Do you guys think all Gen 3 5.7L Hemi engines are doomed for lifter/cam failure?

[Crusader556]

I am asking because I currently have a 2014 Ram 1500 Longhorn that I really like and would like to keep a long time if possible.

Currently it's not my daily driver so it only has 60K miles but that may change because I will be giving my daily driver to my yougest when he starts driving this year.

I have been using PUP 5w20 since I got it in 2016 and on my last oil change, before it hit 60k, I started adding Lubegard. I plan to use PUP/Lubegard on all future oil changes but I have to admit I am still very paranoid about my lifters failing.

At this point my truck has been flawless and runs great. The main reason I started adding Lubegard is in hopes of preventing the lifter issues. Hopefully it will help.

I was going to do a Blackstone UOA but got distracted and forgot I had the kit the last time I changed my oil. So I will have to get it done on the next Oil change.

I would like to get over 200k miles out of this truck if possible but after reading about all the lifter failures I feel like it can happen at any time. What really got me was a coworker with a 2015 Laramie just got diagnosed with lifter failure. His truck is newer than mine but had about 10K more mileage. His truck was also flawless up until it started knocking. I know he was using PUP 5w20 as well but I do not believe he was adding Lubegard.

I am just concerned my lifters will fail once I start using my truck as daily driver. LOL

So, am I over thinking this or is it time to jump ship and trade my truck in while it's still it great working condition?

 

[ramffml]

Clearly "some" are failing. My current belief is that the vast majority of this is due to owners not changing the oil on time. A guy did a video on youtube a while ago and went into great detail on how the hemi's are oiled, the lifters are NOT short on oil. If they were, the first time you pulled a trailer for a few minutes it would be dead. The needle bearings in the lifters have been getting clogged with debris, a result of not changing the oil on time. Once the needle bearings go, the lifter/cam is done for. Chevy has the same design (and same failures) though I don't know if Hemi is worse by shear numbers of which engines are failing more.

My plan is to use Redline 5w-20 and/or 5w-30 while towing in the summer. Keep oil changes under 7500 miles (for me that is at 25% oil life on the indicator), and send used oil to blackstone in the hopes they can catch any problem that might crop up before it starts doing actual damage. The second they come back with data that shows the engine getting worse, trade it off.

But statistically, I think there is a very small chance of me getting a bad engine. They don't all fail, not that I'm aware of.

 

[tron67j]

My 2003 5.7 still running strong for my parents with 160k+. Regular maintenance, daily driver, tows trailers, carries stone and dirt. You get the idea, works like a truck. Current 6.4, running like a champ so far.

 

[HEMIMANN]

No. Ex Ram Tech on here reported ~ 5% failures at his dealership. You're doing the right things for preventive maintenance. Idle as little as possible (don't let it sit and idle), change oil every 5k, change your PCV every 2 yrs.

Think of it this way .... 90%+ do NOT fail.

 

[tidefan1967]

I am asking because I currently have a 2014 Ram 1500 Longhorn that I really like and would like to keep a long time if possible.

Currently it's not my daily driver so it only has 60K miles but that may change because I will be giving my daily driver to my yougest when he starts driving this year.

I have been using PUP 5w20 since I got it in 2016 and on my last oil change, before it hit 60k, I started adding Lubegard. I plan to use PUP/Lubegard on all future oil changes but I have to admit I am still very paranoid about my lifters failing.

At this point my truck has been flawless and runs great. The main reason I started adding Lubegard is in hopes of preventing the lifter issues. Hopefully it will help.

I was going to do a Blackstone UOA but got distracted and forgot I had the kit the last time I changed my oil. So I will have to get it done on the next Oil change.

I would like to get over 200k miles out of this truck if possible but after reading about all the lifter failures I feel like it can happen at any time. What really got me was a coworker with a 2015 Laramie just got diagnosed with lifter failure. His truck is newer than mine but had about 10K more mileage. His truck was also flawless up until it started knocking. I know he was using PUP 5w20 as well but I do not believe he was adding Lubegard.

I am just concerned my lifters will fail once I start using my truck as daily driver. LOL

So, am I over thinking this or is it time to jump ship and trade my truck in while it's still it great working condition?

My 2015 also had nothing but a steady diet of PUP 5W20(changed every 5K miles) and I lost the cam/lifters at 32K miles. If I were you I would switch brands or at the very least try 5W30 instead of 5W20. Since your truck is a 2014(no unlocked PCM req"d) you could also get yourself a tuner and raise the idle and that would help too.

 

[Crusader556]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

In regards to switch to Redline 5w30, I assume if I do this I will no longer need to use Lubegard, is that correct?

Has anyone who switched to Redline 5w30 had any issues during the really cold winters?

On the tuner, what idle RPM would you guys recommend to best protect the lifters? Also, what the best tuners for $500 or below?

BWT, I am running stock, no CAI or exhaust mods. I've been on the fence about using a tuner because I have heard they can speed up wear and tear of the engine since some of the modes can push the engine to beyond its limits. However, I can see the benefit if you use it wisely as mentioned above for the idle speed.

 

[ramffml]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

In regards to switch to Redline 5w30, I assume if I do this I will no longer need to use Lubegard, is that correct?

Has anyone who switched to Redline 5w30 had any issues during the really cold winters?

On the tuner, what idle RPM would you guys recommend to best protect the lifters? Also, what the best tuners for $500 or below?

BWT, I am running stock, no CAI or exhaust mods. I've been on the fence about using a tuner because I have heard they can speed up wear and tear of the engine since some of the modes can push the engine to beyond its limits. However, I can see the benefit if you use it wisely as mentioned above for the idle speed.

I'm far from an oil guru, but I don't see how 5w-20 vs 5w-30 makes a difference in very cold weather, since it's the "5" part of the formula that is at play on cold starts. Both are 5w, both should work the same while cold.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Yeah I run 5w30 PUP all year round and we get temps in the -40s for weeks on end... lol...

The No IDLE part is impossible up here in the winter.

My lifters failed and I ran Redline 5w30 90% of its life. So yes they can fail even for people that do meticulous maintenance.

 

[ram1500rsm]

All doomed for lifter failures ? Geeez. I'll put it this way. I have done nothing to my 14. No special oil fluids, no special filters, I let her idle as much as it needs too. Sometimes the weather might be too cold or too hot and we have kids, our vehicles will idle as much as we want them, if we had to worry we can't let it idle because of a forum collective thought on lifter/cam issues i'll dump the POS as far is it can go. Period.

So she has 98k miles now, bought it used with 40k something 3 years ago. I have the 4 cyl stuff disabled in my tune since day one. Mopar oil filters and Castrol 5w30 every 7-9k miles . Only advise I can give you live a life and stay away from the lifters /cam/oil threads lol.

Enjoy your vehicle.

 

[Sportznut]

I agree.

Don't live in fear. Plan for the rule and be aware of the exception.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Tray Burge]

No I don't, 156K on mine. No tick, no nothing.

 

[Docwagon1776]

There's a significant number of these motors in police fleets, and that means a metric butt ton of idle hours, lots of hard accelerations, and fleet maintenance meaning lowest bidder oil that meets OEM specs, 5k oil change intervals, etc. If one were to have access to fleet maintenance records, or the actuarial charts compiled from them, one could see the numbers of failures under hard use conditions. I no longer have access to that sort of thing, personally, and usually it's a pay to see scenario.

That said, anecdotally I'm not real concerned about it.

 

[tbird71]

Seems I read more than once the 2015 Models are more prone to this? Dont know if that's true or not. In any event, regular oil changes will certainly help, would I buy a 15-18 model with over 100K miles...ABSOLUTELY NOT, even with complete service records unless they're giving it away, but in THIS stupid truck market they'll want 20K plus even for the hi mileage trucks...I'll keep my lo mile 2011

 

[wakeboardcraze]

96k on my 2014 oil changes every 3k miles and mine just failed. Mds delete cam and tuner installed. Raised idle by 100rpm in hopes to help keep oil pressure up at idle.

 

[AaronCarmichael]

2005 5.7, ~215k, used used just whatever oil from advanced auto every 5k. Still going strong

 

['06 Ram 2500]

My '06 only has 60K miles but no problems. Always used Mobil 1 with regular changes with a premium brand oil filter. Recently switched to Amsoil due to the lifter failure thread and do not have any of the lifter noise that has been reported by others. Truck is paid for and no plans on getting rid of it ever.

 

[Barb Meberg]

Not sure anything helps. Have a 2012 Power Wagon it failed at 119000 and oil was changed every 3000 miles.

 

[CarrollB]

I'm sure we only hear complaints about the cam/lifter failures. Any engine can fail even when maintained better that the mfg suggest. In 1981 I bought a 79 chevy used with 4,300 miles on it. I changed the oil every 3500 miles and yet it ate a cam around 60k miles.

 

[shawn43]

I have a 2011 Ram 1500 SLT with 123658 miles on it and do the basic maintenance stuff. I use Pennzoil High Mileage Platnum every 5000 or so miles and have not had an issue yet. This is my daily driver and I just enjoy the truck. I refuse to continually worry about an issue that could happen. There are issues with every vehicle so enjoy what you drive and have fun.

 

[1SloRam]

96k on my 2014 oil changes every 3k miles and mine just failed. Mds delete cam and tuner installed. Raised idle by 100rpm in hopes to help keep oil pressure up at idle.

Do you have a parts list of what all you used?