2.7 Intrepid cleaning question

[Cmarti]

I found a very clean 2001 (70K miles) Intrepid for my kid. Unfortunately it has the dreaded 2.7. If I were to use Auto RX, would Valvoline 10w30 conventional for the clean and rinse phases be a good choice? Any other recommendations for these phases? Then regular use of Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum or Amsoil be enough to keep this coal bucket clean on the inside? Is there anyway to know how bad off it is or isn't?
(So many questions)

.......or just keep shopping for another car. Thank you for any help opinions or experiences you have to offer.

 

[cosynthetics]

For your cleaning phase, just use any conventional oil that meets the weight specs in your manual.

A better synthetic oil will help with sludging but you could also run the maintenance Auto-Rx recommends. Just add 3oz to each oil change to keep your engine clean.

Where in Ohio are you?

 

[cosynthetics]

Oh, and even if you go with a high performance synthetic, do run extended drain intervals. I know Amsoil doesn't recommend it.

 

[bobfather99]

Valvoline should be just fine for both phases.

I know that the design of the engine can lead to problems down the road. Look for an engine thats noisy, hard to start, or one which blows a little smoke on startup.

Regular use of syn oils can help keep the oil passages clear, so it would be a good idea to use syn.

 

[Dyoel182]

Honestly I'd keep shopping. There are better cars and much better engines out there for probably less money.

 

[JAG]

Yeah, I'd find another used car. For sons and daughters, I think they should get one that is low maintenance, highly reliable, and gets great gas mileage....probably a small 4-cylinder Japanese car.

 

[mikeg5]

Originally Posted By: JAG
Yeah, I'd find another used car. For sons and daughters, I think they should get one that is low maintenance, highly reliable, and gets great gas mileage....probably a small 4-cylinder Japanese car.


X2!!

 

[drivewaytech]

Keep shopping. You just don't want this potential headache.

See this before you buy...

 

[cosynthetics]

Originally Posted By: drivewaytech
Keep shopping. You just don't want this potential headache.

See this before you buy...


That website was interesting but seems a little over the top. Every car manufacturer has problems.

 

[topsyt]

Bought an 01 with 70k for my son 3 years ago. Now have 120k and have used Maxlife 10/30 with a 3500 change interval. So far so good.

 

[rshaw125]

I have a 2000 with the 2.7. Important to change the PCV valve and make sure the hose is clean. My engine was clean inside when I bought it. I have been running Supertech High Mileage 10w30 with MAX 3,000 oil changes. I have changed it at 2500 miles a couple of times.
I add a pint of MMO for the last 250 miles and it darkens the oil. I want a gentle clean.
It has been a very reliable car and we have put over 15,000 miles on it in 10 months.Drives really nice.

 

[cosynthetics]

Originally Posted By: cosynthetics
Oh, and even if you go with a high performance synthetic, do run extended drain intervals. I know Amsoil doesn't recommend it.



I meant do NOT run extended drain intervals. I had a typing [censored].

 

[cosynthetics]

I don't see any real reason to steer clear of this car. I think it could be a good car if maintained. If you get a good deal on it, pick it up!

 

[Dyoel182]

Originally Posted By: cosynthetics
I don't see any real reason to steer clear of this car.


Even considering the known sludge problems with that engine and the known build quality issues from that generation?

 

[cosynthetics]

There are many cars that have sludge problems. I think they are all preventable with proper maintenance.

This all depends on the asking price and condition of the car too. Every car has it's own problems. If you were to read the forums most people would scare you away from my BMW 540 too.

My aunt had one with well over 200k on it. It was a reliable car.

Once again, we can only give general advice. We don't know the asking price, condition, or maintenance history of the car.

 

[Kindergardener]

I owned a 94 Intrepid before, that was a nightmare, the worst car I ever had in terms of reliability.
The 2001 may had improved, but by how much?. There are better choices.

 

[cosynthetics]

Originally Posted By: Kindergardener
There are better choices.


Agreed. We don't know much about his situation though. There's no way I would pick this car above a Honda but maybe he/she's getting it for a good deal?? We just don't know.

 

[Cmarti]

Originally Posted By: cosynthetics
Originally Posted By: Kindergardener
There are better choices.


Agreed. We don't know much about his situation though. There's no way I would pick this car above a Honda but maybe he/she's getting it for a good deal?? We just don't know.




There are reasons to consider this car....I shell out 20 k a year for him to get his Chem Engineering degree(Maybe he can work in motor oil), and have two other kids with cars. We have a 3500-4500 budget for wheels. The car is not a 2004 Honda accord, but it is not 13 K either. I can get this around 3500 with 70 K and it is close to spotless. So I have to think about rolling the dice.

I guess I am looking for the best way make this engine with small ports and the timing chain issues, work. I have heard everything from dino and STP to mandatory Euro spec synthetics.

Questions
1) Do ARX and with what oil? or a flush and use rislone?
2) What oil to run in this engine?

We test drive tomorrow, and I will examine as best I can.

 

[Dyoel182]

I'd go with MaxLife myself and hope for the best. Its cheap but also a great synthetic blend that seems to hold up.

 

[cosynthetics]

Originally Posted By: Cmarti
There are reasons to consider this car....I shell out 20 k a year for him to get his Chem Engineering degree(Maybe he can work in motor oil), and have two other kids with cars. We have a 3500-4500 budget for wheels. The car is not a 2004 Honda accord, but it is not 13 K either. I can get this around 3500 with 70 K and it is close to spotless. So I have to think about rolling the dice.

I guess I am looking for the best way make this engine with small ports and the timing chain issues, work. I have heard everything from dino and STP to mandatory Euro spec synthetics.

Questions
1) Do ARX and with what oil? or a flush and use rislone?
2) What oil to run in this engine?

We test drive tomorrow, and I will examine as best I can.


Sounds like good reasons to me.

Do an RX cycle with any dino that meets your weight specs and follow with a rinse cycle of the same oil.

After that I would consider running a decent synthetic or blend.