2.7L Engine - Oil Sludge Trouble etc. etc. etc.

I am looking at purchasing a 2001 Intrepid from my local (and very
reputable) Chrysler dealer. It was disclosed the 2.7 L engine was
replaced and is brand new (out of the crate from Mopar).

This engine comes with a 1 year, 20,000 km warranty. The vehicle runs
great!

Did some quick searching online, noticed endless web sites containing
owners' 2.7L low mileage horror stories...especially the timing belt
and oil sludge problems.

Questions...

Even though, the engine is new...am I at high risk for these troubles?

Will synthetic oil help??

Has Chryler fixed (or recalled) their defect?

Thanks and Regards, S

 

This does seem to be a common problem for 2.7L engines. Using synthetic
oil will
reduce the sludging possibility.

-KM

 

I would recommend Mobil 1 Extended Performance oil of the appropriate
viscosity recommended by Chrysler for your conditions. If there was a timing
belt issue one would think a running change has been made to address that
issue. If confirmed, just change it a bit more frequently.

Richard.

 

If you search this group using the group page of www.google.com you will
find that Chrysler did change the crankcase ventilation system and that was
supposed to help. I don't know what year it was changed. If it was before
2001 obviously it did not do the complete job. If after, the new engine
should have the fix and hopefully you will be ok.

 

I doubt very seriously that you have read of any problems with the
timing belt in the 2.7L since it does not have a timing belt - it has a
timing chain. I suspect the timing chain problems were related to
sludging (tensioner getting clogged). If that is the case, then if
sludging is prevented, you should not worry. I have a '99 2.7 with 165k
miles on it. I chose to use Marvel Mystery Oil instead of synthetic,
change oil and filter every 3000 to 3500 miles. The fact that I drive
80 miles/day probably has as much to do with lack of problems as anything.

Though DC has never admitted any problems, I would think that DC has
fixed those problems that don't exist, else they are pretty stupid to
have used it in their new platform. Your engine should have the
upgrades in it - larger capacity oil pump, heat exchanger added to PCV
hose to prevent clogging, possibly some other things.

Bottom line: Assume that the fixes are in your engine, change the oil
and filter regularly, and relax about it. If you do that and drive
mostly highway vs. short-trip stop & go, then you should definitely have
no problems. Use synthetic if you want to - it's not a panacea, but if
you're going to use it, don't wait until you have a lot of miles on it
to do so.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

It has a timing chain, not a belt. Any such issues were probably sludge
related.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

With a new or rebuilt 2.7 Liter engine and a 20,000 km warranty, I
personally wouldn't hesitate at all. (where is it ? I might buy another
one if you don't take it). You should be able have long trouble-free
service from the engine if you are religious about oil changes. If the
one you're looking at is truly a new crate motor, then I believe it will
have all the modifications in it that eliminate the tendency to fail due
to sludge accumulation. The engine still exposes the oil to some fairly
high skin temps on the heads that can cause oil degredation. And the
cooling system design can cause more than the normal amount of low temp
sludging if there are a lot of real short trips. But today's SM rated
oils are better at fighting that than anything we've had before

I have a 2001 Intrepid with the 2.7 L V-6. Currently has 233,000 km
(145,000 mi). No problems so far. The engine still runs like a switch
watch.

I am acutely aware of the sludge reputation of these engines and
therefore I'm anal about oil changes, oil quality and filter selection.
For non-synthetic oil, I've used either Castrol GTX or Valvoline Maxlife
High Mileage 5W-30 with 5000 km oil change intervals. Oil Filters : NO
Frams, (expect perhaps the Fram XG series which is good). I highly
recommend the NAPA GOLD 1058 (made by WIX and their best filter). I
actually use a slightly oversized filter on mine - the NAPA Gold 1068
(equivalent to a PH43). Purolator PureOne filters are also excellent but
impossible to find if you're in Canada.

I am currently experimenting with synthetic oil in this engine and
extending the oil drain interval. I have 2 oil samples from my engine in
for lab analysis right now. Synthetic is definitely a good choice for
this engine but hopefully I (we) can get the extra expense offset by
doing longer oil drain intervals. Mobil 1 is an excellent choice for
synthetics but not the only one. Valvoline's Maxlife Synthetic and
Pennzoil Platinum Plus are also very good. And there are others too.

I recall one individual with a 2.7 L V-6 that ran Amsoil synthetic and
did oil changes at 6K - 7K mi (9600 - 11,000 km). He had the water pump
replaced at 190K miles and decided to replace the timing chains at the
same time. He said the interior of the motor was absolutely immaculate;
clean aluminum from top to bottom; not even varnish discoloration. So
it can be done.

Sorry for the long post. Working with this 2.7 L V-6 has become a small
side project for me.

Good luck....Phil

 

Sorry - this should have said NAPA GOLD *1085* (direct replacement for
the standard filter)

Phil

 

I have a 98 Intrepid with 250,000km on it and the 2.7 engine. I do regular
oil changes,WAlmart 10w-30 and no fancy filter. So far (!) no sludge
problems or any other engine problems.
I did get the check engine light/oil warning at about 150,000 and replaced
the sender unit ($25.00) since then AOK
Keith

 

First off, you should start using castrol syntec 5W-30 in the winter,
10W-30 in the summer, and K&N oil filters. Chyrsler recommends against
using Mobil 1 Synthetics, for reasons I don't know. Oil changes at
around 8-10,000 miles should be ok, unless your anal like me(5,000)...
This engine can be a good engine if WELL maintained, but was designed
poorly. Common problems are poor quality engine bearings, timing chain
slippage/breakage, narrow oil passages, and the sludge problem..As for
the sludge problem, the engine has "hotspots" in the head probably due
to poor passage location/design. This causes poor quality oil to cook.