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i have a 2003 dodge ram 1500 5.7 hemi and i had checked my oil and was four quarts low.. i filled up and within two to three weeks i needed a total of 2 more quarts… not noticing any smoke from the tailpipe, but did find oil when i swiped my finger in the muffler.. What could be the issue? should i worry about rings, or valve seals? any additives that would help?i put in some lucas oil stablilizer in my last oil change a week ago and i also notice some power loss i think at times… thanks
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You may have some blow-by…. Your assumption of rings and valve seals is probably spot on, but is it worth it to you to fix those problems… Some may suggest a thicker oil… not necessarily me…
BTW what is the mileage on this engine?
Also, some engines are just oil burners… Case in point, my 1999 GMC Sierra 6.0L sucks down 2 quarts or so between oil changes… I never see any oil burning and don’t have any issues with it… It did this when I bought it with 170k or so miles and it is still going strong at 240k….
Perhaps someone with more Dodge experience can help, but this is JMHO…
-Karl
if you can get a compression test done I’d get that checked. If your valve seals are leaking then it’s not that big of an issue but if you’re actually losing compression then there is a serious issue happening.
Just saying, the difference is knowing that you’re looking at a new engine down the road or you just have to throw a couple of extra quarts in it every once in awhile.
also a quick google search brings up a bunch of problems with valve springs for the 03 5.7s. Here’s a link to a forum post I found in google you might be able to get some good information from:
http://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen-ram-tech/237316-5-7l-hemi-broken-valve-spring-help.html[quote=”wysetech” post=99824]First thing I would do is check the PCV valve to see if it’s plugged.[/quote]
this is also a very real thing. You can just pull it out of your valve cover and shake it. If it rattles it’s good. If not it’s plugged. A plugged PCV can cause your exact problem.
In addition to what is listed above I actually cover how to diagnose these issues in this article.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/finding-and-fixing-leaks
Good luck and keep us posted.
thank you everyone for your replies! it just stinks this has to happen because on top of this problem i need about 2,000$ in other repairs.. already had the heads plained cause they were warped and new head gaskets, and manifold gaskets.. hopefully its not another engine issue.. love the truck and the hemi but got some bad luck i guess.
Might be a long shot… but perhaps your plenum pan gasket is leaking. This was a known problem in the 2nd generation ram trucks which I believe ran to 2001. So perhaps this was addressed in the 3rd gen ram trucks that you have and is no longer a problem. However, excessive oil loss, with no visible leaks and loss of power, was a good indicator your plenum had failed and oil was leaking in and being burnt. The only way to know for sure was to remove the intake and look for a blown gasket. You could also pull the TB off the intake and look down inside, if you had a pool of oil in the bottom of the intake you could just about be sure the plenum needed fixed.
Here is a link on how to fix this, hopefully it helps make more since to what I’m trying to explain.
http://www.ramforum.com/f77/318_plenum_reinforcement_kit-1250/Also the TSB: http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2000/09-05-00.htm
Good luck.
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