2002 Dodge Stratus SE from North America - Comments

Power set motor, fan belt tensioner, transmission cooling line and power steering pump all within 5000 miles of buying the car and all covered by warranty. Since then, nothing has gone wrong with the car.

I'm worried about what is beginning to be called the 2.7 Club. It seems that many people have had their motors blow up unexpectedly or with only very little warning. For the Stratus, this results in a $3,000 to $7,500 repair.

Those with more knowledge than I say that the oil journals for the timing chain are too small. This results in oil traveling very slowly and it ends up cooking into sludge. The sludge then reduces or stops oil flow to the timing chain causing the tensioner to fail. In addition, the sludge gets into the oil pan and is circulated through the engine causing damage to other components due to a lack of oil pressure.

There are two warning signs and one possible prevention strategy. Observing a flickering oil pressure light at idle or sludge build up under the oil filler cap are the two most common warnings. Once the engine begins to tick, it is too late. The prevention lies in the use of synthetic oil. Synthetic is able to handle higher temperatures than natural base oil and can even remove any sludge that has begun.

Other than my worries about something that may or may not happen, the car has been very reliable. It starts instantly, gets good gas mileage, and has respectable performance. Considering that I went to this car from a Mustang 5.0L, that is a compliment.

Very informative i.e. using synthetic oil. I own a 2002 dodge stratus, showing signs of head gasket problems crossing my fingers at this point.

Be very careful when using synthetic oil, because if the engine leaks then the synthetic oil will leak worse than regular due to the oil being thinner, but synthetic should help allow the engine to perform better.

I think most of the 2.7 complaints came from the Intrepid/Concorde cars. Nothing definitive was ever found. It is hard to tell what the exact problem was.

However, I haven't seen the engine schematics, but I don't agree about your diagnosis to the oiling problem of the Startus. To my knowledge, the belt tensioner doesn't use motor oil and is not part of the oiling system. The tensioner uses a self-sealed unit.

Changing your oil is important, but sludge wouldn't be a problem if you changed your oil even on a semi-regular basis. Not driving for extended trips on not driving enough to get your engine up to normal operating temps would cause sludge.

Lastly, sludge problems aren't an American or Dodge only problem. I know they also exist for Toyota and other manufacturers. Except that people seem to complain more about American cars.

Yep, the 2.7L V6 is a time bomb. It doesn't matter what Chrysler model it is in. It's the same 2.7L V6 in all of them, so they have the same design flaw. Avoid it like a plague. As far as someone saying synthetic oil is thinner is incorrect. Synthetic oil comes in all the same typical viscosities (thickness of the oil) as conventional oil, 10w30, 10w40, 5w30, etc. The chemical compound is simply different and doesn't break down from heat as quickly as regular motor oil, so it protects your motor better for longer. That's the only difference.