recommendation additive for durango 4.7

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FLORIDA

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Hello my wife's daily driver is a 2002 Dodge Durango 4.7 V8 with 140,000 miles. Its our most dependable vehicle and the one we use for our long distance traveling. Right now it has a valve cover gasket leak that over the course of 5 months or so has lost about a quart of oil. Right now the truck has Mobil 1 10w-30 syn in it per research from this forum. It runs really good on the mobil 1 but I figured since I had to add a quart in the next few days that I would try a additive.

What would you recommend for this vehicle. From what I've seen on this forum, people seem to like Marvel Mystery Oil. Would that be good for my truck? I don't think I want one of those atom bomb treatment additives, but just something that will help this thing stay reliable. We bought the truck used with 130,000 and its never had any issues besides replacing the starter, but I'm still not sure about how well it was taken care of by the previous owner. Thanks for any info.
 
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A good additive that will help things "stay reliable" is just regular engine oil changes. You have no problems, don't start trying to "fix" them arbitrarily. You're better off saving that money to replace the valve cover gaskets.

MMO and all those additives are feel-goods at best. Take the valve cover off and look, you'll be able to get a pretty quick idea of the engines condition. But even then, just regular oil changes should help slowly loosen up crud.

Then from there you can start trying to formulate an intelligent plan of attack. Even better, you'll have fixed your valve cover gasket :p
 
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Repair the leaking valve cover gasket and stick with the 0W-30 unless there are other issues involved.

There are no shortcuts or mysteries in keeping a vehicle running for a long time. Just simple TLC maintenance on a consistent basis using manufacture approved products.
 
So you lost the oil due to the leak or consumption? Either way with most people's habits a quart every 5 months is great. Keep doing what your doing. How many miles did you drive in 5 months?

Marvel mystery oil will thin your oil, resulting in increased oil consumption or leaks.
 
i will second the notion some have said.

fix the gasket, i have a durango, and the valve cover gasket is a common issue. if your 100% sure thats what it is, and everything else is fine with the vehicle, ie transmission, which is notoriously bad in these SUVs, then replace the gasket.

were at over 230000 miles on a 98, original transmission/engine and it still begs too be punished.

these vehicles can go for a long time mileage wise, check out dodge durango forum, but you have too invest in the things too keep them running!

good luck!
 
I don't know about how far we have driven it. At least 2000 miles. Not sure if its consumption or leakage. Its got a bad enough leak that everytime we drive at least 3 or 4 miles its got a bad burnt oil smell and you can see exactly where its leaking onto the exhaust manifold. Its a super smooth runner and has earned our trust though, its not a problematic vehicle.
 
I heard that the 318 v8 vehicles had transmission issues but that the 4.7 transmission was alot better. I would love to change the valve cover gaskets myself and do so on alot of my vehicles but this one just has alot of clutter above the covers.
 
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The 4.7Ls like oils with lots of detergents. They are reliable and long lasting engines when taken care of, but are prone to very quick sludge formation when neglected.

I would personally run Castrol Edge, Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum or Valvoline Synpower for their noack volatility and high detergent add packs. But really, any name brand synthetic would work great.

I would fix the valve cover gasket. It is not impossible, you just have to remove or move some fuel and AC lines.
 
what oil would be recommended for this 140,000 4.7 being that I do alot of distance traveling with it? Would you change from Mobil 1 HM 10w-30?
 
Originally Posted By: FLORIDA
Right now the truck has Mobil 1 10W-30 syn in it.
.... What would you recommend for this vehicle. ....Thanks for any info.


Why not stick with what you've been using or the 5W-30 version?

Originally Posted By: 147_Grain
Repair the leaking valve cover gasket and stick with the 10W-30 unless there are other issues involved.

There are no shortcuts or mysteries in keeping a vehicle running for a long time. Just simple TLC maintenance on a consistent basis using manufacture approved products.
 
I hate to admit this but I honestly can't remember if I used 5w-30 or 10w-30 Mobil 1 HM. I just said 10w-30 for the sake of creating this post to gain some information. Right now with the oil a little low I'm getting alot of lash adjuster noise on cold start ups, which seems common for these engines. I'm just trying to figure out what I want to go with on this next oil change. I have a 1,000 mile round trip with this truck coming up saturday and I'm thinking of doing a oil change before we go.
 
I'm using maxlife 5w30 in mine right now, runs good. If Mobil1 high mileage is working good, keep it going wouldn't everything the mobil1 too much, it has good voas and uoas found here and elsewhere. Getting the leak or consumption under control would be my biggest concern if it were me.
 
My research has led me to the Napa Gold 1085 filter. They have some kind of back flow valve that holds oil in the filter and stops the 4.7 lash adjuster noise. Anyone have any opinions on these napa gold filters?
 
Originally Posted By: FLORIDA
what about filter options? is there one that stands out above the rest?


If you want the most for the least, Motorcraft. Your 4.7 will likely have room for an FL-1A, and a FL-400S will also work if you want a silicone ADBV.
 
Any silicone anti drain back should perform as intended. If you want a synthetic media something like the Fram Ultra or Napa Platinum. Also look into the Wix XP.
 
Go to napa. They sell a product called motor oil saver. Its made by a company called lubro-moly.
It will fix your leak.
Mmo will make it leak more due to cleaning and thinning of the oil.
 
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