Apologize for this being long but want to be through.
I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 with a 5.7 Hemi bought new in 2004 and currently has 70k on it. Recently it has developed a problem that started out while I was on a trip a few hundred miles from home. Stopped at a rural out of the way gas station to refill before heading for home as I was almost empty. About 20 miles later I had to make a stop at a Lowes and when I restarted the truck I heard a ticking noise and no it is not the Hemi tick as it was louder, rythmic and increased in tempo and noise level with rpm's. Stopped truck, let it sit a bit and checked the oil and it was 3 quarts low. The oil gauge was still sitting dead in the center. The truck has used a lot of oil lately especially in the last 10k miles. Would say I was 3 quarts low on 2000 miles on the odometer. Refilled the oil and headed home. When I got back home the ticking was still there and over the days got to more of a knock/rattle and louder. Also have a severe hesitation when taking off and it lacks a LOT of power. It idles just fine, perhaps a bit roughly maybe but if so not much and does not stall. Starts just fine in the first second the key is turned. Sometimes at Idle the knock is gone or almost but touch the gas and the knock, to me sounds more like a rattle.
The truck does not smoke...can't figure out why it doesn't with the oil it is burning. It does not overheat. No oil in coolant no coolant in oil.
Because I thought maybe it was the gasoline I was at about 1/3 of a tank when I returned from GA and refilled it with premium, made no difference. Still at better than 3/4 of a tank.
Did an oil change with Penzoil 5-30 (dino) and a new fram HM filter....though I don't consider the milage high. Oil looked fine, dirty but not that bad. Saw no sign of any metal in the oil filter, even ran a magnet through the old oil and no metal at all. No change so decided to change the plugs and wires as both were still original. The plugs looked ok to me though I would say the gap was now .060 or something..much bigger than the .045 of the new plugs. None of the plugs were wet but some looked kind of white at the tip? Made no difference.
I did some reading and heard about the exhaust manifold bolts breaking so I removed the passenger side splash guard as to me that is the side it sounded like it was coming from. Bolts seemed fine to me. Just to be sure I hooked up a vacuum cleaner set to blow out to the tailpipe and worked the cold exhause with a spray bottle of water and dish soap. Sprayed all the bolts and no leaks and the clamp. Happened to get some over spray on the manifold itself and what do you know a ton of bubbles, a 2" hairline crack in the middle front of the manifold itself. So ordered a new exhaust manifold but while the manifold was disconnected I ran the engine a bit and did not hear the rattle clang whatever it is but it was so freaking loud who knows. Manifold arrives and put it on and the freaking noise was still there, completely unchanged. I did retest the new manifold with the vacuum and no leaks.
I checked the Pcv valve and it still rattled but was a oily crudddy mess and I will replace it but I don't think it would cause all the issues I am having?
The throttle body was very dirty and cleaned that as well. Inside where the throttle body mounts was also very oily did not clean that as was not sure if I should.
A neighbor convinced me it was the Cat converter and while dubious because the Vacuum cleaner could push air through it I did cut it off, was pristine inside, could see through it no problem. While the cat was off I took the vacuum hose off the brake booster and added sea foam to it and let it sit. Did that a couple of times and the noise went away....granted with just the short pipe and no muffler it was pretty loud but still I could clearly hear the noise then did not hear the noise even if you revved it up a bit. Oddly after I let the seafoam sit then restarted it there was almost no smoke at all which surprised me? Then took the exaust off from muffler to manifold and welded the dang cat back on, reinstalled it and you guessed it noise was still there.
Sadly the 04 Hemi won't give the codes with the on off 3 times procedure and I am reluctant to drive it to get the codes pulled. I did disconnect the battery as well for a reset. Perhaps I should buy a reader? Will there be codes even with no check engine light?
Pulled the valve cover on the passenger side and I could find nothing at all wrong with the springs or rockers, everything looked perfect. I was by myself so I set my phone next to it and started recording and went and turned the key all seemed to move as it is supposed to. Thing even started....with just the 4 cylinders but of course shut it right off.
Removed the serpentine belt and started engine and the sound remained so ruled out an accesory.
I used a mechanics stethascope on the engine and while I am not an expert I listened to things I could think of. Could hear the injectors firing while my ears told me the rattle clang noise was coming from passenger valve area the stethascope tells me it is coming from or at least is the loudest about 2 inches back from the front of the oil pan just to the passenger side a couple inches of center?
Been a good truck...only issues it has ever had was a lightning strike that hit a tree 40 feet from it took out the computer and 3 of the 4 ABS censors but that was 6 or so years ago. Did have a oil gauge that sometimes you would start the truck and would be at zero. If you shut the truck off and restarted it the gauge would then work fine.
I did put a can of seafoam in the tank as well as some in crankcase.
knock/rattle
Hesitation
Lack of power at take off and lack of top end speed. I swear if I floored it a Prius would win the race.
Oil usage
idles fine
no stalling
No smoke
No Check engine light
Any help or suggestions sure would be appreciated.
Will
I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 with a 5.7 Hemi bought new in 2004 and currently has 70k on it. Recently it has developed a problem that started out while I was on a trip a few hundred miles from home. Stopped at a rural out of the way gas station to refill before heading for home as I was almost empty. About 20 miles later I had to make a stop at a Lowes and when I restarted the truck I heard a ticking noise and no it is not the Hemi tick as it was louder, rythmic and increased in tempo and noise level with rpm's. Stopped truck, let it sit a bit and checked the oil and it was 3 quarts low. The oil gauge was still sitting dead in the center. The truck has used a lot of oil lately especially in the last 10k miles. Would say I was 3 quarts low on 2000 miles on the odometer. Refilled the oil and headed home. When I got back home the ticking was still there and over the days got to more of a knock/rattle and louder. Also have a severe hesitation when taking off and it lacks a LOT of power. It idles just fine, perhaps a bit roughly maybe but if so not much and does not stall. Starts just fine in the first second the key is turned. Sometimes at Idle the knock is gone or almost but touch the gas and the knock, to me sounds more like a rattle.
The truck does not smoke...can't figure out why it doesn't with the oil it is burning. It does not overheat. No oil in coolant no coolant in oil.
Because I thought maybe it was the gasoline I was at about 1/3 of a tank when I returned from GA and refilled it with premium, made no difference. Still at better than 3/4 of a tank.
Did an oil change with Penzoil 5-30 (dino) and a new fram HM filter....though I don't consider the milage high. Oil looked fine, dirty but not that bad. Saw no sign of any metal in the oil filter, even ran a magnet through the old oil and no metal at all. No change so decided to change the plugs and wires as both were still original. The plugs looked ok to me though I would say the gap was now .060 or something..much bigger than the .045 of the new plugs. None of the plugs were wet but some looked kind of white at the tip? Made no difference.
I did some reading and heard about the exhaust manifold bolts breaking so I removed the passenger side splash guard as to me that is the side it sounded like it was coming from. Bolts seemed fine to me. Just to be sure I hooked up a vacuum cleaner set to blow out to the tailpipe and worked the cold exhause with a spray bottle of water and dish soap. Sprayed all the bolts and no leaks and the clamp. Happened to get some over spray on the manifold itself and what do you know a ton of bubbles, a 2" hairline crack in the middle front of the manifold itself. So ordered a new exhaust manifold but while the manifold was disconnected I ran the engine a bit and did not hear the rattle clang whatever it is but it was so freaking loud who knows. Manifold arrives and put it on and the freaking noise was still there, completely unchanged. I did retest the new manifold with the vacuum and no leaks.
I checked the Pcv valve and it still rattled but was a oily crudddy mess and I will replace it but I don't think it would cause all the issues I am having?
The throttle body was very dirty and cleaned that as well. Inside where the throttle body mounts was also very oily did not clean that as was not sure if I should.
A neighbor convinced me it was the Cat converter and while dubious because the Vacuum cleaner could push air through it I did cut it off, was pristine inside, could see through it no problem. While the cat was off I took the vacuum hose off the brake booster and added sea foam to it and let it sit. Did that a couple of times and the noise went away....granted with just the short pipe and no muffler it was pretty loud but still I could clearly hear the noise then did not hear the noise even if you revved it up a bit. Oddly after I let the seafoam sit then restarted it there was almost no smoke at all which surprised me? Then took the exaust off from muffler to manifold and welded the dang cat back on, reinstalled it and you guessed it noise was still there.
Sadly the 04 Hemi won't give the codes with the on off 3 times procedure and I am reluctant to drive it to get the codes pulled. I did disconnect the battery as well for a reset. Perhaps I should buy a reader? Will there be codes even with no check engine light?
Pulled the valve cover on the passenger side and I could find nothing at all wrong with the springs or rockers, everything looked perfect. I was by myself so I set my phone next to it and started recording and went and turned the key all seemed to move as it is supposed to. Thing even started....with just the 4 cylinders but of course shut it right off.
Removed the serpentine belt and started engine and the sound remained so ruled out an accesory.
I used a mechanics stethascope on the engine and while I am not an expert I listened to things I could think of. Could hear the injectors firing while my ears told me the rattle clang noise was coming from passenger valve area the stethascope tells me it is coming from or at least is the loudest about 2 inches back from the front of the oil pan just to the passenger side a couple inches of center?
Been a good truck...only issues it has ever had was a lightning strike that hit a tree 40 feet from it took out the computer and 3 of the 4 ABS censors but that was 6 or so years ago. Did have a oil gauge that sometimes you would start the truck and would be at zero. If you shut the truck off and restarted it the gauge would then work fine.
I did put a can of seafoam in the tank as well as some in crankcase.
knock/rattle
Hesitation
Lack of power at take off and lack of top end speed. I swear if I floored it a Prius would win the race.
Oil usage
idles fine
no stalling
No smoke
No Check engine light
Any help or suggestions sure would be appreciated.
Will
