2003 Dodge Ram Oil Change

JACOB2K8

MEMBER
2003 DODGE RAM
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
29,000 MILES

I purchased this truck from the original owner in july of 2009, the truck was his toy basically and it only had 19,500 miles since its 2002 purchase. It has the 5.7L Hemi. He always had it serviced at the Dodge Dealership it was purchased at. Since I bought it, I have changed the oil myself, putting 5W-30 synthetic in, and using Puralator filters. Since the truck sat a majority of the time, would I need to be concerned about sludge build up in the oil pan or elsewhere? Also, how often does the bearings need to be relubricated? And lastly, when should the transmission be serviced? Thanks.

1 Reply

PEAR69

MECHANIC
1,482 POSTS

When an engine sits for prolonged periods of time, you should actually change the oil more frequently than what's recomended. The reason is condensation builds up inside of EVERY internally combustion engine. The oil change recomendations from the factory assume that the engine will go through common heat cycles (normal everyday driving). This is usually enough to evaporate the condensation that builds up (between heat cycles).
Carbon build up is a result of combustion gases getting into the oil. Just like condensation, there is no way to avoid it - but it takes a long time for this to become a problem, and the fact that you use synthetic oil, I wouldn't worry about it. I do suggest to use Castrol Syntec or Moble 1 synthetic oil.
As far as the transmission goes -- in Dodges this is the weak link. Follow the factory recomended service intravals. But if you want "un-official" advice, don't mess with the transmission until 75000 miles or longer.