Hemi Cam/Lifters - Best Oil?

[4WD]

I'm starting to wonder if a bypass filtration system is not something to consider for these "hydraulic" systems … Guess you'd have to be committed to keeping that vehicle to consider the investment ? Same with engines known to go through timing chains …

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite

If they are captured needle-bearing roller followers - they will fail especially with big valves and periodic overrevving and float.. ZDDP wont do a thing here - Nothing. I will say that excessively thick oil will cause the rollers to skate instead of roll. The cam surface metallurgy is ordinarily NOT designed for rubbing wear. So you will get galling and spalling and soon failure. I would bet any VVT cam jitter doesn't help at all either.

I seriously doubt there will be any skating of rollers with a 5W30 or even a 5W40 oil. IIRC they spec'd in in some Hemi applications.

 

[VNTS]

From police upfitters manual, recommended the squads use 10w-30 synthetic instead of 20w.

 

[LubricatusObsess]

Originally Posted by demarpaint

Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite

If they are captured needle-bearing roller followers - they will fail especially with big valves and periodic overrevving and float.. ZDDP wont do a thing here - Nothing. I will say that excessively thick oil will cause the rollers to skate instead of roll. The cam surface metallurgy is ordinarily NOT designed for rubbing wear. So you will get galling and spalling and soon failure. I would bet any VVT cam jitter doesn't help at all either.

I seriously doubt there will be any skating of rollers with a 5W30 or even a 5W40 oil. IIRC they spec'd in in some Hemi applications.

Well, they spec'd in 0W-40 synthetic for the 6.4L Hellcat, and carried that over to Ram HD 6.4L truck variant (which I own). So, for better or worse, sheardown or not, I use it, in PUP brand. Have no idea if it's good for HEMI lifter / cam issues or not. Or if oil has anything to do with the issues at all, for that matter. Other reports say it's strictly a lifter quality problem that's been fixed. Or at least mostly.

 

[westcoaster]

In the winter I stick to the 5w20 sort for ease of starting. But in the summer I run Rotella T6 5w30 with a good dose of MOS2 for moly. I also have a good buddy who's a wrench for a Dodge dealership. I personally think the OLM on our trucks is set for too long an interval. My buddy said use a quality synthetic and change at 5000 km's, Period!!!! My last oil change at 5000 km's showed a very dark oil and it appeared rather spent. He stated the engine is hard on cams but I personally believe it fun to drive it hard to unleash the ponies but that driving will thrash an oil sooner which coupled with a generous OLM may contribute to premature cam wear. My opinion of course!!!

 

[OilReport99]

Originally Posted by westcoaster

In the winter I stick to the 5w20 sort for ease of starting. But in the summer I run Rotella T6 5w30 with a good dose of MOS2 for moly. I also have a good buddy who's a wrench for a Dodge dealership. I personally think the OLM on our trucks is set for too long an interval. My buddy said use a quality synthetic and change at 5000 km's, Period!!!! My last oil change at 5000 km's showed a very dark oil and it appeared rather spent. He stated the engine is hard on cams but I personally believe it fun to drive it hard to unleash the ponies but that driving will thrash an oil sooner which coupled with a generous OLM may contribute to premature cam wear. My opinion of course!!!

They will both star as "easy" as the other as they share the same winter rating- 5W. That, unless the sludge of Moly messes things up.

 

[Skippy722]

Oil cannot fix an engineering or manufacturing flaw. That being said, I'll be running Rotella Gas truck or Pennzoil in mine.

 

[Rod Knock]

Recently this video was posted to YouTube. The guy explains some of the design flaws with the the Gen 3 Hemi that he thinks contributes to the cam/lifter failures. In February I purchased a '13 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi. It was a single owner truck with a record of service every 5 to 6k its entire life to that point (84k miles). Currently I'm running Royal Purple HPS 5w-30 in the truck. I changed the oil from dealer fill after I put about 1500 miles on it and did a UOA on the unknown dealer fill. Blackstone didn't think there was any indication of issues at the time. Here's my question: In light of all the discussions here and the experience and expertise y'all have, and the video I linked, what do you think is my best bet for my next fill? Stick with RP-HPS 5w-30? Drop to 5w-20? Switch to Redline 5w-20?

First of all, Uncle Tony wants attention, but he doesn't know what he's talking about. Stick to the Royal Pure HPS as it's a ZDDP rich oil and will protect your engine, or go with RedLine 5W-30 as it had the same amount of ZDDP plus more Moly, but you will need to change it more often than RP HPS.

 

[TeamZero]

As I have posted before, its a part quality issue, not an oil issue(within reason). The surface hardening on the roller axle is poor.....the small rollers wear into the axle, then when there is enough clearance they start to jam up....the outer roller starts to lock up and skids....by by cam. Same issue on the 3.6. Use good oil, and change it early....and dont sweat it.

 

[sloinker]

I think the factory fill was Pennzoil 5w20 synthetic. If it were mine I would use the Red Line 5W20 as it is on the heavier side of the viscosity range and has enough ester to discourage varnishing/sludge.

5W20 Motor Oil

Recommended for OEM 5W20 applications like Chrysler, Ford, Acura/Honda, and Mazda

www.redlineoil.com

 

[demarpaint]

I'd run Mobil 1 ESP 0w30 or 5W30 if I owned one.

 

[farrarfan1]

I think the factory fill was Pennzoil 5w20 synthetic. If it were mine I would use the Red Line 5W20 as it is on the heavier side of the viscosity range and has enough ester to discourage varnishing/sludge.

5W20 Motor Oil

Recommended for OEM 5W20 applications like Chrysler, Ford, Acura/Honda, and Mazda

www.redlineoil.com

You’re partially correct, factory fill is Pennzoil/Shell 5W-20 but it is not synthetic. The owners manual recommends using 5W-20 that meets Chrysler material standard MS-6395 but does not state that it has to be synthetic. I have four free dealership oil changes because of a warranty issue, that wasn’t the dealerships fault, and the default oil choice in the system is conventional 5W-20 for the 5.7L. I have to ask specifically for synthetic, and both times I’ve used them I verified it was Pennzoil Platinum they put in.

 

[Rod Knock]

You’re partially correct, factory fill is Pennzoil/Shell 5W-20 but it is not synthetic. The owners manual recommends using 5W-20 that meets Chrysler material standard MS-6395 but does not state that it has to be synthetic. I have four free dealership oil changes because of a warranty issue, that wasn’t the dealerships fault, and the default oil choice in the system is conventional 5W-20 for the 5.7L. I have to ask specifically for synthetic, and both times I’ve used them I verified it was Pennzoil Platinum they put in.

Now that I'm running a 180F thermostat and did a grille shutter delete, I can safely return to 5W-20, because oil temps are way down. I believe that because the HEMI is set up to run hot, many people who run 5W-20 (especially in the conventional variety) and don't change their oil often enough end up with problems. Another thing to consider is that some people I've seen dump the factory fill as soon as they get hone, or very early, and end up with problems. I had my first oil change at 4600 miles, and only then I had the dealership put in PP 5W-20. There is a reason why many engine builders (e.g. Jasper) recommend running conventional for the first 4000~5000 miles. Or if you have the urge to dump the factory fill to flush out the metals, then put back PYB 5W-20 conventional and ride it out to 4~5K. It's not going to hurt anything. And I wouldn't abuse the truck during those initial miles. I don't have a lifter tick, never did. I went to a thicker oil because the engine was running at 220F~230F and the oil was up there, and when towing, it was running even hotter. It runs fine now, so I no longer need the thicker oil. That's the only purpose for a thicker oil: to have sufficient lubrication when the temperatures are running away from you and are out of control.

 

[Mathew_Boss]

Recently this video was posted to YouTube. The guy explains some of the design flaws with the the Gen 3 Hemi that he thinks contributes to the cam/lifter failures. In February I purchased a '13 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi. It was a single owner truck with a record of service every 5 to 6k its entire life to that point (84k miles). Currently I'm running Royal Purple HPS 5w-30 in the truck. I changed the oil from dealer fill after I put about 1500 miles on it and did a UOA on the unknown dealer fill. Blackstone didn't think there was any indication of issues at the time. Here's my question: In light of all the discussions here and the experience and expertise y'all have, and the video I linked, what do you think is my best bet for my next fill? Stick with RP-HPS 5w-30? Drop to 5w-20? Switch to Redline 5w-20?

I did several UOAs on my 2011 Hemi. I ended up sticking with Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage. We kept it for 172k miles without any major engine issues. Only things I did to it was clean the throttle body and I had to replace the oil cap.

 

[GMBoy]

I run Mobil 1 HM EP 5w/30 in my '16 Hemi Ram - 97k miles now and all is well. I did run QSUD 5w30 up until about 45k miles because it has the Mopar spec and was under warranty. The only time the truck had 5w/20 was factory fill. I firmly believe in 5w/30 and it does not mess with the cyl deactivation system.