Chrysler 300 Oil Changes: V6, HEMI and the 6.4 300C

The second-generation Chrysler 300 ran from 2011 through the 2023 model year, so most of the ones that roll into our Carson City bay are somewhere between a few years and more than a decade old. That long run is why the grade question comes up so often. The 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 is the common engine, the 5.7 HEMI V8 was offered on the 300S and 300C, and the farewell 2023 300C carried the 6.4-liter 392. Rear-wheel drive was standard and all-wheel drive was available with the V6.

At a glance

• 3.6L V6: about 6 qt, MS-6395 (Chrysler 2023 300C fluid table)
• 5.7L HEMI: about 7 qt, MS-6395
• 6.4L 392 in the 2023 300C: 0W-40 to MS-12633, about 7 qt
• Indicator-based interval, capped at 10,000 miles or 12 months (Stellantis manual)
• AWD cars add a BorgWarner 44-40 transfer case and a rear axle with GL-5 gear oil

Which oil, by engine

Grades on the V6 and the 5.7 moved between 5W-20 and 0W-20 across the 2011 to 2023 run, and even the 2023 table lists a different grade for the V6 than for the 5.7. That is a good reason to trust the filler cap. We read it on every car and use a full synthetic in that grade, and the 6.4 gets its 0W-40.

How the 300 times its oil change

Like the rest of the Stellantis family, the 300 calculates oil life from how it is driven. The owner's manual says frequent short trips, trailer towing, extremely hot or cold temperatures and extended idling bring the Oil Change Required message on sooner, and once it shows the car should be serviced within 500 miles. The hard ceiling is 10,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first.

A V6 sedan that commutes I-580 from Carson City to Reno every weekday racks up easy highway miles and usually waits a while for the message. A HEMI that sits most of the week and comes out for short weekend drives may need the calendar rule instead.

Heat, the HEMI and Carson Valley summers

Minden logs about 68 days a year at 90 F or hotter on the NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals, and Reno about 65. A V8 idling in a Carson City parking lot on a July afternoon is running hot oil, and extreme heat is on the manual's list of conditions that shorten the interval. The 6.4 in the 300C is a high-output engine with a 0W-40 for exactly that reason.

Winter is the other end. Carson City averages about 146 nights at or below freezing, and a big rear-drive sedan that does a two-mile run to the store on a 20 F morning never warms its oil fully. That pattern counts as short-trip driving.

Transmission, axle and AWD notes

Every 300 from this era uses an eight-speed automatic that takes ZF 8 and 9 speed ATF, about 9 quarts depending on the unit, per Chrysler's table. The rear axle uses a synthetic 75W-85 GL-5 gear oil, and limited-slip versions add their own LSD lubricant. AWD cars have a BorgWarner 44-40 transfer case with a specific Mopar fluid.

We check what can be checked during the oil change and offer a differential service with the lubricant the table names. Coolant on all three engines is the Mopar 10 year or 150,000 mile OAT formula.

What our crew checks on a 300

• Oil grade read from the cap, new filter, the oil change message reset
• Engine air filter and cabin filter
• Coolant level and condition, brake fluid, power steering fluid where fitted
• Tire pressure and a look at tread on the rear tires of rear-drive cars
• Lights, wipers, washer fluid, and a battery test at participating locations