2.7 In 2001 Sebring Sedan

I am considering a 2001 Sebring Sedan with a 2.7L engine. It has
112,000 miles on it. The dealer says that it runs good, but does not
know how well maintained it was.

If I was to purchase it and perform regular oil changes, would that
gradually clean out any existing sludge that may have accumulated,
hopefully avoiding any problems, or could I still be in for problems
down the road?

Is a well maintained 2.7 reliable, or should it be avoided altogether?

I know that there are some posters on this NG that have been satisfied
with their 2.7's, but have been careful to change the oil on a regular
basis, and even use synthetic oil.

Thanks,

-KM

 

I have a 2001 Stratus. I believe the design issue that led to sludging
was corrected in the 2.7 before this model year. I also remember that
sludging in the earlier 2.7 engines would cause problems well before
100,000 miles so if the car has that many miles it is probably ok.
However I am not a mechanic and my Stratus has had nothing but
synthetic oil in it since the break in period elapsed, so my
"evidence" is purely anecdotal

 

Oops, my bad. It was 2003 model year, not 2001, when it appears it was
corrected. My 2001 still hasn't had the sludging problem, however.

 

Without something done to actively remove any sludge (using Sea Foam or
MMO or any number of other products or synthetic oil) at a controlled
rate, simply doing regular oil changes at this point would not clean it
out. However, if you do a remedial cleanout wrong (i.e., too rapidly),
your successful operation could absolutely kill the patient. So there
is a risk either way. With the sludge factor unknown, absolutely do
*not* do a sudden flush.

I have written my opinions and experiences on this subject several
times, so I won't repeat them in detail again.

Bottom line, it is a gamble regardless of what you do or don't do for
remedial purposes (very much dependent on the unknown history of that
particular engine - i.e., how much sludge is stored in there).

The above opinion from the owner of a 2.7L with 176k miles on it and
(other than needing new exahust valve seals now) running wonderfully on
my 80 mile daily commute - and *without* use of synthetic oil.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

I'll second what Bill wrote. And I have 178K on mine.

Even with a well maintained 2.7, be aware that the water pump is
internal to the engine - if the shaft seal begins to leak, it leaks into
the crankcase and that can destroy the engine in pretty short order. If
you see coolant start to drip out from under the engine on the driver's
side (there's a weep hole there for early warning of pump seal leakage),
get it fixed asap.

For safe, gradual removal of engine deposits, AutoRx is the only product
that I am aware of.

Phil

 

Sea Foam and Marvel Mystery Oil work too - you proportion it for the
cleanout. 4 to 8 ozs. in the crankcase is definitely safe but gets the
job done.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Yea I know that those cleaners have been successful but I always worry
about something like harsh like Seafoam in a 2.7 because the 2.7 is so
sensitive. But I know people have done it and not had any problems.

Phil