1999 Dodge Van Ram from North America - Comments

I've also had engine failure due to OIL SLUDGE in my Dodge

at 31000 miles. If you are having the same problems, Please contact me at ta@goiap.com and just maybe, with enough complaints from one group we can get someones attn:. Feel free to call me 912-554-3323.

Dodge warranty is useless!

I also had a dodge van and also had to replace the engine due to oil sludge at around 28,000 miles, and just a few weeks ago it started making a loud ticking noise, so I brought it to a mechanic and found out that it would cost around $700 at the least to fix (this is the new engine with 50,000 miles on it).The dealer I got my van at also said that the engine would not be under warranty, resulting in me having to pay for the poor craftsmanship of Dodge engines, not to mention all the other small things that broke or fell apart on the van.

I have a 99 Dodge Van 2500 with the 318 and it is running strong at 113,530 miles with no oil sludge problems. I hope your problems are fixed soon!

I have an 85 Dodge full-size passenger van with the 318 engine. It now has over 200,000 miles and has never had an oil-sludge problem. The oil has been changed on a regular basis with non-synthetic oil and aside from routine maintenance and normal replacement parts for a 200,000+ mile vehicle, it's been great.

We've also owned two Dodge Darts and a Ramcharger with the 318 engine without any sludge problems at all. I'm sorry for your misfortune, but don't think this is a typical problem for the 318 motor warranting any kind of a law suit, such as Toyota had last year with their sludge problems in the Camry.

I have a 2001 Dodge 2500 utility van. While driving on the highway, it loses power. The power is restored a few minutes later. Once begun, the power continues to fluctuate. This starts after fifteen to thirty minutes into a drive. The local Dodge service department has been working on it for five weeks, with no end in sight. Has anyone else had this problem?

While I'm not familiar with the specifics of "oil sludge issues with Dodge", an observation that might help: There are some oils such as Pennzoil that are IMO notorious for high levels of Paraffin wax ingredients. Unfortunately they have a lot of sales hype going & some lube places use their stuff by default for some reason... Paraffin clogs up the oil passages. What's wrong with this picture?

I bought an old Ford Econoline once that had starved oil flow to the rod bearings under highway speeds. Installed an oil pressure gauge which showed only 15 PSI! I popped the valve covers & scraped away a ton of wax, then did a number of oil/ filter changes adding 1qt RISLONE which dissolved all the crud in time. With some Morey's additive brought it up to 45 PSI & stabilized the engine against further damage.

The 318 was one of the best engines ever made. However, the 4.7 Liter that replaced it appears to be a crapper. If you read posts about the 1999-2001 Durango, it is page after page talking about engine failure in the 4.7 Liter due to oil starvation.