CAT (caterpillar) oil filter

[rottenronnie]

Wifey may be able to help here because it was years ago when this discussion last came up.
I do remember seeing a higher number in the manual of a 2006, which was a misprint.
Again, it was years ago but I've always used 8.5L with a filter change.
It takes 10 Liters (10.5 U.S. Quarts) after a rebuild to fill a completely dry 8.3L engine.
It doesn't help the sticks are notoriously hard to read.

 

[Wifey]

Mine uses 8.5

I think diesels use 10.5

engine oil capacity - DodgeForum.com

Dodge Ram SRT-10 - engine oil capacity - I just changed my oil in my 2005 SRT10 ram for the first time.The owners manual says 81/2 qts.The dipstick reads bone dry!!! HELP!!!!!

dodgeforum.com

SEE POST 17.... and see POST #20...

Oil Change

ok i know i need to use Mobil 1 but which one and what oil fillter should i use. ALSO where the hell is the drian plug I THINK IM GOING BLIND:o :D OH YEAH and i have to use 10.6 quartes right

www.vtcoa.com

Just purchased my SRT-10 Ram BUT the speedo 9-10MPH off at highway speeds

Hey all! I just purchased my first SRT-10 Ram (2005 QC). I am having an issue similar to what our fellow user experienced here: https://www.vtcoa.com/threads/speedometer-is-off.68872/#post-1316828 My circumstances seem to be almost the same as his, as I purchased the truck with stock rims and...

www.vtcoa.com

 

[Wifey]

Okay so that's my take on the oil capacity from years of threads and from my own experience but if nothing else start low, give it time to get where it's gotta go then you can always add more.

Easier than removing it when you get it overfull lol

 

[VIPR PWR]

Okay so that's my take on the oil capacity from years of threads and from my own experience but if nothing else start low, give it time to get where it's gotta go then you can always add more.

Easier than removing it when you get it overfull lol

Nah , just let it settle running at full throttle and the level will come down lol of course it may be due to leaking gaskets and seals

 

[VIPR PWR]

Prime the filter or not before installing has been a dispute forever !
I’ve always primed and put a slight oil coating on the gasket .
I think it was Bob the oiled guy that did a test about this in one of their vids .. To me it only makes sense to prime the filter to get immediate oil circulation..

 

[Rebeltaz83]

There has been confusion over the amount of oil since the begging.. QC state 10.5 quarts and SC’s stated 8.5 quarts ..
Ronnie has stated that the dip sticks are incorrect but I’ll let him explain what he knows …
Im still using the 10.5 quarts in mine as of the last oil change a while ago since Im not driving much these days ..the dipstick on mine shows the proper level with 10.5 !

I don’t think the sticks are meant to be exact, more of a “it’s good to drive” over dull and it’ll splash off the counterweights of the crank and air-ate, and foam the oil. Not good for lubing sensitive parts, too low it’ll starve for oil. Long as your in between the two you should be good lol. Allot of the next gen machines CAT is putting out has two sticks. One up top that I go by, and one down low so you don’t have to climb on the machine to check the oil…. But the swing drive is up there and you have to climb to check the oil level on it (I have no idea…. Engineers.) anyways, the top one will read perfect right on the money, and the lower one will always read over full. It could possibly be for towing, more capacity to keep it cooler. Possibly high RPM, to keep enough oil in the sump if the pump turns 1:1 with the crank (I’m still blown away by that, must have a seriously robust oil pump shaft if it runs off the cam like the 318/360 it’s designed from.) I haven’t been inside a V10 so I’m learning here lol. I know when I built my 360 magnum for my 91 D150 it was mentioned to get a stronger pump shaft if going with a volume oil pump, they have been known to shear at high RPM trying to pump oil around. Dang it!! I rambled lol. Increased capacity to keep oil in the sump during high RPM to keep from starving oil because it has a series oil pump lol. Of course a V10 has a longer block and internals so a higher pressure/volume pump to make sure the oil reaches everything (I’m assuming and that’s dangerous lol, these 8.3 have a rear pump location like the 318/360? And being in a truck, rear sump…. Smart thing for drag racing as the force pushes all the oil to the rear of the pan. I gotta stop rambling lol.

 

[VIPR PWR]

What has been done to the oil system that improves and control the oil in the engine ..
Wet sump type ! windage trays , dual pickups, pumps channels/ ports , etc .. Ive never torn down the viper motor and wondering if improvements can be made, Should or have been done ?

 

[VIPR PWR]

I don’t think the sticks are meant to be exact, more of a “it’s good to drive” over dull and it’ll splash off the counterweights of the crank and air-ate, and foam the oil. Not good for lubing sensitive parts, too low it’ll starve for oil. Long as your in between the two you should be good lol. Allot of the next gen machines CAT is putting out has two sticks. One up top that I go by, and one down low so you don’t have to climb on the machine to check the oil…. But the swing drive is up there and you have to climb to check the oil level on it (I have no idea…. Engineers.) anyways, the top one will read perfect right on the money, and the lower one will always read over full. It could possibly be for towing, more capacity to keep it cooler. Possibly high RPM, to keep enough oil in the sump if the pump turns 1:1 with the crank (I’m still blown away by that, must have a seriously robust oil pump shaft if it runs off the cam like the 318/360 it’s designed from.) I haven’t been inside a V10 so I’m learning here lol. I know when I built my 360 magnum for my 91 D150 it was mentioned to get a stronger pump shaft if going with a volume oil pump, they have been known to shear at high RPM trying to pump oil around. Dang it!! I rambled lol. Increased capacity to keep oil in the sump during high RPM to keep from starving oil because it has a series oil pump lol. Of course a V10 has a longer block and internals so a higher pressure/volume pump to make sure the oil reaches everything (I’m assuming and that’s dangerous lol, these 8.3 have a rear pump location like the 318/360? And being in a truck, rear sump…. Smart thing for drag racing as the force pushes all the oil to the rear of the pan. I gotta stop rambling lol.

Ramble all you want .. Im the same and babble about everything lol .
Im fully aware of the old small blocks 340’s back in the early 70’s and I owned 4 and modified the heck of of a few … Being the oil pump in the 340 or small blocks and installing high volume oil pumps Along with the stronger Direct connection shaft to the distributor was automatically done ,, the 340’s also had a windage try at the crank to control the oil Also adding a lifter valley windage tray was beneficial to control sloshing. Another mod was the Prssure relief spring and adding dual remote filters and a cooler which added around a quart to the system . Those damn oil pressure sending units were a leak waiting to happen from the factory.. I can’t even come close to the amount I replace back then on customers vehicles lol ..At least priming the oil through the engine was just a matter of removing the distributor and using a drill with a Long screw driver bit tool or home made lol
Those were the days .

 

[VIPR PWR]

The days of actually repairing went out the door a very long time ago and turned into nothing but parts changing ..

 

[rottenronnie]

Prime the filter or not before installing has been a dispute forever !
I’ve always primed and put a slight oil coating on the gasket .
I think it was Bob the oiled guy that did a test about this in one of their vids .. To me it only makes sense to prime the filter to get immediate oil circulation..

Unless of course the filter opening is pointing to the ground, I also think it's a good idea. A certain Ford engine comes to mind with the oil filter on top of the engine.

I've been using "Clear-Flood Mode" to prime after an oil change on any vehicles with e.f.i. since the mid/late 1980s.

Just make sure the throttle is firmly pinned to the floor before cranking and *it won't start*: (I had ONE vehicle years ago this didn't work on, SO USE CAUTION !).

Just don't lift AT ALL while cranking, or it will fire...You may even have the infamous W.T.F. ??? indicator light up on the dash, if it starts.


GOOGLE Clear Flood Mode, for added confidence.

Livin' on the edge...

 

[rottenronnie]

I don’t think the sticks are meant to be exact, more of a “it’s good to drive” over dull and it’ll splash off the counterweights of the crank and air-ate, and foam the oil. Not good for lubing sensitive parts, too low it’ll starve for oil. Long as your in between the two you should be good lol. Allot of the next gen machines CAT is putting out has two sticks. One up top that I go by, and one down low so you don’t have to climb on the machine to check the oil…. But the swing drive is up there and you have to climb to check the oil level on it (I have no idea…. Engineers.) anyways, the top one will read perfect right on the money, and the lower one will always read over full. It could possibly be for towing, more capacity to keep it cooler. Possibly high RPM, to keep enough oil in the sump if the pump turns 1:1 with the crank (I’m still blown away by that, must have a seriously robust oil pump shaft if it runs off the cam like the 318/360 it’s designed from.) I haven’t been inside a V10 so I’m learning here lol. I know when I built my 360 magnum for my 91 D150 it was mentioned to get a stronger pump shaft if going with a volume oil pump, they have been known to shear at high RPM trying to pump oil around. Dang it!! I rambled lol. Increased capacity to keep oil in the sump during high RPM to keep from starving oil because it has a series oil pump lol. Of course a V10 has a longer block and internals so a higher pressure/volume pump to make sure the oil reaches everything (I’m assuming and that’s dangerous lol, these 8.3 have a rear pump location like the 318/360? And being in a truck, rear sump…. Smart thing for drag racing as the force pushes all the oil to the rear of the pan. I gotta stop rambling lol.

The 8.3 oil pump slides right on the front of the crank (flat spots), no intermediate shaft.
Approx. 3.25" ("gear" diameter). So yeah, much larger than the 340/440 shaft-driven models.

I got talked into a high-volume Melling for my 426 Hemi years ago. As the stock pans were only 5 imp. qts., it drew hard on that wimpy capacity at 6500, sucked some air and wrapped up a rod bearing. Oooops!!

Ramble On (good Led Zepplin song, Seattle 1972) I think the tickets were 7 bucks...Outrageous!!! Good concert though. I went there on my 500 Kawasaki triple in the pouring rain.

 

[rottenronnie]

What has been done to the oil system that improves and control the oil in the engine ..
Wet sump type ! windage trays , dual pickups, pumps channels/ ports , etc .. Ive never torn down the viper motor and wondering if improvements can be made, Should or have been done ?

The truck engine uses a nice deep sump and that's a plus, for starters.
My own engine oiling mods:
The oil pump relief spring (GEN III) used a 3-piece which was prone to oscillating so I went with a single. The good upgrade is to use the GEN IV style main bearing setup. This allows more oil between the bearing and crank interface. It also required machining little "bathtubs" in the block main saddles to take advantage of the newer style bearings.
I left the oil scraper installed. And a few oiling passages were rounded a touch with a high-speed bit.

The pisser is having to drop the pan on a Gen III and unbolting the pickup tube along the bottom of the block BEFORE trying to remove the timing chain cover. This for a cam change, for example.

My own engine buzzed freely to 7,000 on the engine dyno without any signs of starvation.

It won't do 7K with the 48RE though with the o.e.m. electronics, but doesn't need to either!!

The oiling system seems robust as I've had it apart a more than a few times and other Viper engines as well and none had any hints of oiling issues.
The only thing now is with the new style bearings and single relief spring, the pressure is higher than needed, even with 0-30 and its likely using up 35-40 horsepower, if not more. So...that will be remedied!
Besides, one of the pesky SRT RumbleTundras might show up in our area!!

Some Viper engines that came around had even taken themselves apart, without tools !!

A supercharged truck comes to mind. Detonation took out a crown, the piston layed over, jammed in the cylinder and then the rod punched a hole in the block. It was very anxious to get out of there!

 

[Wifey]

The 8.3 oil pump slides right on the front of the crank (flat spots), no intermediate shaft.
Approx. 3.25" ("gear" diameter). So yeah, much larger than the 340/440 shaft-driven models.

I got talked into a high-volume Melling for my 426 Hemi years ago. As the stock pans were only 5 imp. qts., it drew hard on that wimpy capacity at 6500, sucked some air and wrapped up a rod bearing. Oooops!!

Ramble On (good Led Zepplin song, Seattle 1972) I think the tickets were 7 bucks...Outrageous!!! Good concert though. I went there on my 500 Kawasaki triple in the pouring rain.

Right on!!

 

[rottenronnie]

Right on!!

Rambling, long posts, strange questions, stranger answers and even (sometimes) "off topic" discussions roam freely on this Forum.
Perfect!!!

 

[Rebeltaz83]

Rambling, long posts, strange questions, stranger answers and even (sometimes) "off topic" discussions roam freely on this Forum.
Perfect!!!

We just missing the fire, marshmallows or hot dogs and beer bahahaha. I’ve got a lot to learn on these 8.3s seems the oil pump is like the hemi, mounts to the front of the crank. The oil pick up tube is interesting for sure, it was on my 5.7 when I rebuilt the top end. I managed to slide it out enough to get to the pick tube bolt or bolts and sneak it out without having to drop the pan…. Or dropping the bolt in the pan. New timing gear set, cam, lifters, short tube headers. Had to weld a nut on a few exhaust manifold studs that were broke, had a cracked passenger side manifold. All the famous hemi stuff lol. New valve springs and seals. Head gasket timing cover gasket and slapped it back together. Trued the heads, there were near perfect. Ran a stage two cam from comp. Had it dynoed. Also slapped on a 90mm throttle body. Would have been a better setup had I gone with the newer heads, little did I know (research, research, research.) newer 5.7 heads flow better than the early ones. I had an 05 non mds in a 2500. Didn’t break 300 at the wheels sadly.

I did do research on my 360 magnum build for the 91 D150 I was building. After reading about the pump shaft, and bigger sump oil pan I decided with my low revving build I didn’t need it. I was more after torque. High lift took it to the max the heads were rated for lol. With the magnum 1.6 rockers it was .524 the heads were good for .525 monster magnum heads from Clearwater FL. They were iron, but I was running a 160* T stat. For heat purposes. Judging from my math I was around 11.1:1 compression, later I went with thicker head gaskets and dropped it to 10.5:1 Eddy duel plane air gap intake with an Eddy 650. Stock 360 stroke, .020 over bore…. I should have done a stroker kit looking back lol. 2500 stall non locking TC, with a 46RH trans. The poor 42RH that came in the truck didn’t make it a mile up the road before it spit out the pump seal lol. I miss that truck. Sold it a few years ago. Changed jobs, didn’t have the funds to keep it up. Was chasing a miss on number 8. It would pop on exhaust stroke at idle or revved up. Only number 8 cylinder. Good compression. I think it was the cheap dizzy I got from summit…. Pro form I think it was. They were known for the reluctor wheel to come loose and cause timing issues. The only time it went away was after I pressure washed the engine bay lol.