1999 Dodge Intrepid from North America - Comments

Nothing.

This review is for all of you folks out there that still have your Dodge Intrepid 2.7L engines that still run.

At each oil change, use one quart of Rislone oil treatment. (Replace one of the quarts of oil normally used, do not overfill the engine)

This practice will keep down the sludge that destroys the Dodge engine so quickly.

The biggest problem with this engine, is that the oil pressure is much lower than older cars, and any amount of sludge in the engine can cause failure to the engine block.

Also only use synthetic blend motor oil for your car. This oil will not build up any abnormal sludge inside of the crankcase.

I know this is a lot to deal with, but if you want to get 100,000 miles plus out of the car, this is what you will have to do.

This is not the first time the manufacturing world has made a boo boo in dealing with the problems of the cars they make, but with proper care and good driving habits, these cars will last a long time.

Never go over the required time limit for oil changes, and trans fluid service. There is also a synthetic oil that can be used for the transmissions as well.

This type of oil flows faster at start up time, which helps to prevent friction in the engine, it also cuts down on engine sludge.. And coupled with one quart of rislone engine treatment, your car will run for years to come.

By cutting down on the engine sludge, and using a good motor oil,

the oil pressure will stay up, and engine problems will stay down.

My 1999 Dodge Intrepid runs great, and has given me no trouble at all.

I know that most of you out there will get upset about this next statement, but as a auto mechanic, I know for a fact that, a lot of problems with cars are caused by the driver of the car.

This sounds stupid I know, but, it is the truth.

If your car runs hot, pull over and let it cool down, do not try to make it home before you find out what's wrong with your car, that will cause engine damage, and that will also be your fault.

Stay away from your local oil change centers. You really don't want bulk motor oil put into your engine.

Dealers also use bulk motor oil, that's why I take my own oil to the dealership, and that's what they put in my car.

It started out being a problem at first, but when I explained to the service manager that I was a mechanic also, and I know that the oil used from the dealership was the wrong oil to use for the car, he looked stupid, but he knew I was aware of the problems they see everyday, and every since, I've had no problems at the dealership service department.

I take my car into the dealer for all of my oil changes, and I even take my motor oil with me because, the dealer does not carry synthetic motor oil.

They install a new oil filter, and put in my synthetic motor oil, and inspect the rest of my car, and only charge me $13.95 for the service.

So if you want your car to last, follow these few simple rules, and you will be glad you did.

The dodge intrepid is a good car, but like many cars before it, the manufacturer did something wrong and won't admit it.

GM made the same mess on one of it's high price cars in 1982-1987 (I won't use the name of the car, but that car now comes with a northstar engine). They replaced almost half of the engines in these cars, and the problem was not the engine, it was the driver not following proper instructions for the care of the car.

I know because I had one, and never had a problem with the car.

Most people really don't have the time or knowledge to really take proper care of a car, that's why the salvage yard is full of cars every year, Late model cars if you can believe it.

People get into the car in cold weather and start up the car, and drive off because they are late getting to work, and every time they do this, they harm the engine.

The car needs warm up time, not to run, but to run properly.

IF your Intrepid is still running, do as I have said in this review, and your car will last for years to come.

If you are too busy to properly take care of your car, then park it and buy yourself a bus pass, and stop waisting your time and money running back and fourth to the dealership buying new cars.

Most people have spent more money buying new cars, than they paid for the house they live in. Lets get real people!

Busy people should not own cars unless they have a lot of money, where they can call the dealership and have it picked up, and taken in for service, and money is no object.

If you owned a Bentley, it will not run long if you don't take proper care of the car.

A car is like a woman, it needs a lot of attention and papmering. and if it does not get it, you will be sorry.

Sound advice, but give it more time before claiming your theory is foolproof. A lot of these 2.7 engines fail around 60,000-80,000 miles. With only 60,000 yourself, you can't be certain that this is an actual solution. I agree 100% though that it's not the car, but the driver a lot of the time, and not just with this model, but with any car. I've read too many reviews on this site from people who pay through the nose for crap that they either don't need or are overcharged for from the dealer, and then blame it on the car. It's amazing how many penny pincher's there are out there who go through life dwelling on every cent, yet blow thousands of dollars on cars and repairs because they haven't bothered to familiarize themselves with basic automobile mechanics and troubleshooting.

THANK YOU!!! Finally SOMEBODY else out there that has their head on tight. I completely agree it's not the car that is at fault, rather the person who owns that car and fails to take car of it. Chrysler builds a hell of an automobile, but they require more attention then say a Honda (for lack of a better term, POS). I myself own a Jeep Liberty and love it to death. I prefer Chrysler automobiles because I like to take care of them, and give myself the satisfaction of knowing my car will last forever. Plus there alota things you can do ONLY IN A JEEP. But anyways, the 2.7L Intrepid (also I think it was put in the Concorde) motor is a very good engine. Chrysler just says "Sludge" cause they'd get yelled at if they called the owner who failed to take care of it a moron. Plus, these are the same people who like you said, hope in the car in the winter and blast off for work. I can't tell you how many people I see in all kinda of cars go wide open out of my neighborhood when it's about 25º out. Of course, their engine is almost screaming. And when it breaks, they throw their hands up. Thank you sir, for being a normal person.

Use a high quality diesel engine oil in the engine and that should help with the sludge problem with 2.7's have. Yes, diesel engine oil can be used is a gasoline engine.

The 4.1 caddy motor had two bad design features straight from the factory. One was the weak oil pump. I say weak as in the pump didn't supply enough pressure, and that was when it was new! Another thing was improper head bolt torque. I believe there was a service bulletin regarding revised head bolt torque figures at one point. A friend of mine had an 85 Deville with the 4.1. It ran like poop, only got about 14 mpg around town, but it was a really smooth running engine, and had a fair amount of pep for only having 125hp/170trq.

People,

I'm not saying that you are stupid, and I'm not saying that Dodge did not do something wrong in the design of the 2.7L engine.

But, you must take proper care of your car for it to run properly.

Sludge will harm the 2.7L engine simply because the oiling ports are too small. Anyone with a brain can figure that out.

So since the oiling ports are too small, cut down on the sludge by using a better grade of oil.

remove your oil cap at every oil change and look inside of the cap and see if you see sludge build-up, and if so, have the engine flushed ASAP.

And what ever you do, stay away from the local oil change centers.

Those guys know only one thing, and that's how to change oil with the bulk oil the company buys. Todays cars are not as good as the older car of years past.

The builders of these cars know this, but they also know, we are stupid enough to go right back a few years later and shell out thousands of more dollars to purchase another disposable car.

I have found that the rislone oil treatment will cut down on sludge very good.

If the mechanics at Dodge and Chrysler were any good at the work they do,

they would not replace an engine. The mechanics use to rebuild the current engine in your car as long as you did not crack the block.

The parts to rebuild an engine are very cheap, but the mechanics do not know how to rebuild anything, but the bank accounts they put our money in.

Think for yourself, and learn how to take proper care of your car properly, so you can get many years of good use out of your car.

I just purchased a 1999 Dodge Intrepid, I agree with the Mechanic. I live in NY and see people getting into their cars and just driving off. I've had a 2000 Dodge Stratus, it never gave me any problems. (Until someone hit me and totaled it last June) These cars are Comfortable and powerful.

So what your saying is everyone should have the common sense to know what a mechanic knows. If only we all could be so intelligent. Is your back sore from patting yourself on the back so much? People buy computers, cars, a new furnace, garage door opener or microwave with the understanding that if they take reasonable care of the product, as explained to them by the company who supplied them the product, the product will last a reasonable amount of time. Any manufacturer who expects its customers to take special care, above and beyond the norm, should specify that. IE "ONLY PUT MOBILE ONE IN THIS ENGINE EVERY 2500 MILES IF YOU DON'T WANT IT TO STOP WORKING". I don't see Roslin or any oil additive in the owners manual. That's Chrysler's fault, not the owners!! I own a 2000 intrepid and it runs great with 106,000 miles on it. I try to take the best care of it I can. But to say that these problems are anyone's fault, but Chrysler's doesn't make sense. I live in WI without a heated garage meaning everytime I start my car in -10 degree weather I'm damaging the engine. I think the auto makers are smart enough to understand that everyone doesn't perfectly maintain a vehicle, if that were the case they would all build cars that were crap and rely on the expertise of customers like you to keep their cars from breaking down. And since I don't want that responsibility, I'm not buying a Chrysler again.

How much should an engine or a car run for somebody to be happy about it? Mine has a 2.7 L engine, it's from 1999 and still running strong at 250.000 Kilometers. I did not use special oils, in fact I used most of the time the cheapest oil I could find, from canadian tire 32$ for a 20 liter diesel oil bucket. The oil filter I've changed after 20-30k and oil itself after 40-50k

How about this? How much longer should this car be OK?

I really, really liked my 1999 Intrepid. Beautiful full-sized sedan. Roomy back seat, monstrous trunk. I wanted that car to last forever. However, the engine blew after 110,000 miles. I guess that's OK, but I sure was annoyed when it happened.

I guess I should have been an auto mechanic, because then I would know everything, huh? I would know not to go to the drive-thu oil change shops, and I would know all about oil additives.

Had I known eight years ago that I needed to add a special oil additive at the oil changes, I would have done so. Had I known I needed to supply the shop with my own oil, I would have. I'm not a mechanic, and there was nothing in any reading material that stated I needed to do anything more than the routine maintenance.

So, I take a little (just a little) offense to your slightly condescending comments. I gotta tell ya though, man I loved that car.

Look you all, I just have bought a 2001 2.7L Sebring and it has a broken engine because of a huge amount of oil sludge. I live in Juarez Mexico and my mechanic just change the metal behind the engine and that's it, for a total of 350 dlls it's running again. And we all know that synthetic oil and a good additive will keep it running for long, but our driving styles plus such a very bad street conditions maybe make us all more aware about how to take care of our cars under these hellish driving conditions. But we also know that Chrysler and Dodge cars are now made like Taiwan tools are!! If you put to much pressure on them they will brake like toilet tissue... no doubt about it. Don't buy this cars for real.

I have 1999 Intrepid 2.7 that I got for $1700. It blew the blue smoke... its died the next year, well it's not dead yet, but the drive and the presents of the car made me fall in love with it. Yes the manual doesn't come with exact steps of what to do to maintain your car.. but it's common sense if they did they go out of business... it's your car, your priority... I learned the hard way... but am a brand new Intrepid lover...

Not only did I buy a new Intrepid, I got an 1999 Intrepid ES for $980.00 and I'm keeping the old one for parts... and I love the power in the ES... I've got 20" rims on my ES t. vs in the head rest mint...

The most I can say is get to know your car. My car is living proof the Intrepid can last. The 2.7 died at 367000... Good job Dodge.

I am about to purchase a 1999 Dodge Intrepid from a dealership at what I believe to be a reasonable price for its condition. I am going out-of-my-way for this one. I hope that you guys are right in your insistence that these cars are so great. :)

On another note, it is good advice all-around: Be nice to your car, use the good stuff when doing oil changes & on time.

I recently bought a 1999 2.7 DOHC Dodge Intrepid with well over 100,000 miles on it, I fully agree with the fact that we need to take care of our cars in order to keep them around for long... from what I've seen and experienced it's the little things that add up, some of which I notice have been mentioned, after putting almost 10,000 miles on my car in what seems no time at all, the only thing I have had to replace was the air filter.

I decided to just install a higher performance filter to help her breathe easier (she was running good before, but my filter was horridly dirty) and it paid off, even in town it just feels easier on the car... although I have yet to have any issue with this car, engine especially... it makes me wish that they would have continued the Intrepid line or at least something very similar and fixed the issues like a good company should (although any company rarely does).

It's a fantastic car, and if you don't like it, fine, but everyone is gonna have issues with their vehicle at some point, especially if the manufacturer has made a mistake, which Dodge (Chrysler) is far from being the only one to have made such a mistake...

Awesome car, not without its flaws, but I've seen what people do to these cars sometimes, and I can't help but notice that if someone takes care of their car even if it's just simple small stuff, they are usually the ones without the problems... sweat the small stuff and you'll be fine, if you don't know how to maintain your car or what's wrong, look it up that's what the internet is for, ignorance is not bliss and in today's world it's simply lazy...