All cars have a risk of developing sludge inside the engine. Sludge is caused in part by a build-up of water moisture in the oil. Ordinarily, your oil will get hot enough that any water that accumulates will be "burnt off"--it will evaporate. However, some people never drive their cars far enough for the engine oil to get hot enough for this to take place thoroughly. Then sludge begins to form. If the car is then subjected to less frequent maintenance -- the oil isn't changed often enough -- then sludge will continue to accumulate. In the 2.7L engine, this leads to a problem with the timing chains that can cause a very expensive, even catastrophic, failure -- valves smacking into the pistons.
The difference is in what potential effect it has on the car. Sludge is never good, but it's rarely catastrophic. Unfortunately, the 2.7L engine's sludge problem *can* lead to catastrophic consequences. By no means does the problem *have* to be catastrophic in its outcome; aggressive maintenance will mitigate the problem. It is just something to be aware of, and to adjust for in your maintenance planning. My own 3.2L Intrepid has suffered a similar catastrophic failure, but for a different reason--it was caused by a defective replacement water pump. My valves smacked my pistons, and 6 were bent. I repaired the damage myself -- it was expensive and time consuming, but it was repairable. Fortunately the supplier of the defective water pump was insured, and I was able to collect compensation for the damage and my time. I'm no fan of small-block Chevrolet engines, but I have seen several of them opened up after a lifetime of neglect, and they were sludged up nearly beyond recognition. Somehow they continued running for the lifetime of the car...truncated somewhat as it might have been. Sludge in a small-block Chevy does not create the conditions for the same type of failure the 2.7Lexperiences. HTH, --Geoff On 10/11/06, rebecca risberg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > i read about the sludge problem on 2.7 (which i have) before i bought the > car and im confused about it. dont all cars have the risk of developing a > sludge problem? what causes the sludge? do you know? > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > the only thing you'll need to be aware of is if it has the 2.7engine > !!!!!!!! they do not have a good reputation. they have a "sludge" problem > , and > regular 3.000 mi. oil changes don't seem to matter. so if it has this > motor > keep an eye on it, and change the oil often. hope you have good luck with > the > car. i had 3 so far !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Web: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dodge_intrepid> Subscribe: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Unsubscribe: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Moderator: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dodge_intrepid/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dodge_intrepid/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
