Disaster!!

[Roaddawg]

Details: My Truck
2011 Ram 1500 SB/Quad Cab 4x4/5.7L Hemi
114000 km/70320 mi. Just off warranty by 14000km.
Used Lucas Synth 5-30 + Stabilizer since new.
Shell gas 99% of the time.
Oil/filter change was overdue by a few thousand miles but was to be done this week prior to a long trip.
Other than this issue, I've had exactly zero problems with this truck since I bought it new other than a couple of minor issues under warranty.

Last saturday, I was just getting started on what was to be about 120 mile round trip. Truck started and ran fine for about 5 miles.

I'm embarrassed to admit I got distracted and forgot to upshift due to distraction, but, here's the scenario.

I usually drive through town with the (5 speed auto) tranny in 3rd/4th gear ... when I got to the highway, I accelerated to about 75 mph (120km) ...my usual highway cruising speed...something felt amiss and I looked down to see it was in 3rd gear and the rpms were somewhere between 3000-4000 rpm ...i'm not sure, really... I immediately upshifted to normal (5th).

That's when all the fun started....the oil light came on, so, I slowed and moved to the right shoulder of the road. At about 25-30 mph the engine stopped running and I coasted to a stop. When stopped, a warning light came on saying I should 'Service 4WD' , the MIL light came on and when I tried to restart it just clicked!!
I waited about 15 minutes and tried to start again and got nothing.
After a half hour I checked the oil level and it was well into the safe zone.

The battery gauge needle is now at 1/4 ...which, after having it checked indicated that my six year old, 700 amp battery was now at 240 amps!!

I had it towed (flatbed) to the nearest dealer and left it there from sat. afternoon til now.
Monday, the dealer mechanics put it on a charger for an hour, told me it was charged up and tried to start it.... No dice!
When I came out to see what was up, one mechanic was underneath trying to move the crankshaft by hand while another was up top doing who knows what.
Mechanic then tells me he believes the crank is seized...other options... could be seized tranny pump, seized bell housing, torque converter??

I asked if the battery was fully charged. Yep.
When nobody was looking I turned the key on and lo and behold the gauge was still sitting at 1/4 and not showing any more of a charge than it was before it went on the charger!!

Solutions offered:
Pull oil filter and see if there's any scrap metal in it. ;(
Pull tranny and check front pump and bell housing/torque convertor.
Worst case scenario, replace motor. (C$9500) !!

Personally, I'm thinking the battery has crapped out (bad cell/dead short?)and they should at least try putting in a new battery to see if anything changes...after all, it is over 6 years old!!

If anyone could please posit another possible cause of this no start issue, it'd be appreciated. I'm a pensioner and only recently paid of the loan for this truck... a $10,000 bill to get my truck back on the road is near impossible for me!

Thanks in advance,
Roaddawg aka Cliff

 

[Gamester]

There are many things that could cause a no start situation and jumping from "battery might be dead" to a "seized motor" is a huge jump indicating proper troubleshooting hasn't been done yet. Will the truck roll at all when in neutral and when in gear? If so, that could eliminate the transmission lock-up as possible the cause. Can the crank be turned over by hand? If so, that would eliminate the engine seized up possibility. Need to do much more logical troubleshooting before jumping to any "disastrous" conclusions...

 

[Roaddawg]

Thanks for the response ...yes, it rolls ..had to be pushed into service bay from parking lot at dealer .... No, the crank cannot be turned by hand ;(
Just going to call the dealer...supposed to be first into the shop this morning and should have heard from them by now.

RD

 

[Gamester]

Thanks for the response ...yes, it rolls ..had to be pushed into service bay from parking lot at dealer .... No, the crank cannot be turned by hand ;(
Just going to call the dealer...supposed to be first into the shop this morning and should have heard from them by now.

RD

Yikes, could be something quite serious then in that case. Bummer it is just off the warranty, but of course any serious issues seem to wait for the warranty to expire, lol.

I really doubt it will cost $9500 though, even if a full rebuild is required. Guess it really depends on the extent of the damage though; won't be able to tell for sure until they tear it down...

Maybe you'll get lucky and it will just be something simpler and cheap like the flywheel plate gear is messed up or warped or has something stuck in it...

 

[Pull Ya]

A few years ago I heard of a program that was sponsored by Ram that allowed the dealer to give you a break on parts and labor for major repairs. The dealer has to get the factory approval and as I remember it is based on your loyalty to the brand and to the dealership(repeat customer in sales and service). The dealer has to approve the request first and then go through "channels" to have it approved at the factory level. I don't remember the % of discount on parts and/or labor. This might help you in your situation.
Jay

 

[Roaddawg]

Just got off the phone with dealer ...it went into the service bay first thing this morning...as of 30 minutes ago, the mechanic was having trouble separating the tranny from the engine due to a seized flywheel ... the hope is that, they will be able to unseize it and fingers crossed there's no additional damage...
Side note: When I up-shifted to OD I did it in two quick pushes of the button...I definitely felt a hard shift and heard a 'clunk' noise when it shifted...hard to tell since windows were up and I was concentrating on not getting killed trying to get off the highway.

 

[Roaddawg]

Thanks Jay,
The service adviser has mentioned that he'd talk to manager about some kind of relief.
This is the first time I've been to this dealer since I moved to this town 3 years ago...I haven't had any problems with this truck since I bought it new in Jan. 2011 other than a couple of minor fixes done by the dealer I purchased from. Keeping fingers crossed that it's just an oil pump or flywheel issue this time.
Cliff

 

[Gamester]

Just got off the phone with dealer ...it went into the service bay first thing this morning...as of 30 minutes ago, the mechanic was having trouble separating the tranny from the engine due to a seized flywheel ... the hope is that, they will be able to unseize it and fingers crossed there's no additional damage...
Side note: When I up-shifted to OD I did it in two quick pushes of the button...I definitely felt a hard shift and heard a 'clunk' noise when it shifted...hard to tell since windows were up and I was concentrating on not getting killed trying to get off the highway.

Yea, I hope that is all it is too. Good luck.

 

[Roaddawg]

$9500 Canuck bucks! was what i was quoted yesterday, all in. Then I was told about how the dealer 'could possibly' help out with discounts. That would be a top to bottom new Hemi with a 2 year/100,000 mile warranty. A used Hemi out of a wreck with 134,000 km on it and no idea of how it was treated, would run $2500C plus 34 hours labour charges and zero warranty. I'm thinking that's about the same price as a new engine, so, not the ideal choice.
Currently, they're having problems separating tranny from engine and say it's because the flywheel is 'seized' ...so, with any luck it won't have affected the crank.

Cliff aka Roaddawg

 

[69GWC]

Fly wheel it hooked to the crank and if its seized ofcourse the fly wheel wont turn and the torque converter bolts will be hard to get to.

could have lost the oil pump and thats why the crank seized.

 

[big13]

Aftermarket forged block !

 

[daveray9]

Ugh this sounds terrible.

Why would you drive around town in 3rd or 4th gear only?

Good luck with everything, hope the dealer helps you out!

 

[Casper]

IF its an engine rebuild, you may want to go after market. There are folks who build and install and don't charge $100/hour.

Have it towed to your chosen rebuilt engine source.

Or, check out this site. they have wrecked RAM 5.7L engines for about $2,500 and up
Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

 

[Burla]

Sorry for your troubles, and more sorry I cannot offer you a fix. I hope you solve it easy Cliff. I will say this, your oil choice has no Molybdenum in it's formulation. The last 5 engines failures on the board have all had no moly in their formulation. Most of the time it was Cam/Lifter issues, maybe that isn't your issue. Lucas is probably one of the worst oils you can use, their stabilizer is horrible. Their synthetic stabilizer is a step up, but still generally has zero love on the oil boards. Hopefully you find a way to solve this issue that will work with your retirement, but you may want to look more into oil formulations. Here is a guide, almost every major brand has moly.

Lucas subscribes to just having thick oil period, that is how they solve engine issues and it works in older cars. But not for longevity, it is something you might want to toss in before selling a car to quiet it down or something. Low tbn, low calcium, no moly, high viscosity improvers (not a good trait), and not known for high detergents. Do me a favor and research your oil choice, you may choose a different one for the future. I would literally choose a few conventional oils over Lucas synthetic, it is that bad.

 

[wiggy999]

IF its an engine rebuild, you may want to go after market. There are folks who build and install and don't charge $100/hour.

Have it towed to your chosen rebuilt engine source.

Or, check out this site. they have wrecked RAM 5.7L engines for about $2,500 and up
Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

yes, I'd get it out of that dealership as quickly as possible! My local dealership tried to sell me a new CVT for a Caliber I owned. First they said they could service it (it's a sealed unit). Then said replace it. Took it to my local mechanic... 3$ worth of lubricating spray and it was fixed- and no hourly charge! He gets all my business now... It does sound serious though in your case.

 

[VB712]

Sorry for your troubles, and more sorry I cannot offer you a fix. I hope you solve it easy Cliff. I will say this, your oil choice has no Molybdenum in it's formulation. The last 5 engines failures on the board have all had no moly in their formulation. Most of the time it was Cam/Lifter issues, maybe that isn't your issue. Lucas is probably one of the worst oils you can use, their stabilizer is horrible. Their synthetic stabilizer is a step up, but still generally has zero love on the oil boards. Hopefully you find a way to solve this issue that will work with your retirement, but you may want to look more into oil formulations. Here is a guide, almost every major brand has moly.

Lucas subscribes to just having thick oil period, that is how they solve engine issues and it works in older cars. But not for longevity, it is something you might want to toss in before selling a car to quiet it down or something. Low tbn, low calcium, no moly, high viscosity improvers (not a good trait), and not known for high detergents. Do me a favor and research your oil choice, you may choose a different one for the future. I would literally choose a few conventional oils over Lucas synthetic, it is that bad.

I run mobil 1 syn 5w-30. Any moly? Good oil for my 14 hemi?

Side note. IF you need a rebuild, take it elsewhere.

 

[Casper]

Ugh this sounds terrible.

Why would you drive around town in 3rd or 4th gear only?

Good luck with everything, hope the dealer helps you out!

Fourth gear is maximum non-overdrive gear. If you want zoom and no MDS that's where you'd hang on a 2011.

Third gear is going to be higher revving at lower speeds, but not suitable for highway speeds.

 

[Gamester]

On second thought, just sell it and buy an 8-speed ram instead

 

[Markcuda]

Why on earth you ran the brand oil you did is and will be way beyond me.

 

[Burla]

I run mobil 1 syn 5w-30. Any moly? Good oil for my 14 hemi?

Great oil and yes it has moly, look at link. If your truck gets the tick, you may opt for higher moly like many guys around here are doing, but I dig mobil 1. The manufacturer made an oil with Penzoil that has over 200ppm moly specifically for the hemi, and m1 usually runs around 70ppm, but m1 has the industry average for moly.