Engine knock?

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CaliBear490

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Just inherited a 2011 4.7 v8 1500 and it has a pretty bad knock. Took it to dealership and all they told me was the knock was coming from the back and side of engine block. From what I’ve seen on YouTube, the videos that resemble the sound almost identical happen to have a seized lifter grinding into the camshaft.

I’m not mechanically inclined, but wanted to know if anyone knows if this is repairable… or if I would have to just replace the entire engine. I’m trying to save as much money as I can but I also don’t want to repair it if it’s bound to happen again soon. Thanks
 

Dirty D

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lifters are more of a tap than a knock...do u have any audio or video of the sound?
 

Dirty D

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damn thats loud af. sorry you got this problem. it may be a lifter, it may be something more. sounds different from my lifter noise, may want to wait for some of the other guys to listen to that. any loss of power or check engine lights or codes thrown? rough idle?
 
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CaliBear490

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No loss of power, no check engine light or codes, and it idles perfectly fine. Other than the knocking the truck runs great. One thing I should add is that the knocking gets faster on acceleration and is constant. Only 73k miles on this truck, was used on a farm.
 

Burla

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could be lifter or valve spring, have you ran the codes? edit I see you say no codes. You can try a lubrication strategy, see this thread. Normally I'm pretty sure this will work, but in this case I'm on the fence, maybe 50% chance at quieting that. see the poll results.

Redline 5w30 and a Royal Purple 20-820 filter is the combo, high flow and high extreme pressure additives, it has nothing to do with brand, it is the formula that quiets hemi tick. It silenced mine for a decade, mine was similar to sound as that. It is just yours is a little different then most hemi ticks we hear.
 

pacofortacos

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Well since the 4.7 doesn't have lifters that ride on the cam, you don't have to worry about that.
However the 4.7 does have rockers that rock on a lifter, rockers that ride on the cam and the cam is in the top of the head, so you can just pull the valve covers and visually check the cam, feel for a loose rocker/collapsed lifter.

In the video, it sounds like a lifter/rocker/cam tick OR more commonly a broken exhaust manifold bolts or manifold leak.

Hard to tell by the video, but to me it doesn't sound like a deep rod knock or piston knock. A rod or piston knock should get a bit louder and deeper if you rev it just a bit.

A collapsed lifter, rocker or cam issue will sound the same just faster. Pretty much the same thing with the exhaust leak.
An exhaust leak may change the amount of sound or tone (just a bit) between stone cold and hot. May but not always.
 
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CaliBear490

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Thanks, I’ll check the cam tomorrow for loose rocker.

Are these issues fixable or does this mean I may need to replace the engine?
 

pacofortacos

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If it is a collapsed lifter (aka lash adjuster), it is as simple as rotating the engine so that the cam lobe is on the base circle, pushing down on the valve spring, pull the rocker out, replace lifter, reverse.

If a cam and rocker are wiped (not a common issue on a 4.7), then those need to be replaced and I would just change the oil and filter every 3000 miles or so for the next couple of oil changes. A high efficiency and low micron rated oil filter would be best.
If manifold or manifold bolts, it is just a matter of removing the bad parts and replacing them.

IF it is a deeper sounding knock - which I can't tell from the video, but any old school mechanic should be able to tell just listening to it - from a rod or piston, then engine replacement when it fails would be the way to go.
 
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ramffml

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I doubt that is exhaust, it doesn't have enough "air" in the sound. Manifold leaks usually sound much raspier, this sounds harder and mechanical.
 

pacofortacos

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it's so hard to tell with a video as speakers can change the tone.
There's also the timing chain, that is in the front of the motor, but to me it sounds more like 1 or 2 cylinders vs. just a general rotation.
Luckily, the entire valve train is just under the valve cover.

I would also pull that inner fender liner on the side that it is the loudest and see if that helps on determining where the noise is.

He can also just grab the manifold and heat shields when the engine is cold and see if they are loose - you can sometimes catch it that way.
 

JHoward

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could be lifter or valve spring, have you ran the codes? edit I see you say no codes. You can try a lubrication strategy, see this thread. Normally I'm pretty sure this will work, but in this case I'm on the fence, maybe 50% chance at quieting that. see the poll results.

Redline 5w30 and a Royal Purple 20-820 filter is the combo, high flow and high extreme pressure additives, it has nothing to do with brand, it is the formula that quiets hemi tick. It silenced mine for a decade, mine was similar to sound as that. It is just yours is a little different then most hemi ticks we hear.

^^^ This ^^^
Fwiw, if this was my RAM I would try the oil strategy recommendation from @Burla and give it about a thousand miles to plate on the valvetrain parts, etc. I would also add some Red Line SI-1 Fuel System Cleaner with a full tank of top tier gasoline ... nothing to lose for trying this and it might just do the trick and be less expensive.
 

Burla

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It sounds hokey to a new guy and even half of the regular forum guys, and even sounds hokey saying it but the results are the results. What we found here changed the way I think about what is possible with lubrication.
 

jws123

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Before you go crazy put whole bottle of seafoam in oil drive it a bit then change oil. The lash adjusters often get sticky have had this work many times if not its easy to change them I work on 4.7s all the time. The only thing that concerns me is it almost sounds like it could be a piston skirt/rod on this one.
 

turkeybird56

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Just throw in my tailfeathers here. THAT is a LOT of noise coming from an engine and the hood is even down. You got a lot of advice on here, a Lube Strategy may help you to sort out an issue. Valve lash, hmmmmmm, dunno, but I am no mechanic. Last time I heard that much noise from a motor the end result was replacement, but just internet guessnosis at this point. Definitely think lube strategy, but as JWS says in post 15, that sounds deeper than valves, but only way to tell is get in there.

Your choice if things go bad whether to repair, get a Reman or a Crate Motor. Guess just gotta see, definitely get hot on the Lube Strategy and keep fingers crossed.
 

turkeybird56

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4.7 in a 2011? Did I miss something?
What engine does a 2011 Ram 1500 have?


The Ram 1500 offers a choice of three engines: A 3.7-liter V6 rated at 215 horsepower, a 310-hp 4.7-liter V8, and the 390-hp 5.7-liter Hemi. The V6 is fitted with a four-speed automatic transmission and the two V8s have a five-speed automatic.
 

dc01039

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Sounds like an exhaust manifold gasket. If it doesn't have a SEL light that's throwing any codes, and it's not missing or rough running it's that manifold gasket and or broken mounting studs, they go hand in hand...
 
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