Engine oil temps reached 272 and now the hemi tick

[Bengully]

Hey guys.
Just got back from my trip up the hill to Payson from Phoenix Az pulling my 7,000 travel trailer.
Along the trip is probably a 6-7% incline for close to 3/4 of a mile if not a bit longer.
During the climb my oil temps made it up to 272 .
Coolant stayed reasonable (220 tops) and trans never went over 200.
Mind you it was nearly 95 outside at 6k elevation but the oil temp was a bit concerning.
The temps quickly went down to 230-240 after leveling out.

That and when I the truck sat over night I started it again in the morning and the louder than usual hemi tick was present. Could the heat have effected the manifold studs?

Does anyone know if the factory tow package includes an oil cooler?
Is there an upgraded larger oil cooler I can try or even a secondary cooler?

BTW it's a 2015 ram 5.7 2x4 with the 3.92 gears and 8 speed

 

[Fitz-0518]

Hmmm. Let me think out load. 272 oil temp at grade pull, 95* degree weather. That would concern me given that all other operating temps were normal. Can't know how many miles or type oil. BUT, is it possible, his oil broke down and viscosity changed? Next morning Hemi operating noise was more noticeable. maybe. Stay with this forum, others will share their thoughts.
On the tow package I know it includes a trans cooler, but not sure if the oil cooler is spec'd larger. You can add a after market oil cooler like Hayden.

 

[SYKRAMMAN]

Maybe oil pump isn’t up to par anymore for heavy loads? But like fitz said, it would concern me also that all other temps are normal except oil.

 

[Ramnewbie]

Running the oil that hot I'd first change the oil and see what happens with fresh oil. I would think any issues with oil pump itself would be reflected in the oil pressure. More info on what brand, weight, and how many miles were on the oil would be helpful.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[tidefan1967]

Time for an oil change! I don't know what brand of oil you were using or how many miles you had on it but if you're going to work it hard I would step up to 5W30 at a minimum. If money is no object go with Redline 5W30. If you want to go a less expensive route theres always Pennzoil Ultra Platinum and even the Mobil 1 Extended performance is a good choice.

 

[69GWC]

This ^^^^

 

[Bengully]

During that trip I had about 3000 miles on mobil 1 full synthetic 5w20 and the truck has 38,000 miles on it. When I say the trans and coolant temps were normal, they warmed up a bit too but not to the extent that the oil temp got to.
Normal daily driving in the 110 degree Az heat is
Coolant - 205-210
Trans - 185
Oil - 215-220.
My oil pressure for the trip stated above 50 no matter the temp.

The tick goes away after warm up which leads me to believe it's a manifold bolt.

 

[monteholic]

275 degrees is where conventional oil starts to break down

 

[meedom]

My 2016 got up to 280 going up the same Hills in about the same temperature pulling about the same weight and now my cold start tick has gotten a lot louder. Actually sounds like s*** and is very upsetting but I believe the manifold bolts just got worse from the extended high RPM and extra heat from going up the hills, and it quiets down after about a minute. After the engine comes up to normal operating temperature like by the time I get to work, it is quiet as a mouse and I can't hear anything but injector noise so I'm pretty convinced it's the manifold bolts. I have been running Redline 5w 30 almost since new and I had about 3,000 miles on this mixture of 5 quarts 10 W 30 and two quarts 5 W 30 when I made the trip. At this point I'm pretty convinced it's manifold bolts and after reading this I'm going to change my oil again this weekend and make a trip to the dealer soon which I was hoping to avoid forever....

 

[Bengully]

My 2016 got up to 280 going up the same Hills in about the same temperature pulling about the same weight and now my cold start tick has gotten a lot louder. Actually sounds like s*** and is very upsetting but I believe the manifold bolts just got worse from the extended high RPM and extra heat from going up the hills, and it quiets down after about a minute. After the engine comes up to normal operating temperature like by the time I get to work, it is quiet as a mouse and I can't hear anything but injector noise so I'm pretty convinced it's the manifold bolts. I have been running Redline 5w 30 almost since new and I had about 3,000 miles on this mixture of 5 quarts 10 W 30 and two quarts 5 W 30 when I made the trip. At this point I'm pretty convinced it's manifold bolts and after reading this I'm going to change my oil again this weekend and make a trip to the dealer soon which I was hoping to avoid forever....

Amen to that. I've got an appointment next Monday to take a look at the bolts. Might as well do it while it's under warranty because it doesn't look like a fun job to do.

 

[meedom]

Amen to that. I've got an appointment next Monday to take a look at the bolts. Might as well do it while it's under warranty because it doesn't look like a fun job to do.

Please let me know what dealership your going to and how everything turns out and I will do the same. Too many people just drop out of a thread or even the forum
before they communicate their experience\results\fix, and you never hear from them again....

 

[JimfromAZ]

So, if/when the time comes, do you just tell dealer there is a tick and check manifold bolts? Is there a more specific thing to say to them?

 

[Bengully]

I scheduled my service at Larry Miller in Peoria. Scheduled it online and just noted that there is a tick coming from the manifold. I plan to tell them that what the issue is and if they fix it and it ends up not being the issue, I'll go from there.

 

[droopie85gt]

I would definitely change the oil. Even synthetic oils can start to break down at 270. What's $40 worth of oil and filters in this situation?

I found this site the other night....it's one of the most informative and impartial data testing I've found: https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/

 

[meedom]

I scheduled my service at Larry Miller in Peoria. Scheduled it online and just noted that there is a tick coming from the manifold. I plan to tell them that what the issue is and if they fix it and it ends up not being the issue, I'll go from there.

Sounds like the right plan and please keep us updated from the day you take it in if you can, that's a big part of what this forum is all about...

 

[meedom]

So, if/when the time comes, do you just tell dealer there is a tick and check manifold bolts? Is there a more specific thing to say to them?

Since I haven't been thru this dealer thing yet I don't know what's best to tell them, except just the truth. That's why I'm really anxious to see what kind of experience
Bengully has...

 

[Fitz-0518]

Ben, as expected some of the most knowledgeable and experienced people on this forum offered their thoughts. Now that you explained that the morning after noise sounds like exhaust leak rather than internal rotating noise. I know there is a relationship between an exhaust leak and higher temps. Just do not know if it can cause that high of oil temp. Regarding the dealer visit, my experience is, you must be able to duplicate the noise/problem As stated, would realy like to know how this concludes.

 

[Burla]

In any temperature extreme situation you should consider PAO/Ester based fluid, in engine and transmission and diffs. Search hemi tick in the forum, overwhelmingly the best choice for a truck in this situation is Redline 5w30. It isn't hype, it is formula, it is built for the extremes with high additives like moly and ester based fluid. You can't fake your engine with a brand name, group 3 oils do not compare to esters when towing. Another option would be Motul, but this forum has had many more redline users with many testimonials with people that were in your situation. Pair it with a high flow synthetic royal purple filter. You can warp your heads with those temps quickly, I'd be careful. It has happened several times here, at those temps you can warp heads in short order.


I would look at the upgrades to counter that as well, oil pump upgrade and/or oil cooler and/or upgraded fan. Feelings on what should be happening should give way to accepting what is happening and dealing with it.

I would also slow way down on those grades, everything you do will help. If you warp your heads you will still have to do some of this stuff anyhow if you plan on towing a lot, you will just add that cost to it. good luck

 

[Burla]

The hotter oils get, the thinner they get, at 270F your oil was likely thin as ****, that could be why it was ticking at that time as well. I hope you are using 5w30? I'd really stay away from 20 weight oils with those conditions!

 

[HammerHead]

I would definitely change the oil. Even synthetic oils can start to break down at 270. What's $40 worth of oil and filters in this situation?

I found this site the other night....it's one of the most informative and impartial data testing I've found: https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/

^^^^^^ This^^^^^^

OP, Your engine oil got way to hot, keep in mind your engine is cooled by oil Directly, and cooled by coolant Indirectly. Oil inside your engine can be 90 degrees Fahrenheit Hotter than oil sump temperatures, therefore your oil was way past its thermal stability threshold. And if you click the link in my signature or in droopie85gt post you can go look at Mobile 1 and see it performed poorly when heated 270. Change your oil ASAP, and choose a good oil from the oil testing site. I look for fantastic anti-wear characteristics and stable thermal stability when making my oil selection, both will be very important for you moving forward.