2003 Dodge Ram 5.7 Hemi Oil Smoke

[Chris 69]

Hi All,

Need some advice on my truck. It's a 2003 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi, 4x4. It's got 135k miles.

Over the course of 400 or so miles, it burns about 1/2 to 3/4 quart of oil. Blue/white (edited from "white") oil smoke out the tailpipes is noticeable after idling and then revving the engine. Power doesn't seem reduced. Definitely noticed more smoke last night as I was backing the boat into the garage, up a slope, with the front of the truck pointed downhill.

Is this indicating valve seal failure or excessive piston ring wear or something else?

I haven't run any tests at this point. What would be good tests I can do at home to diagnose?

Anyone have similar issues in the past?

Thank you, Chris

[426HemiChick]

Hi All,

Need some advice on my truck. It's a 2003 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi, 4x4. It's got 135k miles.

Over the course of 400 or so miles, it burns about 1/2 to 3/4 quart of oil. White oil smoke out the tailpipes is noticeable after idling and then revving the engine. Power doesn't seem reduced. Definitely noticed more smoke last night as I was backing the boat into the garage, up a slope, with the front of the truck pointed downhill.

Is this indicating valve seal failure or excessive piston ring wear or something else?

I haven't run any tests at this point. What would be good tests I can do at home to diagnose?

Anyone have similar issues in the past?

Thank you, Chris

Hi Chris,              21 February 2023

Not trying to be funny, but the last place we have found to take our 09 1500 5.7 LQC is a Dodge Dealer. Seems like they think we all have big bucks and don't need our vehicles diagnosed or fixed anytime soon. They require bringing in the vehicle for a diagnosis, make an appointment to get in line for the diagnosis, leave your vehicle in line for five or so days then once they have the diagnosis you leave it in another line for repair  .  .  .  .   if you agree to pay what they estimate the repairs will cost. Seems like a giant racket.

Probably better off buying old cars we can fix ourselves.

Be interesting to see if you can get an answer from someone on the site. Hope you can.

Good Luck
Best Always
426 Hemi Chicks

[DownZero]

Need more info. How often has the oil been changed? What weight oil are you using? Did you change weight recently? Quicky lube shop , dealership, repair shop?

[Chris 69]

Hi All,

Need some advice on my truck. It's a 2003 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi, 4x4. It's got 135k miles.

Over the course of 400 or so miles, it burns about 1/2 to 3/4 quart of oil. White oil smoke out the tailpipes is noticeable after idling and then revving the engine. Power doesn't seem reduced. Definitely noticed more smoke last night as I was backing the boat into the garage, up a slope, with the front of the truck pointed downhill.

Is this indicating valve seal failure or excessive piston ring wear or something else?

I haven't run any tests at this point. What would be good tests I can do at home to diagnose?

Anyone have similar issues in the past?

Thank you, Chris

Hi Chris,              21 February 2023

Not trying to be funny, but the last place we have found to take our 09 1500 5.7 LQC is a Dodge Dealer. Seems like they think we all have big bucks and don't need our vehicles diagnosed or fixed anytime soon. They require bringing in the vehicle for a diagnosis, make an appointment to get in line for the diagnosis, leave your vehicle in line for five or so days then once they have the diagnosis you leave it in another line for repair  .  .  .  .   if you agree to pay what they estimate the repairs will cost. Seems like a giant racket.

Probably better off buying old cars we can fix ourselves.

Be interesting to see if you can get an answer from someone on the site. Hope you can.

Good Luck
Best Always
426 Hemi Chicks

Agreed. I'd like to fix this myself, if possible. The hard part is this is my primary vehicle, so it's a problem if it's down for an extended period of time.

Sometimes I miss the truck I had before this, a 1973 Ford F250. I always did the work myself on that one!

[Chris 69]

Need more info. How often has the oil been changed? What weight oil are you using? Did you change weight recently? Quicky lube shop , dealership, repair shop?

Oil is changed every 3,000 miles. Sometimes I do it, sometimes I take it to a quicky lube shop, depends on my availability. Last oil change was a quicky shop, about 2500 miles ago. Oil is 5W-30. Haven't changed the weight recently.

[b5blue]

Most likely just miles/age try thicker oil and best rated filter. My V6 Dakota has 130K on it. Did you run an OBD?

[RallyeMike]

My 05 Hemi ram has 126k and it started to use about 1/2 quart every change. It's not real cold here, so I went up 10W and oil use went down to almost nothing. You could try that, but your oil use is quite a bit so I doubt it will solve it. Also, oil smoke is usually not white, but light blue/grey. You may have other issues.

Standard practice here would be to pop to plugs and look for oily deposits on them, and then do a compression test while plugs are out. Easy enough to do yourself in an evening... but then diagnosing and fixing the actual problem from there is the bear.

[b5blue]

A free OBD check at a parts store is next. 

[426HemiChick]

Hi Chris,            22 February 2023

You said the smoke is white. If I remember correctly, Antifreeze produces white smoke. As RallyeMike said, oil smoke is "Light blue/grey."

We had an old 2000 S10 Blazer that gobbled oil. Turned out the intake manifold had a sort of "O-Ring" that sealed the intake from the engine internals. It had been taken to the "Cheby" garage while in warranty. They found the damaged o-ring; rather than replacing it they put a gob of RTV on the area where it was damaged. Fast forward 6 years and it wouldn't pass the emission test. Long story short, the gob of RTV failed and we fixed it ourselves. Just food for thought.

Best Always
426 Hemi Chicks

[Chris 69]

Thank you for the advice. I'm in the middle of moving, so finding time to diagnose is challenging at the moment!

1. I have a OBD reader that connects to my phone. I'll run that this weekend.

2. Since I am coming up on an oil change, the new oil will be an increased weight. Where I live, we don't get extreme cold temps.

3. I'll try to pull the plugs/compression test this weekend. Likely it will have to happen next weekend. I've heard that the "boots"(?) on the plug coil packs can fail when removed. Not sure how common this is, or if what I've heard is true, but hopefully that won't be an issue.

4. It's definitely blue/white oil smoke, not white coolant smoke. I should have been clearer in my original email. I'll edit that. The coolant system appears to be having no issues.

I'll post findings.

Really appreciate the advice.

[Chris 69]

<<Deleted double post>>

[Chris 69]

<<Deleted triple post  >>

[Aero426]

No matter what, the fix isn't going to be cheap.   Since the truck is 20 years old, I think I'd keep putting oil in it until I have to do something (smoke gets worse).   A competent independent shop could certainly give you a diagnosis for  a couple hours labor time.   

[Chris 69]

No matter what, the fix isn't going to be cheap.   Since the truck is 20 years old, I think I'd keep putting oil in it until I have to do something (smoke gets worse).   A competent independent shop could certainly give you a diagnosis for  a couple hours labor time.   

Yep, understood about the $$. That's the plan right now (especially since I'm still in the process of moving... )

[Chris 69]

I didn't get a chance to check anything out this weekend or run an OBD. Should be able to do at least the OBD this coming Sunday.

[b5blue]

Are any warning lights on in the dash?

[426HemiChick]

Hi Chris,            01 March 2023

Haven't sorted it out yet? What's the hold up? Just pulling your chain.

When you pull the plugs if it is burning oil, they will give you a clue as to where the oil is coming from. You haven't said how the truck is running. The plugs should give you a good set of clues. Fouling predominately on one side hints at valve seals; evenly fouled suggests rings; clean plugs suggest oil getting into the exhaust.

Even though we have a 5.7 we really don't have a good handle on those engines. We prefer the 426 Gen 2 Hemi, much easier to work on.
 
Hope it turns out to be something simple.

Best Always
426 Hemi Chicks

[RiverRaider]

Have you tried changing the PVC valve?  That probably is the only part under $50 that might cause your problem.
What type of oil are you using? (synthetic, semi synthetic or conventional)

[426HemiChick]

Have you tried changing the PVC valve?  That probably is the only part under $50 that might cause your problem.
What type of oil are you using? (synthetic, semi synthetic or conventional)

Hi RiverRaider,              02 March 2023

Good call!!!

Didn't think they had PCV's on the newer engines, at least not like the ones on the 60's engines. If it's blocked it may cause a problem with the way the engine runs.

Oh for the simpler days of "Global Cooling" Think we better have a look at our Ram's Hemi.

Best Always
426 Hemi Chicks