13 replies to this topic

[Dan Hartung]

A friend of mine recently purchased this car less than 3 months ago. He has done no modifications to the car or anything! Within 2000km of driving his engine starts ticking and if he checks the oil level its already below minimum. He has taken it into the dealer and they have told him there is nothing wrong with the car, yet after about 3-4 tanks of fuel he is below minimum level! There is no oil spots under the car on the engine etc. There isnt any marks on the driveway. Why is this engine using so much oil? He had it to a second shop and they replaced the pcv or something but also said they couldn't visually see anything wrong with it. What should his next step be? The last time he had talked to the dealer they told him to keep an eye on it and keep filling it as needed and they would do an oil consumption test on it when his next scheduled oil change was. Has anyone else had similar problems please let us know. Thanks!
edited: because of some very important typos!

Edited by Dan Hartung, February 21, 2009 at 01:15 pm.

[Bob Jasinski]

A friend of mine recently purchased this car less than 3 months ago. He has done no modifications to the car or anything! Within 2000km of driving his engine starts ticking and if he checks the oil level its already below minimum. He has taken it into the dealer and they have told him there is nothing wrong with the car, yet after about 3-4 tanks of fuel he is below minimum level! There is no oil spots under the car on the engine etc. There isnt any marks on the driveway. Why is this engine using so much oil? He had it to a second shop and they replaced the pcv or something but also said they couldn't visually see anything wrong with it. What should his next step be? The last time he had talked to the dealer they told him to keep an eye on it and keep filling it as needed and they would do an oil consumption test on it when his next scheduled oil change was. Has anyone else had similar problems please let us know. Thanks!
edited: because of some very important typos!

My 2006 300 Limited is doing the same thing. The car has 45K miles, doesn't leak, no smoke, but uses a quart in 1800-2000 miles. I had it to the dealer yesterday and they said it was normal for the 3.5 L to use oil and they are not sure why, said not to worry about it. Bob in Danville CA

[neonturbo]

What brand and weight of engine oil are you using? It might pay to change type/weight to see if there are any improvements.

According to my service information, 10-30 is preferred with 5-30 allowed. That tells me I would see what is being put into the vehicle at the time of service. The Hemi takes 5-20 and if you use that it might be too light.

In the summer when it is hot I might try even a touch heavier than the reccomended 10-30 and use something like 15-40 in a synthetic. If you do this you are on your own as far as warranty or engine damage, the dealer will not support doing this.

By the way, no service bulletins in my information system for oil consumption problems.

[ImperialCrown]

The 3.5L has generally had a history of good oil control. If the underside of the engine is bone-dry, check the air cleaner breather hose for wetness inside the air cleaner box and a possible oil stain on the air filter.
Make sure that the oil level is 'just below' the full mark. Give the engine 5 minutes of sitting before checking the oil level. Any oil overfill whatsoever can cause high oil consumption due to crankshaft windage.
If you have 7/70, you may ask the dealer to monitor your oil consumption to get it at least documented for the factory and validate any possible future claims. If you don't have a paperwork trail, nobody can help.
I really wouldn't consider 1 quart every 2000 miles 'excessive' oil consumption.
The catalytic converter will usually oxidize any oil smoke in the exhaust, so the blue smoke out the tailpipe of yesteryear is no more.

Edited by ImperialCrown, April 29, 2010 at 04:45 pm.

[Tom Dawson]

For a car with over 25,000 miles(not sure what that is in KM), it is not abnormal for a car to use 1 quart per 1,000 miles. This is according to all major manufacturers. I had a 1999 Dodge Intrepid ES 3.2 Liter V6, it used a quart every 1,100 miles from the time I bought it with 43,000 mules to the time it was totaled at 89,000 miles.
Tom
Check your oil every fill up

[Norp]

I've got a 2005 AWD 300 Touring with a 3.5V6 and 52K miles. It's using quart to a quart and a half every 3000 miles.
Why would this be normal for this motor? Where is this oil going and do all 3.5's do this or just some? I'm using the full synthetic Mobil1.
Could the synthetic oil have anything to do with the higher oil usage? What oil are you others using who are having excessive depletion?
Seems very odd to me - my 2001 Sebring with 152K is actually leaking oil on the driveway yet it's never down more than 1/4 quart or so
every 3000K when I change the oil.
Thanks
Norp

[neonturbo]

It would not hurt to switch brand/type of oil. There is no reason you cannot use a plain old oil and see if the consumption changes. Also check the crankcase vent system very carefully.

[ImperialCrown]

Agreed. Synthetics used in engines where the rings/cylinders haven't fully seated (worn) in can have a lifetime of elevated oil consumption. A premium brand of conventional motor oil is the best bet for proper seating characteristics.
Varying amounts of engine oil can also be consumed by the PCV/breather system. Make sure that there is no oil stain on the air filter if the breather hose is above it. Aftermarket PCV valves can have different flow rates than the factory PCV valve and also vary oil consumption rates because of this.
You are still way within safe oil use thresholds and you always want some oil consumption just to know that the oil is 'getting up there'.

[Norp]

Thanks Neon and Imperial!

I checked today and found no oil at all on the air filter or at the exit hole for the breather hose above the filter. Also no visible oil leaks or any oil leaking under the car.

*** NEON, Is the "Crankcase Vent System" you mention the same thing as the PCV breather air filter that I've already checked?

*** IMPERIAL, you say I'm within "safe oil use thresholds" BUT are you telling me that everyone with a 3.5 6cyl with only 50K miles is using this much oil? It may well be within thresholds (I just don't know?) but it's using more oil than any car I've ever had? And if my "rings/cylinders haven't fully seated (and are worn)" why would this be the case with only 50K miles on the motor?

Look, If this oil use IS normal for all 3.5's then I'm more than willing to just check the level every week and add as needed in between oil changes. I really need this car to last so I'd like to keep using the full synthetic Mobil oil. NEON - Could the "High Mileage Mobil Full Synthetic oil" possibly reduce oil usage a bit? And do you guys even agree that Synthetic Oil will make my motor last longer and is it worth the extra money?

I know I'm not very experienced regarding these issues, but I'm just worried this might be something more serious that I should deal with now before it gets worse and more expensive. I've only had the car for 6 months so I’d like to hear from any other 3.5 owners (in fact hear from any Chrysler/Dodge owners at all) if they're using 1-2 quarts of oil in between 300K oil changes.

If all 3.5 owners were using this much oil, wouldn't they be driving around for weeks or months with an insufficient level of oil in their motors while in between oil changes?

Thanks again for all you help and please respond again if you have time!!
I really do appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Cheers!
Norp (in Upstate New York)

[Norp]

The 3.5L has generally had a history of good oil control. If the underside of the engine is bone-dry, check the air cleaner breather hose for wetness inside the air cleaner box and a possible oil stain on the air filter.
Make sure that the oil level is 'just below' the full mark. Give the engine 5 minutes of sitting before checking the oil level. Any oil overfill whatsoever can cause high oil consumption due to crankshaft windage.
If you have 7/70, you may ask the dealer to monitor your oil consumption to get it at least documented for the factory and validate any possible future claims. If you don't have a paperwork trail, nobody can help.
I really wouldn't consider 1 quart every 2000 miles 'excessive' oil consumption.
The catalytic converter will usually oxidize any oil smoke in the exhaust, so the blue smoke out the tailpipe of yesteryear is no more.

<<<<<

What is "Crankshaft Windage" and how does it burn more oil? Thanks in advance for explaining!

[ImperialCrown]

The crankshaft throws oil all over as it's spinning. If the oil level is too high, the counterweights can splash more oil around. Baffles are used to tame the crankcase spray and 'wind' inside the crankcase that carries the oil spray.
The overhead cams also throw a lot of oil around under the valve covers. Some of this oil mist get drawn into the PCV and is burned in the engine. This is a normal part of oil consumption. That's why the correct (MoPar) PCV valve is important. Air should always be drawn through the breather/filter into the engine, if it gets pushed out because the PCV can't keep up with the blow-by pressure, it will leave a witness stain on the air filter.
Synthetic oils have many advantages over conventional oils but I also think that a lot of claims are overzealous 'marketing/advertising hype'. Hybrid oils which blend synthetic and conventional oils together, claim the advantages of both oils (so they say). I do run synthetics in my trans/differential, but use a premium conventional engine oil.
Oil viscosity also has an effect on oil consumption. Does your oil cap or owners manual state the recommended weights? Usually heavier will have less consumption, but always stay within the recommendations.

[Norp]

The crankshaft throws oil all over as it's spinning. If the oil level is too high, the counterweights can splash more oil around. Baffles are used to tame the crankcase spray and 'wind' inside the crankcase that carries the oil spray.
The overhead cams also throw a lot of oil around under the valve covers. Some of this oil mist get drawn into the PCV and is burned in the engine. This is a normal part of oil consumption. That's why the correct (MoPar) PCV valve is important. Air should always be drawn through the breather/filter into the engine, if it gets pushed out because the PCV can't keep up with the blow-by pressure, it will leave a witness stain on the air filter.
Synthetic oils have many advantages over conventional oils but I also think that a lot of claims are overzealous 'marketing/advertising hype'. Hybrid oils which blend synthetic and conventional oils together, claim the advantages of both oils (so they say). I do run synthetics in my trans/differential, but use a premium conventional engine oil.
Oil viscosity also has an effect on oil consumption. Does your oil cap or owners manual state the recommended weights? Usually heavier will have less consumption, but always stay within the recommendations.

10/30 is the recommended and is what I use. Would the high mileage 10/30 maybe give me less consuption?
thanks

[silversteel300]

10/30 is the recommended and is what I use. Would the high mileage 10/30 maybe give me less consuption?
thanks

Norp, I have a Chrysler 300 2006 model with the 3.5 engine. Mine seems to use oil; it has roughly 43,000 miles on it. I've driven about 1600 km since the last oil change and am down about 1/2 quart. The engine has used oil since I took ownership of the car at 35000 miles. I've talked to a lot of people with this Chrysler engine, and it seems that oil usage is normal, my dad had a car with a previous iteration of this 3.5 engine and it also used oil. My service adviser said they would use up to 2 quarts per change. Oil consumption is widespread with this engine, and it is very normal. I simply top mine off before it gets low and I've never had a problem. Gas mileage, power, sound, everything is excellent.

Also, this engine has a windage tray to prevent the crankshaft from whipping the oil around. The 3.5 also has oil return passages cast right into the block, to ensure oil quickly returns from the heads back down to the pan. I've been rewarded with over a year of great service with the engine, and look forward to many more. I just top off the oil whenever necessary.

Also, I am using conventional oil. The manual states synthetic can be used; however I am not sure if the high mileage 10w30 would reduce consumption. You can always give it a try and see.

[98-dak-08-300]

hi there I just joined this site because of this issue. I have an /08 - 300 and it uses 1 liter of oil in 3000km's. according to the owners manual the oil should be
changed every 10,000km's however if a person was to wait untill the scheduled oil change then your oil pan would be more than half empty. and the ticking
noise would let you know there is somthing wrong. I also was told by the dealer that this is normal consumption rate. I believe there are many people out there
that have there oil changed every 5000km's or so. and they would not know that they had been driving around with low oil level and doing damage to there engine.
because the ticking has not started yet. yes I use the recomended 10W30 ; and I don't think that changing the type of oil would help in it's consumption.