Question for Mechanics (I have an oil leak problem)

[Militarypol21]

Vehicle: 2010 Dodge Charger V6 (3.5L) (Oil: 5w-30)

Problem: I drove from Indianapolis to Tennessee a few weeks ago with no known problems. After arriving in Tennessee we stopped for dinner. After dinner I started my car and it sounded “different”, almost like a knocking sound. I turned the car off and checked the oil and found it was about a quart low on oil. I started the car again to drive to the get some oil and it sounded fine (as if the oil pressure wasn't up the first time). I put a quart of 10w30 in and drove home, checking it throughout the trip and it kept its level.

Today, I took my car in for an oil change and it was again another 1.5 quarts low. So apparently my car is leaking about 2.5 quarts of oil between oil changes. They lifted the car up and checked for leaks and it was bone dry around the oil pan/plug/bottom panel (and yes, I checked this myself too). I don’t recall any smoke coming from the tailpipe which means it is most likely leaking internally and not burning oil (correct?). How much work is it to check the internal rings myself vs. having to spend a crap ton of money taking it to a mechanic?

Talking to the oil change mechanic he recommended putting the Mobil 1 Super Synthetic Oil in due to the amount of driving I do on a daily basis and also said I should switch from 5w-30 to 10w30 because it is a thicker oil. In the end this is going to cost more out of pocket so I’m not sure if he is just “trying to make more money”. I also thought about putting the Lucas Oil Leak Stop in but think if it is leaking that much oil, the leak stop may not correctly “fix” my problem.

Any input or recommendations?


Thanks

 

[burt gummer]

Well iv never worked on that car but i have removed heads and rings, its a big job but i think go to autozone they might be able to give u a better in depth time and how hard it might be with servicing ur car, Good luck

 

[Militarypol21]

Well iv never worked on that car but i have removed heads and rings, its a big job but i think go to autozone they might be able to give u a better in depth time and how hard it might be with servicing ur car, Good luck

I changed out the head gasket in my old cavalier years ago and it wasn't "too bad". I took it to Auto-zone and the guy that helped me was an idiot. I originally went in to get a quote on brake pads / rotors and told him about the oil leak and he said he wouldn't put the stop leak in either because it sounded like a bigger problem.

 

[donnie1581]

I haven't worked on any chargers so I'm not sure if there is an issue with a gasket going bad or not, but I don't agree with that mechanic. With winter coming up, it's better to have lighter weight oil in your car; I also believe that almost all newer passenger cars calls for 5w oil and not 10w. I could be wrong.

 

[Militarypol21]

I haven't worked on any chargers so I'm not sure if there is an issue with a gasket going bad or not, but I don't agree with that mechanic. With winter coming up, it's better to have lighter weight oil in your car; I also believe that almost all newer passenger cars calls for 5w oil and not 10w. I could be wrong.

You are right. From everything I have ready most newer cars call for 5w30 especially for driving in below freezing temps. Although 10w30 is a bit thicker I dont think just switching to that will fix my problem.

Should I step-1 be checking my head gasket?

 

[donnie1581]

If there was a bad gasket or seal, I'm sure would have seen oil on the motor or around the pan. Were you able to check the back side of the engine?

 

[Militarypol21]

If there was a bad gasket or seal, I'm sure would have seen oil on the motor or around the pan. Were you able to check the back side of the engine?

I have only checked the underneath after removing the panel. I haven't had a chance to go looking under the hood. Where abouts are you talking on the backside?

 

[eldirector]

Oil can only go one of two places: out through a seal, or out through the tailpipe. That much oil in 3-5 thousand miles would be pretty noticeable if leaking externally. It is possible to burn that much without "blue smoke" from the tailpipe.

Your engine is designed for the oil "weight" listed in the manual. I wouldn't switch to a more viscous oil unless the manual called for it. Besides, 5W-30 and 10W-30 have the same viscosity once warm (both at -30). One is just thinner when cold.

If you have an internal problem that is causing oil to enter the cylinders, then it could be minor (stuck ring), but is most likely pretty major (valve guides or piston rings). A leak-down (compression) test might spot the problem without tearing the heads off, if you are lucky. The fix could still involve major work.

Oddly enough, though, if it is simply a stuck ring, synthetic oil could fix it. They tend to have more detergents and I've seen them clean up carbon deposits. A couple of low-mileage synthetic changes (with good filters) might flush stuff free.

I any case, I'd never use 'stop leak'. Not only do they rarely work, they can gum stuff up pretty well.

Just my

 

[Suprtek]

If you have no leaks and there is no evidence of oil in your coolant, the only other possibility is that your engine is burning an excessive amount of oil. Unfortunately, this seems to be a relatively common issue with the Dodge 3.5 motor as well as some of their other motors. From what I have read, these engines tend to accumulate carbon buildup on the rings causing them to not seal properly to the cylinder walls. I also read that Chrysler is trying to claim that using a quart of oil every 1000 miles is supposed to be acceptable. Obviously, that's total BS. There are some "products" available that claim to help with this problem. Despite this issue, I still believe these are good engines. My wife's van has used more oil than I like for a few years now but its not as bad as you describe. We just check the oil once a week or so and top off as needed. We've not had any other issues. Yours sounds a bit more serious though. If you can find a good fuel system cleaner and maybe an oil detergent additive as well, it just might help. I would never expect the issue to completely disappear though.

 

[tom1025]

I think its a common problem with Dodges. I have the same issue with my Ram but its paid for and Iam am not that worried about it. Run your finger inside the tail pipe and see if you have any build up. I would also check inside your air filter housing. I had a jeep that would get blow by and oil would accumulate in the bottom of it.

 

[Militarypol21]

OK, thanks all for the advice. I will get to work on this tomorrow and see what I come up with. The last thing I need right now is a major repair so I am hoping it is burning oil as mentioned. Putting a quart in every 1000 miles due to it burning oil beats spending a grand on repairs in my book. I just didn't want to keep adding more and more oil and eventually something breaks and all that oil comes spilling out from wherever it is being kept! I don't know much about engines themselves and cant tell you where the oil goes once it's put in the car but I'll do some reading up on it.

 

[bobzilla]

I also read that Chrysler is trying to claim that using a quart of oil every 1000 miles is supposed to be acceptable. Obviously, that's total BS.

That's pretty much ALL manufacturers. 1 qt per thousand miles is still within specs. Hell, K24's in the TSX/Accord will burn 1-2 qts on their normal service interval of 5-7k miles. That is normal.

 

[tom1025]

OK, thanks all for the advice. I will get to work on this tomorrow and see what I come up with. The last thing I need right now is a major repair so I am hoping it is burning oil as mentioned. Putting a quart in every 1000 miles due to it burning oil beats spending a grand on repairs in my book. I just didn't want to keep adding more and more oil and eventually something breaks and all that oil comes spilling out from wherever it is being kept! I don't know much about engines themselves and cant tell you where the oil goes once it's put in the car but I'll do some reading up on it.

Thanks for the rep. I would just check it once a week and add when needed. That's what I have been doing for the past three years with 175k and counting.

 

[daddymikey1975]

Vehicle: 2010 Dodge Charger V6 (3.5L) (Oil: 5w-30)

Any input or recommendations?


Thanks

I'm a service advisor at a Honda dealership. My direct answer to you is

(1) . how many miles are on the car ?? You might still be covered by factory warranty (call the local dodge dealer and ask about the bumper-bumper warranty, then ask how long the powertrain is covered.

(2). Have a dodge mechanic check out the source of the oil leak (ask them to show you where it's going)

If there's no external leak, the car may be 'consuming' oil. Honda has a procedure to determine rate of consumption (ironically, it's called an oil consumption test)

Once you've verified where the oil is going, you will have a better idea of where to begin for a repair.

Stay away from any 'stop leak' items. Especially if you are still covered by some of the factory powertrain warranty. (Honda has a 5 year 60k mile powertrain warranty beginning with model year 2008, not sure about the 2010 dodge though)

I hope this helps

 

[Eskion]

I haven't worked on any chargers so I'm not sure if there is an issue with a gasket going bad or not, but I don't agree with that mechanic. With winter coming up, it's better to have lighter weight oil in your car; I also believe that almost all newer passenger cars calls for 5w oil and not 10w. I could be wrong.

You're right, they do call for 5w now.

Oddly, I have just recently encountered the same problem as the OP on a 2008 Explorer

 

[Bunnykid68]

I have used this in the past with good results.

Restore USA - Engine Restorer

 

[bobzilla]

Don't EVER use "miracle in a can" for a car you are planning on keeping.

 

[Bunnykid68]

Don't EVER use "miracle in a can" for a car you are planning on keeping.

I got over 400,000 miles on a vehicle and I used that and Lucas oil treatment

 

[wrenchead88]

I am a technician and when the new chargers first came out we were seeing this right off the bat and having people take their vehicles to their dealer as they were still under warranty, and every person was given the same response that 1qt per 1000 miles is considered "normal" oil consumption, and since then i do believe that chrysler has issued a technical service bulletin stating that. so just keep on your oil level, and youll be fine.

 

[gearheadwilly]

I checked all data and tsb is 1000 miles 1qt rule is true. Just watch it and it'll be fine