Engine Oil: Description and Operation
ENGINE OIL - GASOLINE ENGINES
WARNING: New or used engine oil can be irritating to the skin. Avoid prolonged or repeated skin contact with engine oil. Contaminants in used engine oil, caused by internal combustion, can be hazardous to your health. Thoroughly wash exposed skin with soap and water. Do not wash skin with gasoline, diesel fuel, thinner, or solvents, health problems can result. Do not pollute, dispose of used engine oil properly. Contact your dealer or government agency for location of collection center in your area.
When service is required, Chrysler Corporation recommends that only Mopar(R) brand parts, lubricants and chemicals be used. Mopar(R) provides the best engineered products for servicing Chrysler Corporation vehicles.
Only lubricants bearing designations defined by the following organization should be used.
- Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
- American Petroleum Institute (API)
- National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI)
- Association des Constructeurs Europeens d' Automobiles (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) (ACEA)
API SERVICE GRADE CERTIFIED
Use an engine oil that is API Certified. MOPAR(R) provides engine oils, that meet or exceed this requirement.
SAE VISCOSITY
An SAE viscosity grade is used to specify the viscosity of engine oil. Use only engine oils with multiple viscosities such as 5W-20 or 5W-30. These are specified with a dual SAE viscosity grade which indicates the cold-to-hot temperature viscosity range. Vehicles with 5.7L engines equipped with Multiple Displacement System, (MDS), must use SAE 5W-20 oil. Failure to do so may result in improper operation of the Multiple Displacement System (MDS).These engine oils improve low temperature starting and vehicle fuel economy. Refer to your engine oil filler cap for the recommended engine oil viscosity for your vehicle.
ACEA Categories
For countries that use the ACEA European Oil Categories for Service Fill Oils, use engine oils that meet the requirements of ACEA A1/B1, A2/B2, or A3/B3.
ENERGY CONSERVING OIL
An Energy Conserving type oil is recommended for gasoline engines. The designation of ENERGY CONSERVING is located on the label of an engine oil container.
CONTAINER IDENTIFICATION
Standard engine oil identification notations have been adopted to aid in the proper selection of engine oil. The identifying notations are located on the front label of engine oil plastic bottles and the top of engine oil cans.
This symbol means that the oil has been certified by the American Petroleum Institute (API). DaimlerChrysler only recommends API Certified engine oils. Use Mopar(R) engine oil or equivalent.
SYNTHETIC ENGINE OILS
There are a number of engine oils being promoted as either synthetic or semi-synthetic. If you chose to use such a product, use only those oils that meet the American Petroleum Institute (API) and SAE viscosity standard. Follow the service schedule that describes your driving type.
ENGINE OIL ADDITIVES/SUPPLEMENTS
The manufacturer does not recommend the addition of any engine oil additives/supplements to the specified engine oil. Engine oil additives/supplements should not be used to enhance engine oil performance. Engine oil additives/supplements should not be used to extend engine oil change intervals. No additive is known to be safe for engine durability and can degrade emission components. Additives can contain undesirable materials that harm the long term durability of engines by:
- Doubling the level of phosphorus in the engine oil. The ILSAC (International Lubricant Standard Approval Committee) GF-2 and GF-3 standards require that engine oil contain no more than 0.10% phosphorus to protect the vehicles emissions performance. Addition of engine oil additives/supplements can poison, from the added sulfur and phosphorus, catalysts and hinder efforts to guarantee emissions performance to 80,000 miles.
- Altering the viscosity characteristics of the engine oil so that it no longer meets the requirements of the specified viscosity grade.
- Creating potential for an undesirable additive compatibility interaction in the engine crankcase. Generally it is not desirable to mix additive packages from different suppliers in the crankcase; there have been reports of low temperature engine failures caused by additive package incompatibility with such mixtures.