Adventures in MDS Delete

[pvb32978]

So I bought a 2011 Ram 5.7 SLT with 160k miles on it last year. A week later, I get a cylinder 3 misfire. Sure enough, collapsed lifter. Bought the AMS delete kit, new oil pump, new pushrods and valve springs and retainers and water pump from the dealership. Never done more than change the oil on a vehicle, but over the course of the last two months I've learned a lot.

Anyway, for round 1.....take it apart, of course the front differential (those two drivers side bolts can die in a fire) gives me the most headache. Drop the oil pan, while I'm at it I notice the transmission pan has a lot of rust on it. So I replace that and the filters. After about 2 weeks, its all apart. Yay. I start putting it back together. I religiously check everything over and over. Timing chain on, piston TDC, turn the engine over twice, check it. Yep, all good. I quadruple check head gaskets because L is for passenger and R is for drivers side.....check them again....yep, they are in the right spot. I keep going, its finally together. I'm so happy. I start with pouring the coolant in. Wait, why do I hear the sound of coolant pouring out of the engine? Why is it pouring out of the heads? I may have said a naughty word at this point. So I tear it back down, get online and double check...oh wait, L is for driver side. Great. Get it all back together, prime the engine with oil in the upper and lower oil channels, install the Diablo 87 MDS delete tune. Engine starts right up and it purrs.

But, I have no oil pressure. Dump the oil, prime it again. Engine purrs like a baby, then dies after the oil from the Ace Hardware garden tank runs out of oil. So, I drop the oil pan again. The front differential can die in a fire. In fact, I hope all front differentials everywhere have their wives cheat on them and their dogs die. I discover the oil pickup tube was not properly seated in the oil pump. Best guess is that when I torqued the back nut it moved it out of position. I get everything back together. I prime it again. I start it back up. Sweet, I have oil pressure. But, the engine chugs and shudders for a second, and then dies. I go back over everything, check all connections. Water pump sensor wasn't connected. Try again, same thing. Double check the tune, and codes. No codes. Check everything again. Nothing seems out of place, though I haven't put the crossmember back on yet...it was getting late last night after I primed it. At this point, I'm all out of ideas. Anybody have anything i can try? I just got laid off so I don't have too much more money I can throw at it. Gotta get it going most ricky tick so I can move to a cheaper state and get a job there.

Anyway, thanks for any help. I'm still scouring everywhere to see what it could be.

 

[jws123]

Common thing on the hemis is when you put the push rods in they do not click on all the way or few made it into the oil drain hole not the lifter making it run like **** usually a intake push rod.

 

[pvb32978]

I will check this again, but after I had the pushrods all installed I hand cranked the engine and checked each individual rod to ensure they were seated and moving. The engine also ran smoothly with the only problem being oil pressure. Fixed the oil pressure, now it doesn't run smoothly at all despite the only change being I dropped the oil pan.

 

[Yardbird]

Maybe a collapsed lifter from it running without oil?

Try to get it to run a while and see if it straightens out.

 

[pvb32978]

Checked the pushrods, they are all seated. When I try to give it gas, it just dies. Would a bad fuel pump cause a sudden rough idle followed by a stall? Considering the mileage and the fact it sat all winter I'm hoping it would be something so simple.

 

[pvb32978]

(edit: Totally didn't)Figured it out, its a vacuum leak. Just have to figure out where.

 

[Wild one]

Figured it out, its a vacuum leak. Just have to figure out where.

Did you replace the intake manifold O-rings?

 

[pvb32978]

Yes, I replaced everything. So I went back over it with my dad who was a mechanic. We checked timing, valve springs, pushrods. We checked everything. It is still doing the same thing. It will sit there and idle for a while if we hold the intake open and pop off the vacuum tubes to give it more air. I replaced the cam sensor just in case. Still nothing. At this point, I'm thinking it might be a faulty PCM/ECM. I don't know what else it could be...everything else checks out. I also replaced the MAP sensor, checked out the air intake sensor....can't see what else it could be other than the PCM. I thought it was vacuum because when I popped off the vacuum tube it ran better, but it ended up just being because something isn't forcing enough air or telling multiple cylinders to fire. Disconnecting fuel injectors while it was running didn't give us anything new either to see if that might be a reason there are cylinders not firing.

 

[shortman]

Reading your first post you never mention buying a cam and lifters so did you? The guy from Reignited on YouTube, who is a Chrysler mechanic, says the engine will be stuck in 4 cylinder mode if you just remove the MDS solenoids and don't replace the cam & lifters.

 

[pvb32978]

Yes, I replaced the cam and lifters. I went with the AMS delete kit. I've watched a lot of Reignited after I started having issues.