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00:26:27 - 12/20/2024
V8 Dakotas
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Mopar4U
Dodge Dakota
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8/06/2004
20:38:37
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 Subject: oil ball joints, and plugs question
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Just bought a used 2002 dakota qc 4.7 liter auto with 28,000 miles. I'm getting more and more paranoid with the whole sludge issue. I can't tell right from wrong. I have to keep telling myself, only people with problems post, people with no problems don't post. I'm hoping this isn't as huge an issue as it appears on the forum boards. I live in Wisconsin. I just looked today, not any spec of sludge (relief). I hear lots of talk of Mobil oil being a good preventative. What about Valvoline? I strongly believe they have a superior product, anyone have any results with valvoline and sludge?
Do any of these trucks come with 100,000 mile spark plugs? If so how would I know?
Do the 2002's have ball joint issues similar to the 2000 dakotas?
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jb
Dodge Dakota
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8/06/2004
21:59:56
| RE: oil ball joints, and plugs question
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i have a 2000 qc 4.7l and the plugs are supposed to be changed every 30K. check your owners manual. I have always heard that valvoline is a primary source of sludging. mobil, mobil1, or castrol are far more superior oil than the rest of the oils in my opinion. my owners manual says to only use 5w30 and that 10w30 could damage the engine. just a shadetree mechanic opinion. hope it helps.
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VADakota
Dodge Dakota
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8/06/2004
22:11:38
| RE: oil ball joints, and plugs question
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Yes, the 2002 Dakota has the same ball joint issues, as I had the left upper ball joint replaced at 28,000 miles. I keep checking the uppers and lowers every oil change (3,000 miles). It about time to change your plugs 30,000 if you check your owners manual. I replaced mine with the Autolites 5224, but really don't see or feel a difference from the Champion plugs.Do not use the platinum plugs, they are not recommened for the 4.7L. gap set at .040
I'm not to get into the oil debate... LOL
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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8/07/2004
00:01:11
| RE: oil ball joints, and plugs question
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If you use synthetic oil, what ever brand, it will reduce or remedy the sludge problem. Just make sure to get "real" synthetic oil instead of reformulated dino that they pass as synthetic. Mobil 1, Amsoil, Poyal Purple and Redline all carry full synthetic oil. Castrol, Valvoline, Quakertstate, etc, etc, have oils labeled as synthetic, but they are just hydrocracked dino oil which is a bottle full of highly refined dead dinosaurs. The real crappy part is they charge almost what a real full synthetic costs.
I bought my truck with 60K and there was sludge in the oil filler tube. I took it off and cleaned the sludge out and haven't seen any more after running Mobil 1 for 70K.
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matt
Dodge Dakota
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8/07/2004
02:28:05
| RE: oil ball joints, and plugs question
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some shops offer whats called a oil system flush... its run on a Bilistein machine. it completely removes all sludge from the oil system/ engine internals. your local pep boys auto can do this for you, if you're worried about gunk buildup....
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Greg
Dodge Dakota
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8/07/2004
09:55:43
| RE: oil ball joints, and plugs question
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Do you mean the sludge under the oil fill cap? If you do you will see some in the winter,it`s normal.
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04sport
Dodge Dakota
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8/07/2004
12:33:14
| RE: oil ball joints, and plugs question
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Be sure to never run anything other than 5W-30 in your 4.7. I work at a Dodge dealership and have seen two 4.7's seized up after 40,000 miles because the customer ran 10w-30 from day one. As for plugs go with the recommended 30,000 mile change, use OEM parts(Champion). Have seen probs with Autolites. And upper ball joints are still a prob, just replaced uppers on a '02 with 26,000 miles.
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99bludak
Dodge Dakota
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8/09/2004
11:42:58
| RE: oil ball joints, and plugs question
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Ok, I don't own a 4.7, 99 5.2, but I would like to offer some opinion on some comments I have read on here. Please, I don't want to get into a flame war, but I rally don't think that running 10w30 in an engine as opposed to 5w30 will cause it to seize...
The only difference is the temperature range that they are reccommended for because of their viscosity. 10w30 is not so thin that it would cause a motor to seize without some other issues at hand, such as the owner not properly maintaining the vehicle.
I am currently using Autolite platinum truck plugs and have great performance with them, obviously cannot speak for using them in a 4.7...
I also have used valvoline in every car I have ever owned, and they have ranged from an 81 olds cutlass beater, to a 71 thunderbird 429 thunderjet, 91 thunderbird, 93 Z34 lumina, 96 chevy cavalier, and the current dak. I have never had a single problem with valvoline oil, and will continue to use it. I agree that synthetic can be better for certain applications, but for normal driving conditions, and under proper maintanence, you should not have any problem with normal oil.
Again, not wanting to step on any toes, as can happen at the drop of a hat on this site for some reason, just offering my experiences and opinions...
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Mopar4U
Dodge Dakota
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8/09/2004
13:50:14
| RE: oil ball joints, and plugs question
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so if I go with the Mobil 1 synthetic, how often does everyone change there synthetic? 3,000? 5,000? 7,000?
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Buck Harley
GenI
8/09/2004
15:37:54
|  Change your Oil
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It is very simple... about Oil if you live in the Dust bowl or if you have a day long of stop and go traffic.. One rule fits all
CHANGE YOUR OIL WHEN IT GETS DIRTY.. Oil will still do the job with dirt in it... but the stuff that makes it dirty is the stuff you want to remove.. The Carbon and Dirt. if miles are your bag .. at least every 3000 miles is good
Buck
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