Dodge Ram Oil Questions

jake1961

Nephews truck has gas in oil and low oil pressure. here's what he says.

Truck is a 1990 automatic trans, fuel injected model.



He seemed to have more difficulty starting it when it started getting cold outside. It always seemed as though it was probably burning some oil as dark grey exhaust was noted. According to the starting instructions in the manual, he is supposed to turn on the key and start without pumping the gas. This used to work OK but it cranked for some time before starting. As it became more difficult to start, sometimes he would pump it a bit. Later when it wouldn't start, we would sometimes follow the "flooded" instructions by cranking it with the pedal down to the floor.



We put in a small container of IsoHeet gas antifreez. This contains isopropyl alcohol and the instructions said it could be added before or after filling tank and that it treats 10 gals. of fuel. The guage shows about 1/4 tank. It still wouldn't start.



After changing the spark plugs last weekend, it started up without too much cranking. We let it idle for a while and noticed that it was putting out a light gray-white smoke (even smoke rings). I drove it back and forth in the driveway a few times and let it warm up. When moving it over to the parking space, I noticed the oil light coming on a bit then going off, then on again. He also has a guage which shows oil pressure but I unfortunately did not pay attention to it. After turning it off, I checked the oil and there was none on the dip stick. I assumed that over the months with him starting it, some had burned away. (we changed the oil and filter soon after getting it in Sept. putting in 5 qts.). There was some light smoke (I assume from the heat) coming from the oil fill opening. I waited for the engine to cool and put in a quart.



The next day, we checked the level and the dip stick had "oil" up about 6" on the dip stick. We tried to start it and it made a few small "back fire" type noises and we noticed that the oil pressure gauge was at 0, so we stopped. Chris said he used to see the gauge go up some while cranking it.



After talking to you on the phone, we smelled it and it seems there is gas in the oil. Today we drained it and about 10 quarts of fluid came out. This seems like about a gallon extra of gas. We did not put any new oil back in since we wanted to hear from you if you have any suggestions.



How would gas be getting into this area? Could it have leaked down the pistons past the rings? Could the gas antifeez treatment have caused something to dissolve or was it too much antifreez for the amount of gas he has in his tank?

Thanks for any and all help/advice.

dustyk

Hmmm. That's a heck of a lot of raw fuel! Well, I can only think of three ways that much raw fuel could get into the crankcase:

*Something incredibly wrong in the Evaporative Control System, with vacuum pulling fuel out of the canister and in to the engine.

*A defective Fuel Regulator causing an over rich condition which allows unburned fuel to pass the rings and through the valve guides.

* A bad intake manifold gasket.

Best regards,
Dusty

hpleese

Remove the intake manifold and replace the belly pan and Gasket.. That should take care of the fuel in oil

90ram

">Thank you for your reply. We are the owners of the above listed "sick" Dodge Ram. We looked at a shop manual about the Evaporative Control System-the charcoal canister in particular. I assumed that we would be able to open it up and check it to see if it is saturated with gas but it appears to be sealed. Is there a way to open these canister up? The threaded bolts sticking out of the top only have threads with nothing to grasp onto. Also it says the cap cannot be opened. If you read my long letter regarding our problem, you read that we drained out the gas infested oil and since then we replaced the oil filter and put in 5 quarts of fresh oil. When we tried to start the engine we noticed that the oil light was on during cranking and the oil pressure gauge did not move from the 0 area. Usually it moved up some while cranking. We are not sure why we are not reading any oil pressure. Is it possible something has happened since we ran it for a short time with the gas mixed with the oil or could there be something wrong with one of the computer driven sensors, etc. Some of the possible solutions regarding the gas in the oil that were listed can be checked with the engine running. We are now unable to start the engine without oil pressure. We appreciate any advice you may have regarding the lack of oil pressure as well as the gas in oil problem. As I noted in the original letter, we used to start the engine and let it run for a while but probably it never really warmed up properly. Also since it did not move from its parking spot, could this have caused the charcoal canister the become super saturated? The suggestion to replace the intake manifold belly pan and gasket sounds like a very big project. Is this something that a few beginner motor heads with a shop manual can handle? Thanks again for you help. Sorry about the wordy letter.

90ram

We have a 1990 fuel injected Dodge Power Ram.
We had a problem with gas in the oil crankcase (see other discussion title).
This was possibly due to faulty fuel injector? but now have no oil pressure reading after draining the gas contaminated oil.
We refilled engine with fresh oil and a new filter.
When cranking engine to try to start it, we noticed that the oil pressure gauge was not moving up as it had in the past and the oil light remains on while cranking.
We did not try cranking too long as we didn't want to do any damage.
Does anyone have any ideas why we are experiencing this, what went wrong and what can we do now? Thanks.

pirateace

I had gas in oil found vacum on throttle body off fixed cahnged oil ,filter, pvc after 3 days low oil light on when cold start only. found gas in oil after passing car & blew smoke then got hot. fixed vacum. what has gas in oil damaged to make low oil light come on when cold start.
:confuse: :confuse:

90ram

After changing the oil and filter after draining the old oil with the gas mixed in, we have no oil pressure showing up on the gauge and the oil light is lit while cranking. Does anyone know why or what we can do? Thanks.

90ram

Thanks for your reply. I will check the vacuum hoses and pvc. I'm not sure what you mean by your last sentence. We had gas leaking somehow into crankcase, probably a faulty injector or pressure valve and after draining it and replacing with fresh oil, found that there is no oil pressure showing on the gauge. What to do? Thanks.

90ram

johnny002

I am the second owner of a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500. It has 5.9L 360 Eng., with 105,000 miles and is well maintained and in very good condition.

My oil pressure gauge reads properly when truck is not in motion or when I maintain a constant speed. But as soon as I accelerate it drops to zero but does not cause a problem with performance. Since there was no problem in performance I ignored it for a month due to cash flow issues. Now the oil light comes on only after it is warm and when I stop and I can feel very slight hesitation while idling and decelerating. Can someone please help me?

johnny002

dustyk

If the oil level is correct and the correct viscosity oil is being used, a drop in oil pressure as the engine RPM increases is usually a sign of a clogged or partially obstructed oil pump inlet screen.

I would recommend that you immediately stop driving the vehicle, remove the oil pan and inspect the pump inlet.

Under these conditions I wouldn't be surprised if you've got some scored main and connecting rod bearings from being run with inadequate oil supply. With the pan off I would remove the front and third main bearing caps and inspect the bearings halves. Any signs of galling, heavy scratches, or over heating and I would anticipate a complete bearing change. This can be done without removing the engine by an experienced technician. I'd plan on replacing the oil pump as well.

Good luck,
Dusty

danmorgan

i have a 1990 250 with 5.9 6 turbo disel i picked it up for a second haind truck. i have seen that a idle the oil guage showes low presure not light but less that in th center of the guage. at 60 70 mph seemes in center , should i be conserned what might it be?

danmorgan

sorry i could use a spell check next time. thanks

labest1

I just bought a Dodge Ram 1996 V8 2500 The engine runs smooth, no valves knocking or any hesitation in the sound or performance. Now, when I crank the engine, it starts immediately, the oil pressure gage goes to the middle and after about one second it goes to the far left. The Oil light stays lit permanently. The engine will warm up to the middle of the temp gage and maintain normal operational temp. I checked the oil level and it was full. If one could ignore the gage one would not notice by the vehicle's performance.
I don't know what the problem is but my guess is if I change the oil pump, it will fix the gage issue... Anyone have experience in dealing with this problem?
Many thanks, CP.

dpollock

I have a 2005 ,dodge 2500 5.9 cummins 24 vaqlve diesel,with 60,000 miles on it. have put 3,600 miles on truck and used 4 quarts of oil. Sure hope this is not normal,dealer found nothing,found no oil on floor in garage. Any one have any ideas on why this would happen. Bought truck to haul 28 ft. trailer have not done that yet. any help would be appreciated. thanks dpollock.

hunter35

I have the same truck only its a '95 with the same problem. Can this fixing process be explained more in detail?

ramman5

I lost the clutch on a 2005 Ram 2500 at 55,000 miles. The dealer first replaced the hydraulics and no change so they said the pressure plate had collapsed. No marks of abuse, overheating, checking or excessive wear. Clutch plate is over 60%.
Replaced clutch, pressure plate and bearings now the clutch pedal seems to be one third of the effort to press in. I am attempting to force Dodge to admit a defective pressure plate but as everyone knows I am fighting a brick wall! Any help or ideas will be a major asset in my battle!

catandmouse

i have a dodge ram 2009,that the oil light was coming on and staying,they told me to change the oil,so i did.this did not help.the oil light stays on.now my motor is baked.was some thing going on when the light was staying on.there was only 10500km. on the motor.hope you can help me .catandmouse : :lemon:

stanoski

Motor baked? Bummer dude!

Does anyone know if the old warrantees are still good? I bought an 07 RAM 1500 and purchased the additional extended warrantee at the time of purchase. Still good under the "new Chrysler" or not?

Ski in TX

skiking74

I have a 2004 viper ram truck with the 505 monster under the hood. At 29000 miles I am having to rebuild this very expensive engine. I was told that I spun the bearings on the fourth piston. Does anyone here know how this happens,when it is full of oil and there seems to be nothing wrong with it. This things runs like a race car. And I take better care of it than a Million Dollar Rich man.

skiking74

no warrantee to speak of as ithas set in my house being babyed. Also there is only one place to get parts for the beasts. I mean only one in the whole USA.

mudchick1

I am new to this forum as I just purchased a 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel 4X4 Quad Cab Long Bed automatic. My son is a mechanic, but I tend to read the specs in my manual before I discuss things with him, and we end up arguing. I read the specifics as to what kind of oil I should use. The only one that had all the appropriate requirements for my truck was the Motorcraft which is highly recommended for the Ford Powerstrokes. HOWEVER, on the back, it also recommends it can be used for the Cummins engines. Can someone help me with this? I don't mind paying for the appropriate fluids as I plan o keep this truck for a LOOOONG time. I am somewhat mechanically inclined, but am more than open to ANY and ALL advice you all can help me with.

Thank you for your time,
Mudchick

KCRam

The oil specifically recommended for the Cummins 5.9 and 6.7 engines is Valvoline Premium Blue 15W40, which was created by Valvoline especially for Cummins.

Valvoline.com - Premium Blue Engine Oil

You'll note this in the right side of the page: "Endorsed and recommended by Cummins for use in Dodge Ram Turbo Diesels" - and you'll see the Cummins "big C" logo right on the label.

kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host

mudchick1

kcram,

Thank you so very much! I appreciate that!!!

Mudchick :-)

KCRam

Very welcome - my Ram diesels love the stuff

kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host

mudchick1

Now... Where to find the stuff! So far only Amazon.com. Sorry to be a pain... I see I can get it if I get my oil changed at the Valvoline Oil Change Place, but I'd rather buy it and make my son do it! It's the LEAST he could do for me! Any familiar local auto parts or other such related stores to find this? Apparently not found in Walmart..Of course their website is not very helpful in the autoparts department. Geez....
And is there a particular filter you would highly recommended?

KCRam

Not a pain at all!

AutoZone has Valvoline Premium Blue in their stores... it's $12.99 per gallon at my local AutoZone (north NJ).

Can't go wrong with the Cummins Fleetguard oil filters. Best place to find them is from Geno's Garage, a well-known Dodge/Cummins parts house. They ship promptly and have a very good reputation - Geno's Garage - Fleetguard Oil Filters. You can order several at a time and have them around for when you need them. Pick up the Fleetguard air and fuel filters from them as well.

kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host

mudchick1

kcram,

Again, thank you! I will be back with more questions! Hopefully not to soon, but I may seek you out.

Bless you and Happy Holidays to you and everyone!

Mudchick :-)

willyou

I have 03 Ram1500 4.7, 192,000 miles.Last oil change with Full synthetic oil at 185,000 miles,about 2 months ago. I like the synthetic oil, drive smooth, more power, more MPH --- 14.2.Today I found the Check Gage light on, check the manual show low oil pressure. Bring back to auto shop, they found I got 2 quarte oil left, they put me 4 quarte of 20W30(called every oil). Now MPH go back to 13.5. They said my engine may be leaking, but I don't find any oil on the floor. I think I can change oil every 10,000 miles with synthetic oil. Why dry up too soon?

stanoski

Absolutely nothing should have happened when you switched to synthetic from dinasour oil. Not sure whats going on but if it were mine and I had 192K on my RAM, I wouldnt change a thing from what I had been doing all along. If it aint broke, dont fix it.