Lots of metal in 2016 Charger 3.6L engine oil filter

wwillson

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I changed the oil in our 2016 Charger with the 3.6L Pentastar yesterday. This run was 9,000 miles and 10 months with M1 0w-30 AFE. If you've read my recent oil change posts, you'll know that I now always drain and cut the oil filter to look for metal flakes. Since I've been doing this, I find metal in EVERY oil filter I cut. It doesn't matter how many miles in the vehicle or oil, I always find metal flakes.

My procedure is to let the filter drain after cutting, or if it's a cartridge filter, like the charger, just let it sit for a while. Then cut the end caps off so I can release the media, cut the media so you can lay it out flat. Go outside in the bright sunlight, face away from the sun and pull the media tight, then move the media so it slightly changes the angle to the sunlight. If you do this, you will always see some small metal flakes. I wish there was a way to get a good video of this, which I might try sometime. Pictures do almost no good, because you can't see what happens when the sunlight angle is changed.

This filter run for 9,000 miles and 48,000 miles on the car, had the most metal I've ever seen in a filter, like 10 time more than I've ever seen. This car gets no long trips, instead gets driven to work about 8 miles each way and is our short-trip run around town car. So that's 9,000 miles of short tripping. I will cut the filter in the spring to see how it looks and follow up.
 
Originally Posted by gfh77665
Any perspective on overall durability and longevity of the 3.6 Pentastar?

The Pentastar in my Durango, which has 110,000 miles, has been flawless. I believe that the Pentastar is mostly flawless. Keep in mind that the Pentastar in the Charger has also been flawless, I'm just finding lots of metal flakes in the filter.
 
Originally Posted by wwillson
Pictures do almost no good, because you can't see what happens when the sunlight angle is changed.

Take a video with your phone. Upload to YouTube and post a link to the video...
 
Originally Posted by Sunnyinhollister
Out of curiosity, what was the OLM reading?

3% left
 
Originally Posted by wwillson
Originally Posted by Sunnyinhollister
Out of curiosity, what was the OLM reading?

3% left


Wow! I'm surprised it went 9K on the OLM with it being short tripped. I was going to order magnetic drain plugs for the Ram and Cherokee so it will be interesting on how they look after an oil change.
 
Me too only engine I ever saw flip an oil in 3k of mostly short trips
 
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Pentastar has a housing right on the front/top of motor with a cartridge filter
(best location ever !)
 
Having owned two pentastars at this point, my 2013 Grand Caravan and my current 2017 Ram 1500, the oil life monitor doesn't seem to be all that sophisticated. I don't know how the algorithm works on it, but it doesn't seem like they count down faster with short trips, very cold starts, etc. I too have found that they'll go out to 8-9K miles taking them to 0% life left. I can't do it and tend to change at a 6K mile OCI or less with my ultra high quality Napa or Supertech synth oil.

I too have found very fine and few metallic particles in the filter media, but found that to be the same on any filter I cut open and examine for enough time in the right lighting. You can't see it under normal shop lighting.

I don't know if it does any good, but I run synthetic 5w30 in my pentastars as opposed to the recommended 5w20. Same with my new Nissan VQ35DD that recommends 0w20. Nope.
 
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Originally Posted by incognito_2u
Have you had an UOA done? And if so, what does it look like?


My question also.


And...I'd try a different brand of oil. I know M1 AFE is a good oil, but in some engines it has a history of producing more metal. I'll be interested to see the UOA but thinking it hasn't been done and the oil is gone.
 
I did the oil change in my BIL's Charger SXT. It was the factory fill at 9,500 miles.

There was no metal in the filter. If I was in your position I would be concerned.
 
Just throwing this out but when I did the first oil change on the Mazda I saw a few shiny flakes in the drain pan. Afterwards nothing. Is this aluminum? I didn't have a magnet handy to test but that was my first thought.

So I wonder if this is due to the casting process that FCA uses?

All this is based on the assumption that the engine in question here has aluminum block and heads. If not then disregard.
 
Originally Posted by incognito_2u
Have you had an UOA done? And if so, what does it look like?

I have not, but will if the next filter looks like this one.
 
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