2015 Lifter failure?

[Tecxy]

I have a 2015 1500 with just under 190000 miles on it. Over the past month or so I’ve been dealing with code P219B. After going through all of the possible issues (with the exception of the lifters) and fixing all the potential problems I could find, the code just keeps coming back.

I now believe that it is a lifter related issue, and I just wanted to see if anyone else thinks the same or has any suggestions to if it could be anything else.

The current issues I’m having are the following:

*Low compression on cylinder 6 (100, where all of the other cylinders are at 200)
*Misfire on cylinder 6 (not enough to throw a code, but after a short drive I had 32 misses on 6, with 0 on all others)
*Faint ticking sound (not exhaust manifold related)

I do not have really any info on prior
maintenance, as I purchased the truck with the issue, however carfax shows oil changes performed at vavoline about every 8000 - 11000 miles.

 

[jws123]

if your compression is low on that cylinder very good chance its a intake lifter/cam try to upload a vid of it running.

 

[Wild one]

I have a 2015 1500 with just under 190000 miles on it. Over the past month or so I’ve been dealing with code P219B. After going through all of the possible issues (with the exception of the lifters) and fixing all the potential problems I could find, the code just keeps coming back.

I now believe that it is a lifter related issue, and I just wanted to see if anyone else thinks the same or has any suggestions to if it could be anything else.

The current issues I’m having are the following:

*Low compression on cylinder 6 (100, where all of the other cylinders are at 200)
*Misfire on cylinder 6 (not enough to throw a code, but after a short drive I had 32 misses on 6, with 0 on all others)
*Faint ticking sound (not exhaust manifold related)

I do not have really any info on prior
maintenance, as I purchased the truck with the issue, however carfax shows oil changes performed at vavoline about every 8000 - 11000 miles.

Pull the valve covers off and check #6 to see if the rocker arms on that cylinder are moving the same amount as the other rockers,If they're not moving the same amount,i'd park the truck until you can do the cam and lifters.If you keep driving it,there's a good chance you'll get metal all through the engine,and into the bearings,if that happens you'll be looking at either a complete engine rebuild or a new engine.

 

[18CrewDually]

When you dis the compression test I would of continued and done a leak down test. At the very least bring #6 to TDC and pressurize the cylinder using your compression tester adapter and shop air. While pressurized listen at the intake and then the exhaust. Listen for the air leaking. You could just have burnt valve or carbon not letting a valve seal.
Usually if a lifter is bad it won't open a valve properly, not stop a valve from sealing.

 

[Tecxy]

if your compression is low on that cylinder very good chance its a intake lifter/cam try to upload a vid of it running.

I uploaded a video of it running here. The tick has gotten quite a bit worse in the past few days.

 

[Tecxy]

Pull the valve covers off and check #6 to see if the rocker arms on that cylinder are moving the same amount as the other rockers,If they're not moving the same amount,i'd park the truck until you can do the cam and lifters.If you keep driving it,there's a good chance you'll get metal all through the engine,and into the bearings,if that happens you'll be looking at either a complete engine rebuild or a new engine.

Yeah they're not moving the same amount . Picked up a rental today and I have an MDS delete kit coming in later this week, so the truck will stay put until I go to install that next weekend.

 

[Wild one]

Yeah they're not moving the same amount . Picked up a rental today and I have an MDS delete kit coming in later this week, so the truck will stay put until I go to install that next weekend.

Hopefully that MDS delete kit includes cam and lifters to.

 

[PowersOf12]

That is what mine sounded like, confirmed lifter and cam failure with misfire codes. Mine was on #8 (not on a MDS cylinder). Also, as my lifter failed over 4000 miles of driving, my MPG dropped from an average tank of 18.7mpg to 16.2mpg at the end. It was very noticeable plus MDS is disabled during check engine light on (at least from what I can tell).

 

[Kap1]

I do not have really any info on prior
maintenance, as I purchased the truck with the issue, however carfax shows oil changes performed at vavoline about every 8000 - 11000 miles.

Does this mean that it doesn't matter what kind of oil you use, and your truck either will have lifters cam issue early anyway or will last to 190k miles?

 

[ramffml]

Does this mean that it doesn't matter what kind of oil you use, and your truck either will have lifters cam issue early anyway or will last to 190k miles?

We're not all in agreement and nobody outside of FCA engineers can answer that question with 100% accuracy. Some feel that poor lubrication is the issue, some feel that improper oil changes (not soon enough) or extensive idling is the issues. Others like me feel that you either get a bad lifter/part or you don't. Ram has reworked the lifters in recent years and some are suggesting failures are far less after 2016, but maybe that's just too early to tell yet. Maybe it's a combination of factors.

Does the oil you pick matter? I think it does, regardless of why the lifters are failing, a better oil with more viscosity (30 weight) and more protection and ability to clean can only help - though to what extent, we're not certain. Some get tick and run redline and tick disappears for years. Others get tick, run redline, and it either helps a lot or somewhat or not at all, but then still get failure.

Answer is we simply don't know 100%.

My 2 cents on this.

 

[Sherman Bird]

I have a 2015 1500 with just under 190000 miles on it. Over the past month or so I’ve been dealing with code P219B. After going through all of the possible issues (with the exception of the lifters) and fixing all the potential problems I could find, the code just keeps coming back.

I now believe that it is a lifter related issue, and I just wanted to see if anyone else thinks the same or has any suggestions to if it could be anything else.

The current issues I’m having are the following:

*Low compression on cylinder 6 (100, where all of the other cylinders are at 200)

I purchased the truck with the issue, however carfax shows oil changes performed at vavoline about every 8000 - 11000 miles.

The mileage intervals alone would have sent me in another direction, purchasing a vehicle. That is, unless you intend to flip it.

My advice is: You have an 8 year old truck with high mileage and, at best, a sketchy, possibly inaccurate maintenance record. Replace the engine! If it has an auxiliary oil cooler, replaced it and the hoses!

 

[Marmay]

After reading many posts here,other articles and some engineers expertise about cam&lifters issues, I come to one conclusion, as soon as you turn the key on,the clock starts clicking,its a bad design engine.

 

[Sherman Bird]

After reading many posts here,other articles and some engineers expertise about cam&lifters issues, I come to one conclusion, as soon as you turn the key on,the clock starts clicking,its a bad design engine.

If it's such a bad design, then why are so many trouble-free after 250,000 miles? The bad ones are certainly in the minority.

 

[Marmay]

If it's such a bad design, then why are so many trouble-free after 250,000 miles? The bad ones are certainly in the minority.

if its less then 49%? You can call minority, by the definition, FCA never ever gonna publish the percentage of the failed hemis,guys say its about 5% of them,but dealers technicians, and I visit 3 of them,say they have more then couple every months with this issue, so really is lake you rolling the dice,but for me,one fact I never ever be ok with is the full synthetic oil interval, Rams owners change the oil way before they should ,because they worrying, and try preventing this failure, oil with 5 000 miles have plenty of life,but not for hemi,so if this engine can not be ok with modern oil for more then half of the oil life cycle, it is not good at all,but this is my 2 c only.

 

[ramffml]

if its less then 49%? You can call minority, by the definition, FCA never ever gonna publish the percentage of the failed hemis,guys say its about 5% of them,but dealers technicians, and I visit 3 of them,say they have more then couple every months with this issue, so really is lake you rolling the dice,but for me,one fact I never ever be ok with is the full synthetic oil interval, Rams owners change the oil way before they should ,because they worrying, and try preventing this failure, oil with 5 000 miles have plenty of life,but not for hemi,so if this engine can not be ok with modern oil for more then half of the oil life cycle, it is not good at all,but this is my 2 c only.

It's all about perspective.

There are 16 lifters per hemi. That's a lot of chance/probability that you get a bum lifter in your engine, even if the overall failure rates for individual lifters is low.

There are millions of hemis built, its probably a top 5 selling engine just in volume alone. At that scale, any "little" problem is amplified massively on forums.

I'd take my chances with a 5% failure rate. Not happy about it, but given that any other engine still has a positive failure rate as well, what is the extra cost/probability of getting a failure in my truck vs another truck that I don't like as much as my ram for other reasons?

 

[Marmay]

I choose Ram because of the very comfortable ride,power,plenty of room and the best look at all,after the purchase I discovered the dark side,well let's just drive and we see,so farr so good,2019 Classic with 55 000 km.

 

[Sherman Bird]

I choose Ram because of the very comfortable ride,power,plenty of room and the best look at all,after the purchase I discovered the dark side,well let's just drive and we see,so farr so good,2019 Classic with 55 000 km.

Luke! Luke! Come on over to the dark side! Nooooooooooooooo Ahhhhh!!!!