I have a 2005 Sebring convertible 2.7L DOHC. Last year I had a few oil leaks to include the pan gasket. My mechanic took off the pan to replace the gasket and found the oil pump was clogged. He removed the pump and cleaned it. I no longer have any issues.
However, someone recently mentioned to me that these engines require special oil, maybe synthetic?, because regular oil will create too much sludge.
Has anyone heard this before? What type of oil should I be using. We have had the car since it was new and currently has approximately 98,000 miles.

 

Use the oil recommended in the owners manual and change it as recommended. You should be fine. Your post mentions the 2.7L engine but your title mentions the 2.4. The older 2.7L engines could occasionally develop a sludge problem but you don't hear about it much with the later models like yours.

 

Thanks, Mine is the 2.7L. My mistake on the title.

 

Technically speaking, you can use synthetic oil with the 2.7, especially with DOHC. If the motor was a VVT, for example, it could actually take advantage of synthetic oil as synthetic oil reacts to pressure differently, and will be able to lubricate in between small spaces, as most VVT systems will have.

I personally have used synthetic oil in cars that did not specify that it was compatible or should be used, with mixed results.

In my 2.0L Neon, I used only synthetic oil, and it lasted a lot longer than conventional, and I'd like to think that it ran smoother. It should be noted that I also raced said Neon and took it up to 6000 RPM quite frequently.

In my 3.5L Sebring, I ran synthetic for one month. I noticed that it was a lot louder and there was a distinguishable tappet (rocker arm) noise on the intake side. This was of course after all the previous owners using conventional.

Basically, unless you're the first or maybe second owner, use whatever was in the engine when you bought it.

 

Wife & I run a synthetic blend in both our cars with good success.