tech q on 2.7 mopar engine

http://www.oilsludge.com/

what's the 411 on the 2.7 motor ?





Posting this for a bud ..... I heard there was a major problem with engine oil sludge buildup in the 98-02 models ..... was that issue ever straightened out on the newer models .... like the 2006? .... any straight-forward fixes ? ... I have a line on a really clean 2006 Sebring 'vert and don't mind doing a little bit of work on it. What is the best water pump for this motor ? ..... etc. THX

Better hide, the floodgates are about to open!

R.

Rut,Ro,,,,,,,,what have I done?? Let the info flow,,,,,,,,,,!

Because...

...unless your friend is looking to own one of the worst engines ever produced (regardless of the sludge issue)in one of the crummiest cars ever made, tell him to keep his money in his pocket until something better comes along.

My parents have owned 3 vehicles with the 2.7. The first was a 99 Intrepid. It started burning oil in the high 100,000's but lasted until 230,000 miles when something internally finally failed. It still ran but on only 4 or 5 cylinders. They definitely got their money out of that car.

The other two vehicles they still own and drive daily. They are a 05 and 06 Sebring. The 05 has 160,000 and the 06 has about 130,000. Both have been great cars for them. The 2.7 is way underpowered for an Intrepid but both the Sebrings have decent power.

Seems like ma MOPAR improved on that problem in the later Sebrings,is that a safe assumption??

Could be a sporty convert to cruze around in ParaDIse,,,,,,,,

Running synthetic oil usually curbs the sludging issues you just need to start running it as early in the engines' life as you can...

I had an 03 intrepid I bought new. One of the best cars I ever owned. Sold it in 2011 with 145000 & still had original battery.

I had a 2.7 Intrepid. The engine died at 145,000 miles. It lost oil pressure. The 2.7's had the water pump under the timing cover. If the water pump starts leaking, the coolant mixes with the oil. Not good!!

The early Intrepid's had the most problem with sludge in the oil. I've heard the sludge was caused by the Catalytic converters being to close to the oil pan. My late Intrepid did not have any sludge problems. I had the oil pan off just before it died. My car did have very regular 3,000 mile oil changes though from the time it was new.

The tensioner on the timing chain gave trouble on some 2.7's. There is an aftermarket kit available that is supposed to eliminate the tensioner problem.

Some people get lucky with the 2.7's. I've heard of some with 300,000+ miles, but those stories are very unusual!! I believe most of the high mileage 2.7's had the timing chain, tensioner, and water pump changed every 100,000 miles. I've read that was an informal recommendation from Mopar. The problem is that changing the timing chain in the Intrepid was a lot of work!

Parts for the 2.7's are not real cheap. The parts were not outrageous, but several times I thought the parts were over priced.

I probably would NOT buy another 2.7 engine. I certainly would not buy a used one with an unknown service history! Rebuilt 2.7's are available. If I recall correctly, Jasper wanted around $3,000 for an engine with a 100,000 mile warranty.

Worst engine ever (almost). Back in 2000 I worked at a dodge dealer and we swapped them out more than all the other engines put together. Oil change intervals and oil type made no difference. Mopar kept updating them and supposedly fixed the problem they maintained did not exist. Even now in my own repair shop we still replace them frequently in stratus and sebrings and even magnums. Most would die around 100,000. I have heard of but never seen one with 200,000.

The water pump in the timing cover is a joke! Every water pump from every maker will seep a little over time. This one seeps in the oil, slowly so you don't see it. It builds up acid and sludge in your oil and thats all she wrote. No timing chain gimmick will fix it, bigger oil return holes will not fix it. Timing chains 500 feet long stretch out (especially with antifreeze contaminating your oil) and jump the gears. I have seen them jump one tooth and bend valves in a 2.7. Other engines with similar design will behave similarily, I have a friend big into BMWs and their V8 has the same issues, he always has one torn apart in his shop. Some reason after 125 years of making cars water pumps still leak, even if it is not enough to be a bad pump it should not dump in the oil. Piston to valve clearance should not be that tight either. They could have avoided the whole debacle if they had kept the timing belt that the 3.5 and 3.2 used with the same basic engine. Another case of an engineer "changing or inventing" something just to make himself apear usefull.

Last I checked Jasper on a 2.7 it was almost double that.

Dave,your saying that problem was never rectified through the years?? So an '06 would still be having these issues?

My wife just bought a new 200 and her 04 Sebring convertible is now for sale. The 2.7 has been great, she has 153K on it but was very cognizant of the sludge problem and never missed the 3K oil changes. About 5K miles ago the oil pan started leaking, and I have not had the time to look at it, so it will be the next owners problem. We never changed the water pump or any other engine part except the oil sending unit and the timing belt only because it had cracks as they all do. The thermostat housing cracked and started leaking, then sealed itself up after 10K miles of leaking and gumming up...

How does a timing belt crack on an engine that don't have a timing belt? You had a 2.4 NOT a 2.7, very different engines.

My daughters 04 Stratus has just over 160 k and still climbing.( I bought it with just under 150K )
I just did the water pump and timing chains in it 2 weeks ago .

clean as a pin inside

IMO, at about 80K do the water pump and chain and guides kit ,,,, use full synthetic oil and you will be fine.
To do it yourself its about a $500 job (with quality parts)
figure in the 1k range if paying someone else to do it .


Look on craigslist, its not hard to find a 2.7 car with over 150K on it at all.

You are right, I must of been thinking of something else I was working on at the time, she definitely has a 2.7.

We wouldnt touch them at the shop.That and the cost to do almost anything on them was insane.I saw some with 130 or so but not much more.Most traded them as soon as a problem started.One total POS for sure.Anyone that got 200K from one should play the Lotto.Rocky

I love them, I've made a lot of $$$$ working on them
When they run, they run good. When they don't run they are good for a paycheck or two easy
First thing that I've learned with them is that if they have 100K or better change the water pump & every timing component under the cover right away
Change oil at 3K no matter what
If you pull the valve covers drive a punch down in the oil returns as the head gaskets partially block them sometimes

A walk around your local Pick N Pull will prove what most like me have said
You will say to yourself "Why did they junk a perfectly good looking car?"
Once you raise the hood you will know why

Yeah, that's how it was with my 2000 2.7. Has 140,000 on it. Uses oil; I suspect from being used as a short work commute vehicle for the first 90,000. Anyway, oil was changed religiously, and did water pump and timing at 110,000. The engine was squeaky clean. All these things need are regular oil changes and maintenance and they are fine. I've never had any problems with it.