Help! Lifter knock after lifter and cam swap

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Rda007

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Hi all I have a 2011 dodge ram 1500 5.7 hemi. I had a bad lifter tick and with the use of a how to on the forum and the Haynes and hemi rebuild books I changed my lifters and cam. I installed them as directed and also changed my mds solenoids, vvt solenoid and my timing chain, timing guide and tensioner. Got all new seals and used felpro head gaskets. The cam was melling and the lifters engine tech all mds. After a oil change On initial start up I had a timing error and opened my passenger valve cover and found a rod out of place slightly. Once fixed I started her up and she sounded great. Ran it parked for a bit sounding good. Then changed the oil and filter again using redline 5w30. The next day I drove it for a 15 to 20 min test drive and noticed at the end I heard a lifter tick. As I got home it was louder and on both sides of my motor. The oil pressure showd 130 and lower than I ever saw it. I parked the truck and checked oil I had enough no leaks. I spent almost a month on this truck in my spare time, I now have no I idea where to start. Does anyone have any ideas out there where I can start looking for sources of the problem? I'm scared to start it up again fearing I'll destroy my new cam and lifters if they are not already. Hopefully they are still ok but it sounded like they were not getting oil. What ideas do you guys have?
 

boxofrokx

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I'd start by pulling valve cover and check rocker arms.
 

Wild one

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Hi all I have a 2011 dodge ram 1500 5.7 hemi. I had a bad lifter tick and with the use of a how to on the forum and the Haynes and hemi rebuild books I changed my lifters and cam. I installed them as directed and also changed my mds solenoids, vvt solenoid and my timing chain, timing guide and tensioner. Got all new seals and used felpro head gaskets. The cam was melling and the lifters engine tech all mds. After a oil change On initial start up I had a timing error and opened my passenger valve cover and found a rod out of place slightly. Once fixed I started her up and she sounded great. Ran it parked for a bit sounding good. Then changed the oil and filter again using redline 5w30. The next day I drove it for a 15 to 20 min test drive and noticed at the end I heard a lifter tick. As I got home it was louder and on both sides of my motor. The oil pressure showd 130 and lower than I ever saw it. I parked the truck and checked oil I had enough no leaks. I spent almost a month on this truck in my spare time, I now have no I idea where to start. Does anyone have any ideas out there where I can start looking for sources of the problem? I'm scared to start it up again fearing I'll destroy my new cam and lifters if they are not already. Hopefully they are still ok but it sounded like they were not getting oil. What ideas do you guys have?

I can line you up with a Chryco tech who does cams on the side ,he's on the southside of Edmonton .That's if you don't get it fixed on your own.
 
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Rda007

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Hi just to add another symptom. Went to remove the radiator and get back to the timing cover and found oil in the radiator. I checked the oil dipstick and it had oil of good volume. Tranny fluid was also good no coolant seen in either. But it was for sure oil in the rad. Somehow oil got into the rad and stopped getting to the lifters. When I first started the truck I heard the lifters were so quiet and the motor sounded like new, how could it get so bad after a 15 min drive. Head gasket ?
 
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Rda007

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That would be good. I would like to try and fix it if possible but having that as a backup is much appreciated. Maybe I may have to suck it up and pay for the fix and hope my new cam and lifters are not toast. I would like to try first before I concede.
 

Tim Garceau

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At least head gasket, what was your oil pressure cold & warm idle?
 
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Rda007

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At initial startup oil pressure reading was 300+ with the motor sounding great and giving the impression of a finished job. At the end of my test drive when I heard the ticking on both sides it was 120- 130. This was operating temp but it's the lowest I've ever seen. Even before I took it apart the pressure would not go below 200. I was running redline 5w30.
 
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Rda007

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Wild one maybe I'll take you up on that offer. Maybe having a more experienced person look at it maybe help solve this. Repairs are fun until they dont work.
 

Wild one

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Wild one maybe I'll take you up on that offer. Maybe having a more experienced person look at it maybe help solve this. Repairs are fun until they dont work.

I'll message you his phone number and you can give him a shout later on today.I know he's got a Viper project going on right now,but you can give him a shout and see if he'll give it a listen at least.
 

HammerHead

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Hi all I have a 2011 dodge ram 1500 5.7 hemi. I had a bad lifter tick and with the use of a how to on the forum and the Haynes and hemi rebuild books I changed my lifters and cam. I installed them as directed and also changed my mds solenoids, vvt solenoid and my timing chain, timing guide and tensioner. Got all new seals and used felpro head gaskets. The cam was melling and the lifters engine tech all mds. After a oil change On initial start up I had a timing error and opened my passenger valve cover and found a rod out of place slightly. Once fixed I started her up and she sounded great. Ran it parked for a bit sounding good. Then changed the oil and filter again using redline 5w30. The next day I drove it for a 15 to 20 min test drive and noticed at the end I heard a lifter tick. As I got home it was louder and on both sides of my motor. The oil pressure showd 130 and lower than I ever saw it. I parked the truck and checked oil I had enough no leaks. I spent almost a month on this truck in my spare time, I now have no I idea where to start. Does anyone have any ideas out there where I can start looking for sources of the problem? I'm scared to start it up again fearing I'll destroy my new cam and lifters if they are not already. Hopefully they are still ok but it sounded like they were not getting oil. What ideas do you guys have?
One thing that stood out you said All the new lifters were MDS lifters? Is that correct?
At initial startup oil pressure reading was 300+ with the motor sounding great and giving the impression of a finished job. At the end of my test drive when I heard the ticking on both sides it was 120- 130. This was operating temp but it's the lowest I've ever seen. Even before I took it apart the pressure would not go below 200. I was running redline 5w30.
Your oil pressure was 300+ PSI? And 120 PSI warm?
 

Wild one

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One thing that stood out you said All the new lifters were MDS lifters? Is that correct?

Your oil pressure was 300+ PSI? And 120 PSI warm?

He's Canuck Hammerhead,that'll be in KPA.I suggested to him ,that he can change the metric settings in his radio,to something the majority of guys on here will understand,lol.I'm Canadian,and don't use metric engine temps or KPA either,lol
 
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Rda007

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When I said mds lifters I meant that the set were the mds package. I retained my mds system. I know you can't put all mds lifters. I Also made sure the mds lifters and non mds ones went into the same spots as the previous ones and double checked a diagram. I'm sure they are right. As for the pressure I'm from Canada so my pressure setting is kpa automatically on the truck oil pressure monitor. So converted I was seeing 120 and 140 kpa that is 17.4 - 18.8 psi. Sorry about the confusion. I was so desperate to upload the issue I didnt think. Thanks for taking the time.
 
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Rda007

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I've removed the radiator again and am going to take the timing cover off. The more I'm reading it sounds like a head gasket failure with the oil in the radiator symptom. I dont know if that would starve the lifters of oil suddenly if a leak in the head gasket developed? Anyone heard if that? I used felpro headgasket. I'm looking to buy new head gaskets does anyone have a recommendation? Stick with OEM this time or another brand?
 

crackerjack1957

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There is a left & right gasket plus needs to be installed correct side up.
 
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Rda007

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Got it. I made sure before the sides were correct, the felpro gaskets were easy to determine that. I'm looking to buy a new torque wrench in case mine was off and the torque pressure was wrong. But still not sure.
 

Wild one

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Got it. I made sure before the sides were correct, the felpro gaskets were easy to determine that. I'm looking to buy a new torque wrench in case mine was off and the torque pressure was wrong. But still not sure.

Head gasket shouldn't really make it lose oil pressure,as oil pressure is determined more by bearing clearances then anything.Probably to late to get you to upload a video of it now,but are you sure it was a tick and not a slightly deeper knock sound.To lose that much oil pressure that fast,it makes me wonder if it might of spun a bearing.For ***** and giggles pull both valve covers and make sure all the lifters and pushrods are still in place,with no bent pushrods,but i'd think if it'd launched a lifter out of it's hole it would of basically lost all oil pressure.Hopefully Tach Tech sees this and has more insight for you.
 
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aces-n-eights

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You might want to drain the oil, remove the filter and cut it apart. This will tell you if you have metal shavings in the oil and narrow down what is going on.
 
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Rda007

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Thanks for the advice. I'm going to remove everything again down to the heads. Make sure I get them machined this time. I'll also look at the lifters and rods..I assume if I lost a rod I'd get a misfire code. I had nothing before I shut it off. I talked to a guy who Is a local mechanic here he said that if I was losing oil onto the radiator then there is a leak and the pressure will drop because the system is no longer sealed. Made sense to me when he said it. Hopefully upon removing everything again I'll see what's going on.
 
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Rda007

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Thank you again Wild one for the contact information for your friend. I'll keep it handy. Hopefully this is not something like a spin bearing.
 
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