2022 Ram 1500 Laramie 5.7L Hemi – Cold-Start Tick

[Ramanski]

Hello everyone,


I’m hoping to get some advice from those who have experienced this issue.


I own a 2022 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 with the 5.7L Hemi and the 6’4” bed. The truck has been excellent overall, but I’ve recently started noticing a ticking noise that appears to be coming from the engine or exhaust manifold area.


The tick seems to be most noticeable on a cold start, and I’m trying to determine whether this is an exhaust manifold issue, a normal Hemi characteristic, or something more serious.


Based on my research, these are some of the possible causes I’m considering:

• Cracked exhaust manifold.
• Broken or stretched exhaust manifold bolts or studs.
• Exhaust manifold gasket leak.
• Warped exhaust manifold.
• Loose or vibrating heat shield.
• Exhaust leak elsewhere in the exhaust system.
• Lifter or rocker arm noise.
• Injector noise (normal operation).
• The well-known “Hemi tick.”
• Any other common issue that produces a ticking noise on the 5.7L Hemi.

Before I take the truck to the dealership, I’m planning to gather as much information as possible. My plan is to:

• Record a video immediately after a cold start before the engine warms up.
• Record from both front wheel wells and directly over the engine.
• Record how the sound changes as the engine reaches operating temperature.
• Determine whether the sound is louder on the driver’s side or passenger’s side.
• Listen to whether the ticking increases proportionally with engine RPM.
• Check for any exhaust smell around the engine compartment.
• Look for black soot around the exhaust manifold, cylinder head, or manifold gasket area that could indicate an exhaust leak.
• Note whether the noise is present only at idle or also during light acceleration.
• Document everything before bringing the truck in for warranty inspection.

For those of you who have repaired this issue before, I would really appreciate your advice.

1. Does this sound like a typical exhaust manifold leak?
2. How can you tell the difference between an exhaust manifold leak and the normal Hemi tick?
3. Have you experienced broken manifold bolts on a 2022 model?
4. Was your manifold itself cracked or simply warped?
5. Did your dealer replace only the broken bolt, or did they replace the manifold, gasket, and all mounting hardware?
6. Is there anything else I should inspect before taking it in?
7. Are there any additional tests I can perform at home that would help narrow down the diagnosis?
8. Is there a specific Ram Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) or warranty repair I should mention to my dealership?
9. Have any of you had this repaired permanently, or did the problem eventually return?

I want to provide my dealership with the best possible information and make sure the issue is diagnosed correctly the first time. Any advice, photos, videos, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.


Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[Burla]

Hemi tick 99% cases caused by two things about 50/50= Lifters or exhaust bolts, both can have cold idle tick. It is more serious if you have warm idle tick and it ends up being lifters. But lubrication strategies have a good success rate if it's lifters, look up threads in my sig. Rule out exhaust number one thing to do. Look in 4 gen this thread, they have some great options never have exhaust tick again.

My hemi tick silent 15 years and counting by changing oil.

 

[RamDiver]

How about starting with checking the torque on the manifold bolts, and switching to a quality 5W30 synthetic oil, synthetic filter, with LubeGard?

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