1996 dodge ram 1500 oil consumption

I have a 1996 dodge ram 1500 with the 5.9 magnum. It has 161,000 miles and never used any oil. since the last change, I am using a qt every 300 miles. I had it changed again, and still the same problem. There are no spots on the ground, and it starts and runs like new! Friends have told me I have a broken oil ring, but see absolutely no smoke. I hate to swap the engine if it is something simple. I am seeing what looks like soot specs on the side (Very few) of the vehicle but see nothing coming out . I can get an engine from a 2001 for a good price, but whats involved with the swap? Whats wrong with the one I have?

Maybe it's the oil you're using?

it could be your plenum gasket. are you noticing any pinging when the engine is loaded(taking off, or going up hills?)
take a flashlight and look down the throttle(have to remove air hat, and open throttle blades), into the intake manifold, if you see oil in there, then there is a really good chance that the plenum gasket is blown and that's why you are loosing oil.
it's not that big of a job to replace, most manuals say that it should take around 4 hours(took me 6 when I did mine, but I took my time and also did a tune up) if you think it is your plenum gasket, let me know, and I'll post a link to another board that has a really good discussion about it with pictures.

There's 2 of those gaskets right? Side by side or something? I never looked at it when they were working on it...

yeah there should be 2 of em.

it depends on which gaskets youare talking about. if you are talking about the actuail intake manifold gaskets (between the intake and heads), then yes there are two. there are also two rubber gaskets that go between the intake and block at the front and back of the intake manifold.
the gasket that I was refering to is the plenum gasket (AKA belly pan gasket) the "keg" style intake manifold that dodge uses on these engines is made of two pieces, and the plenum gasket is the one that goes between the two pieces. the upper part of the intake manifold (part you can see) is aluminum, wile the lower part (part you can NOT see) is stamped steel. these two metals expand and contract at diffirent rates as the engine warms up and cools down, because of that, it's only a matter of time before that gasket starts to leak. when that gasket starts to leak, it allows oil to be drawn directly out of the crank case and into the intake manifold, and into the cylinders through the intake valves. just remove the air hat assembly, open the throttle blades and shine a light through the throttle body and look into the intake manifold. if there is oil in there, it is mostlikely coming from a bad plenum gasket.
hope this helps ya out,
Keith

Thanks for the input. I am an over the road truck driver and just got back in (sorry for the delay responding). There is oil in the intake, so I am going to change the gaskets ( a 5 piece kit is only $32.), and I have the Haynes manual to help me out with toque specs. I will let you know what happens! Thanks again!

scoutinkeith you sound like someone who knows his way around the dodge ram.Is there an upgrade in gaskets you can put on for the plenum.Or is the gasket going to be the same as factory.The reason I'm asking is I have the same problem a leaking plenum gasket.Only in 1999 ram 5.9

CT McGuire,
there are several options for fixing the leaky plenum gasket problem.
1: replace the gasket, and reuse stock plenum pan. this is the cheepest options, as a new gasket set is only about $40 or less.
2: upgrade to a billet plenum pan. I know of two companies that have billet pans, http://www.hughesengines.com/
and
http://www.apsprecision.com/
3: mopar performance has a replacement intake manifold called M1 that is a direct replacement for the stock intake. the M1 is all one piece and eliminates the plenum pan all together. (I'll look around and see if I can find some information on the M1, and post a link for ya)
also, here is a link to another board with a good wright up with pictures of a plenum pan replacement.
http://dodgetruckworld.tenmagazines.com/forums/topic.ten-id-111910-s-got_my_plenum_gasket_replaced_w_pics

when I had to replace my plenum gasket, money was tight, so I opted to just replace the gasket(in my mind it was just a temoprary fix untill the funds came in for an M1 intake) that was about 30K miles ago and the replacement gasket seems to still be holding fine.
I have talked to a few people that have upgraded to the M1, and they recoment also getting a "turtle" to go inside the intake. the M1 is designed more for top end performance, and some people has noticed a loss of low end torque, but adding the turtle changes the flow and keeps the low end.
hope this helps ya out some, if ya have any more questions, just ask, I'll do my best to answer them.
Keith

might want to get new valve cover gaskets to unsure no oil leaks from the valve covers. And also be sure to mark all your vac hoses and stuff because its hard to remember where all of that stuff goes. And be careful not to pinch any wires when putting the manifold back on, run your hands around the sealed areas to be sure.

Thanks for all the help! I just changed all the intake gaskets yesterday, and could actually see where the oil was being drawn into the intake from underneath. I took a 200 mile trip last night and didn't use a drop of oil. I only had to remove one of the valve covers and it had a neoprene gasket that was clean and undisturbed, so I re-used it without any leaks. Apparently this manifold has been off before because the front gasket was slightly out of place and the 4 locating pins were missing. I was just very careful setting the manifold back in place. Be sure if anyone has to do this job, to replace the thermostat by-pass hose. It's only around $3 and not worth tearing back down to do later!!

hope you used rtv sealant

I did! Thanks. I also just replaced both front wheel bearings after 162,000 miles. Not a bad job, but certainly not a cheap one!!

I have a 99 dodge with the same problem. I am thinking about changing the gaskets myself. Is this capable for someone with moderate mechanic skills, and are their any resources for taking off the intake manifold or for the whole process? Thanks