shop put wrong oil in my truck —

[992wire]

OK, so last week my truck started throwing a code: P0300 and P0308: misfire on cylinder 8. I didn’t think much of it figured it might need plugs or something. I don’t know.. so I go to work and now is even worse and now it seems like the exhaust suddenly got loud on the passenger side. And at low rpm’s under a load it’s now knocking loudly. This goes away as the rpm’s increase and it feels normal then. So at work my boss tells

Me to Take it to his mechanic right up the street and he’ll pay for it and I’ll just pay him back later. So I say OK cool so I take it up there. I tell him what’s going on. I ask the guy “so basically it needs a tuneup right ?” He says most likely so I ask him too also do the oil change while it’s there.



Dudes like no problem so five hours later they get a hold of me it’s $650. They charge me $20 a spark plug plus $15 a spark plug installation and 70 bucks for an oil change . So they say it still has a miss and they don’t know what else to do, they said there’s a leak in the manifold. I said ok.where ? is it cracked it loose what is it? They said they’re not sure. I asked him if he could throw a compression tester on cylinder eight he said he doesn’t have one. I had to get back to work so I take my truck and I leave and my truck is running 10 times worse than it was when I took it there but at the moment I have a lot going on at work and a lot of things to finish in a short period of time so I drive the 1/10 of a mile back to work and park and go back to work. So later when I go home it’s still running really bad. I get gas and while it’s pumping I’m looking at the invoice and it says they put in 5w30 . I’m instantly mad because why would they put in the wrong oil? The truck is supposed to have 5w20. It even says it in the oil cap. So I guess my question is do I need to be concerned about this? Could they have unintentionally of course, caused me major headaches? Did they screw up my truck? I know they didn’t cause the original miss, but did they make it worse by what they did? Or no? Thanks for your time.

My truck is a 2013 Ram 1500 big horn with the 5.7 hemi and approx 140.000 miles.

 

[Black1500Ram]

5w30 is used and actually preferred by tons of us and is listed in the owners manual as a possible oil to use. Others will chime in on the exact verbiage. 0% chance of issue using 5w30.

I’m astounded that a mechanic doesn’t have a compression or leak down tester…

$20/plug is absolute **** as is $15/plug install… what happened to hourly rate?

A bad fuel injector or coil pack could cause a misfire. The hemi is also plagued with cam and lifter failure which will cause misfires.

 

[G-Ride990]

OK, so last week my truck started throwing a code: P0300 and P0308: misfire on cylinder 8. I didn’t think much of it figured it might need plugs or something. I don’t know.. so I go to work and now is even worse and now it seems like the exhaust suddenly got loud on the passenger side. And at low rpm’s under a load it’s now knocking loudly. This goes away as the rpm’s increase and it feels normal then. So at work my boss tells

Me to Take it to his mechanic right up the street and he’ll pay for it and I’ll just pay him back later. So I say OK cool so I take it up there. I tell him what’s going on. I ask the guy “so basically it needs a tuneup right ?” He says most likely so I ask him too also do the oil change while it’s there.



Dudes like no problem so five hours later they get a hold of me it’s $650. They charge me $20 a spark plug plus $15 a spark plug installation and 70 bucks for an oil change . So they say it still has a miss and they don’t know what else to do, they said there’s a leak in the manifold. I said ok.where ? is it cracked it loose what is it? They said they’re not sure. I asked him if he could throw a compression tester on cylinder eight he said he doesn’t have one. I had to get back to work so I take my truck and I leave and my truck is running 10 times worse than it was when I took it there but at the moment I have a lot going on at work and a lot of things to finish in a short period of time so I drive the 1/10 of a mile back to work and park and go back to work. So later when I go home it’s still running really bad. I get gas and while it’s pumping I’m looking at the invoice and it says they put in 5w30 . I’m instantly mad because why would they put in the wrong oil? The truck is supposed to have 5w20. It even says it in the oil cap. So I guess my question is do I need to be concerned about this? Could they have unintentionally of course, caused me major headaches? Did they screw up my truck? I know they didn’t cause the original miss, but did they make it worse by what they did? Or no? Thanks for your time.

My truck is a 2013 Ram 1500 big horn with the 5.7 hemi and approx 140.000 miles.

There is a ton to unpack here.

Firstly, putting 5w-30 is not going to hurt your truck. Many of us run 5w-30 in even very low mile engines because, it's just better for these engines in some circumstances.

For spark plugs, I have seen guys charged more and less. It is not a difficult job but it does take some time. What spark plugs did he put in there? I am assuming he changed all 16 out for that price right?

Doesn't have a smoke tester to find the manifold leak? No compression tester? Kinda odd.

Honestly with that many miles and a misfire... might be looking at the infamous Hemi tick problem. I don't know enough about which codes you should be concerned about but someone will chime in with some more info.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

[992wire]

There is a ton to unpack here.

Firstly, putting 5w-30 is not going to hurt your truck. Many of us run 5w-30 in even very low mile engines because, it's just better for these engines in some circumstances.

For spark plugs, I have seen guys charged more and less. It is not a difficult job but it does take some time. What spark plugs did he put in there? I am assuming he changed all 16 out for that price right?

Doesn't have a smoke tester to find the manifold leak? No compression tester? Kinda odd.

Honestly with that many miles and a misfire... might be looking at the infamous Hemi tick problem. I don't know enough about which codes you should be concerned about but someone will chime in with some more info.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Thank you …. And yes they changed all 16 but I have no idea what they put in . Also he said the first thing they did was to swap the coil pack for #8 out with another coil pack —-I forgot to mention that … and I feel a little bit better but a little bit not better that 5w30 is ok. It’s bittersweet maybe ? Now I have to figure out why it’s missing so bad . Any idea of what to look into next ? I’m scared to death it’s gonna be something bad —- if it’s the “hemi tick”. What does that equate to in $$$? I loce
My
Truck but I can’t afford **** right now for sure ….

 

[G-Ride990]

Thank you …. And yes they changed all 16 but I have no idea what they put in . Also he said the first thing they did was to swap the coil pack for #8 out with another coil pack —-I forgot to mention that … and I feel a little bit better but a little bit not better that 5w30 is ok. It’s bittersweet maybe ? Now I have to figure out why it’s missing so bad . Any idea of what to look into next ? I’m scared to death it’s gonna be something bad —- if it’s the “hemi tick”. What does that equate to in $$$? I loce
My
Truck but I can’t afford **** right now for sure ….

Without writing a novel about the Hemi tick I'll give you the short version...

The Hemi tick refers to a progressively worsening ticking sound that comes from part of the valvetrain in these engines destroying itself. It has to do with the cam and/or lifters failing. Which doesn't happen to everyone but it is a somewhat common failure of these engines. Do a little searching here and you'll find loads of great info.

In my opinion, the next step should be to find a competent mechanic and have your truck properly diagnosed. Who knows at this point? Might be something simple to fix too.

 

[GTyankee]

992wire ..

If you were to look in your Rams Owner Manual

You would see that in the manual, for the 5.7L HEMI Ram 1500,
It reads to use 5W-20 motor oil

for the 5.7L HEMI Ram 2500 & heavier trucks, they use 5W-30

They are identical engines, EXCEPT for the Multi Displacement System parts

How does MDS work on a Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi?


When engine load is low and at a steady speed, MDS disables cylinder 1, 4, 6, and 7 sequentially. The computer shuts off fuel to the MDS controlled cylinder. Then the computer opens the MDS solenoid which supplies oil pressure to the lifter deactivation ports.

2500 Rams 5.7L do not have MDS
so it does not use the 5w-20 motor oil

 

[992wire]

992wire ..

If you were to look in your Rams Owner Manual

You would see that in the manual, for the 5.7L HEMI Ram 1500,
It reads to use 5W-20 motor oil

for the 5.7L HEMI Ram 2500 & heavier trucks, they use 5W-30

They are identical engines, EXCEPT for the Multi Displacement System parts

How does MDS work on a Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi?


When engine load is low and at a steady speed, MDS disables cylinder 1, 4, 6, and 7 sequentially. The computer shuts off fuel to the MDS controlled cylinder. Then the computer opens the MDS solenoid which supplies oil pressure to the lifter deactivation ports.

2500 Rams 5.7L do not have MDS
so it does not use the 5w-20 motor oil

That actually does not sound like a good thjng … now I’m terrified .. lol …

Bottom line as far as the oil viscosity is concerned is that the 5w30 is fine for my ram and I can’t blame the shop for my truck dying .. is the mds related to the hemi tick ??
Thank you for your response .. I appreciate you .

 

[Black1500Ram]

If it’s cam and lifters that’s not a cheap fix.

A mechanic is going to charge probably ~$4500-6000? as it is a pretty intricate / timely job and parts are about $2500.

 

[Wild one]

That actually does not sound like a good thjng … now I’m terrified .. lol …

Bottom line as far as the oil viscosity is concerned is that the 5w30 is fine for my ram and I can’t blame the shop for my truck dying .. is the mds related to the hemi tick ??
Thank you for your response .. I appreciate you .

This is in the 700 page printed manual for my 14,the note at the bottom says it's okay to use 5W-30 .

 

[zrock]

Wow you went in with issues, they used a diffrent oil and instantly you looking for someone to say they messed up your engine.

 

[Burla]

When you have a specific mis fire, you have about a 90% chance it is the cam. All he should have done is give you a new plug on 8 and swap coil packs and if the mis fire comes back and didn't travel, now it is 99% it is the cam. He will know what to do next to verify 100%. 30 weight oil has no factor here. It sounds like you are directing the mechanic and have a bunch of thoughts that feed your opinion, hope isn't a strategy, your mis fire was always a big deal. good luck with it...

 

[Ken226]

Stop driving your truck. Everything sounds like a cam/lifter failure, and the longer you keep driving it with a flattened lobe and bad lifter, the worse things will get. Find another way to commute to work.


Find a competent mechanic or shop. Search on the internet, read reviews, and find a shop that is good with engines, or just go with a Ram dealer. Once you find a shop that has a good reputation, have your truck towed there.

Save your money for a new cam/lifters, a new engine or a down payment on another truck. A used or rebuilt engine is a common route to go when this happens. Many here have also replaced the cam/lifters themselves, depending on your confidence and skills.

While it's possible you'll get lucky and it'll be something simple and cheap, it's very unlikely.

 

[demonram]

OK, so last week my truck started throwing a code: P0300 and P0308: misfire on cylinder 8. I didn’t think much of it figured it might need plugs or something. I don’t know.. so I go to work and now is even worse and now it seems like the exhaust suddenly got loud on the passenger side. And at low rpm’s under a load it’s now knocking loudly. This goes away as the rpm’s increase and it feels normal then. So at work my boss tells

Me to Take it to his mechanic right up the street and he’ll pay for it and I’ll just pay him back later. So I say OK cool so I take it up there. I tell him what’s going on. I ask the guy “so basically it needs a tuneup right ?” He says most likely so I ask him too also do the oil change while it’s there.



Dudes like no problem so five hours later they get a hold of me it’s $650. They charge me $20 a spark plug plus $15 a spark plug installation and 70 bucks for an oil change . So they say it still has a miss and they don’t know what else to do, they said there’s a leak in the manifold. I said ok.where ? is it cracked it loose what is it? They said they’re not sure. I asked him if he could throw a compression tester on cylinder eight he said he doesn’t have one. I had to get back to work so I take my truck and I leave and my truck is running 10 times worse than it was when I took it there but at the moment I have a lot going on at work and a lot of things to finish in a short period of time so I drive the 1/10 of a mile back to work and park and go back to work. So later when I go home it’s still running really bad. I get gas and while it’s pumping I’m looking at the invoice and it says they put in 5w30 . I’m instantly mad because why would they put in the wrong oil? The truck is supposed to have 5w20. It even says it in the oil cap. So I guess my question is do I need to be concerned about this? Could they have unintentionally of course, caused me major headaches? Did they screw up my truck? I know they didn’t cause the original miss, but did they make it worse by what they did? Or no? Thanks for your time.

My truck is a 2013 Ram 1500 big horn with the 5.7 hemi and approx 140.000 miles.

Cam and lifter failure.

 

[Bfleming]

OK, so last week my truck started throwing a code: P0300 and P0308: misfire on cylinder 8. I didn’t think much of it figured it might need plugs or something. I don’t know.. so I go to work and now is even worse and now it seems like the exhaust suddenly got loud on the passenger side. And at low rpm’s under a load it’s now knocking loudly. This goes away as the rpm’s increase and it feels normal then. So at work my boss tells

Me to Take it to his mechanic right up the street and he’ll pay for it and I’ll just pay him back later. So I say OK cool so I take it up there. I tell him what’s going on. I ask the guy “so basically it needs a tuneup right ?” He says most likely so I ask him too also do the oil change while it’s there.



Dudes like no problem so five hours later they get a hold of me it’s $650. They charge me $20 a spark plug plus $15 a spark plug installation and 70 bucks for an oil change . So they say it still has a miss and they don’t know what else to do, they said there’s a leak in the manifold. I said ok.where ? is it cracked it loose what is it? They said they’re not sure. I asked him if he could throw a compression tester on cylinder eight he said he doesn’t have one. I had to get back to work so I take my truck and I leave and my truck is running 10 times worse than it was when I took it there but at the moment I have a lot going on at work and a lot of things to finish in a short period of time so I drive the 1/10 of a mile back to work and park and go back to work. So later when I go home it’s still running really bad. I get gas and while it’s pumping I’m looking at the invoice and it says they put in 5w30 . I’m instantly mad because why would they put in the wrong oil? The truck is supposed to have 5w20. It even says it in the oil cap. So I guess my question is do I need to be concerned about this? Could they have unintentionally of course, caused me major headaches? Did they screw up my truck? I know they didn’t cause the original miss, but did they make it worse by what they did? Or no? Thanks for your time.

My truck is a 2013 Ram 1500 big horn with the 5.7 hemi and approx 140.000 miles.

I can say without a doubt that the oil is not the problem. Due to Lubrication related Camshaft/Lifter failure problems in these engines I run 10w30 in all my Hemis and I have never had a misfire or a camshaft / lifter failure and have owned many of these engines. I put big miles on them and believe the 10w30 is key to long trouble free engine life with the Hemi.

 

[Dusty]

If it’s cam and lifters that’s not a cheap fix.

A mechanic is going to charge probably ~$4500-6000? as it is a pretty intricate / timely job and parts are about $2500.

...except I wouldn't recommend you using the same "mechanic" for that type of repair.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 116044 miles.

 

[pscarbor]

Thank you …. And yes they changed all 16 but I have no idea what they put in . Also he said the first thing they did was to swap the coil pack for #8 out with another coil pack —-I forgot to mention that … and I feel a little bit better but a little bit not better that 5w30 is ok. It’s bittersweet maybe ? Now I have to figure out why it’s missing so bad . Any idea of what to look into next ? I’m scared to death it’s gonna be something bad —- if it’s the “hemi tick”. What does that equate to in $$$? I loce
My
Truck but I can’t afford **** right now for sure ….

Does it go "tick-tick-tick" when it's running? If not you don't have a hemi tick.

There are two (maybe three) ways to check for vacuum / intake manifold leaks: The "Set Yourself On Fire" method and the "Burn Yourself A Little" method. The first involves spraying brake parts cleaner around the engine while its running. Be sure you have a fire extinguisher and a buddy handy to put you out if the brake parts cleaner ignites.

For the "Burn Yourself A Little" method get a propane torch, and start the engine. Turn the torch on but don't light it. Move it around the engine. Same as the first method, have a buddy with a fire extinguisher standing by. Don't wear any flammable clothes (polyester) and you should be ok, you may set the propane on fire a little and burn your hand but it (will/might) not burn your garage down like using the parts cleaner (probably) will.

In the service manual Dodge says to spray water on a running engine but compared to the chance to set yourself on fire what fun is that? If you do it this way make sure the engine is cold before you try it.

With either method when you spray it on the leak the engine will slow down, run rough, or even die.

Good luck!

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

The 5w30 is fine, that is not causing any issues.

The symptoms sound more like a lifter failure but it could be something else. I recommend you take it to a reputable shop(not the last one) and have them diagnose the issue. Do not keep driving it as it POSSIBLY could be making things worse.

 

[David James]

OK, so last week my truck started throwing a code: P0300 and P0308: misfire on cylinder 8. I didn’t think much of it figured it might need plugs or something. I don’t know.. so I go to work and now is even worse and now it seems like the exhaust suddenly got loud on the passenger side. And at low rpm’s under a load it’s now knocking loudly. This goes away as the rpm’s increase and it feels normal then. So at work my boss tells

Me to Take it to his mechanic right up the street and he’ll pay for it and I’ll just pay him back later. So I say OK cool so I take it up there. I tell him what’s going on. I ask the guy “so basically it needs a tuneup right ?” He says most likely so I ask him too also do the oil change while it’s there.



Dudes like no problem so five hours later they get a hold of me it’s $650. They charge me $20 a spark plug plus $15 a spark plug installation and 70 bucks for an oil change . So they say it still has a miss and they don’t know what else to do, they said there’s a leak in the manifold. I said ok.where ? is it cracked it loose what is it? They said they’re not sure. I asked him if he could throw a compression tester on cylinder eight he said he doesn’t have one. I had to get back to work so I take my truck and I leave and my truck is running 10 times worse than it was when I took it there but at the moment I have a lot going on at work and a lot of things to finish in a short period of time so I drive the 1/10 of a mile back to work and park and go back to work. So later when I go home it’s still running really bad. I get gas and while it’s pumping I’m looking at the invoice and it says they put in 5w30 . I’m instantly mad because why would they put in the wrong oil? The truck is supposed to have 5w20. It even says it in the oil cap. So I guess my question is do I need to be concerned about this? Could they have unintentionally of course, caused me major headaches? Did they screw up my truck? I know they didn’t cause the original miss, but did they make it worse by what they did? Or no? Thanks for your time.

My truck is a 2013 Ram 1500 big horn with the 5.7 hemi and approx 140.000 miles.

That’s no professional mechanic or tech. He’s a jackleg with less equipment and know how than a plebe like me. The oil isn’t causing your issue. He was throwing parts at an issue he hadn’t even diagnosed. First thing aside from a chat between client and tech is to put the proper scanner in the OBD port and go from there. Doubtful he had any real guidance such as Alldata. Not sure if your boss expects quick repayment but, like everything, get a second or third opinion on recommendations for good work.

 

[aloose]

I'm a professional mechanic. If there's no ticking I'd do a compression test and smoke test the manifold. Might need to find a real shop. Good shops generally charge more. But that's not how you gauge a shop. You get what you pay for. But paying more for quality and expertise will save you money on the long run. Did that guy even own a torque wrench? Are the plugs torqued? I have replaced many intake gaskets on these engines. If there is ticking I'd remove the valve cover and check for a floppy rocker arm. The 5w30 is good for your engine. Especially in summer. The 5w20 is for .2mpg gas mileage. It all adds up for epa ratings.

 

[wrench78]

Like everyone else has said. The oil isn't an issue. Just a thought I'm going to throw out there. What octane gas are you running? Have you tried changing to a higher octane or use additives to see if that changes anything?