MDS Tick when coasting under 30mph

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Heckman15

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
Hey guys,
I've done a lot of reading on some older threads about the MDS tick that is extremely audible when coasting down from 30mph to10 or so. it is the one that will go away when you shift to neutral or tow mode. i've got a 2011 Ram with 93,000 miles. I've read a lot of guys that never found the final solution(on 2 yr old threads). many had lifters and cam changed 2-4 times with the tick returning within 6 months each time a repair was made. Has anyone found a permanent solution to this? apparently chrysler was stumped and in many cases would call it "normal". Normal does not start after 50,000, mile or go away and come back after a repair. Mine has only gotten worse in the last month, very loud. I use full Synthetic Mobile 1 along with their high mileage filter and change around 7,000 miles. Normally i'll be just at the bottom of the safe mark when I do a change. last night at 3,000 miles I was a quart low... Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Josh
 
OP
OP
H

Heckman15

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
I should add, this is a sound that is only present when coasting down. this is not the same tick that you hear when sitting idle which seems to to be the most common tick discussed in the Synthetic oil thread. here is a link where someone recorded the exact issue. it's not at the start of the video, but you will know the sound when it starts coasting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0FukSKGI_0
 

RamCares

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2016
Posts
3,782
Reaction score
1,513
Location
Michigan
Ram Year
n/a
Engine
n/a
Hey guys,
I've done a lot of reading on some older threads about the MDS tick that is extremely audible when coasting down from 30mph to10 or so. it is the one that will go away when you shift to neutral or tow mode. i've got a 2011 Ram with 93,000 miles. I've read a lot of guys that never found the final solution(on 2 yr old threads). many had lifters and cam changed 2-4 times with the tick returning within 6 months each time a repair was made. Has anyone found a permanent solution to this? apparently chrysler was stumped and in many cases would call it "normal". Normal does not start after 50,000, mile or go away and come back after a repair. Mine has only gotten worse in the last month, very loud. I use full Synthetic Mobile 1 along with their high mileage filter and change around 7,000 miles. Normally i'll be just at the bottom of the safe mark when I do a change. last night at 3,000 miles I was a quart low... Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Josh

Hi Josh, welcome to the forum.

In the time that you have experienced this tick, has a Ram dealership performed any type of diagnosis or repair at all for you?

Kori
Ram Social Care Specialist
 
OP
OP
H

Heckman15

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
Kori - I have not taken it to the dealer as of yet. I do not have any warranty remaining and cannot afford a trial and error type repair. I also do not want to go pay $1,000 plus for a repair that may only be temporary. So, I have come here hoping that someone has found a more permanent solution in the last 2 years that I can become informed on before going and talking with a couple local Chrysler Dealers. I especially do not want to go and pay a diagnostic fee for them to tell me it's "normal". I want to learn as much as possible so that I can work with the dealer to get the most effective solution from the start.
 

Gamester

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2016
Posts
466
Reaction score
111
Ram Year
2016
Engine
5.7L Hemi
Just use a tuner to disable MDS and you're good to go. MDS is absolutely useless anyways as it is not even being used at highway cruise speeds and just makes your exhaust note sound like crap and engine less responsive as well.
 
OP
OP
H

Heckman15

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
Gamester - If I shut off MDS with the tuner, I understand that will stop MDS from engaging on coast down and in turn prevent the chatter noise. My only concern is wondering if this is simply putting a band aid on a damaged lifter or valve. If MDS doesn't activate, will that prevent me from consuming the extra oil? again I would always be just above the "add" line at 7,000 miles and now that the noise has become louder/more frequent, i was a quart low at 3,000 miles.
Thanks for the Idea, if stopping MDS will stop the extra oil consumption, what tuner do you recommend?
 

tylerlewis_89

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2017
Posts
52
Reaction score
19
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
Hey guys,

I've done a lot of reading on some older threads about the MDS tick that is extremely audible when coasting down from 30mph to10 or so. it is the one that will go away when you shift to neutral or tow mode. i've got a 2011 Ram with 93,000 miles. I've read a lot of guys that never found the final solution(on 2 yr old threads). many had lifters and cam changed 2-4 times with the tick returning within 6 months each time a repair was made. Has anyone found a permanent solution to this? apparently chrysler was stumped and in many cases would call it "normal". Normal does not start after 50,000, mile or go away and come back after a repair. Mine has only gotten worse in the last month, very loud. I use full Synthetic Mobile 1 along with their high mileage filter and change around 7,000 miles. Normally i'll be just at the bottom of the safe mark when I do a change. last night at 3,000 miles I was a quart low... Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Josh



Hey there I have a 2011 and I've had the tick since i rolled it off the lot. I've taken to the dealer many times and they say they can't hear it or blame it on my exhaust etc. Only fix I found was tow haul mode or switching over to use manual shift. I did that for about 2 years. Then I bought a bully dog tuner and deactivated MDS haven't had the tick since and auctually seem to get a bit better mileage with it off. As for my oil ive never noticed it down very much.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Gamester

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2016
Posts
466
Reaction score
111
Ram Year
2016
Engine
5.7L Hemi
Gamester - If I shut off MDS with the tuner, I understand that will stop MDS from engaging on coast down and in turn prevent the chatter noise. My only concern is wondering if this is simply putting a band aid on a damaged lifter or valve. If MDS doesn't activate, will that prevent me from consuming the extra oil? again I would always be just above the "add" line at 7,000 miles and now that the noise has become louder/more frequent, i was a quart low at 3,000 miles.
Thanks for the Idea, if stopping MDS will stop the extra oil consumption, what tuner do you recommend?

The DiabloSport i2 tuner seems to be the favorite around here and the one I recommend as well. However, I think if you are having excessive oil consumption that something else is going on. If you haven't already, I would to a compression test or have a shop do it so you can see if there are any mechanical issues first.
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,116
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
Have you noticed your belt is slowing down when the engine ticks? That was a money shot, kudos to the video guy. Look at the 55 second mark, and again around the 122 second mark, tick then super slow belt, looks like engine wants to stop it is so slow. Try driving in tow haul 24/7, let us know if it continues. If not, do like they say, shut down mds. Seams like mds has a lifespan, which I'm pretty sure they knew when the forced it on us.

I would look at a high detergent oil, can't say for sure but maybe you have sludge hanging the operation of the mds. Penzoil Ultra Platinum is the highest detergency oil I know of, Redline is good with ticks as well. Have you seen how the mds works? Look here.

When the mds is active only the mds lifts, when not the lifter lifts thus getting gas to the cylinder. So that's the point, the mds is a moving part and is also dependent on lubrication. It is more then possible it is a lubrication issue, I would say it's likely.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
H

Heckman15

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
I called one of the local Chrysler dealers and the Rep I spoke with was going to do some checking around to see if anyone in the service department has dealt with this MDS problem and informed her of all symptoms as well. Just waiting on a call back. I have no interest in taking it in for diagnostics unless it's something they have dealt with before as I'm not going to spend my money for them to learn about a problem many other people have experienced on these trucks.
Another Mechanic (not Chrysler) said I'd be wasting my time with a compression check and that I'd spend a lot of money chasing a non existent problem, claiming he cannot hear the noise. I think He just doesn't want work on a problem that has no permanent solution. Also said he doesn't want to waste my money...
 
OP
OP
H

Heckman15

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
Have you noticed your belt is slowing down when the engine ticks? That was a money shot, kudos to the video guy. Look at the 55 second mark, and again around the 122 second mark, tick then super slow belt, looks like engine wants to stop it is so slow. Try driving in tow haul 24/7, let us know if it continues. If not, do like they say, shut down mds. Seams like mds has a lifespan, which I'm pretty sure they knew when the forced it on us.

I would look at a high detergent oil, can't say for sure but maybe you have sludge hanging the operation of the mds. Penzoil Ultra Platinum is the highest detergency oil I know of, Redline is good with ticks as well. Have you seen how the mds works? Look here.

Burla, thanks for the insight. It's awfully hard for me to see a difference in the belt speed. Maybe just difference in whether he was speeding up or the moment he lets off the gas? Anyways, would you run the Penzoil for the remaining life of the engine, or run it a couple oil changes, then switch back to Mobil 1. Could a higher detergent increase oil consumption?

Thanks
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,116
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
I didn't know someone was on gas, but the belt is slowing and it seams to be at the end on the tick. Bottom line, try driving in tow haul for a week, all the time, I have done this since I found the button on my ram 5 years ago. That will let you know if this is mds or not.

Generally speaking the old thought was the only possible risk with high detergency is a little higher wear, but Penzoil Ultra Platinum seams to be the exception because the wear numbers are very low. And to be specific, I would continue to use it if it worked. If it didn't, I would try Redline and perhaps other choices, or even a solvent flush something I rarely recommend.

Have you ever changed the pcv, and how many miles on truck?
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
H

Heckman15

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
I didn't know someone was on gas, but the belt is slowing and it seams to be at the end on the tick. Bottom line, try driving in tow haul for a week, all the time, I have done this since I found the button on my ram 5 years ago. That will let you know if this is mds or not.

Yeah, you can hear the guy hop in the truck at the beginning and begin to drive, yo can also see the ground going by in an opening. anyways the coasting tick sets in at the 26 second mark. running tow haul mode does work to keep it from happening. So does putting the shifter in "manual" mode on 5. When I run that way, there is no abnormal sound.
 
OP
OP
H

Heckman15

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
I didn't know someone was on gas, but the belt is slowing and it seams to be at the end on the tick. Bottom line, try driving in tow haul for a week, all the time, I have done this since I found the button on my ram 5 years ago. That will let you know if this is mds or not.

Generally speaking the old thought was the only possible risk with high detergency is a little higher wear, but Penzoil Ultra Platinum seams to be the exception because the wear numbers are very low. And to be specific, I would continue to use it if it worked. If it didn't, I would try Redline and perhaps other choices, or even a solvent flush something I rarely recommend.

Have you ever changed the pcv, and how many miles on truck?

I never have changed the pcv, I'm not throwing any codes either... i'm up to 93,000 miles currently. probably should check it out.
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,116
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
You guys got mad skills when it comes to setting up a video. I would shut off mds problem solved. You may still opt to run PUP to maybe clean it out a little, but it likely wont be that big off issue once that mds stops lifting on it's own.

Poorly operating pcv is number one cause of sludge buildup, it should be changed every 60k for sure, you are over due. Sludge or contamination on the mds could literally be what caused this, wether pcv is good or not.
 
OP
OP
H

Heckman15

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
You guys got mad skills when it comes to setting up a video. I would shut off mds problem solved. You may still opt to run PUP to maybe clean it out a little, but it likely wont be that big off issue once that mds stops lifting on it's own.

Poorly operating pcv is number one cause of sludge buildup, it should be changed every 60k for sure, you are over due. Sludge or contamination on the mds could literally be what caused this, wether pcv is good or not.

I'll change out the pcv this weekend and give the Penzoil a try. Hopefully doing that and getting a tuner to shut off the MDS will also stop the extra oil consumption. I'm good with using a quart between changes, but for the surprise quart below the add line at only 3,000 miles worried me.
It's a very good video but it isn't mine, just the exact same noise, so I can't take credit for being brave enough to mount my phone in the engine bay while going down the road!
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,116
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
Aw, so you currently are burning oil, then definitely check the pcv. You see the more info you put out the more it makes sense what is going on. No oil leaks on the driveway? I'm curious if when you change the pcv if your engine almost automatically running better, let me know.
 
OP
OP
H

Heckman15

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Posts
10
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2011
Engine
5.7
Aw, so you currently are burning oil, then definitely check the pcv. You see the more info you put out the more it makes sense what is going on. No oil leaks on the driveway? I'm curious if when you change the pcv if your engine almost automatically running better, let me know.

Sorry, maybe there was an issue for my initial post displaying on your end.
It's a 2011 Ram with the 5.7L. I use Mobil 1 full synthetic with their high mileage filter. Usually change around 7,000 miles and oil level will be right at bottom of the safe zone. My MDS sound has gotten worse/louder since last oil change so I checked oil level last night and it was about a quart below the add line at 3,000 miles since last change. Again, the noise does go completely away and sounds perfectly normal when I shift into tow/haul or Manual.

If that info changes your thoughts let me know. But I'll definitely start with the oil swap and PCV, then put on a tuner to turn off MDS full time instead of doing it manually every time I go into Drive.
 

Burla

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Posts
23,116
Reaction score
44,461
Ram Year
2010 Hemi Reg Cab 4x4
Engine
Hemi
A properly operating PCV is more important then any oil, in fact m1 should be good enough in any engine that is properly operating. I would rather have 7/11 oil in an engine with a working pcv, then redline in an engine with a clogged one. But, if your pcv isn't clogged, then some oils will give you a chance at cleaning better. Redline is the best oil to combat tick, PUP is the best I know at high detergents, so if one doesn't work, try the other. While it may be lubrication related, the fix may be mechanical. Shut down mds and change pcv, you may have no worries and go back to your favorite oil m1. GL
 
Top