Scotty,
I have a 2001 3500 Dodge Ram Passenger Van with a 5.9l, Automatic, with 150,000 miles. I am retired and have been using it as a camper van for the last 4 years, so I travel a lot. I have put 10,000 miles on it since September of 2021.
It uses a quart to quart and a half of oil every 600-700 miles is this normal? Should I be worried?
I love your channel and thank you in advance for your thoughts.
~Johnny~
That's not unusual - for a very worn engine. But, first replace your PCV valve (they are cheap). This often reduces oil consumption. If that doesn't help, you can run a wet/dry compression test to see how worn the engine is, and whether it's the piston rings or valve seals that are causing the oil burning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovvXnd7AhiU
It's definitely not normal. Is it leaking or burning? What do your spark plugs look like? Is there oily residue in your tailpipe? If you are burning that much oil it will ruin your catalytic converter.
Chances are that the engine is worn out. You can do a dry/wet compression test to check its overall health. A quick and easy thing is to change your PCV valve and see if that helps any.
No.
Should I be worried?
Not really, it's just worn out. Consider swapping in a rebuilt unit / a cheap junkyard unit when it gets worse.
