Ah now what site is this on? I've been here for 8 years and regular on various othe Durango/dak/dodge forums and I say stay away from that other site. Pure BS (or uninformed.) There are rumors and very infrequent posts that the 5.2/5.9 have problems all the time. BS. These engines design wise have been around for a long tim and like any other engine, if you don't take care of it, it'll have issues. I'm at 128k and there are people here that are over 200k.

 

DURANGUTAN JUST STAY HERE! ITS SAFER AND WE DONT LIE TO YOU!
THAT IS A BS STORY!!
Steve
DOC Pres

 

Question? What site do you mean? I'd love to know. This wasn't even a Dodge site, just a guy who said he had experience with that problem and it was common.

 

It has been all over and it was one person who hadn't changed her oil in 30 k or so who started it
Just trust us Change the oil regularly and all wil be well.
Steve
DOC Pres

 

That's good. I guess this guy just heard and repeated the rumor. Whew.

 

Pure BS.
The 5.2 and 5.9 powerplants are among the most robust out there. Problems arise from people not properly maintaining their vehicles, usually clogging the oil pick-up.
The major deficiency with these engines is a tendency to ping, and that won't cause the engine to explode. It's also correctable via wire re-route, colder plugs, or at worst the "death flash" which essentially detunes the engine.
Fear not, treat your engine well and it won't die on you.

Joe

 

The small block engine will run until the pistons swap holes as the saying goes. These are industrial engines designed as compressor/generator/treechipper/streetsweeper type engines. They'll run forever. This guy on this "other" site has his head so far up his backside, he needs a monocle for his navel to be able to see.

 

The small block engine will run until the pistons swap holes as the saying goes. These are industrial engines designed as compressor/generator/treechipper/streetsweeper type engines. They'll run forever. This guy on this "other" site has his head so far up his backside, he needs a monocle for his navel to be able to see.

LMAO That's hilarious
But see how everyone has said no worries
Steve
DOC Pres

 

I do see that. Anyway, I was more curious than anything. Usually when a problem is that big, it's well known, i.e. the Pinto gas tank problem, or the 90's Chevy pitson slap, or the Taurus SHO cam failures. I don't know much about any of those cars but I'm aware of those issues.

Thanks everyone for clearing it up for me. Now I can go b##chslap that dude.

 

The only engine Problem you may see is the Belly Pan Gasket
Its very easy to fix and won't cause KABOOM!
Steve
DOC Pres

 

I have enough experience with the Dodge drivetrains that I was very skeptical, to say the least. Dodge and Ford make fantastic engines, no doubt about it.

 

the 5.9l is a great motor. my dad has one in his 96 ram 2500 4x4 with around 437,000 on the ticker and we haven't even had to pop the intake or heads. just basic maintence and regular oil changes.

 

I've got 135,000 miles on my 5.2? with no problems to speak of.

 

Got a guy on another site telling me that around 70-80,000 miles the 5.2 is gonna explode.

My own 98 5.2L just rolled past 202,000 yesterday and, while I have "worn out" quite a few items over the past 9+ years (ball joints, tie-rods, U-joints, wheel bearings, rear pinon bearing, a water pump and even the OEM converter finally gave out back in Jan and had to be replaced), I've had absolutely no major problems with either the engine or tranny.

If you do regular maintenance, it should last for as long as you care to (or can afford to) keep driving it.

 

Damn 202k That's a lot of miles
How long do your Brakes Last are you still on the original pads from your upgrade
Steve
DOC Pres

 

99.8k miles on mine? no problems so far. should hit 100K this weekend.

EEK! should I sell it?

 

The only engine Problem you may see is the Belly Pan Gasket
Its very easy to fix and won't cause KABOOM!
Steve
DOC Pres

the belly pan gasket (intake plenum gasket) can cause rapid oil consumption, which could lead to serious problems if not detected soon enough. It's very easy to replace, as Steve noted, but shouldn't be ignored if oil consumption is a problem.

 

The only engine Problem you may see is the Belly Pan Gasket
Its very easy to fix and won't cause KABOOM!
Steve
DOC Pres

the belly pan gasket (intake plenum gasket) can cause rapid oil consumption, which could lead to serious problems if not detected soon enough. It's very easy to replace, as Steve noted, but shouldn't be ignored if oil consumption is a problem.

I'm not experiencing any problems at all, just looking for rumor squashing. Rumor:squashed.

 

The first signs of Belly Pan will be slow loss of Oil and PINGING a lot of PINGING
If you ever suspect it Look Down the TB with a Light if it's all Damp with Oil down there Belly Pan Gasket is culprit
Steve
DOC Pres

 

Got a guy on another site telling me that around 70-80,000 miles the 5.2 is gonna explode. Says there's a "well known" oiling defeciency that allows varnish to build up, then it drops off in clumps and locks the oil pump and in turn the entire engine. I'm not too sure about that, anyone hear of this?

Sorry, meant for this to be in the Gen 1 section, can someone move it?

My 92 Dakota has the 5.2? 120k on her and still fine (knock on wood).

Strong as sh!t.

 

Damn 202k That's a lot of miles
How long do your Brakes Last are you still on the original pads from your upgrade
Steve
DOC Pres

Currently on my 4th set of front pads and 2nd set of rear pads (installed back in Oct.)

I had to replace the original upgraded front rotors at approx 120K due to wear (slots weren't visible anymore and they'd already been turned twice) so I'll probably be due another set by late next year or there abouts. Due to the "excessive" lip around the outside edge from normal pad wear into the rotor (dang thing was almost 1/16" :bugeyed: ), I had the current front rotors turned back in Oct before I installed the new pads (didn't want them getting ripped up by that lip!)

I'm still on the 1st set of upgraded rear rotors and don't intend to replace them until the slots wear down were they're no longer visible? and they still are? barely!

 

I didn't think they could be cut past the slots I actually had a set of powerslots that got warped up by ceramic pads and Noone would cut them for me They became Trash
Steve
DOC Pres

 

IndyDurango <--- 177,000+ miles, no motor or tranny issues. Regular and proper maintenance is the key.