Chrysler Magnum V8 (ELF / EML)

Chrysler's Magnum V8s — the 5.2 and 5.9 — in the Ram, Ram Van, Dakota, Durango and Ramcharger. They are the old LA-series V8 given multi-port injection, new heads and a new intake, and the parts bin reflects that: much of the bottom end interchanges with engines twenty years older, and almost nothing above the deck does.

The fault to know is the intake manifold plenum pan gasket, because its symptom is oil consumption with no leak and no smoke. A steel pan seals the underside of the intake manifold; its gasket fails, and manifold vacuum then draws engine oil straight into the intake. A Magnum using oil steadily with a dry engine bay is this before it is rings or valve seals, and it is a comparatively cheap repair diagnosed as an expensive one for years.

The other recurring items are the timing chain, which stretches enough by high mileage to retard the cam noticeably, and the distributor. On the 5.2, hardened exhaust valve seats were not universal early on, so an engine that has run on the wrong fuel or been worked hard may have receded seats.