Thicker oil in my Jeep.

Originally Posted by OilReport99
Don't cut corners and go full 20W-50. Used it a lot in my old 4.0 L to make it run "smoother". Good luck.


You're in Florida he's in upstate NY. Good luck starting at -40 with that oil. 5W-50 would be my choice.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by OilReport99
Don't cut corners and go full 20W-50. Used it a lot in my old 4.0 L to make it run "smoother". Good luck.


You're in Florida he's in upstate NY. Good luck starting at -40 with that oil. 5W-50 would be my choice.




I should really change that. Just moved back home to northern indiana.
 
Might be time to change the bearings in the bottom end. May also be time to change the valve seals. This can be done cheaply and saves the cost of an actual rebuild for now.
 
Originally Posted by sloinker
Might be time to change the bearings in the bottom end. May also be time to change the valve seals. This can be done cheaply and saves the cost of an actual rebuild for now.




The valve seals are still good. I haven't checked to terribly recently but probably 4 months ago and there were no leaks from the engine at all.
 
I have the same engine, just in a Ram 1500. Over 200k miles and running 0w20 HM. Are you sure it is an oil burning issue and not a leak?

I once had a small valve cover leak that I initially though was the motor starting to burn oil. It was in the very back where I couldn't see it without looking. I would imagine the O2 sensors wouldn't be happy if you were burning a significant amount of oil.

Be wary of using too thick of an oil before identifying the exact issue. Part of why this engine calls for a 20 weight has to do with close bearing clearances (sub-0.002, and individually matched for that block. My 3.7 probably has a slightly different combination of bearings than yours. They are all the same "size" for every engine, but there are slightly different sets for each position depending on that block's machining), and the rather "hard" material the bearings are made out of. At 180k the clearances are likely big enough for a 30wt, but I wouldn't jump to 50wt right off the bat. Work up to that if the thicker oil bandaid is needed. Better to burn a little oil, than risk oiling issues by going too thick.
 
I would recommend trying a high mileage oil in 5w30 or 10w30. Maxlife is usually affordable and widely available. Keep in mind, if your 3.7L is burning oil, it's going to be a permanent issue due to some internal engine wear (like piston rings) that can only be fixed by a complete rebuild. Oil manufacturers design high mileage oils to slow down burning and leaking - not to actually fix the underlining issue.
 
Originally Posted by Sleepeyes
I have the same engine, just in a Ram 1500. Over 200k miles and running 0w20 HM. Are you sure it is an oil burning issue and not a leak?

I once had a small valve cover leak that I initially though was the motor starting to burn oil. It was in the very back where I couldn't see it without looking. I would imagine the O2 sensors wouldn't be happy if you were burning a significant amount of oil.

Be wary of using too thick of an oil before identifying the exact issue. Part of why this engine calls for a 20 weight has to do with close bearing clearances (sub-0.002, and individually matched for that block. My 3.7 probably has a slightly different combination of bearings than yours. They are all the same "size" for every engine, but there are slightly different sets for each position depending on that block's machining), and the rather "hard" material the bearings are made out of. At 180k the clearances are likely big enough for a 30wt, but I wouldn't jump to 50wt right off the bat. Work up to that if the thicker oil bandaid is needed. Better to burn a little oil, than risk oiling issues by going too thick.






Yeah, I've already replaced the o2 sensors. Positive it's burning
 
Originally Posted by Sleepeyes
Be wary of using too thick of an oil before identifying the exact issue. Part of why this engine calls for a 20 weight has to do with close bearing clearances


The recommended oil when this engine was introduced, and it's bigger brother the 4.7L, was 5W30. When used in the Ram for '07, both engines called for 5W30 in the user manual. I used to own a shop and have hundreds of manuals on .pdf.

The bearing spec you listed has nothing to do with 5W20. The main bearing spec for the 302 in my '75 Bronco is .0015. It currently has 10W40 in it. The tolerance range for the 2.5L in my Jeep Wrangler is .001"-.0025". I'd have to check my notebook, but when I built that engine, I believe it ended up around .0015 with the Clevite bearings I used.
 
Originally Posted by Micahmcmeen
I've been considering running a thicker oil in my jeep to help with burning and to help it run smoother. I am just very hesitant to do so but I have added lucas to it in the past and it did help with the oil burning. I understand lucas is "snake oil" and has almost no additives and is changing my viscosity and weight anyways. It take 5w20 currently. I used to put about a 1/4 a quart of the lucas in. What viscosity and weight do you think that would make it after that?

Just go straight WTI. At ~$25 for 42 gallons, it's a steal.
 
Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by Micahmcmeen
Yeah, the purpose of that thread was something different. If you don't have anything to add please don't comment. If my posts bother you then don't look at them. A lot of people are stuck at home right now. I know I've gotten on here more than once for some sort of entertainment. Might as well post something to keep others entertained too.

Or on the other hand, are you one of these posters that never actually takes any of the advice and applies it (as in buying and using an oil) instead just perpetually ask questions?


I hope he's not an old timer like me who could post something and forget. But hey, he's getting lots of love so there is THAT !
grin.gif


Who is it I thank for the entertainment ?

thumbsup2.gif
 
I'm an admin on one of the largest Liberty forums... so I see a lot of 3.7s (including the one of my own 212k on it). They were designed to run 5W30, but in 2007 spec'd 5W20 for CAFE standards. Almost everyone on the forum runs 5W30 and we see many with over 300k on them. And skip the Lucas junk. These really aren't known to burn oil, I've seen a few, but it's pretty rare. You're leaking from the valve cover gaskets and oil pressure sender most likely.
 
Originally Posted by kschachn
Or on the other hand, are you one of these posters that never actually takes any of the advice and applies it (as in buying and using an oil) instead just perpetually ask questions?


Nobody here like that, but there are plenty of posters that are critical of anyone asking for advice if they don't follow THEIR advice.
 
Originally Posted by HoosierJeeper
I'm an admin on one of the largest Liberty forums... so I see a lot of 3.7s (including the one of my own 212k on it). They were designed to run 5W30, but in 2007 spec'd 5W20 for CAFE standards. Almost everyone on the forum runs 5W30 and we see many with over 300k on them. And skip the Lucas junk. These really aren't known to burn oil, I've seen a few, but it's pretty rare. You're leaking from the valve cover gaskets and oil pressure sender most likely.





I've been up and down that engine. For the third time, no leaks. I've had to let the jeep sit for over a month more than once and there was no loss of oil or any oil spots on the cement. I thank you for the bit of info on the 5w30. I will probably switch to that next oil change.
 
I was having the same question about my 2016 JK Wrangler's 3.6 Pentastar. It specs 5W-20, and it's still under warranty, so I've been running that ---- BUT

I'm long beyond old school - my first car was a 1952 Packard with a straight 8-cylinder engine that used SAE 40. Straight 30W and 40W oils became accepted standard in my cars from the early 1960s. Funky new oils, like 10W-30 and 10W-40 took a while to warm up to. 1970s were 10W-30 in the GM and 20W-50 in the VW, and that was that. My wife's 2006 Ford 500 spec'd 5W-20, but it's been running with 5W-30 for most of its 196,000 miles with no leaks, drips, etc.

Now I'm in the age of oil so thin it only has one side: 0W-16 ??? Yikes. My Jeep takes 5W-20, and every oil change I feel this pit in my stomach that somehow the oil is going to be too thin --- yeah, I know, I'm probably paranoid, but at least I'm getting over 20 mpg around town.
 
Last edited:
Be a tiger and ditch the 5W20
grin2.gif

My friend likes PP 5W30 in his Jeep. he says it's smooth ...

My 0W20 car is getting 10W30. May move up to x40. Not sure yet. Kind of under research.
 
Originally Posted by GumbyJarvis
Run a thick cleaning 5w20 first?
GTX Ultraclean 5w20 comes to mind.

And here we have a prime example of marketing. Just because of the name people assume that this oil is good for engine cleaning... Hate to disappoint, but according to Castrol the word "Ultraclean" implies to KEEPING the engine clean assuming this is the only oil you ever run in that engine and change it at manufacturer suggested intervals. That info was posted on this website, I tried to find that post again with no luck. Maybe someone has more luck with the search function...

If you truly want to clean an engine up - Valvoline Premium Blue RESTORE is really the only option out there. Only thing that comes close is multiple oil changes with your normal oil and adding Kreen, or even more OCIs with adding MMO. VPBR claims to do the trick in 1 full OCI though.
 
Back
Top