Viscosity for Dodge Ram

[tojo70]

2004 Dodge Ram. 91K miles. 5.7L Hemi V-8. Truck has the MDS so 5w-20 recommended. I live in Central Montana so temps often get below freezing. Short drives (10 minutes) to work. Very few highway miles during the winter. I'm thinking of doing the Mobil 1 0w20 mainly for the cold starts.
What's everyone's opinion?
If it matters, I just bought the truck. Ran the conventional oil about 5K and now time for a change.

 

[SteveSRT8]

New gen Hemis seem to be very non fussy as to oils.

Run a good grade of 20w and that engine may just outlast us all...

 

[Hokiefyd]

There is no reason why you can't run Mobil 1 0W-20. Even at room temperature, that oil (and any 0W- or 5W-20 oil) is way heavier than it is at operating temperature, so there are zero worries about it being "too thin".

 

[cptbarkey]

according to this thread, MDS was added in 2006, not 2004.

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen-ram-...d-opinions.html

 

[JR]

Embrace the 20wt's. fords going on 12+yrs of 5w-20 and back spec'ed many engines.

ken

 

[tojo70]

Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
according to this thread, MDS was added in 2006, not 2004.

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen-ram-...d-opinions.html

It was added to all 2006 and later dodge rams. Prior to that it was optional. From my research according to my VIN, I do have the MDS, and on Non-MDS 5w30 is recommended where as on the MDS 5w-20 is recommended. My oil cap says 5w-20.
Thanks for checking and the info though.

 

[[email protected]]

Originally Posted By: JR
Embrace the 20wt's. fords going on 12+yrs of 5w-20 and back spec'ed many engines.

ken


This.

 

[A_Harman]

A 0w20 may help low temperature switching of the MDS system compared to 5w20.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: tojo70
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
according to this thread, MDS was added in 2006, not 2004.

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen-ram-...d-opinions.html

It was added to all 2006 and later dodge rams. Prior to that it was optional. From my research according to my VIN, I do have the MDS, and on Non-MDS 5w30 is recommended where as on the MDS 5w-20 is recommended. My oil cap says 5w-20.
Thanks for checking and the info though.


Not sure where you did your research but no regular production 2004 Ram came with MDS. Not standard nor optional. 2006 was the 1st model year MDS was available in the Ram.

2004 Rams spec'd 5W30 across the board. 5W20 1st spec'd in 2005 even though MDS was not used until 2006. If your oil cap says 5W20 it was replaced at some point or possibly your truck is a very late 04 model that had an 05 oil cap added.

Not trying to be offensive but MDS was just not available in the Ram truck until 2006. It was available in earlier model year cars( like 2004-2005 ). It did not go into the trucks until 2006.

Run 5W30 or 5W20 and you will be just fine. I ran 5W30 in my 04 and 5W20 in my 08 and both did fine in our NH winters.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: tojo70
My oil cap says 5w-20.


That's your answer right there.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: tojo70
My oil cap says 5w-20.


That's your answer right there.


Except it isn't. 2004 Rams with the 5.7L did not spec 5W20. 2005 was the 1st year for it. Caps can be changed on used vehicles like this. It will work for sure but it is not the spec'd weight for 2004. As I said above maybe it was a very late build and they started using 2005 caps or something? My guess though is it was just changed at some point. 2003 and 2004 spec'd 30 weight.

 

[kkreit01]

Who says it's the original oil cap? If it's the original motor, it does not have MDS. Do you have the correct manual? Run what it says.

 

[RF Overlord]

To answer the OP's original question, if 5W-20 is allowed in your engine, then 0W-20 will work just fine.

 

[cptbarkey]

Originally Posted By: tojo70
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
according to this thread, MDS was added in 2006, not 2004.

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen-ram-...d-opinions.html

It was added to all 2006 and later dodge rams. Prior to that it was optional. From my research according to my VIN, I do have the MDS, and on Non-MDS 5w30 is recommended where as on the MDS 5w-20 is recommended. My oil cap says 5w-20.
Thanks for checking and the info though.


like someone else said it was never an option. as an option it would require different aluminum heads, which i doubt could justify the economy of scale.

 

[Merkava_4]

According to Amsoil, that truck is supposed to be running 5w30, or 10w30 above 0*F. LINK

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
According to Amsoil, that truck is supposed to be running 5w30, or 10w30 above 0*F. LINK


Correct and that info is in the owner's manual for the vehicle.

 

[Clevy]

I had that exact truck last year. I don't know if mine had the mds option however my owners manual said the hemi needs 5w-20 and my oil fill cap said 5w-20.
I bought it privately so I doubt a dealer slapped a 20 grade cap on it although it is possible.

OP. My truck went to salvage,I totalled it. I bought it with 240k and totalled it at 280k. It got dealer bulk oil changes all its life according to the receipts that came with the truck.
It didn't consume a drop of oil between changes and honestly it felt just as torquey as my dads 2014 hemi ram.
I was always a thicker is better guy however mileage doesn't lie and my personal experience with a high mile hemi is that the 20 grades don't shorten engine life whatsoever.
That truck is already hard on fuel,why not try for a mpg or 2 with a 20 grade.
As far as thicker oil affecting mds it does. It will slow its engagement by 0.20 seconds meaning the engagement and disengagement will happen in under half a second with thicker oil.
It really doesn't matter what oil you use however a 20 grade will still enable your hemi to last longer than the body it's fitted in.

 

[Ken2]

Kalispell winter lows are variable, but they can get down close to -30°F, right? A 0W-20 will do well, or a 0w30 if your engine does in fact require 30 wt. Also consider synthetic power steering fluid and synthetic lubes in the differentials and transfer case. Lots of cars & trucks use conventional lubes, but the syns will do better in deep cold--easier warm up and lower resistance for a bit better gas mileage.

 

[Clevy]

We hit -40 last winter for awhile. I ran Mobil 1 0w-20 after tig did some digging and helped me feel comfortable using it.
My 04 hemi sounded the same with Mobil 1 as it did with PP, Quaker State Ultimate Durability was a bit quieter on the bottom end but it was never noisy enough to be considered an issue.
The difference between a 20 and 30 grade isn't a lot so use what you're comfortable with.
A 20 grade will not affect engine life whatsoever. I towed cars on trailer across the country a dozen times using 20 grades and my truck ran flawlessly.
That truck is the reason I bought my charger. I saw what the hemi was capable of and I'm confident in the durability of the platform.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: JR
Embrace the 20wt's. fords going on 12+yrs of 5w-20 and back spec'ed many engines.

ken


So you are saying that Ford built the Dodge Ram ?

or that Ford back-specced the oils to the Dodge Ram...

Didn't Porsche Back-spec to 5W-40 ?