I have a 97 dodge ram that is loosing oil somewhere. I put some synthetic in last oil change that is supposed to last 6000 miles I have ran about 4500 miles on this oil change but this morning the level was way low. I have not seen it burning or anything and have not noticed any leaks. Any Suggestions?
2006-12-15 03:03:28 · 3 answers · asked by DJ 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
You don't mention how many miles your truck has on it, but switching to synthetic, initially will cause exactly what you are seeing.
Synthetic oils do an awesome job of cleaning away carbon soot. All of this soot gets caught in your filter. You can see this happening up to a year after you begin using synthetics. All this cleaning can also cause leaks. So be on the look out for those in the future.
In your case, I'd either change the filter or have the filter changed. Then I'd add enough oil to bring it to the proper level, and wait til you reach the mileage to make your next oil change.
In the future, continue to keep an eye on the level, if it drops before the miles are up, change the filter, and top it off again.
In my 20 years of experience using synthetics, what you are seeing indicates a 'full' filter and is normal.
Good luck.
2006-12-15 03:34:31 · answer #1 · answered by Lemar J 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The fact that you let it get way low before you added oil pretty much explains the problem. A lot of leaks only occur when you're driving, so you don't get puddles. You need to look under the truck for signs of where the oil's going.
There are more old wives tales about synthetic than you can shake a dead solenoid at. Being synthetic has nothing to do with cleaning the engines. That's the detergent additive that all oils have. Synthetic doesn't leak any more or any less than petroleum based oil. An engine will actually burn a little less oil with synthetic because the film on the cylinder walls doesn't burn like regular oil does. Synthetic doesn't break down like regular oil, so you can go longer without changing it, but the additives break down and it gets dirty. I don't think anybody goes the 15,000 miles that Mobil 1 says you can.
2006-12-15 08:36:23 · answer #2 · answered by Nomadd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is quite normal for a engine to use oil for a bit when changing brands. you did not do yourself any favor by using synthetic in a 9 year old vehicle. it will not pay for itself but cost you extra now in added cost i would switch back to normal oil at next change and maintain that
2006-12-15 04:40:24 · answer #3 · answered by D42D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋