Is my engine about to die?

[gimmeagig]

I have a 1999 Dodge Ram Van with a CDS machine . The van has 89000 miles and the machine 6800 hrs.
Lately the lifters make noise when I step on the gas a little harder. As long as I drive gently it's OK. I have switched to mid grade gas and that helps. Hi octane is better. I am using 5 /40W Schaeffer synthetic oil. I mostly notice the noise on the freeway but it has gotten worse so now it is almost always there a little bit.
What could be the problem? Are there any additives that I could use to quiet the engine down> Do I need a tuneup? Or is it more serious?

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Low oil pressure or oil starvation to top end.

 

[dgardner]

If it happens when you load the engine (step on the gas) and higher octane fuel helps - it might not be lifters - could be preignition/detonation. Mixture too lean, timing too advanced, engine knock sensor bad (if your engine has one).

Lifter noise many times is worse at idle, when oil pressure is lowest.

 

[JS41035]

89000 miles 6800 hours.
The end is near buddy. Motor noise or not.

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

Check for exhaust manifold/gasket leak.

 

[gimmeagig]

Is 5/40 good or is it too thin? Should I go with 10/30? I think that's what's originally recommended for the truck.Could that make a difference?

 

[Nate The Great]

If you want to go with a thicker oil, you'd be looking at the last 2 numbers ( _ _ W/ 40) The numbers before the (forward slash /) is what weight the oil is cold for cold starts and colder climates. As the oil heats, it thickens to the number after the (forward slash /). I don't live in a cold climate, so I have no idea which oil to run in your case.

http://www.autoeducation.com/autoshop101/oil-change.htm

 

[Mark Saiger]

We have been running Rotella T 15-40 for years in our GMC and Butler units.

We also change oil more that recommended (1000 miles to 1500 road miles and before hour meter recommended).

We have had great luck with that and we live in cold climates, but of course our vans are always kept inside a heated shop.

Don't know if this oil would help at this time, but maybe worth a try. Rotella T proved very good on some of my friends dyno's testing.

We do have a friend using one of our old 1993 GMC and Butler units that has 275,000 road miles and over 11,000 hours on the system and original drive Trane and motor.

That's equivalent of about 638,000 miles on that motor and it has had Rotella T 15-40 most of it's life. She has to pop someday, but time will tell.

 

[gimmeagig]

That's encouraging. I'll check into that oil. My Truck sits in a garage year round but it's not heated. I do have a heater inside the truck but that doesn't keep the engine warm. I have heard of block heaters that you plug in at night....

 

[gimmeagig]

89000 miles 6800 hours.
The end is near buddy. Motor noise or not.

Thanks for that uplifting and extremely helpful piece of wisdom, buddy! What would I have done without you?

 

[JS41035]

Thanks for that uplifting and extremely helpful piece of wisdom, buddy! What would I have done without you?

Yeah. That did kinda sound kinda bad.
I'd start pricing crate motors or a new truck for serious though. I've never seen a dodge go that many hours and miles. Not saying it won't or hasn't happened. I've just never seen it.

 

[gimmeagig]

Yeah, I know it's coming. I don't know what the best place to start looking would be as far as replacing the engine. And what it might cost...The truck is mostly in really good shape. No issues other than the lifter noise I was talking about. My Mechanic says it might be better if I took the 205 thermostat out and put the 195 back in. The lifter noise is worse when the truck runs hotter. The mechanic also said that it could be pre ignition but supposedly you can't adjust the timing on my truck. I use hi grade fuel now and that seems to help.

 

[dgardner]

I have seen older motors with preigntion caused by a buildup of carbon on the piston top and chamber. I agree with the idea of sourcing a crate motor if you really want to keep the van.

 

[bob vawter]

yor cam lobes could be worn down.....
now do you feel better?

seriously..change the oil and let the old oil sit overnite...
look for the glistening sparkle of metal

 

[Able 1]

Throw some Lucas oil in there, and see what happens.. Though it might be too late, it's worth a shot!

 

[bob vawter]

i'd let it get low on fuel THEN put a coupla gallons of race fuel in the see if it stops the spark knock

 

[gimmeagig]

My mechanic pointed out there is a difference between knocking and pinging. I seem to have a pinging issue So I may have exaggerated what my problem is.
Anyway I have put in premium fuel and a can of Seafoam motor treatment also a can of CD2 oil treatment.It is already much better. If I don't push the engine I get no noise at all.
Tomorrow I'll have an oil change done (Scheaffer 9000 5/40W) and I'll go back to the 195 thermostat. I also will order some of this stuff
http://www.amazon.com/gp/huc/view.html?ie=UTF8&newItems=C1E6CKVKMTAQLX,1
Next on the list is a coolant flush. I guess that is something that I should have done in a shop, I guess it's not as simple as opening the drain valve in the radiator and then refilling.
I had a really good weekend so I can spend a little money on the truck.
BTW what is Lucas oil? Is that the break in oil that has zinc in it?

 

[dgardner]

Roxy, now that you have narrowed it down to preignition, a common cause is plugged EGR passages or bad EGR valve. The recirculated exhaust cools the combustion process and reduces the tendency to ping. Worth a look. Also changing your thermostat to a cooler temp like you mentioned would help a little too.

 

[gimmeagig]

Thanks for pointing that out, I'll have my mechanic look at that today.

 

[gimmeagig]

It turns out my truck doesn't have an EGR valve and the manual says that the timing is altered by a computer and should not be adjusted manually. So I called the Dodge dealer ( I hate going to dealers because they always seem to only be interested in extracting as much money as possible from me) they told me that the truck needs to be hooked up to their computer to be able to tell whats wrong. 85.- for that and who knows what they come up with.

 

[dgardner]

Bummer.

 

[gimmeagig]

I know.

 

[The Great Oz]

You can buy your own scan tool or a dongle that plugs into a laptop. Doesn't fix the problem, but gives you the code to look up. You can also go to a number of auto parts stores that will read your codes for free. The difference at the dealer is a much higher grade of scan tool and hopefully the training to know what that scan tells them to check. For example, a code says a certain snesor is faulting, but the mechanic uses the fault codes, plus the way the engine is running, plus his training and experience to tell you to use a different tye of sparkplug.


Unless you haven't been changing the oil, you should have lots of time left on your engine. The truck is getting old in years, but 89k is not a lot of miles for a Dodge V8 and 6,800 hours is not near the end of life for a CDS unit.

The only reason to budget for a replacement is that at some point you're just going to want a newer truck.

 

[gimmeagig]

Thanks for the encouraging comment, Bryan. I've done quite a bit of reading about this now and it seems that the lower intake plenum gasket could be the cause.
There is also a computer update that may or may not have been performed on my truck.
I also read that by changing the thermostat to a lower value the pinging can be reduced. I had changed it out to a 205 because I wanted hotter water. That may not have been a good thing.
tI found a diagram for how to route the spark plug wires to eliminate pinging.
I read that Autolite 3923 plugs are good in the 318 engine.
I printed all of that out and I'm going to let my mechanic take a look at that.
I post all of this so that someone else who might have the same issues can get some ideas.....

 

[The Great Oz]

Cross-fire is the term for what happens when the plug wires are misrouted; induction causes two plug to fire at the same time. One will fire weakly, but this can really do some damage to the engine. Cracked or dried out plug wires are pretty common with the heat build-up in the engine compartment, so a good thing to check. If you can see tiny sparks running down the wires (may have to look at the engine running in the dark) spray them with WD-40 and see if the problem stops. Then replace the wires.

Today's cars often go their whole life on the original wires, so this might be something a mechanic would overlook.

 

[gimmeagig]

I just called Napa and their higher quality cable set is made by Belden and it's only 36.-. So I'm just going to get a set.
Does anybody have any recommendations which spark plugs might be best for my truck knowing that I have the preignition issue? There are so many choices.

 

[dgardner]

which engine do you have - the 5.9?

 

[Becker]

I'm not sure what a machine hr is worth on the vans engine, but even at 30 mph equivalent that would be 1/4 million miles.
60 mph would be 1/2 a million miles.

I will say only 89,000 miles with nearly 7k hrs is low miles per hr. or seems.

 

[gimmeagig]

I'm not sure what a machine hr is worth on the vans engine, but even at 30 mph equivalent that would be 1/4 million miles.
60 mph would be 1/2 a million miles.

I will say only 89,000 miles with nearly 7k hrs is low miles per hr. or seems.

half a million miles. say it isn't so..... that sounds awful But these miles are really with not much of a load on the engine ( I think) and nothing on the rest of the vehicle.
The engine in my truck is the 5.2 (318) which is supposed to be a really good engine.

 

[D Rice]

I think your motor is fine but you have trouble with the intake manifold plenum plate. Do some reading on some dodge forums. I'm getting ready to order one for my van. Symptoms are detonation, bad fuel economy, loss of vacuum- your heater controls go nuts climbing a long grade. Do some reading on this and I'll bet it could fix your problem. The 360 and the 318 both do this. You can buy a replacement plate online. I have a 5.9 and experiencing the same symptoms.
If your 5.2 318 or 5.9 360 engine is pinging, using oil, down on power or if your fuel mileage is less than normal, you may need this part. You may also want this part for preventative maintenance.

This aluminum plate solves the problem of intake manifold plenum pan gasket failure on Dodge Chrysler and Jeep Magnum 5.2 318 and 5.9 360 engines.

On these engines the plenum pan is steel and it is bolted to an aluminum intake manifold or plenum, as it is also called. It is thought that the differing expansion rates between aluminum and steel contribute to chronic gasket failures.

The plate offered here is 6061 Aluminum in 1/4 inch thickness and comes with 15 bolts that are 7/8" long, the correct length, and 15 washers.

I recommend the plate be used with a Fel-Pro gasket part number MS 95462 with a THIN layer of black, oil-resistant rtv sealant be spread over the entire gasket prior to installation. Also, use threadlocker on the bolts, I suggest blue or medium hold.