hemi 5.7 oil question

[jdw1222]

got the wife a jeep GC with the hemi 5.7 . Didn't come with an onwers manual, but best I can tell it looks like a 5w-20 is recommended. Is this correct?

I have several 5 gallon jugs of 5w30 conventional left over from her last car. Ok to use, or go with the 5w-20.

Also, I think the only 5-20w I have seen is synthetic. Does this motor require synthetic?

 

[Flareside302]

There 5w20 conventional everywhere..

Why go cheap use a quality synthetic in it like Amsoil and make it easier on you a her by extending the drain intervals.. Cause you know she'll forget to tell you what mileage she's at

 

[Flareside302]

But on a side note what year what year so can look up specs

 

[earlyre]

Plenty of 5w20 conventionals exist. Since this is the5.7, not the6.1,or 6.4, 5w20 conv. Will be fine. There's even anecdotal evidence of those engines having some issues with engagement of the vvt when a 5w30 is used.

 

[jdw1222]

ok, thanks for the replies!! its a 2011 JGC overland and has a monitor that tells when the oil change is due.

Wasn't trying to cheap out, but have a bunch of the 5w30 left over and I drive a diesel truck so was just hoping to use it in the jeep.

Would mixing a few qts of 5w30 with a few of 5w-20 be ok, or should I just go with the 5w-20 and be done with it?

also, Anyone know the oil capacity?

 

[GutsyGecko]

Use the 5w30 you have. Use the 20 when you run out.

 

[GutsyGecko]

You can mix it as well. It doesn't really matter. It will run to 200+k miles on any oil you put in it. Don't kill yourself over it.

 

[bepperb]

Originally Posted By: GutsyGecko
Use the 5w30 you have. Use the 20 when you run out.


This makes the most sense to me.

 

[Blazered]

You can download an owner's manual here:

http://www.jeep.com/en/owners/manuals/

The manual strongly encourages 5W-20:
NOTE: Vehicles equipped with a 5.7L engine must use
SAE 5W-20 oil. Failure to do so may result in improper
operation of the Multiple Displacement System (MDS).

 

[SteveSRT8]

Don't worry about MDS, just use the spec oil until the warranty (if any) is over.

The new gen hemi is remarkably tolerant of almost any grade. Note that the 6.4 SRT8 motor specs a 40w and it has the exact same mechanical hardware MDS also

 

[oldhp]

I have a 2012 RAM 5.7 with 7qt oil capacity and mix in 3qts 5W30 in the winter and mix in 4qts 5W30 for summer use. ZERO problems driving with the MDS system. 16K miles and going strong. I just don't like straight 5W20. Just me.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: earlyre
Plenty of 5w20 conventionals exist. Since this is the5.7, not the6.1,or 6.4, 5w20 conv. Will be fine. There's even anecdotal evidence of those engines having some issues with engagement of the vvt when a 5w30 is used.


Pfffffffft. I've got 0w-40 in my mds hemi right now and there's not any difference in how the mds engages.

OP. I had an 04 ram hemi quad cab 4x4 and it got 5000 mile dealer bulk 5w-20 all its life til I got it at 240k. Truck ran like a dream,didn't consume a drop of oil between changes and had no problem towing my brothers dump trailer across the province and city dump runs with 7500 pounds on the scale.
You can use whatever oil you like in that thing however don't give a second thought to the too thin pipe dream. I totalled mine at 280k and that hemi is the only reason I bought my charger. Reliable and long lasting and it got nothing but 20 grades its entire life.
I ran a 5w-20 in my current hemi up til the last change. I had liqui-moly 0w-40 in stock and because winter is coming I went a bit thicker to combat the inevitable fuel dilution that comes with the extended idle times winter brings.
Be advised that the ecu may throw a code using an oil thicker than a 20 grade however in my experience mds engagement in unaffected.
It's quite possible that mds engages milliseconds slower with thicker oil and I've seen evidence of this however in real life its not measurable.
I was always a thicker is better guy however my last hemi has helped me see that in real life,in an engine that calls for it,wear control is a non issue.
I can say for certain that with the 20 grade in the sump the engine revved much more freely,spinning up quicker and taking longer to return to idle speed vs the 40 grade I'm running now.
I mixed in a quart of Pennzoil Platinum 0w20 with 5 litres of 0w-40 just to bring it a bit closer to the desired 20 grade,and I had it in stock.
If you're under warranty I suggest you use the 20 grade dodge calls for. Thicker oil will throw a code that the dealer will see,so personally I would just avoid the issue altogether but if you're not still under warranty go ahead and use up what you've got.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: jdw1222
ok, thanks for the replies!! its a 2011 JGC overland and has a monitor that tells when the oil change is due.

Wasn't trying to cheap out, but have a bunch of the 5w30 left over and I drive a diesel truck so was just hoping to use it in the jeep.

Would mixing a few qts of 5w30 with a few of 5w-20 be ok, or should I just go with the 5w-20 and be done with it?

also, Anyone know the oil capacity?






Oil capacity should be 7 quarts(6 litres). Mixing is fine too if that's what you want to do to use up your stock.
As already mentioned the engine is going to last forever no matter what you put in it.
I'm not a dodge guy but I've gotta admit they hit the ball out of the park with these hemi engines. I just can't say enough about them. At one point this summer(with mos2) I was getting 30mpg on the highway on my commute if there wasn't any wind. I didn't use mos2 this oil fill and I can't get any better than 26mpg however that could be slightly affected(minutely)by the thicker oil although the first 1000 miles into this run I was still able to hit 30s.
Anyways use it up,mix it if you want if you've got no warranty to worry about. If still under warranty you might be able to get away with 5 quarts of 20 grade and 2 of the 30 grade,for sure you can substitute one quart though.

 

[wally6934]

Does it make any sense to use a thicker oil than the mfg specs going in to the winter months?

 

[jdw1222]

thanks for the help...I think. Ha-ha. About is confused now as I was when I started. I dont even know what the MDS is.No seriously, thanks for all the info. I do appreciate it!!

I think I am going to try half 10-30 and half 0w20 synthetic which I have in the garage also. Ill see how it does. if nayone thinks that is a bad idea let me know

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: earlyre
Plenty of 5w20 conventionals exist. Since this is the5.7, not the6.1,or 6.4, 5w20 conv. Will be fine. There's even anecdotal evidence of those engines having some issues with engagement of the vvt when a 5w30 is used.


Pfffffffft. I've got 0w-40 in my mds hemi right now and there's not any difference in how the mds engages.



I said it was anecdotal..
all the info i have for that engine is what i looked up a few weeks back when my brother bought a '13 Challenger R/T Blacktop, w/ the 5.7 Hemi.

and jdw1222, MDS = Multi Displacement System, also known as Cylinder deactivation. basically to save fuel, unless the vehicle needs the power of all 8 cyl, it it only runs on 4.
Multi-Displacement System - Wikipedia

 

[oldhp]

jdw1222, I wouldn't use 10W30 because of the 10W, use 5W30. There have been posts on Dodge forums where 10W30 was used and it set the too thick of oil code.

 

[jdw1222]

ok, thanks! I meant 5w30. not sure why I wrote 10.

 

[dave1251]

Just use your stash up and then use 5W20 or 5W30 as you please.