Oil Change

Hello everyone,

I just purchased a 1998 Dodge Dakota 4x4. It's an SLT, with a 5.2L V8. My question is at how many miles I should do an oil change. On our 2 GM cars we change at 5,000 miles, but I've been told by a few people I know who work at Dodge to change it on my truck at no more than 3,000 miles. They say theres some problem of the oil pump getting clugged and that will cause major problems. Does anyone know about this?

Also has anyone had problems with their front ball joints? I've been reading reviews of the Dakota on the internet, and it seemed like alot of people have had problems with their ball joints and they need to be replaced. Is there any special way to prevent them form wearing out?

Thanks for the help!

Have you oil changed every 3,000. No matter what kind of vehicle it is, change it every 3k. Anyway, yes the UPPER ball joints on Dakota's and Durango's are crappy. They tend to wear out every 30,000. My advice, buy MOOG joints from your local parts store. Make sure they say MOOG on the box. They usually have a lifetime warranty and they tend to last at least 70,000. And they are cheaper than factory too. Before you hear all the ball joint stories lemme give you this fact. Chevy S series blazer's and bravada's had really crappy upper ball joints too. It's not just Dodge.

mprtech is right about ball joints and oil changes!!!! Use synthetic oils throughout if you can, recommend Mobil1 or Amsoil