Did Redline Oil work against your Hemi Tick?

[mradDiction]

Bottom line, hemi tick does not come from bad cam/lifters, most of the time it comes from a condition other then that. The exception is when you see pitting in the cam from bad rollers, but that is a rarer event then this cam lob smoothing we often see here. So if hemi tick doesnt come from bad cam/lifters, why do we think replacing cam/lifters would stop the tick? The damage to the cam/lifters come from hemi tick condition, but do not cause it. Time and time again, we see this.

Can you clarify this in layman's terms. Your saying the shop did the right thing because I asked them to fix it but actually didn't fix the hemi tick. So does that mean even though I got the new lifters and cam now, the motor will still eventually eat this new cam and lifters and I'll end up with the same problem all over in a few years?

 

[Burla]

Can you clarify this in layman's terms. Your saying the shop did the right thing because I asked them to fix it but actually didn't fix the hemi tick. So does that mean even though I got the new lifters and cam now, the motor will still eventually eat this new cam and lifters and I'll end up with the same problem all over in a few years?

It is a correct action from a shop to attempt to fix hemi tick by replacing a cam/lifters, sometimes it works. Clearly, the cam is in early signs of damage, real damage, that was fixed. There is no gauge on how long a cam will last with hemi tick, some 100 miles some 200k miles, and yes many examples here with hemi tick rams lasting 100k's miles and others that tick and die right away.

It would be impossible to wager a guess, we don't know if when you started redline did it stop the progression of the damage or not. Redline works about 80% of the time killing tick, and we have never heard again from any of these rams including mine and guys I talk to every day, it seams once the high ep additives are on the cam we fixed it.

Now, what we don't know is how come it doesnt work in 20% of hemi tick, does that mean on your cam where you have one lob showing wear that there is not enough lubrication to even get additives on the cam? Like I said, we simply don't know the root cause, only that it is more often then not that it is one single cam lob. I lave said from day one something is causing the restriction in the lifter bore and that creates enough back pressure to make these cam lobs wear, all of my theories and the coinciding theories of additives and the coefficient of friction all jive with each other. It is not coincidence that the one additive that reduces the coefficient of friction has silenced so many of these hemi ticks. For that group of dudes, we're good problem solved. Sadly, some guys fall outside that, and you are one of them. But you can still use that info to protect the new cam as best you can.

The scary part, this ticked right away? I assume they used moly lube on the install, so that doesnt bode well for your chances at killing the tick with a lube strategy. Nobody knows root cause of this, not your shop, not me, not fca, not uncle tony, not anyone I have heard of. If a lubrication strategy will work here at killing the tick, you will have to be bold with it, as in try stuff outside what we have known that fixed the 80%. That would like be stuff like high viscosity, powdered moly, chlorinated parrafins, and other things that I personally don't recommend. Or just use a lesser proven strategy like the reldine and lubegard threads and wait and see what happens. It sucks this hemi tick, it is a quagmire that some of us find ourselves in.

 

[Burla]

As I said before you changed your cam, will help you here to, you should go to uoa's and change your own oil and look for metal, cut open filters they have a tool makes it easy. If uoa's come back clean and you arent getting metal frags, you should be good even with tick. Even if you have a shop change oil, ask for the filter, cut it open when you get home.

 

[ramffml]

I took one of the videos from @mradDiction and (poorly) isolated some of the frequencies into 2 ten second audio clips because I'm hearing two different noises/ticks and I just want to make sure we're calling the same noise the same name:

Sample #1 https://sndup.net/8ymm/d
Sample #2 https://sndup.net/4gpk/d

So is sample #1, that bright screachy ticking, "injector tick"?
And sample #2, if you ignore the dull roar and focus on the cyclic noise/knock, is that the "lifter tick" you guys are referring too?

 

[Burla]

That is some audio skills you have there, I dont even know what 1 is, maybe normal sounding injectors. Number two has some general tick, but I'm not sure it's that bad. I only see lubrication strategy moving froward with uoa's to see how the engine is wearing, and opening filters for a while. I certainly wouldn't replace another item based on a sound, this last one didnt work out so good. If it sounds like a sewing machine or worse, and the mani bolts are good, it's lifter tick.

 

[BadHemi2014]

I took one of the videos from @mradDiction and (poorly) isolated some of the frequencies into 2 ten second audio clips because I'm hearing two different noises/ticks and I just want to make sure we're calling the same noise the same name:

Sample #1 https://sndup.net/8ymm/d
Sample #2 https://sndup.net/4gpk/d

So is sample #1, that bright screachy ticking, "injector tick"?
And sample #2, if you ignore the dull roar and focus on the cyclic noise/knock, is that the "lifter tick" you guys are referring too?

Dude that is awesome, I was thinking how bad we need to do exactly this on every hemi tick sound clip. These engines are so noisy it's hard to know if we're hearing the same things.

I say #1 is that totally normal fast high pitched injector sound. If anyone hears that and thinks hemi tick, no I promise, I'm no mechanic but that is just normal noisy injectors.
The second one sorta catches what to me is a knocking sound that might be bad or might be normal. I hear that in a lot of these vids.
Honestly though l would describe lifter tick as more of a tap or rattle, a little higher pitched than that.

Lifter tick

Here's a quick vid of mine, this is after header install, so no more broken mani bolts (there were 5!). I start on pass. side, you can hear a knock sound, but wait till I move over to drivers side, that sharp tapping like a monkey with a little hammer, is what I assume is lifter tick. It's cyl 3 with the issue, including misfire that just recently started. Won't have confirmation till it's torn apart, of course I'll keep you all informed.

 

[mradDiction]

I took one of the videos from @mradDiction and (poorly) isolated some of the frequencies into 2 ten second audio clips because I'm hearing two different noises/ticks and I just want to make sure we're calling the same noise the same name:

Sample #1 https://sndup.net/8ymm/d
Sample #2 https://sndup.net/4gpk/d

So is sample #1, that bright screachy ticking, "injector tick"?
And sample #2, if you ignore the dull roar and focus on the cyclic noise/knock, is that the "lifter tick" you guys are referring too?

That 1st video doesn’t have the squealing screeching in person I think that’s an audio anomaly. I’m assuming the 2nd audio clip is from before I got the repair done can definitely hear the cam and hemi tick in that one

 

[Sash]

I never have a Hemi Tick but after I change my oil to redline 5w30 from the first start my engine sounded smoother , and now 300 miles later is buttery smooth, my truck is 2020 ram1500 Laramie 5.7 hemi with 21k miles, sounds smooth on idle even fills smooth when accelerating , I don't know what this oil will do long term in the engine but as for now defiantly smooth things out,

 

[ic3man5]

Royal Purple eliminated it for me with the mopar filter but recently switched to their filter too.

PUP would dry tick for a couple seconds if not driven daily at startup.

^ This, from all the research I've done the cams simply just don't get enough oil period. The longer the oil stays on the metal when the engine is off the better. Also excessive idling with low oil flow rate is probably enough to wear the lifters/cam over time slowly. An oil that is thicker when hot/cold theoretically should stay on surfaces longer. The thicker the oil without having the pressure so high it gets bypassed the better IMHO. Stock idle spins the oil pump too slow IMO.

 

[Burla]

The first recorded tick killed by redline on the board happened with an oil the same viscosity, the same thickness, as in 5w20 to 5w20 which was the same operating temp viscosity. The answer is not viscosity but it can be part of it, as we also know subsequent hemi's had good results on 5w20 redline but better on 5w30 redline. So it is part of the answer, but the key is pao/ester based stocks with heavy EP additives.

 

[Wadejesu]

Page 572 of owners manual

 

[Burla]

That is the same manual that says hemi tick is normal? LOL, yeah listen to those guys.

 

[Nova John]

I use penzoil ultra platinum and lube guard. Is a 10 ounce bottle enough protection for the 7 quart Hemi.

 

[Burla]

I use penzoil ultra platinum and lube guard. Is a 10 ounce bottle enough protection for the 7 quart Hemi.

The truck decides if you are taking it for tick, it will boost moly aprx 100ppm and the 15 ounce will boost it apprx 150ppm, with your current oil moly level aprx 70ppm, and most of the paper out there tests 200ppm moly versus average moly level 75ppm, with over 200 moly being the most beneficial if you believe the paper. With 10 ounces you will likely be under 200ppm moly, but with the 15 ounce you will be near the 200ppm ideal moly level. Whatever happens if you are taking it to alleviate tick it will either work or not work. If it doesn't work, consider redline 5w30 or 0w30 if you are in cold region, that is simply the best weapon we have against tick. Redline boosts moly level over 450ppm, not the professional series but the high performance series.

 

[Gary2]

Ran 5-20 RL for a year ( 3500 miles ) and lube guard being I had 5-20. Now for a month I have had 5-30 RL no change . Cold start in a 65 degree garage at the coldest is fine , shut it off for an hour and restart it outside 45-50 degrees and sounds as bad as it ever was. I talked up red line so much before I used it I try not to start my truck near any friends to avoid embarrassment

 

[HEMIMANN]

Ran 5-20 RL for a year ( 3500 miles ) and lube guard being I had 5-20. Now for a month I have had 5-30 RL no change . Cold start in a 65 degree garage at the coldest is fine , shut it off for an hour and restart it outside 45-50 degrees and sounds as bad as it ever was. I talked up red line so much before I used it I try not to start my truck near any friends to avoid embarrassment

Which is why I switch to RL 0W-30 in winter.

 

[Gary2]

It can tick till it dies. It had 0w-20 in it when I bought it then 5-20 then 5-30 because the 5-30 was supposed to be the cure for 5.7. If it don't get any better by next year this time I will just go to the same Pennzoil I used in my last few hemi's

 

[Burla]

It can tick till it dies. It had 0w-20 in it when I bought it then 5-20 then 5-30 because the 5-30 was supposed to be the cure for 5.7. If it don't get any better by next year this time I will just go to the same Pennzoil I used in my last few hemi's

Thanks for update, let's cover all tracks before declaring it a fail?

If there was literally zero change between 20 and 30 weight redline, it lends to the possibility it is mani bolts or warped manifold. Have you ever gotten a used oil analysis? Trucks in a current lifter tick situation will have higher wear then average. You expect some change just with new oils or different weights, but if it is exhaust no oil will help. Can you upload a youtube of the sound taken from underneath truck?

 

[Gary2]

I know what the manifold issue sounds like, not that . Its done it for 3 years that I know of . I attempted to fix with RL and the additive , didn't work . It's 5 years old if it bugs me to much I will just send it out to pasture.

 

[Burla]

I know what the manifold issue sounds like, not that . Its done it for 3 years that I know of . I attempted to fix with RL and the additive , didn't work . It's 5 years old if it bugs me to much I will just send it out to pasture.

Sorry to hear it, we all in same boat brother. I would at least consider testing the oil. You cant hlde lifter tick from testing high with wear metals.