HEY--i do know that this is one of the common problems with these durangos---mine has 104,000 miles on it.It was losing 2-3 quarts in between 3000 mile oil changes and the water was also going somewere? after some reading i came to the conclusion that it was the intake plenium gasket which seems to be a common problem with them sucking inward and causing the leak within the motor.--ok so i go to the local dealership and tell them to replace it and they do for about $550,with a metal type one now that is suppossed to not fail and they also say that the old one was bad and leaking.i drive it until the next oil change after 3000 miles and check it before i change it---well it is at least 2 quarts low ,because it barely shows on the dipstick and the water is low again also---i take it back and they claim that they cant find anything and put dye in it and tell me to drive it for 1000 miles and bring it back--i do without thinking to check it,they call me back and say that it must be good that they see nothing and that it has not leaked down any---i then go home and change the oil and after about 1000 miles i check it and i am close to a quart low already-----now my question is,does anyone know what else it could be---because i get the feeling that the gasket they changed did not seal for some reason and they are giving me the run around to try and keep from having to replace it again at there lose---any help would be greatly appreciated or any advice on if i am right and what i should do about that-----THANKS :VHOT:
Losing Oil And Antifreeze On 2000 Durango-help
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Engines loose oil especially as they age. 1 quart every 1000 miles is not that bad....now I would check to rule out any leakage and check the coolent and make sure your not getting any oil in your coolent. Otherwise I wouldnt worry too much. at your mileage it's not uncommon to be using that much oil. When I worked at ford I went round and round with customers and fomoco. Ford's stance is 1.5 qts every 1000 miles is perfectly acceptable even on a new engine. try to explain that to someone who just dropped 40k on a truck.
THATS a hard one to buy--i have a 97 dodge ram 1500 with 140 thousand plus miles on it and it does not use a drop or leak a drop.my durango does not leak a drop and it does not smoke at all---that is what i am getting at that blows my mind,if it is leaking internally,then it should smoke?the intake gasket going bad is a well known problem on these models causing it to leak oil past it,but why is it still leaking after being replaced,could it of not been sealed back right and need to be replaced again?also the water going bye bye too,but absolutly no leaks at all externally---thanks for the replys
I had the leaking plenum and I had no smoke either. When I tore into it, the entire manifold was coated with oil. I also had a leak around the thermostat housing. I think that when it leaked out, it burned up on the engine. Check that as well. It's hard to see with the compressor and alt in the way.
Have you looked down the throttle body with a flashlight?
Have you looked down the throttle body with a flashlight?
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Rowdy, I had the same problem, until recently, since owning my Durango. I was told the same thing my Dodge (Plenum Gasket), but instead of having them do it, I did it myself. It was a learning experience 
NE ways, about 2 weeks later, it started doing the EXACT same thing. I left it alone for almost 2 years and FINALLY got permission from the wifey to replace it again.... this time I went through Hughes Engines and replaced the CRAPPY metal pan with a 1/4 inch aluminum pan. I did a really good job (better than a dealership mechanic woild have done) cleaning off the old gasket. It has been 6000 miles and it hasn't leaked a drop. I put 5 quarts in, I get 5 quarts out.
Dodgems: If I purchased a BRAND NEW car from your dealership and they said 1.5 quarts per 1000 miles is ok, I would drive the car through the front doors and report them to the BBB. I know people how own cars that are 20 years old with 400,000 that don't burn that much oil.
Another pointer: To check to see if you are getting oil in your intake, remove the plastic intake hood (with the engine off) and turn the air flaps and using a flashlight, look down in there and see if you have ANY oil.... if ANY oil is present bring it back to the stealership and DEMAND it fixed... if there is no oil, get a little old oil and pour it in there to make it look that way JK
Good Luck!!!
NE ways, about 2 weeks later, it started doing the EXACT same thing. I left it alone for almost 2 years and FINALLY got permission from the wifey to replace it again.... this time I went through Hughes Engines and replaced the CRAPPY metal pan with a 1/4 inch aluminum pan. I did a really good job (better than a dealership mechanic woild have done) cleaning off the old gasket. It has been 6000 miles and it hasn't leaked a drop. I put 5 quarts in, I get 5 quarts out.Dodgems: If I purchased a BRAND NEW car from your dealership and they said 1.5 quarts per 1000 miles is ok, I would drive the car through the front doors and report them to the BBB. I know people how own cars that are 20 years old with 400,000 that don't burn that much oil.
Another pointer: To check to see if you are getting oil in your intake, remove the plastic intake hood (with the engine off) and turn the air flaps and using a flashlight, look down in there and see if you have ANY oil.... if ANY oil is present bring it back to the stealership and DEMAND it fixed... if there is no oil, get a little old oil and pour it in there to make it look that way
JKGood Luck!!!
HEY--michaelrice-THAT is the best advice i have heard yet--i am getting ready to check all that out now---i have been busy so far but just accepting that it will use oil is unheard of,especially since i spent $500 to have the gasket replaced,but i didnt have them check it out--i just went out there and told them to replace it,that was the problem--and i know it was because they even said that the old one was bad and leaking when they pulled it,but now they keep telling me that they cant find anything and that it is not leaking even though when i get it home it is going down everytime---i just think that they know that the new one they put on didnt get sealed and dont want to have to eat having to replace it again,im glad to here yours is now fixed---that gives me new hope that i was right about the problem--thanks
OK--to update,i looked down into the throttle body and it looks like it might be a film of oil around were the gasket is from the inside,but there is no puddles or anything pooled up that i can see,also one side looks like it has a big place that is burnt brown looking--but not sure if that would be from before i had it replaced or not--i now have close to 2000 miles since last oil change and i am between a quart or quart and half low.I also have now noticed that i am leaking a little around the valve covers--it is oily ,but has not even come to the point of making one drop drip off of the motor yet---now i am thinking--should i replace the valve cover gaskets first or clean them and take it on to the dealership to have the plenium gasket replaced?My thoughts are that if i have lost that much from around the valve covers that it would be worse looking,it is just kind of oily around the bottom of them.AND also i am not sure how much i should be seeing down the inside of the throttle body--should it be pooled after 1-1.5 quarts or would it of burned up before that happened?---i am supposed to take it to the dealership monday and now i am not sure what rought to go---thanks
OK---UPDATE 2--i just took the throttle body off to get a better look and i took a cuetip and taped it on a rod so that i could slide it back futher in the inside of the manifold to see if there was any oil and when i pulled it back out---it was soaked in oil---so i now believe for sure that it is still leaking--someone correct me if i am wrong,but there should not be any oil in there at all----right?-----THANKS
Nope, supposed to be 0 oil in there. If there is, the oil is getting burned along with the fuel out of the injectors. Take a look at what mine looked like at the bottom of this thread. http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124653
THAT is a mess---i hope mine aint that bad--why do you think the new gasket didnt seal---do you think that they didnt clean the old one off good or what,they have been giving me the run around,but now that i see there is oil in there they are going to have to make it right---thanks
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I bet they either didn't take off the plenum pan and replace the gasket and just replaced the intake manifold gaskets or they did a REALLY crappy job of it
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A simple and EXPENSIVE solution.....
The M1 does away with the entire problem (no belly pan). However, to get the entire "effect," you'll need to also do the Fastman TB. It's a bunch of dough, but you won't be jacking around with it again. If you stay stock, you need the job done by someone you can really trust.
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