What oil does a Dodge Hellcat take?

The supercharged 6.2L HEMI calls for a full-synthetic 0W-40 meeting Chrysler's MS-12633 spec — the factory fill is Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0W-40, and the sump holds roughly seven quarts with the filter. Do not substitute a thinner grade to chase a fractional MPG; the 40-weight is there to protect a supercharged, high-output engine under boost and heat. Always confirm capacity and spec against your own model-year owner's manual, and change more often than the light asks if you launch, track, or make short trips.

How often should I change the brake fluid and rear diff fluid on a Hellcat?

Brake fluid is hygroscopic — it absorbs water and its boiling point drops over time — so flush it on a roughly two-year cadence for a street car, and always before a track day, because a heavy, fast car boils tired fluid quickly. Rear differential fluid deserves attention sooner than most owners expect if you launch the car hard; hard, repeated launches are exactly the abuse that cooks gear oil, so many drag-and-launch owners change it early and then on a regular interval rather than waiting for a factory 'lifetime' assumption.

Where is the battery on a Dodge Hellcat?

In the trunk, not under the hood — a packaging choice shared across the SRT Challenger and Charger platform. There's a remote positive jump post in the engine bay for boosting or charging, but the battery itself lives in the trunk. Test it annually, especially before winter, and if you replace it, match the correct AGM group size; a weak battery on these cars can trigger a surprising spread of electronic gremlins before it ever fails to crank.

Hellcat Maintenance Schedule & Parts Checklist (Oil, Filters, Plugs, Fluids)

Q: Does the Hellcat supercharger have its own coolant?

Yes — and it's the single most-overlooked item on the car. The intercooler that cools the supercharged air charge runs on a dedicated low-temperature coolant loop with its own reservoir and electric pump, completely separate from the engine's main cooling system. Check that reservoir's level periodically and keep the loop serviced with the correct coolant; a low or degraded intercooler loop lets intake temps climb and the car pull timing, quietly costing you power long before anything turns a light on.

The Hellcat’s supercharged 6.2L HEMI is a stout engine, but it is not a maintenance-free one — it makes its power by cramming boosted, heat-soaked air into a high-compression V8, and heat and boost are exactly what punish oil, coolant, plugs, and fluids. Staying ahead of the schedule is the cheapest horsepower insurance you’ll ever buy. This is a plain-English maintenance checklist for owners who wrench on their own Challenger or Charger Hellcat — the intervals that matter, the parts that fit, and the one coolant loop almost everyone forgets.

Treat every interval below as guidance to confirm against your own model-year owner’s manual and the oil-life monitor. If you launch, track, tune, or do a lot of short trips, you’re in “severe duty” — shorten everything.

Engine oil & filter — the 0W-40 non-negotiable

The 6.2 supercharged engine calls for full-synthetic 0W-40 meeting Chrysler MS-12633 (the factory fill is Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0W-40), and the sump takes roughly seven quarts with a new filter. This is the one spec you don’t improvise on. A supercharged, high-output engine relies on that 40-weight film under boost and heat; dropping to a thinner grade to chase economy is a false saving on a car like this.

Interval: follow the oil-life monitor for a mild street car, but change sooner — many owners run a fixed shorter interval — if you launch, track, or make lots of cold short hops.
Filter: use an OEM Mopar or reputable equivalent filter rated for the engine; the eBay OEM-filter button above pulls live listings.
Reset the oil-life monitor after every change.

The supercharger intercooler coolant loop (the one everyone forgets)

This is the item that separates owners who read the manual from those who don’t. The Hellcat’s intercooler — which cools the compressed air charge before it enters the engine — runs on a dedicated low-temperature coolant loop with its own reservoir and its own electric pump, entirely separate from the engine’s main cooling system.

Check that reservoir’s level on a regular basis and keep the loop serviced with the correct coolant. A low or neglected intercooler loop lets intake air temperatures climb, the car pulls timing to protect itself, and you quietly lose power — often with no warning light at all. If you’ve added boost via a pulley and tune, a healthy intercooler loop matters even more.

Spark plugs

The factory plugs run a long service interval on a stock car, but two things change the math on a Hellcat:

Boost and tune. Owners who’ve gone to a smaller pulley or a bigger power tune very commonly step down to a colder heat-range plug and a tighter gap, and replace them more often, to control detonation under the added cylinder pressure. If that’s your car, treat plugs as a wear item, not a set-and-forget.
Fitment. Confirm the correct plug and gap for your build before ordering — a stock car and a tuned car may want different plugs. Use the fitment reference to pin down exactly which Hellcat you have.

Belts — serpentine & supercharger drive

Inspect the accessory serpentine belt and, critically, the supercharger drive belt and tensioner for glazing, cracking, and correct tension. A slipping supercharger belt is lost boost. Tensioners and idlers are wear items on a high-load blower drive; the eBay belt-and-tensioner button above lists OEM and known-good replacements.

Brake fluid & brakes

Brake fluid is hygroscopic — it pulls in moisture and its boiling point falls over time. On a car this heavy and fast, tired fluid boils and the pedal goes long right when you need it.

Flush on a roughly two-year street cadence, and always before a track day, with a fresh high-temperature fluid.
Pads and rotors are their own topic — match the compound to how you drive in the brake pad types guide and the broader brake upgrades guide, and browse consumables in the brakes category.

Differential & transmission fluid

Rear differential: if you launch the car hard, don’t trust a “lifetime” assumption. Hard, repeated launches cook gear oil, so many drag-and-launch owners change the diff fluid early and then on a regular interval.
Transmission: the 8-speed automatic (8HP90) and the six-speed manual (Tremec TR-6060) each have their own fluid and service needs — service per the manual, and sooner if you road-course or drag the car regularly.

Filters — engine air & cabin air

Engine air filter: inspect regularly; a boosted engine wants clean, unrestricted airflow. If you’re weighing a reusable intake filter, read the honest take in the cold air intake top-list first — an intake is a supporting mod, not free power.
Cabin air filter: an easy, cheap comfort item most owners forget; swap it on a regular interval. The eBay filters button above covers both.

Battery — yes, it’s in the trunk

The Hellcat’s battery lives in the trunk, not under the hood (a remote positive post in the engine bay is there for jumping and charging). Test it annually, especially before winter. If you replace it, match the correct AGM group size — a weak battery on these cars throws a surprising number of electronic faults before it ever fails to crank, so don’t chase phantom gremlins before you’ve load-tested the battery.

Tires

A Hellcat eats tires — that’s the cost of the power. Check pressures and tread often, watch for uneven wear that points to alignment or suspension issues, and if you run staggered or drag setups, know your sizes cold from the wheel & tire fitment guide.

Pre-track / pre-strip checklist

Before a track day or a night at the strip, walk this short list — it’s the difference between a fun run and a tow home:

Fresh, high-temp brake fluid; pads with life left and matched to the duty.
Engine oil at level and not near its interval end; correct 0W-40.
Intercooler coolant loop full — you want maximum heat capacity when you’re leaning on it.
Tire condition and pressures set for the surface.
Wheel torque, no fluid leaks, battery secure in the trunk.

How to buy the parts

New consumables (oil, filters, plugs, fluids): Amazon Automotive is fast for maintenance parts — start in the maintenance category, and cross-shop the wider picture in the performance upgrades top-list.
OEM Mopar or hard-to-find service parts: eBay Motors is the marketplace for genuine Mopar filters, belts, tensioners, and take-offs — use the search buttons above for live listings.

None of this is exotic. It’s a boosted V8 that rewards an owner who changes the right 0W-40 on time, keeps both cooling loops healthy, and flushes brake fluid before it boils. Do the boring items on schedule and the Hellcat will keep making the power it left the factory with — skip them, and the car will find a quiet, expensive way to remind you.