealer did all the maintenance that needed doing once they received it (Oil change, air filter, greased fittings etc.) Because of this, it was probably a rookie mistake, I did not check the oil level and assumed that they filled it with the 6 quarts required.

I then needed to make roughly a 300 mile round trip so I checked the oil and was 1/2 a quart below the "add" line. I immediately filled with a quart and a half of dino 5w30. Since that time I have made several more long distance trips and the car currently has 28,500 miles and I've had to use another quart and a half to maintain the max oil level. So in total I've used 3 quarts of makeup oil. Now I'm not sure if the car originally only had 5 quarts from the factory and has really only used 2 quarts but to be on the over cautious side I'm going to assume it has used 3 quarts. I have checked the air box, air filter, and vent hose going into the air box and there is no residual oil anywhere, a little white emulsification stain in the hose but that is normal in my book.

I will continue to maintain the oil level until I need to do the first OCI on May 1st (Warranty reasons). I will be filling with some Ultra 10w30 that I got on sale and with this OCI I will be able to more adequately keep an eye on consumption since I will know where the oil is starting from. I will also be changing the PCV at that time.

I have done research and discovered that while the 3.5l V6 is indeed a good, solid engine, it has a history of oil consumption amongst its users. I will see if going to a synthetic and a thicker oil, which is actually the recommended viscosity, slows the rate of consumption. If going to a 10w30 synthetic does not change the rate of consumption I will then see if there is any difference between 5 and 10w30 dino in regards to the rate of consumption.

If consumption is the same for all oils regardless of viscosity or oil type I planned on using MC Syn-Blend 5w30 during winter (Two 3k mi/3mo OCIs) and 10w30 during summer (One 6k mi/6mo OCI). How does this sound to everyone? And does anyone have any other experience with consumption in the Chrysler 3.5l?

 

[dtt004]

Hi.

You will not notice much of a difference in oil consumption by changing to a 10W-30. The reason is because they both possess the same viscosity at 100 degrees C, which is usually the normal operating temperature of an engine.

If you want to experiment with reducing oil consumption, I would recommend using a diesel oil, such as Rotella from Shell, Delvac from Mobil, Delo from Chevron, Tection from Castrol, Blue from Valvoline, etc. They are inexpensive and are very robust. You can find them at Wal Mart. I would recommend 15W-40 if you want to try for reduced oil consumption.

However, at the rate that this engine is consuming oil, I am certain there is a problem between the piston and cylinder wall seal. My bet would be piston rings. However, there could also be erosion on the cylinder wall as well. This is an expensive fix; the engine will need to be rebuilt. Although I have no experience with your engine, and I do not know its construction, you may be able to get the cylinder block bored and liners inserted.

However, this seems to be pretty hairy for an engine with that low of a mileage. But I am afraid there may be a serious problem within that engine. It has nothing to do with emissions equipment or anything. At that rate, it looks like 1.) the engine is leaking or 2.) the cylinder is not sealing correctly.

1/2 a quart every 300 miles is quite a bit. I do not think that any oil can reduce this consumption. My daily driver also has a V6...3.4L displacement however. It has over 450,000 miles on the original engine...and burns oil to the tune of ~2000 miles a quart. I use Mobil Delvac 1300 15W-40 in it. You should try it, it's great oil.

 

[rshaw125]

Sounds like a larger consumption than acceptable. so a warranty claim maybe in order.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Sounds like a larger consumption than acceptable. so a warranty claim maybe in order.



+1


3.5's going at that rate do not last long. This post surprised me considering I was at a dealer yesterday, and there was a charger with a blown 3.5 @ 70k...

 

[RamFan]

The more I keep thinking about it the more I get concerned. The fact that I don't have a baseline is what is keeping me from deciding on a plan of action this instance., I'm going to change the oil today when I get off of work so I can start with a clean slate and monitor the consumption, if it burns more then the 1 quart per 1,000 miles that Chrysler considers acceptable then I will indeed have an inspection done on it and fix the issue. That warranty may be paying itself off quicker then I thought.