2014 Ram 2500 5.7 Hemi knocking in engine

[Anna1]

Hey everyone,

I bought a 2014 Ram series with around 111,000 miles on it in Michigan (Truck originally came from Idaho as a government forestry truck) . After I left the dealership that I bought it from I loaded my car up on a car dolly and hooked it up to my truck to haul home. Well, I got approximately 100 miles or so from the dealership (with the car on the car hauler), and My truck started knocking in the Engine area and then the Service Engine light came on. So, I went by O'Reilly up there and they scanned it and the code P0521 came up. And so, I called the dealership that I just bought the truck from, and they said it might be a bad sensor and that they reset the code all the time and it would be okay to just continue driving it. So that is what I did and then I got another 100-150 miles down the road and the engine started knocking again and the check engine light came on again. So, I again, stopped at another O'Reilly store to have them scan it with the same code pop up, so this time I replaced the sensor that the dealership said that might be bad. Well, I got going again another couple hundred miles, to have the same thing happen again. When we were driving down the interstate going a good speed then come to a real slow stop/go traffic, that is when it seem to activate the knocking & check engine light coming on. I had to stop several times on the side of the road due to this problem. Well, I finally made it home to weakley county, TN and now When I barely get the truck on the road (not hauling anything), it is still knocking and my check engine light is no longer coming on. What are your thoughts on this issue that I have?

 

[crash68]

Did you check the oil level and what's the oil look like?
Given the previous use for that vehicle I would imagine there is lots of hours on the engine.

 

[turkeybird56]

Did you check the oil level and what's the oil look like?
Given the previous use for that vehicle I would imagine there is lots of hours on the engine.

Those symptoms not sound good. Crossing fingers for OP.

 

[Anna1]

Did you check the oil level and what's the oil look like?
Given the previous use for that vehicle I would imagine there is lots of hours on the engine.

The dealership changed the oil before we drove it almost 700 miles home. The oil looked clean.

 

[Anna1]

Those symptoms not sound good. Crossing fingers for OP.

I am afraid of what my bill will be when I take my truck to the shop next week and they tell me that I need to rebuild it. Do yall have any idea what a bill like that may be that I am looking at ? I am taking it to a Ram dealership

 

[Riccochet]

Does the knocking stop when you clear the code? And what "sensor" did you replace? Oil pressure sensor?

Also, what oil filter is on there? This can be caused by a bad oil filter not flowing properly. Cheap to swap in an OEM filter to test.

 

[Anna1]

Does the knocking stop when you clear the code? And what "sensor" did you replace? Oil pressure sensor?

Also, what oil filter is on there? This can be caused by a bad oil filter not flowing properly. Cheap to swap in an OEM filter to test.

yes, when we were driving home from Michigan, (with a small car on a dolly) and had O'reilly reset the code, the knocking did stop until we got going down the interstate and then came to halt (stop/go) traffic, then it would start knocking again and then the check engine light would pop up again immediately. And we stopped at 4 different O'Reilly on the way home to have them reset the code for us. (Each time we got into stop/go traffic is when it started knocking and the check engine light would come back on)..... But now since we have been back home, the check engine light no longer comes on and the knocking starts as soon as we leave our driveway (not hauling anything)... We have it just sitting in the yard right now, We only drove it like 5 mins since we have made it back home from Michigan. Bought the truck on July 20 and made it home real late on July 21...and on July 22 tried to drive the truck and it started knocking right out of the driveway and we parked it and have not drove it since.

The sensor we replaced was the oil pressure sensor.

As far as What oil filter is on there, I am not sure honestly, I assume the dealership changed that also when they changed the oil. We thought about changing the oil & filter out ourselves to see if that would help...(we might go ahead and try that still) But we are afraid that we may have damaged the engine by continuing to drive it home (700 miles) like the dealer said it would be ok....

We are thinking we might have threw a rod..... just not sure...

I just hope that we didn't damage it too bad driving it in that condition for so long....


And we are also concerned because the check engine light isn't coming back on (even though the truck is knocking right out of the driveway), don't know it the light is just blown or if it is a sign that the engine is totally shot..

I paid $22k plus tax/title/fees for this truck..Cash (it's everything I had) ... I am going to have to put whatever the local dealership (that I have an appointment for next Monday).... charges me on a credit card.

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

Did you get any kind of a warrantee from the dealer, like even a 30-60 day you paid a good chunk of money for that, seeing it was a forestry truck how many idle hours are on it.

 

[Anna1]

Did you get any kind of a warrantee from the dealer, like even a 30-60 day you paid a good chunk of money for that, seeing it was a forestry truck how many idle hours are on it.

No, They didn't even give me a 30 day warranty, nothing, just took my money and sent me on my way. I have no idea how many idle hours are on it honestly.

 

[Gussers]

Kinda late to the party, but see what the law is where you bought it. He in CT a warranty is mandatory for 30, 60, or 90 days, depending on the age and sale price of the vehicle when purchased from a licensed car dealer. For 22k, you'd have surely gotten something.

 

[2003F350]

Kinda late to the party, but see what the law is where you bought it. He in CT a warranty is mandatory for 30, 60, or 90 days, depending on the age and sale price of the vehicle when purchased from a licensed car dealer. For 22k, you'd have surely gotten something.

Not in Michigan. That dealer bought it at auction, and it has over 100k, so I don't believe they have to give any kind of warranty. If you're under 100k they usually give 60-90 days and 6k-9k miles.

 

[GeoffG68]

Can confirm, Michigan doesn't require a warranty on a used vehicle. It was probably sold as-is.

P0521 indicates a problem with the oil pressure sensor, however the knock that's following the problem may indicate low oil pressure. Since the engine is now having the knock problem all the time and the sensor code hasn't reappeared, it's time to put a mechanical oil pressure gauge on the engine in place of the sensor (available cheaply at Harbor Freight) and see what the oil pressure actually is. If it's low, there's several different things that can cause the problem: worn bearings, bad oil pump, restriction in oil flow, etc. Stuff like this can happen if the oil pickup gets clogged somehow, for example.

If low oil pressure is found, you would then need to have a mechanic tear into the engine and determine what's going on. If not, I'd personally try doing cylinder deactivation tests to see if one particular cylinder is making the noise. The possibilities go on from there, and you really need to have someone experienced look at the vehicle.

Personally I would not go to a dealer with a 2014 model year vehicle unless there were absolutely NO trustworthy local mechanics with a good reputation to be found. You will pay more at a dealer, probably not get service quite as good, and with the current UAW strike be left waiting for parts. Find an independent shop in your local area with good reviews and lots of domestic pickup trucks in the parking lot. A local mechanic won't necessarily be cheap, BTW, just more likely to treat you honestly.