M 1 15w50 dodge dakota 4.7

[grease_monkey]

Greetings folks, my youth pastor at my church has an 01 dakota with a 4.7 that has 162000 miles on it and it consumes one quart of oil every two months or 1700 miles. No smoke pcv is new no leaks. He wants to run mobil 1 15w50 in his truck because he thinks his truck is hard on oil. Is 15w50 safe to use or too thick? He parks his truck in a garage all year around. The coldest it gets in winter is upper 30s lower 40s with occasional cold snaps. Drives closley 3000 mi a month

 

[SEMI_287]

In one word, NOOOOOOOOOO!! That is WAY too thick for a 4.7. My 4.7 burned just a hair over a quart during 5500 miles with 170k on the clock. It might have a few stuck rings, I would try some Maxlife 10w30 or even Rotella 5w40. With that much consumption it should show on the plugs if it is burning oil.

 

[grease_monkey]

I checked plugs when I replaced them. They are clean. I was thinking something like a 5w40 too. Never used 15w50 before so I didn't know. Thanks for your insight and second opinion.

 

[daves87rs]

10w40?

 

[grease_monkey]

I noticed mobil 1 made a 10w40 high mileage. I am gonna recommend that to him. Btw love your signature. My favorite movie

 

[SEMI_287]

M1 10w40 HM is also another good choice!

 

[Thax]

Mobil 1 15w-50 is not the correct oil for the 4.7L . I would recommend Mobil 1 10w-30 HM if he wants to use a syn oil. It is a fairly thick 30 weight oil that should help with the consumption. Consuming one quart at 1700 into a oci on a 4.7L with that mileage is not totally out of the ordinary. The 4.7L runs best on a 30 weight oil imho , the newer ones specify 5w-20 so this is a motor that doesnt do great with thicker oils.

 

[rshunter]

Thicker oil turns the 4.7L into a dog. There is even a perceivable difference between running a heavier 30-weight and a 20-weight. It also has a decisive impact on fuel economy. I wouldn't run a 50-weight, or even a 40-weight for that matter, on a dare.

 

[SLCraig]

The consumption is really not bad... you should suggest to just stick with standard grade oil, maybe some italian tuneups will help in the long run (free rings)

 

[grease_monkey]

Ok so correct me if I mis understood this, but that kind of consumption that he is experiencing with his engine is normal?

 

[rshunter]

Originally Posted By: grease_monkey
Ok so correct me if I mis understood this, but that kind of consumption that he is experiencing with his engine is normal?

In your original post you said that the truck burns a quart every two months, or about 1700 miles. But you then said that he drives it about 3000 miles a month. That is a rather significant difference, from 1Qt per 1.7K to 1Qt per 6K.

If it's the former it's not bad at all, but it couldn't hurt to try a HM oil to see if it will reduce the consumption some. It may even be worth seeing if there is some built-up crud in the rings. If it's the latter, well...

 

[Hemi426]

Anything heavier than a 30 wt. is too heavy for that engine. Try a High Mileage 10w-30.

 

[fdcg27]

M1 15W-50 would be just fine for the temperature range you suggest, for a vehicle that spends every night in a garage.
I've used this oil in both Accords during the summer with no problems, and no appreciable loss in fuel economy.
Try it, it might work well.
OTOH, you could also try Maxlife, starting with a 10W-30, and maybe going to a 10W-40.
You can buy Maxlife for a whole lot less than M1 as well.

 

[Hemi426]

I've driven a 4.7 Dodge for 11 years now and I speak with confidence when I say that anything heavier than a 30 wt. is too thick for that engine. If it's got a ton of miles on it you may get by with a thin 40 wt. such as Mobil 1 0w-40 but I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[RedOak]

I would try some MMO on the next oil change. That might free up some sticky rings and clean some carbon up. I have a 4.7 in a 06 Durango and get 20 mpg on the interstate at 65 mph. I have always used 5w-30, mostly mobil clean 5000. I wonder if this engine is back specd. for 5w-20.

 

[Hemi426]

I believe the newer 4.7s from the last few years specify 5w-20 but the ones produced from the vast majority of the run are 5w-30. I have a 2000 and have always run 5w-30 in it because that's what Chrysler recommended when it was new. Funny thing is, the little computer at WM for filter look ups tells me to use 10w-30. I have 127,000 miles on mine and am currently running Castrol Edge Titanium 5w-30 with a Pure One 30001 filter.

 

[oggb]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
M1 15W-50 would be just fine ... I've used this oil in both Accords during the summer with no problems


I was just about ask "Isn't there someone around here running 15w-50 in their Accord?" when I saw your post.

As long as the guy puts something in the sump labeled "engine oil" that is somewhere between 0w-20 and 15w-50 that engine may never know the difference.

 

[Hemi426]

I'm beginning to feel like I'm beating my head against a wall. The Dodge 4.7 is a completly different animal compared to most engines. I should know. I've put 127,000 miles on one so far and tried all different weights of oils. The 4.7(except the newest ones) run best by far on a 5w-30 or 2nd choice 10w-30. The 40 wt. and especially 50 wt. will turn this engine into a dog. The only 40 wt. that I've tried that wasn't TOO BAD was Mobil 1 0w-40 and even then I felt some sluggishness and some loss of fuel economy. Chrysler designed the engine from the blueprints to the assembly line and there is a reason why they specify 5w-30.

 

[opposite_locker]

M1 0w40 is my favorite oil thus far for my '08 4.7...so far have tried M1 0w20, PP 5w20, GC 0w30, M1 0w40, PU 5w20, and now M1 0w30.

German Castrol & M1 0w40 made the engine run smoother & quieter than the thinner oils (especially in summer), but GC made the motor feel a touch sluggish...M1 0w40 did not.

To the OP, I would recommend trying a thick 30wt/thin 40wt oil before going any thicker. If it were my truck, I'd go with Mobil 1 10w30 "high mileage"

 

[rshunter]

Originally Posted By: Hemi426
I'm beginning to feel like I'm beating my head against a wall. The Dodge 4.7 is a completly different animal compared to most engines. I should know. I've put 127,000 miles on one so far and tried all different weights of oils. The 4.7(except the newest ones) run best by far on a 5w-30 or 2nd choice 10w-30. The 40 wt. and especially 50 wt. will turn this engine into a dog. The only 40 wt. that I've tried that wasn't TOO BAD was Mobil 1 0w-40 and even then I felt some sluggishness and some loss of fuel economy. Chrysler designed the engine from the blueprints to the assembly line and there is a reason why they specify 5w-30.

Hey, what would the owners of 4.7s know about it? Seriously.

I mean, come on, Honda inline-4 and V6 engines, the Chrysler 4.7 V8, they're all the same...

Right?